What about the “silent years” between testaments?
Question 1118
When we turn from Malachi to Matthew, we cross a gap of some 400 years without a single word of inspired Scripture. After Malachi’s final prophecy, no prophet spoke, no Scripture was written, and God seemed strangely silent. These centuries between the testaments are often called the “silent years” or the “intertestamental period.” But were they truly silent? And what happened during this time that prepared the world for the coming of Christ?
The Scope of the Period
Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets, probably wrote around 430-420 BC, during the Persian period after the return from Babylonian exile. The New Testament opens with the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth, probably around 6-5 BC. Between these bookends lie roughly four centuries during which no inspired Scripture was produced and, according to Jewish tradition, no prophet arose in Israel.
The Jews themselves recognised this silence. First Maccabees 9:27 states, “So there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them.” The Talmud acknowledges that after Malachi, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel. This sense of prophetic absence created longing for the Messiah and the restoration of God’s direct communication with His people.
Political Developments
Far from being uneventful, the intertestamental period saw dramatic political changes that shaped the world into which Jesus would be born:
The Persian Period (430-332 BC): The Jews remained under Persian rule following the pattern established in Ezra and Nehemiah. The high priest gained increasing political as well as religious authority. This relative peace allowed Jewish life and worship to stabilise around the temple and the Torah.
Alexander the Great (332-323 BC): Alexander’s conquest of the Persian Empire brought Greek rule to Palestine. His policy of Hellenisation spread Greek language, culture, and thought throughout the ancient world. This had profound implications for Judaism and later for Christianity. The Greek language became the common tongue of commerce and culture (κοινή, koine), eventually providing the linguistic vehicle for the New Testament and enabling the gospel’s rapid spread.
The Ptolemaic Period (323-198 BC): After Alexander’s death, his generals divided his empire. Palestine came under the Ptolemies of Egypt, who generally treated the Jews tolerantly. During this period, the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, was produced in Alexandria, making the Old Testament accessible to Greek-speaking Jews and later to Gentile converts. The British Museum houses important papyri from this period, including early Septuagint fragments (such as those in the Chester Beatty collection).
The Seleucid Period (198-167 BC): The Seleucids of Syria gained control of Palestine, and under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC), the Jews faced severe persecution. Antiochus outlawed circumcision, Sabbath observance, and Torah study. He desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and erecting a statue of Zeus in the Holy Place. This “abomination of desolation” is referenced in Daniel 11:31 and provides background for Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:15.
The Maccabean Revolt (167-142 BC): The priest Mattathias and his sons, particularly Judas Maccabeus, led a successful revolt against Seleucid oppression. In 164 BC, they cleansed and rededicated the temple, an event commemorated by the festival of Hanukkah (John 10:22, “Feast of Dedication”). The Hasmonean dynasty that followed combined the offices of king and high priest, despite not being of Davidic lineage, creating controversy and ultimately corruption.
Roman Rule (63 BC onward): The Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem in 63 BC, ending Jewish independence. Eventually, the Romans appointed Herod the Great as king (37 BC). Herod rebuilt the temple on a magnificent scale but was a brutal ruler who murdered his own family members and, according to Matthew 2, slaughtered the infants of Bethlehem. It was into this Roman-dominated, Herod-ruled world that Jesus was born.
Religious Developments
The intertestamental period also saw the emergence of Jewish groups and institutions that feature prominently in the New Testament:
The Synagogue: With the temple in Jerusalem accessible only for major festivals, local synagogues became centres of Jewish religious life. Every town had its synagogue where Scripture was read, prayers were offered, and instruction was given. Jesus taught regularly in synagogues (Luke 4:16), as did Paul in his missionary journeys.
The Pharisees: This group emerged from the Hasidim (the pious ones) who supported the Maccabean revolt. They emphasised strict observance of the Torah and the “traditions of the elders,” the oral law that would eventually become the Mishnah and Talmud. Though Jesus frequently clashed with them, they represent a serious attempt to apply Scripture to daily life.
The Sadducees: Associated with the priestly aristocracy and the temple, the Sadducees accepted only the written Torah and denied the resurrection, angels, and spirits (Acts 23:8). They were the religious establishment, holding power through cooperation with Rome.
The Essenes: This separatist group, apparently responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls, withdrew from what they saw as a corrupted temple and priesthood. They awaited God’s intervention and lived in strict community. The scrolls discovered at Qumran in 1947 provide invaluable background for understanding first-century Judaism.
Messianic expectation: The suffering under Antiochus and subsequent disappointments with the Hasmonean rulers intensified longing for the Messiah. Various texts from this period, including Daniel’s prophecies (which many scholars date to this era, though I would hold to an earlier date), apocalyptic literature, and sectarian writings express fervent hope for God’s intervention. When Jesus began His ministry, expectation was high.
Intertestamental Literature
Though not inspired Scripture, the writings from this period provide valuable historical and cultural context:
The Apocrypha: Books like 1-2 Maccabees, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Wisdom of Solomon, and others were included in the Septuagint and are still part of Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. They are useful historical sources even if not canonical Scripture.
Pseudepigrapha: A larger collection of Jewish writings, including 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, reveals the diversity of Jewish thought in this period. Jude 14-15 appears to quote from 1 Enoch, though this does not imply the entire book is inspired.
Dead Sea Scrolls: The Qumran library includes biblical manuscripts, community rules, and commentaries that illuminate how at least one Jewish sect interpreted Scripture and awaited the Messiah.
The Providence of God
Looking back, we can see how God used these centuries to prepare for Christ’s coming. The Greek language united the Mediterranean world, allowing the gospel to spread rapidly. Roman roads and the Pax Romana enabled travel and communication on an unprecedented scale. The Jewish diaspora established synagogues throughout the empire, providing ready-made platforms for Paul’s preaching. Messianic expectation reached fever pitch. When Paul wrote that Christ came “in the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4), he spoke theological truth with historical precision.
The silence was not absence. God was working behind the scenes, orchestrating history toward its appointed climax. When the angel appeared to Zechariah in the temple, the silence was broken at last. The last prophet’s voice, John the Baptist, would soon cry in the wilderness. The long wait was over.
Conclusion
The intertestamental period was not a gap in God’s plan but an essential preparation for it. Though no Scripture was written, history was being shaped, the stage was being set, and the world was being made ready for the entrance of its King. When we understand these “silent years,” we appreciate more fully the world into which Jesus came and the context in which the church was born. The silence made the breaking of it all the more glorious.
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”Galatians 4:4-5
Bibliography
- Bruce, F.F. New Testament History. London: Thomas Nelson, 1969.
- Charles, R.H., ed. The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913.
- Grabbe, Lester L. Judaism from Cyrus to Hadrian. 2 vols. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992.
- Helyer, Larry R. Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002.
- Nickelsburg, George W.E. Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005.
- Schürer, Emil. The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ. Rev. ed. by Géza Vermès et al. 3 vols. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1973-1987.
- Tenney, Merrill C. New Testament Times. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965.
- VanderKam, James C. An Introduction to Early Judaism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.
