Module 1: NT History and Literature (copy)

What is the Intertestamental Period?

The Intertestamental Period is the period between the Old and New Testaments that is known for its lack of prophecy and changes in Jewish culture, religious activity, social customs, and politics; as a result, it caused dormancy in the faith/ spiritual slumber.

What is the Diaspora?

The scattering of Jews throughout the Babylonian Empire into foreign lands.

What were the Jewish synagogues used for?

For the reading of the Law and for prayer

What is Hellenization?

The embracing of the Greek language and culture due to Alexander’s tolerance of religious practices (in Israel) and cultural influence

What is the Septuagint or LXX?

The Greek translation of the OT, which legend has it was translated by 72 men in 72 days.

What translation became the Bible for many of the NT writers aside from the OG Hebrew Bible?

The Septuagint or LXX/ Greek translation

Who was Antiochus IV Epiphanes (god manifested), and what did he do to oppress the Jews?

King of the Seleucid Empire who resented the Jewish people + lifestyle; chose to eradicate the Jewish religion—banning the Law, Sabbath, festivals, trad. sacrifices and circumcision, extending to local Jewish villages. He forced offerings of pigs (unclean) on the altar.

Who is Mattathias and what did he do during the Seleucid occupation?

An elderly priest who refused to offer a swine sacrifice on an altar stabbed a government official and stabbed a complacent Jewish man. Called for zealous + pious Jews to join him in guerrilla warfare against foreign rulers in their “Promised Land”

Who was Judas Maccabeus and what did he do?

The son of Matthias, who took over the revolt.

Who were the Maccabeans and from where did they get their name?

Jewish rebels who revolted against the Seleucids and are named after Judas/Matthias’s fam name (“hammer”)

Who were the Hasmoneans, what did they accomplish, and how did Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem connect with them?

The Hasmoneans were rebels under Simon (surviving son of Mattathias), who called for the removal of Gentiles, the conquest of territory, and the dismantling of foreign oppressors. Many believed that Jesus would come as a military leader who would dismantle the Roman Empire and release them from the pagan rule of Rome—instead, He released them from their bondage to sin.

What is Hanukkah, and what was its origin?

Hanukkah is the feast of dedication and began when the Jewish people rededicated the temple Dec. 14 164 BC, 3 years to the day from Antiochus’s desecr/blasphemous act. The oil used to light the candelabra in the temple miraculously lasted 8 days when Judas reconquered Jerusalem from the Seleucids.

Who were the Samaritans, and what was true of their beliefs and practices?

A separatist group of Jews + intermarried with Gentiles after the exile (part Jew). Different ethnically and religiously. Only believed in the 5 books of the Torah; one God; Mount Gerizim = true place for sacrifice; future judgement; a coming prophet like Moses.

What was built on Mount Gerizim, and what eventually happened to it?

Site of the Samaritan temple and destroyed by the Hasmoneans / John Hyrcanus.

Who were the Pharisees, what were their concerns, and what were the divisions by the first century AD?

Conservative sect that observed the OT and the oral law. Were keepers of the Law/purity and hated Hellenization and anything foreign. Became the most popular Jewish faction. From the common people. Feared losing the crowd’s support if they killed Jesus.

The division occurred with the two primary schools of Pharisaic thought. The House of Hillel: School for interpreting the Law *not as scrict as the House of Shammai*

What is the Mishnah, and what did it address?

Collection of the Pharisees’ oral laws and teachings. Addresses legal matters related to topics purity, civil and criminal law, women, and marriage.

Who were the Sadducees, and what were their concerns and beliefs?

The Sadducees were known for being politically motivated + prosperity. Wealth and power; recognized the 5 books of the Torah; denied the supernatural (resurrection from the dead and angels).

What was the Sanhedrin, and who controlled it?

The highest court of the Jews; the Sadducees controlled it. Chaired by the highest priest, this supreme Jewish tribunal = 70 men who met in Jerusalem.

Who were the Essenes, and what were they characterized by?

Jewish sect in 1st cent.; a separatist group that lived in the desert—apart from Hellenization/mainstream society, to purify themselves for the coming of the Lord. Anti-temple + legalistic.

What was Qumran?

A community started by the Essenes *allegedly*; Jewish est. on the N. side of the Dead Sea.

What were the Dead Sea Scrolls, and what is included among them?

Were numerous scrolls were hidden in 11 caves during the Jewish revolt; they revealed ideas of the Jewish community + copies of Jewish writings, and every book of the Hebrew Scripture except Esther.

Who were the Zealots, and what are they blamed for by Josephus (Jewish Historian)?

Last of the important Jewish sects of this time period. Present-day terrorists’ Fanatics that did everything they could to advance the cause of God in the midst of pagan rulers in Israel.

Blamed for the downfall of the Jewish people under Rome in the Jewish War.

What is the Apocrypha, and what does it affirm about the righteous?

The Apocrypha is a Jewish hopeful piece of writing, meaning “unveiling.” Entails the future vindication/justification of the righteous; during the time that the Hasmoneans were disintegrating though initially they brought hope of Jewish independence.

What are the Pseudepigrapha, what does its name mean, and what insight does it give us?

“False name"; Draws the reader’s attention to future events; provides insight into the intertestamental history and the mindset of many individuals who lived during this period.

What did the writers of the Apocalyptic literature claim to reveal, and what was their purpose?

Revealed through the use of symbolic imagery of what God was doing in heaven to encourage his people who were suffering on earth.

What does the term “Judaisms” refer to?

The variety (denominations) that existed within Judaism during the intertestamental or NT eras.

Who was Herod the Great, what was he like, and what was he especially known for?

The son of Antipater; the governor of Galilee; Rome appointed him as “King of the Jews”; brought political stability in Galilee; Edomite descent; A builder; Killed the entire Hasmonean family; Renovated the Jerusalem temple; Constructed the largest holy structure built in the ancient world; Was disdained by the Jews yet the Jewish temple he constructed became the focal point of life among 1st-cent. Jews

What do the “centuries of silence” refer to, and what did they imply for many people?

Refers to the time up to even during the time of Jesus, how they hoped that some day God would return + bring the Messiah; NT period the prophetic voice was silent; Silence for 400 years; Many though that God had taken his Spirit away from Israel due to their sin; felt as if God were distant or silent + judging them.