August 19, 2025 • 12 mins
Have you ever pondered on the 400-year-long silence between the Old and New Testaments? Where did the Pharisees and Sadducees suddenly spring from? Here's the chance to satiate your curiosity as we embark on a thrilling journey through the sands of time, unearthing the mysteries of the Intertestamental period. Together, we'll traverse through shifting world powers, from Persia to Greece, and subsequently Rome, witnessing the dramatic transformation of Jewish culture under the influence of Hellenization, the creation of the Septuagint, and the rise of differing Jewish sects.
Prepare yourself for an absorbing exploration of a pivotal era in history.
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Note: All scripture references are from the NIV translation unless otherwise indicated.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jacqui (00:00):
Greetings listeners.
Before we jump in, I just haveto say I love this episode.
It's from the early days of thepodcast, but it's such a good
setup for where we're headednext.
We're about to start a brandnew season on the New Testament,
(00:20):
beginning with Matthew, andthis episode on the
intertestamental period that 400years between the end of the
Old Testament and the beginningof the New is a perfect bridge
to get us there.
So sit back and enjoy.
(00:51):
Wait a minute, what's going onhere?
I've just wrapped up readingthe Old Testament, where
Jerusalem was being rebuiltunder Persian rule and
everything was originallywritten in Hebrew.
Now I flip one page to read theNew Testament and I find Rome
is in charge and the NewTestament is originally written
(01:13):
in Greek.
But what in the world happenedin between, on that one page
that I flipped?
Well, if you're as curious as Iam, stay tuned to this episode
of the Bible Basics podcast,where we'll discover what
happened between the Old and NewTestaments, what happened
(01:35):
during the intertestamentalperiod.
Well, welcome everyone.
I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole,and this is the Bible Basics
Podcast, where weekly, we breakdown the Bible into
understandable, bite-sizedchunks.
Okay, let's set the scene.
(01:57):
Imagine you've just finishedreading the Old Testament,
you've witnessed the stories ofcreation, Noah's Ark, the Exodus
, the reign of King David and somuch more.
Jerusalem and the Second Templewere being rebuilt, and the
world's superpower at the timewas Persia.
All of this content wasoriginally originally written in
(02:21):
Hebrew, the language of theJewish people.
Now you flip over one page andstart reading the New Testament,
beginning with the book ofMatthew.
Suddenly, you're in a differentworld.
Rome is in charge and you findout the original texts are all
(02:44):
written in Greek.
The Second Temple seems to befar more functioning than it was
at the close of the OldTestament.
There are groups, like thePharisees and Sadducees, that
aren't mentioned in the OldTestament.
It's a bit like going from onemovie to another with an
entirely new cast and setting.
(03:05):
So what happened during this gap?
What was going on during theintertestamental period?
That's the way we describe theperiod between the Old and New
Testaments.
Well, let's dive in and findout.
First, let's understand thetime frame.
The intertestamental periodspans roughly 400 years, from
(03:30):
about 400 BC to 1 AD.
This period isn't covered inthe books of the Protestant
Bible, but it's crucial forunderstanding the context in
which the events of the NewTestament took place.
Context in which the events ofthe New Testament took place.
This span of more than 400years separates the last events
(03:51):
and prophecies chronicled in theOld Testament from the initial
events recounted in the NewTestament.
It lasted from about theprophet Malachi's time to the
preaching of John the Baptist.
This era is often referred toas the silent years, because
there is no known divineprophecy during this period,
(04:15):
though, despite the apparentabsence of God's spoken word,
it's evident that God's guidinghand was actively shaping the
course of events during thisperiod.
Now let's look at who theworld's superpowers were during
the intertestamental period.
The book of Daniel prophesiedof some of the events of this
(04:39):
period.
For a quick refresher, danielwas exiled along with the rest
of Judah in Babylon.
While interpreting dreams forthe king of Babylon,
nebuchadnezzar, danielprophesied the rise and fall of
the world's superpowers Persia,Greece and Rome.
Over a century later, duringthe intertestamental period,
(05:03):
these events began to happen.
So, as Daniel foretold, therewas going to be a transfer of
control over the land of Israelfrom the Persian Empire to
Greece and subsequently to Rome,to Greece and subsequently to
(05:23):
Rome.
The Jewish people were underPersian rule for approximately
200 years, starting in the 6thcentury BC.
Recall, as we read in Ezra andNehemiah, the Persians took
over as the world power from theBabylonians.
