Intertestamental Period

Overview

The intertestamental period is the roughly four-century span between the close of the Old Testament prophetic era and the opening of the New Testament.

Timeline

Era	Approx. Dates	Orientation
Persian period	539-332 BC	Judah lives as a restored but politically dependent community after the return from exile.
Greek conquest	332-323 BC	Alexander the Great conquers the Persian Empire, spreading Greek language and culture.
Hellenistic kingdoms	323-167 BC	Judea is pulled between Ptolemaic Egypt and Seleucid Syria.
Maccabean revolt	167-160 BC	Jewish resistance rises against Seleucid oppression and temple desecration.
Hasmonean rule	140-63 BC	A Jewish dynasty controls Judea, joining priestly and political power.
Roman period begins	63 BC onward	Rome takes control; Herodian rule sets the stage for the Gospels.

Biblical Connections

• Daniel - Visions of successive kingdoms frame the period theologically.
• Malachi - The final prophetic book anticipates the messenger and the day of the LORD.
• Herod the Great - New Testament Judea begins under Herodian power.
• Rome - Imperial setting of the New Testament world.
• Birth of Jesus - The New Testament opens after this period of waiting.

Historical Significance

This period explains much of the New Testament setting: synagogues, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Greek as a common language, Roman roads, Herodian politics, and heightened expectation for deliverance.

Notes

The Bible does not narrate this era directly in the Protestant canon, but its historical developments form the world into which Jesus is born.