science

Intertestamental period

Intertestamental period is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Intertestamental period rather than just read about it. In short: The intertestamental period (Protestant) or deuterocanonical period (Catholic and Eastern Orthodox) is the period of time between the events of the protocanonical books and the New Testament. It is considered to cover roughly 400 years, spanning from the ministry of Malachi (c. 420 BC) to the appearance of John the Baptist in the early 1st century AD.

Key takeaways

Intertestamental period belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Intertestamental period to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Intertestamental period from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The intertestamental period (Protestant) or deuterocanonical period (Catholic and Eastern Orthodox) is the period of time between the events of the protocanonical books and the New Testament. It is considered to cover roughly 400 years, spanning from the ministry of Malachi (c. 420 BC) to the appearance of John the Baptist in the early 1st century AD. It is roughly contiguous with the Second Temple period (516 BC–70 AD) and encompasses the age of Hellenistic Judaism. It is known by some Protestants as the "400 Silent Years" because according to their faith, it was a period when no new prophets were raised and God revealed nothing new to the Jewish people. Many of the deuterocanonical books, accepted as scripture by the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy, were written during this time, as were many pseudepigraphal works, the Biblical apocrypha and Jewish apocrypha. An understanding of the events of the intertestamental period provides historical and literary context for the New Testament.

Significant events

Beginnings of the Jewish diaspora and Hellenistic Judaism Establishment of the first synagogues Change in common language from Biblical Hebrew to Aramaic and Hellenistic Greek The events of the Maccabean Revolt, as documented in the Books of the Maccabees Reign of the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties, followed by Roman rule Production of the Greek Septuagint, the first translation of the Hebrew scriptures into another language Writing of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the rediscovery of which became central to modern and contemporary Biblical criticism Writing of the deuterocanonical books (biblical apocrypha) and pseudepigrapha

See also Babylonian captivity Dating the Bible Development of the Hebrew Bible canon Development of the New Testament canon Development of the Old Testament canon History of ancient Israel and Judah Kings of Judah Missing years (Jewish calendar) Samaritan Pentateuch

References

Further reading The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol 1, Page 457 "Literary Activity" Pfeiffer, Charles F. Between the Testaments. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1959. 132 p. Carroll, Benajah Harvey. Between the Testaments (PDF) (PDF). Woodstock, VA: Grace Baptist Church. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2015.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Intertestamental period

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Intertestamental period claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Intertestamental period before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Intertestamental period ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Intertestamental period

In research: Intertestamental period appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Intertestamental period in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Intertestamental period is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1st century BC, 2nd century BC, 3rd century BC, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Intertestamental period outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Intertestamental period in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Intertestamental period means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Intertestamental period out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Intertestamental period in simple terms?

Why does Intertestamental period matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Intertestamental period?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Intertestamental period.