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Bridging

The

Testaments

The History and Theology of God’s People in The Second Temple Period

George Athas

ZONDERVAN ACADEMIC

Bridging the Testaments

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ePub Edition © October 2023: ISBN 978-0-310-52095-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Athas, George, author.

Title: Bridging the Testaments : the history and theology of God’s people in the Second Temple period / George Athas.

Description: Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2023. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2023015841 (print) | LCCN 2023015842 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310520948 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780310520955 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Judaism--History--Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.-210 A.D. | BISAC: RELIGION / Biblical Studies / Old Testament / General | HISTORY / Ancient / General

Classification: LCC BM176 .A885 2023 (print) | LCC BM176 (ebook) | DDC 296.09/014--dc23/eng/20230525

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023015841

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023015842

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are those of the author.

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Cover design: Thinkpen Design

Cover image: © Look and Learn / Bridgeman Images

Interior design: Kait Lamphere

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For my students past, present, and future,
and most especially for the students who have sat in my Zechariah class.

CONTENTS

Detailed Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Table 1: Brief Timeline of Events (597–4 BC)

Table 2: The High Priests of Jerusalem

Table 3: Rulers of the Persian Empire

Table 4: Attested Governors of Persian Yehud (Judah)

Table 5: Attested Governors of Persian Samaria

Table 6: Jerusalem under the Control of the Diadochi

Table 7: Rulers of the Ptolemaic Kingdom (Egypt)

Table 8: Rulers of the Seleucid Kingdom (Syria)

Table 9: The ...

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About Bridging the Testaments: The History and Theology of God’s People in the Second Temple Period

An accessible introduction to the historical and theological developments between the Old and New Testament.

Bridging the end of the Old Testament period and the beginning of the New Testament period, this book surveys the history and theological developments of four significant eras in Israel’s post-exilic history: the Late Persian Era (465–331 BC), the Hellenistic Era (332–167 BC), the Hasmonean Era (167–63 BC), and the Roman Era (63–4 BC). In doing so, it does away with the notion that there were four hundred years of prophetic silence before Jesus.

Bridging the Testaments outlines the political and social developments of these four periods, with particular focus on their impact upon Judeans and Samarians. Using a wide range of biblical and extra-biblical sources, George Athas reconstructs what can be known about the history of Judah and Samaria in these eras, providing the framework for understanding the history of God’s covenant people, and the theological developments that occurred at the end of the Old Testament period, leading into the New Testament. In doing so, Athas shows that the notion of a supposed period of four hundred years of prophetic silence is not supported by the biblical or historical evidence. Finally, an epilogue sketches the historical and theological situation prevailing at the death of Herod in 4 BC, providing important context for the New Testament writings.

In this way, the book bridges the Old and New Testaments by providing a historical and theological understanding of the five centuries leading up to the birth of Jesus, tracking a biblical theology through them, and abolishing the notion of a four-century prophetic silence.

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Table of Contents