17/09/2017 9:30 am - 17/09/2017 11:00 am
Who were the Pharisees or Sadducees or Zealots and why did they have such trouble with Jesus? What is apocalyptic literature? Who wrote the Dead Sea scrolls and why are they important? All these questions and more relate to the “silent years” – the 400 years between the last book of the OT, Malachi and the beginning of the NT. Although there were no prophecies during this time, “silent years’ is not a helpful term because there were enormous developments in the Jewish faith especially in reaction to the all-conquering Greek empire. The period is better known as Second Temple Judaism and, to be honest, one cannot really understand much of the NT without learning about this fascinating period.
We will look at the rise of Greek culture and the strongly divided reaction of the Jews; at the different groups (e.g. Pharisees) that emerged and the amazing literature that was written during this period. We will take a quick tour through the political, social and religious turmoil that occurred in the 200 years before Jesus and how Judaism survived enormous persecution – at the same time relating it to our understanding of the New Testament.
Instructor: Martin Radford