A Little History Lesson

I’ve been in Daniel this past week, and I’ve been particularly interested in the account of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2—a dream of a great statue representing four powerful Gentile kingdoms (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome). You remember: the gold head, the silver arms/chest, etc. Anyway, this somehow catapulted me into a study of the “Intertestamental Period,” the time when a lot of the action involving Israel and the Gentile kingdoms took place.

I know, I’m a nerd.

And yes. You’re about to have a history lesson. Put on your “nerd” hats, everyone.

Here’s the motivation to hear this, though: it’s an incredible lesson in God’s power and transcendence, yet also startling immanence, in His dealings with earthly kingdoms. He’s sovereign over them (as Nebuchadnezzar learned) and orchestrates every detail along the lines of redemptive history. So this “dusty old history” actually is incredibly significant. For those of you who are still reading at this point, here’s a “brief” summary of my studies:

Scripture doesn’t record the 400 years of the Intertestamental Period—the span from the closing of the Old Testament to the opening of the New Testament. These years (424 B.C. to 4 or 5 B.C., I think) are called the “Silent Years” or the “400 Years of Silence” because there was no new word from God during this time. Prophecy ceased, and God’s work with His people shifted to a solely providential/historical platform (until the coming of Christ). The term “silent” shouldn’t give the impression of dormancy, though; this was a time of dynamic change in the political and societal powers of Israel and the surrounding nations—climactic developments that prepared the way for the advent of the Messiah and the spread of the gospel throughout the known world. From an earthly viewpoint, the nations probably seemed to be changing haphazardly, by chance, but God actually was very much at work, ordering everything to accommodate His redemptive plan.

Anyway, the Intertestamental Period began after Malachi, the last Old Testament prophetic book, was written. Persia had overthrown Babylon (as recorded in Daniel) and declared that the Jews could start returning to Judea, regrouping and rebuilding (as recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah). During this time, the Persian government appointed the high priest as civil leader in Judah. Also, synagogues were built to preserve Jewish culture and religion. It was a time of relative peace...but not for long.

In 331 B.C., Alexander the Great overthrew Persia, with his grandiose vision to unite the world under the Greek empire and culture. To facilitate this, he established learning centers in various cities. This actually was very significant for the yet-to-come-Christianity, because it created widespread commonality of culture, philosophy, and language—something that would be a tremendous help in the rapid spread of the gospel.

When Alexander died without an heir, his empire was divided among his four generals. The first to reign over Palestine was Ptolemy I, and during his rule, the Jewish scribes (who copied and interpreted the written Law) and the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling body, composed of seventy members and a high priest) developed. Then, during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphius, the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek—producing what we know as the Septuagint.

Annnddd...this will have to be continued in a day or two. (It's getting way too long.) Stay tuned!