Fascinating
In part of the prep/background for it, I've been reading about the period between the close of the Old Testament cannon and the opening of the New Testament, a period of about 400 years. I'll probably write more about it next week, but this is an amazing, fascinating time in history, ironically taking place during a period of biblical silence. The world during the time of Malachi, Ezra and Nehemiah is dramatically different from the one of Jesus, Peter and Paul. During this time lived Ptolemy, Antiochus, Judah Maccabees and Alexander the Great.
I'm a confessed history geek (my current read is Five Cities that Ruled the World) and so am drawn to such things, but if you like history at all, look into this period.
I think the key element here is 'biblical silence'. I'd be pretty sure that they still had prophets working both independently and within the Jewish religious structure, and probably sometimes speaking out against it. It is unfortunate that the Apocrypha is such an alloy of God and Man, all stirred together.
ReplyDeleteHope the messages go well, and you learn much from this time of study, Mike.
Absolutely. Clearly God was present in the activities of the Macabees, and in the preservation of the oil after the temple was cleansed.
ReplyDeleteLuke tells us about Anna, who had prophicied Jesus. So clearly there was some "individual" revelation going on, just not to the "nation" of Israel.