Between Malachi and Matthew: Lasting Effects

As we wrap up a very brief look at the time between the testaments, we will look at some of the results that affect the New Testament.

Language
Hebrew - Hebrew was, by this time, largely a dead language, replaced by Aramaic and Greek. Which is why the New Testament is written in Greek, and not Hebrew. Why is this important? The words in a dead language do not change, making translation and understanding more sure.

Koine Greek – Alexander the Great strove to bring about a world culture based on and emulating Greek society. Part of this was in language. As Greek became the common language (koine means “common”), it became that which was often used in writing, thus the New Testament was written in Greek. Shortly after the New Testament was written, it too died as a language.

Sects
Pharisees – The Pharisees were a group that was dedicated to zealously keeping even the “least” part of the law of Moses. Over time, they came to put equal emphasis on traditions that they had come up with. They were regarded by most as the most pure or holy of the Jews, and were generally made up of people of the middle and lower classes. The Pharisees opposed Christ, and the apostle Paul was formerly a Pharisee.

Sadducees – The Saducees were a religious sect made up primarily of the upper classes of Jewish society (the wealthy, priests, etc.) and were generally regarded as the more conservative of the religious sects at the time. One of the major divisions between Pharisees and Saducees is that Saducees did not believe in resurrection. The Sadducees by the time of the New Testament were a small group whose power was felt primarily in the Sanhedrin.

Herodians – The Herodians were not a religious sect. Rather, they were a political party. These were Jews who supported the reign of Herod the Great and his family. These individuals were in favor of hellenization, of Roman involvement in Judea, and of the policies put in place by the Herodian family. The apostle Matthew, as a tax collector, was probably a Herodian.

Zealots – Zealots were the opposite of the Herodians. Early zealots would include the Macabbees we looked at last week. They were fierce nationalists who often held it as a religious duty to remove any influence from outside nations and to gain independence through any means possible, including military insurrection. It was through their efforts that Judea would later revolt, leading to the destruction of the temple in AD70. The apostle Simon (not Simon Peter) was a zealot.

Nations
Greece – The time of Greek control over the area had brought in the Greek language, ideas, and architectures. Their involvement also brought about much of the division among the Jews themselves.

Idumea/Edom – Because the Macabbees had forced the Idumeans to convert to Judaism, the Herodians to gain power. Herod, of course, put his own people in positions of authority, effectively creating a religious society governed by the least religious.

Rome – Rome policed Judea, enforced Roman laws, and their agents made decisions in most significant court cases. Roman involvement governed a great deal of Jewish life in the first century, as well as providing the infrastructure so important to early evangelism throughout the empire.