Scriptural Silence?

THE INTER-TESTAMENTAL PERIOD
The four centuries after Prophet Malachi until the birth of Christ -- spanning the ministry of Malachi  to the appearance of John the Baptist in the early first century -- have been referred to as “four hundred years of silence”, but on closer inspection, we find God working throughout this period to set the stage for the coming of His Son—a culmination of history that Paul called “the fullness of the times” (Gal. 4:4; Eph. 1:10).  Indeed, to fully appreciate the times in which Jesus lived, we need to consider the events that produced those times. At this time the Persians had been dominating the Middle East, since 536 B.C. The Book of Malachi closed the Old Testament canon in perhaps about 397 B.C.  (See Ezra 1:8). From the standpoint of Jewish history, this period between the Old and New Testaments—called the intertestamental period—can be divided into six segments. A synagogue
ONE
1	At this time the Persians had been dominating the Middle East since 536 B.C.	536 B.C.
2	The Jews were left in relative peace to rebuild their society after the Babylonian exile.
3	The synagogue became a major influence on local worship and politics.
4	Scribes became influential in the interpretation of Scripture.
5	A temple was built in Samaria, rivaling the worship in Ezra’s temple at Jerusalem. This development would have far-reaching effects on relations between Jews and Samaritans
TWO
1	The armies of Alexander the Great of Greece took control of the Middle East as far as western India.
2	The entire region became heavily influenced by Greek culture and language, a process called Hellenization.
3	Jews largely resisted Hellenization
THREE
1	After Alexander’s death in 323 b.c., four generals divided the Greek Empire.
2	Ptolemy Scoter took control of Egypt and gradually nearby Israel was coming under his control
3	Many Jews were resettled in Alexandria and gradually adopted Hellenistic culture
4	A Greek translation of the Old Testament was authorized, producing the Septuagint	See Acts 18:24
5	The Greek emphasis on aesthetics affected Hebrew worship, tending to make it more external than internal.
6	Jews in Israel polarized along political, cultural, and religious lines, led by two emerging groups—the Hellenists and the Hasidim (or "Pious Ones"), the forerunners of the Pharisees	See Acts 6:9
FOUR
1	The Syrians defeated the Egyptians in the Battle of Panion and annexed  Judea to Syria.	198 B.C.
2	Conflicts between the Hellenists and Hasidim brought Antiochus Epiphanes to Jerusalem in to settle the dispute. He tried to stamp out every sign of the Hebrew faith by forbidding sacrifices to the Lord, outlawing circumcision, canceling the Sabbath and feast days, destroying copies of Scripture, forcing Jews to eat pork and establishing idol worship to the God Zeus in the temple	168 B.C.
3	Opposition to Roman dominance by Jews led to widespread rioting and killings.
4	A group of loyalists to the high priest emerged, which would later develop into the party of the Sadduccees	See Matt. 16:1
FIVE
1	Thousands of Jews rallied behind an elderly priest named Mattathias, of the family of Hasmon, who revolted against Syrian idolatry in his hometown of Modein, northwest of Jerusalem
2	Mattathias’s three sons, Judas Maccabaeus, Jonathan, and Simon recaptured Jerusalem, cleansed the temple, and restored worship
3	Israel finally achieved independence, which lasted for seventy years under the leadership of the Hasmoneans	By 142 B.C.
4	One governor and high priest, John Hyrcanus, destroyed the Samaritan temple. He began referring to himself as king and was supported by the Sadducees. However, the Pharisees and their followers, who recognized kings only through the line of David, opposed him
SIX
1	Pompey of Rome overran Syria and entered Israel. Resistance at Jerusalem led to the capture of the city by force, and Roman occupation
2	Julius Caesar appointed Antipater, an Idumaen, as curator of Judea. Later, Antipater’s son Herod came to power and was the king at the time of Jesus’ birth	47 B.C Matt. 2:1
3	Herod began the construction of a new temple. He was a devoted Hellenic, and killed every descendant of the Hasmoneans
4	A political party known as the Herodians emerged devoted to the Herods and Hellenism, and opposed to traditional Jews for fear that they would incite a return of Roman troops to destroy Jerusalem.	See  Matt. 16:1
5	An opposition party, the Zealots, also developed who refused to submit to Rome’s authority and advocated armed rebellion.	See Matt. 16:1
There is some evidence Judas Iscariot belonged to zealot. The only non-Galilean among the twelve, he was impressed by Jesus’ teaching about the ‘kingdom’ and joined Him. But he was soon disillusioned when Jesus failed to make the ‘right moves’ and he betrayed Him. Either accidentally or by design he fulfilled the prophecies of the ‘traitor’ in the Psalms and Zechariah! Jews Worship at the Wailing Wall