LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

History of the Second Temple Period

Submitted to Dr. William Subash

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

NBST 510
New Testament Introduction

by

Shawn T. Hunt

Contents

Introduction....................................................................................................................................1
Start of the Second Temple Period ..............................................................................................1
The Greek Period..........................................................................................................................2
Alexander the Great .............................................................................................2
The Egyptian Period..................................................................................................4
The Syrian Period......................................................................................................4
The Period of Self Rule..................................................................................................................5
The Roman Period ........................................................................................................................6
Herod the Great .........................................................................................................7
Focus on the Pax Romana..........................................................................................9
Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................9
Bibliography

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Introduction

The history of mankind is intrinsically connected to the Bible; one can look in secular
history books though out time and find stories from the Bible. And conversely the Bible is as
much of a history book in its own right. To discount secular or Biblical writings in the pursuit to
better understand mankinds history is a disservice, neither can be studied to its full extant

without the other. The design of mankind as determined by the Lord can be seen by studying the
of Bible and secular history accounts.
In this paper I will give a history of the Second Temple Period from the end of the exile
period to the sons of Herod the Great and how this period shaped the world that Christ came into.
This paper will attempt to outline the different influences that had an impact of the history of the
Jewish people. Lastly this paper will provide a look at how the Roman Peace or Pax Romana
affected the world that that our Lord Jesus Christ came into and the affect it had on the
beginnings of the Christian church.

Start of the Second Temple Period

After the fall of Babylon to the Persias in 539 BC and Israel came under Persian rule,
Cyrus allowed any of the exiled Jews to return to Israel if they wanted. The return of the exiles
brought with it leaders that were willing to do Gods will and return Israel to it former statue.
Men like Ezra, Zerrubable and Nehemiah led the Jewish people to rebuild the Temple and the
walls Jerusalem. Formerly called the intertestamental period, most scholars now prefer the
term Second Temple period for the time from the building of the Second temple in 515 BC by
Zerubbabel until its destruction by the Romans in AD 70, including the time of Jesus and the
early church.1 And though the Temple was rebuilt it never returned to the splendor of the first. It
could not because Israel had lost the treasures of the Frist Temple that God had bestowed upon
them, namely the Ark of the Covenant. Israel stayed a part of the Persian Empire for over two
hundred years and during this time the people saw Gods hand moving in their history. From the
1 Andreas J. Kostenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles, The Cradle, the Cross, and the
Crown (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2009), 59.

return of the exiles and the prophets to Jerusalem to the protection of the people from utter
destruction through the obedience of a Jewish girl who became queen. God was always with his
chosen people even though they may have forgotten Him in their sufferings.
The Greek Period
The Persians where succeeded by the Greeks in 331 BC ending its control of Israel and
the subjection of the Jewish people. This period started with the last victory of Alexander the
Great over the Persians at Gaugamela in 331 BC and it lasted until 164 BC with the Hasmonean
uprising. Because Greek influences throughout the region, its influence can be seen through
multiple periods of history even though Greece was not directly in control of the region. After
Alexander the Great the Greek culture can still be seen within the Ptolemaic period and the
Syrian period.
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great succeeded to the rule of Macedonia from his father Phillip. With the
assumption of power he also took over a military that had already consolidated most Greek citystates. The Greek period officially began with the conquest of Palestine by Alexander the
Great.2 Alexander was groomed at from a young age to prepare him to take the mantel of
leadership from his father. He was provided the best military and academic education of the time
to include Aristotle.
After his fathers assassination Alexander became the king of Macedonia at the young age of
twenty and he demonstrated his charismatic but sometime brutal ability to lead. When Alexander
set out to campaign through Greece and in to the Near East his conquest was swift and decisive.
2 Ibid, 65.

In 334 BC he invaded Asia Minor with the aspirations of conquering the Persian Empire. His
campaign against the Persians was highlighted by victories at the Granicus River, Miletus and
Issus. In the end the Darius III ran from Alexander at the Battle of Issus, but was betrayed and
killed by his own people. With the death of the Persian Emperor and with his military victories,
Alexander became the new ruler of all the land the Persians held; to include Israel. The Jews in
Jerusalem had effectively pronounced their loyalty to King Darius and declined to surrender to
Alexander. Alexander walked towards Jerusalem with the aim to vanquish individuals who
opposed his rule. Interestingly and phenomenally, the Jews were spared from Alexander's
success. With the progressing Macedonian armed forces drawing nearer to Jerusalem, the high
priest requested that the city's doors be opened and that all the priest dress in their official white
cloth robes and meet Alexander alongside the peoples of Israel. Alexander conceded the Jews
their wish of being administered by their religious laws and exempted them from paying tribute
or duties amid the seventh year.
And though he would die at the age of 33 in 323 BC, he conquered and unified most of
the known world in thirteen years.3 Ultimately by doing this the ground work was laid for the
Roman Empire to take the mantle of the world super power.
The Egyptian Period
With his death the empire that Alexander so quickly built was just as quickly divided with four of
his strongest generals ruling an area. With the facture of his empire and the rise of Ptolemy,
Seleucus, Cassander, and Lysimachus as kings the fulfillment of Daniels prophecy was at hand.
The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes
3 Raymond Surburg, Introduction to the Intertestamental Period, (St. Louis, London: Concordia
Publishing House, 1975), 17.