During this period, thePersians permitted the Jews to
return to their homeland, engagein reconstruction efforts and
practice their religious worshipat the Jerusalem Temple.
(05:48):
In the 4th century BC, Alexanderthe Great of Greece and his
armies swept through the knownworld, including the lands of
the Bible.
His conquests led to awidespread Hellenization of the
region.
Hellenization means theinfluence of Greek culture,
language and philosophy.
(06:10):
This Hellenistic influence hada profound impact on the Jewish
people.
Alexander the Great dealtkindly with the Jews.
He permitted them to observetheir laws and he granted them
exemption from paying tributeduring sabbatical years.
That was once every seven years.
We see in Leviticus 25.
(06:31):
When he built Alexandria inEgypt, he encouraged the Jews to
settle there and gave themprivileges comparable to his
Greek subjects.
Many Jews began to adapt Greekcustoms and even spoke Greek.
However, they also held on totheir religious traditions and
(06:54):
beliefs.
Following the death of Alexander, the area in which Israel was
situated, specifically referredto as Judea, experienced a
succession of rulers untilAntiochus Epiphanes assumed
power.
Under the rule of AntiochusEpiphanes, the Jewish people
(07:15):
were severely persecuted.
He removed priests and evenwent to the extent of defiling
the temple with impure animalsand a non-Jewish altar.
This oppressive regimeeventually led to a Jewish
uprising called the MaccabeanRevolt.
The era that ensued was markedby violence, warfare and
(07:40):
internal conflicts.
The Greek influence continuedin Israel until the first
century BC.
Then there was another shift.
As prophesied by Daniel, romebegan to assert dominance in the
Mediterranean.
Assert dominance in theMediterranean.
(08:05):
Around 63 BC, Pompey, a Romangeneral, conquered the region
and established the authority ofthe Caesars.
Subsequently, the Romanauthorities appointed members of
the Herod dynasty as rulersover Israel.
The Herods were responsible forgoverning both the Jewish
population and other inhabitantsof Judea.
The New Testament mentionsseveral Herods, including Herod
(08:28):
the Great, who tried to haveJesus killed as an infant, and
Herod Antipas, to whom Jesus wassent for his trial before his
crucifixion.
During this period, a blend ofJewish, roman and Greek cultures
shaped society, resulting in afusion of influences.
(08:50):
This clash between Hellenismand Judaism gave rise to a
number of Jewish sects.
The Pharisees, for instance,were known for their dedication
to the strict interpretation ofthe law.
They sought to make theirunderstanding binding upon all
(09:11):
Jews.
They even added their own lawsto the law, the synagogue was
the stronghold of the Pharisees.
Paul considered himself amember of this group.
Paul considered himself amember of this group.
Then there are the Sadducees,who denied the authority of
tradition and looked withsuspicion on all revelation
(09:31):
later than the Mosaic Law.
They denied the doctrine ofresurrection and did not believe
in the existence of angels orspirits.
They are largely people ofwealth and position.
In the New Testament times,they controlled the priesthood
and the temple ritual.
(09:51):
Other groups emerging from thisperiod include the Essenes and
the Zealots.
Here's another importantdevelopment that emerged out of
this period With the emphasisplaced on using the Greek
language, the Jews of theDiaspora, meaning those living
(10:13):
outside of Judea, becamepredominantly Greek speakers.
This led to the creation of aGreek translation of the Hebrew
Bible called the Septuagint.
It was created during the 3rdcentury BC in Alexandria, egypt.
It allowed Greek-speaking Jewsand non-Jews alike to access and
(10:35):
understand the Hebrewscriptures.
Legend has it that 70 or 72Jewish scholars were responsible
for the translation, and did itin 72 days.
That led to the translationbeing named the Septuagint, the
Latin word for 70.
The Septuagint played asignificant role in the spread
(11:01):
of Jewish scripture and thought.
So now let's pull it alltogether.
We see that theintertestamental period is a
time gap between the Old and NewTestaments of the Bible lasting
about 400 years.
During this period, the world'ssuperpowers changed hands from
(11:24):
Persia to Greece to Rome.
Also during this time,important things happened in
Jewish history, like theinfluence of Greek culture,
severe persecution, theMaccabean Revolt, the Old
Testament in Greek and the riseof different Jewish groups.
(11:46):
When the New Testament opens,the people of Israel are now
once again groaning underforeign rule of the Roman Empire
and the Jewish puppet kingHerod, the Great puppet king
(12:09):
Herod the Great.
