Intertestamental Paper



Intertestamental Paper

Introduction

This paper intends to explore the history of Second Temple Period beginning with the period of Alexander the Great and continuing through the reign of Herod's sons. Moreover, this paper will also discuss the various events, individuals and groups which impacted the Jews and land of Israel leading up to and during the time of Christ. Further, the emphasis of this paper will be on Pharisees highlighting his key characteristics and ideologies which affected the first century world of the New Testament. The purpose of this paper is to make the reader aware about the significance of Second Temple Period in relation with the Alexander the Great till the reign of Herod's sons along with the relevance of Pharisees to the first century world of the New Testament.

Discussion

The Second Temple is assumed to be one of the most important Jewish Shrines which was built on Temple Mount during 516 BCE and 70 CE in Jerusalem. This shrine was extremely significant in that era because it tends to replace the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE when Jewish nation was suffering from exile to the Babylon. The period of second temple is seen as to be one of the most important historic periods. This period has witnessed some great kings and rulers like Alexander the Great, Ptolemy, Seleucids, Herod and many others. The eras of each of the kings is full of vast experiences and events contributing significantly towards the Second Temple Period. There were almost 400 silent years before the beginning of the New Testament. These years are called silent because God did not send any prophets in those years for writing down the Scripture. These years are significant in the history because they brought about immense changed in the ancient world. The changes were observed with the arrival of Alexander the Great. Let us describe some of the important eras of this period starting with the Alexander the Great and moving till the period of Herod's sons (Kostenber, Scott & Charles, 2009 Pp. 1-125).

Alexander the Great

King Philip of Macedon was the father of Alexander the Great. Alexander aimed for greatness from his early childhood. Even being a child, he aimed for the world conquest. He used to consider Iliad as his bible and Achilles as his hero. Alexander always used to inquire about the size and morale of different armies that used to come meet his father. Aristotle was commissioned to be the tutor of Alexander. Alexander was always curious about scientific inventions, at his conquest of Persia he was accompanied with a whole group of science experts of that time (Kostenber, Scott & Charles 2009 Pp. 125-250).

Alexander was given throne at the age of twenty years in 336 BC. Alexander was already filled with the confidence of utilizing his authorities appropriately. Within the first year of his throne, he conquered all of Achaia. Asia Minor and Hellespont were also focused by Alexander. He was able to defeat the Persians at the battle ...