Dr. William H. Marty - The World of Jesus: Making Sense of the People and Places of Jesus Day

The Time Has Come

T his is a book Ive wanted to write for several years. I have been teaching Old Testament and New Testament Survey for more than three decades, and as part of the latter, I teach about the history of Israel between the Testaments. In most Bibles, you simply turn a page from Malachi, last book in the Old Testament, to Matthew, first book in the New. But in fact, there was an intertestamental period between the Old Testament and the Newfour centuries of history, happenings, changes and developments, kingdoms and empires, births and lives and deaths. Knowing what happened during that era is crucial to understanding the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the New Testament settings and events.

My lectures and books on the subject are detailed and technical. Often Ive thought about how useful it would be to make this material accessible, available to everyone. Thats what Ive sought to do in this bookprovide reader-friendly information and insight on the world of Jesus.

Why Is This Important?

When reading through the Bible, turning from the Old Testament to the New is like visiting another country. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to teach in Russia for about a year. It was an incredible experience. The people were wonderful, not like I had anticipated because of the relatively recent hostilities between the former Soviet Union and the United States.

It was also challenging. To prepare, I studied Russian history and culture. I even took a course in the language. Though I would have an interpreter, I knew I should know enough Russian to ask where to find food, water, and the bathroom. My preparations helped, yet still I was surprised by the differences between the two nations. While many Russians looked like Americans, I quickly realized their language and culture were completely different from mine. Anyone who has visited another part of the world can appreciate this.

The world of Jesus was not the Old Testament Hebrew world. Like the United States now, Israel was multicultural, including a combination of Aramaic, Greek, and Roman influences. The people looked Jewish but spoke Aramaic and Greek. The Bible that many used was a Greek translation of the Old Testament (see chapter 2). Some dressed like Jews; others dressed and lived like Greeks. When Jesus began his ministry, his chief opponents (Pharisees and Sadducees) were from groups the Old Testament doesnt even mention.

In addition to worship in the temple, Jews met in synagogues for prayer and for reading the Scriptures. Jesus and Paul taught in synagogues. Jesus was executed by crucifixion, a Roman method of punishment. Paul was sent to Rome for a hearing before the emperor. And most of all, the Jews were not a free independent nation. Their land was occupied by the Romans and ruled by client kings who werent descendants of David. It wasnt even a single nation; the land had been divided into provinces. Foreign soldiers were everywhere. The Jews paid taxes to Rome. One of Jesus disciples was a tax collector.

To understand these elements, and many more, we need to find out what happened there in those centuries between the Old and New Testaments.

Whats the Plan?

I have tried to write the story of Israel-between-the-Testaments in plain English. In addition to the Bible and my lecture notes, for additional information on this period I have used 1 and 2 Maccabees, books about the Jewish war for independence, and Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian.

I have divided the pertinent years into four distinct periods:

Persian (539331 BC)

Greek (331143 BC)

JewishMaccabean/Hasmonean (14363 BC)

RomanLife of Christ/Early Church (63 BCAD 70)

Regarding the Persian period, in the first chapter I have briefly interwoven some happenings from the Babylonian era, which you might find familiar from the Old Testament, in order to explain and illustrate how Israel went from being a powerful kingdom to a people overpowered and in exile. Regarding the Roman age, as youll see in the books later chapters, I have extended beyond the era between the Testaments so as to include background information for the Gospels and Acts. I have set off some blocked material in a contrasting font to provide more in-depth information on certain key individuals and events, and timelines open most chapters to help clarify the historical sequence. There are discussion questions after each chapter, and youll find a glossary of terms at the end of the book.