Amid this setting, god broke400 years of silence with the
announcement of the coming ofChrist and the intertestamental
period came to an end.
Thank you for tuning in.
If this has been beneficial toyou, please share it with others
, subscribe or follow, and allof you Apple podcast listeners,
(12:32):
drop us a review.
Greetings listeners.
Before we jump in, I just haveto say I love this episode.
It's from the early days of thepodcast, but it's such a good
setup for where we're headednext.
We're about to start a brandnew season on the New Testament,
(00:20):
beginning with Matthew, andthis episode on the
intertestamental period that 400years between the end of the
Old Testament and the beginningof the New is a perfect bridge
to get us there.
So sit back and enjoy.
(00:51):
Wait a minute, what's going onhere?
I've just wrapped up readingthe Old Testament, where
Jerusalem was being rebuiltunder Persian rule and
everything was originallywritten in Hebrew.
Now I flip one page to read theNew Testament and I find Rome
is in charge and the NewTestament is originally written
(01:13):
in Greek.
But what in the world happenedin between, on that one page
that I flipped?
Well, if you're as curious as Iam, stay tuned to this episode
of the Bible Basics podcast,where we'll discover what
happened between the Old and NewTestaments, what happened
(01:35):
during the intertestamentalperiod.
Well, welcome everyone.
I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole,and this is the Bible Basics
Podcast, where weekly, we breakdown the Bible into
understandable, bite-sizedchunks.
Okay, let's set the scene.
(01:57):
Imagine you've just finishedreading the Old Testament,
you've witnessed the stories ofcreation, Noah's Ark, the Exodus
, the reign of King David and somuch more.
Jerusalem and the Second Templewere being rebuilt, and the
world's superpower at the timewas Persia.
All of this content wasoriginally originally written in
(02:21):
Hebrew, the language of theJewish people.
Now you flip over one page andstart reading the New Testament,
beginning with the book ofMatthew.
Suddenly, you're in a differentworld.
Rome is in charge and you findout the original texts are all
(02:44):
written in Greek.
The Second Temple seems to befar more functioning than it was
at the close of the OldTestament.
There are groups, like thePharisees and Sadducees, that
aren't mentioned in the OldTestament.
It's a bit like going from onemovie to another with an
entirely new cast and setting.
(03:05):
So what happened during this gap?
What was going on during theintertestamental period?
That's the way we describe theperiod between the Old and New
Testaments.
Well, let's dive in and findout.
First, let's understand thetime frame.
The intertestamental periodspans roughly 400 years, from
(03:30):
about 400 BC to 1 AD.
This period isn't covered inthe books of the Protestant
Bible, but it's crucial forunderstanding the context in
which the events of the NewTestament took place.
Context in which the events ofthe New Testament took place.
This span of more than 400years separates the last events
(03:51):
and prophecies chronicled in theOld Testament from the initial
events recounted in the NewTestament.
It lasted from about theprophet Malachi's time to the
preaching of John the Baptist.
This era is often referred toas the silent years, because
there is no known divineprophecy during this period,
(04:15):
though, despite the apparentabsence of God's spoken word,
it's evident that God's guidinghand was actively shaping the
course of events during thisperiod.
Now let's look at who theworld's superpowers were during
the intertestamental period.
The book of Daniel prophesiedof some of the events of this
(04:39):
period.
For a quick refresher, danielwas exiled along with the rest
of Judah in Babylon.
While interpreting dreams forthe king of Babylon,
nebuchadnezzar, danielprophesied the rise and fall of
the world's superpowers Persia,Greece and Rome.
Over a century later, duringthe intertestamental period,
(05:03):
these events began to happen.
So, as Daniel foretold, therewas going to be a transfer of
control over the land of Israelfrom the Persian Empire to
Greece and subsequently to Rome,to Greece and subsequently to
(05:23):
Rome.
The Jewish people were underPersian rule for approximately
200 years, starting in the 6thcentury BC.
Recall, as we read in Ezra andNehemiah, the Persians took
over as the world power from theBabylonians.
During this period, thePersians permitted the Jews to
return to their homeland, engagein reconstruction efforts and
practice their religious worshipat the Jerusalem Temple.
(05:48):
In the 4th century BC, Alexanderthe Great of Greece and his
armies swept through the knownworld, including the lands of
the Bible.
His conquests led to awidespread Hellenization of the
region.
