Linking Old and New by Ferrell Jenkins Many good Bible students recognize that their knowledge of what happened between the close of the book of Malachi in the Old Testament and the work of John the Baptist and the birth and ministry of Jesus in the New Testament is deficient. Suppose an individual knows the Old Testament well. When he or she opens the New Testament there is an awareness that one is reading about some things never encountered in the Old Testament. Many have heard explanations in classes and sermons about an isolated item such as a Sabbath days journey or the difference between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, but has no idea about the development of these groups in the intertestamental period. The purpose of this brief historical study is to fill in some of those gaps in knowledge. I have taught this material in several churches and the book, in the previous editions, has been taught by others. The updated book is sent forth with the hope that it will enhance your knowledge of the period under consideration and make your Bible study more understandable and rewarding. Contents Why Study Between the Testaments I. Survey of Latter Old Testament History Related to World Empires Babylonian Period Persian Period II. The Rise of the Greek Empire and Spread of Greek Culture III. The Division of Alexander’s Empire IV. The Diaspora V. The Jews Under the Ptolemies VI. The Jews Under the Seleucids VII. The Maccabean Revolt VIII. The Hasmonean Dynasty IX. The Romans in Palestine X. The Herods XI. The Synagogue XII. The Samaritans XIII. The Jewish Sects and Other Important Groups Pharisees Sadducees Zealots Herodians Essenes Scribes Sanhedrin Tax Collectors (Publicans) XIV. Literature of the Intertestamental Period Septuagint Apocrypha Pseudepigrapha Dead Sea Literature Alexandrian Allegorism Select Bibliography