Hellenization means theinfluence of Greek culture,
language and philosophy.
(06:10):
This Hellenistic influence hada profound impact on the Jewish
people.
Alexander the Great dealtkindly with the Jews.
He permitted them to observetheir laws and he granted them
exemption from paying tributeduring sabbatical years.
That was once every seven years.
We see in Leviticus 25.
(06:31):
When he built Alexandria inEgypt, he encouraged the Jews to
settle there and gave themprivileges comparable to his
Greek subjects.
Many Jews began to adapt Greekcustoms and even spoke Greek.
However, they also held on totheir religious traditions and
(06:54):
beliefs.
Following the death of Alexander, the area in which Israel was
situated, specifically referredto as Judea, experienced a
succession of rulers untilAntiochus Epiphanes assumed
power.
Under the rule of AntiochusEpiphanes, the Jewish people
(07:15):
were severely persecuted.
He removed priests and evenwent to the extent of defiling
the temple with impure animalsand a non-Jewish altar.
This oppressive regimeeventually led to a Jewish
uprising called the MaccabeanRevolt.
The era that ensued was markedby violence, warfare and
(07:40):
internal conflicts.
The Greek influence continuedin Israel until the first
century BC.
Then there was another shift.
As prophesied by Daniel, romebegan to assert dominance in the
Mediterranean.
Assert dominance in theMediterranean.
(08:05):
Around 63 BC, Pompey, a Romangeneral, conquered the region
and established the authority ofthe Caesars.
Subsequently, the Romanauthorities appointed members of
the Herod dynasty as rulersover Israel.
The Herods were responsible forgoverning both the Jewish
population and other inhabitantsof Judea.
The New Testament mentionsseveral Herods, including Herod
(08:28):
the Great, who tried to haveJesus killed as an infant, and
Herod Antipas, to whom Jesus wassent for his trial before his
crucifixion.
During this period, a blend ofJewish, roman and Greek cultures
shaped society, resulting in afusion of influences.
(08:50):
This clash between Hellenismand Judaism gave rise to a
number of Jewish sects.
The Pharisees, for instance,were known for their dedication
to the strict interpretation ofthe law.
They sought to make theirunderstanding binding upon all
(09:11):
Jews.
They even added their own lawsto the law, the synagogue was
the stronghold of the Pharisees.
Paul considered himself amember of this group.
Paul considered himself amember of this group.
Then there are the Sadducees,who denied the authority of
tradition and looked withsuspicion on all revelation
(09:31):
later than the Mosaic Law.
They denied the doctrine ofresurrection and did not believe
in the existence of angels orspirits.
They are largely people ofwealth and position.
In the New Testament times,they controlled the priesthood
and the temple ritual.
(09:51):
Other groups emerging from thisperiod include the Essenes and
the Zealots.
Here's another importantdevelopment that emerged out of
this period With the emphasisplaced on using the Greek
language, the Jews of theDiaspora, meaning those living
(10:13):
outside of Judea, becamepredominantly Greek speakers.
This led to the creation of aGreek translation of the Hebrew
Bible called the Septuagint.
It was created during the 3rdcentury BC in Alexandria, egypt.
It allowed Greek-speaking Jewsand non-Jews alike to access and
(10:35):
understand the Hebrewscriptures.
Legend has it that 70 or 72Jewish scholars were responsible
for the translation, and did itin 72 days.
That led to the translationbeing named the Septuagint, the
Latin word for 70.
The Septuagint played asignificant role in the spread
(11:01):
of Jewish scripture and thought.
So now let's pull it alltogether.
We see that theintertestamental period is a
time gap between the Old and NewTestaments of the Bible lasting
about 400 years.
During this period, the world'ssuperpowers changed hands from
(11:24):
Persia to Greece to Rome.
Also during this time,important things happened in
Jewish history, like theinfluence of Greek culture,
severe persecution, theMaccabean Revolt, the Old
Testament in Greek and the riseof different Jewish groups.
(11:46):
When the New Testament opens,the people of Israel are now
once again groaning underforeign rule of the Roman Empire
and the Jewish puppet kingHerod, the Great puppet king
(12:09):
Herod the Great.
Amid this setting, god broke400 years of silence with the
announcement of the coming ofChrist and the intertestamental
period came to an end.
Thank you for tuning in.
If this has been beneficial toyou, please share it with others
, subscribe or follow, and allof you Apple podcast listeners,
(12:32):
drop us a review.
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