is the first king. The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four
kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power. (Daniel 8:21-22)
Egypt fell under the control of Ptolemy when he became Pharaoh and ruled Northern
Africa into Palestine and of the four regions to come out of Alexanders kingdom, only Ptolemy I
was able to form a successful kingdom, forming the Ptolemaic dynasty. Ptolemaic rule provided
the Jewish people in Egypt with freedoms that were not afforded to Jews in other parts of the
world. They were allowed to worship openly and preform their religious traditions and
ceremonies. All under the rule of the Ptolemy dynasty the Jews were able to write the Old
Testament in Greek; since the spread of Alexander the Greats Empire Greek was now the most
common language spoken in the kingdoms that followed Alexanders.
The Syrian Period
When the Ptolemy dynasty ended with the death of Cleopatra in 198 BC the Syrian
period of rule over Israel began. The Syrian rulers were descended from another one of
Alexanders generals, Seleucus. They had contended with the Ptolemy dynasty for control of
Israel and finally took over rule of the area. For over thirty years they ruled Israel and the Jewish
people, tolerating them and the self-rule that the Ptolemy rulers allowed them to use. From the
start of their rule the Seleucids felt the pressure of the ever expanding influence of the Roman
Empire and its armies. The Seleucids kept control until the time of the Romans in 63 BC4 and
ended when Antiochus IIIs resistance was crushed by the Romans and was compelled to pay
tribute and send his child to Roman as a prisoner to guarantee continued payment.

4 Lester L. Grabbe, An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism: History and Religion of the Jews in the
Time of Nehemiah, The Maccabees, Hillel and Jesus (New York: T&T Clark International, 2010), 17.

After numerous rules of varying ability Antiochus IV became king and self-proclaimed his name
to be Antiochus Epiphanies, meaning the Glorious One. 5 Antiochus styled himself as the
incarnation of Zeus. He tried to limit the Jewish self-rule by not allowing certain rites and sacred
festivals. Another prophecy of Daniels was accomplished when Antiochus put a statue of Zeus in
the temple and slaughtered a swine on its altar. This caused such outrage and potential uprising
with the Jewish people that Antiochus ordered thousands of Jews to be executed. This led to the
priest Mattathias and his sons to kill some of Antiochuss representatives and started the
Maccabean revolt and the short period of self-rule.
The Period of Self Rule
Israel and the Jewish people saw self-rule by an Israeli king for the first since the exile
from 167 BC to 63 BC. It began with the Maccabean revolt and lasted to the occupation of by
Roman Empire. There were two periods of self-rule during this time; first with the Maccabean
and then closely followed by the Hasmonean.
Mattathias and his sons; who came from the Hasmomean family; started the Jewish
uprising would finally see the liberation of Israel from Antiochus. The Maccabean period is
named after Mattathiass son Judas whose nickname was Maccabean which means hammer.
Maccabeus was the leader of the guerilla war that the Jews wages against the Seleucids which
led to an attack to clear the temple of the foreign gods that had been set up there. Maccabeus and
most of his brothers were killed throughout their war with only the youngest brother; Simon; left
to finish the war. Simon led the fight against the Seleucids until he captured Jerusalem in 142
BC. With the capture of Jerusalem Simons son John Hyrcanus became its first ruler and started
5 Andreas J. Kostenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles, The Cradle, the Cross, and the
Crown (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2009), 68.

the Hasmonean period of self-rule. Throughout this period the territory of Israel was expanded
and as well as Jewish influence. And it was during this time that the Pharisee and Sadducess
influence grew in the Jewish world.
The end of Jewish self-rule came about in 63 BC with the Roman General Pompey
moved an army into and around Jerusalem. Aristobulus II was ruling at the time after his mother
Salome Alexandra who was the only queen died. With the approach of Pompey and his army,
Aristobulus barricaded himself in the temple, leaving the city to fend for itself. Pompey had little
problem taking the city and in the process he defiled the temple and placed as Aristobulus
brother Hyrcanus II the high priest to ensure the Romans could control the area. The loss of
Jerusalem brought an end to the last Jewish self-rule of the Second Temple period.
The Roman Period
The last three hundred years have set the foundation for the Romans to be the world power of the
known world. The Roman occupation provided the stage for which Christ was very soon about to
step upon and spread His Word, the Lords plan that started with the return of the exiles is about
to be complete. The though the Roman occupation occurred on the end of the second temple
period, it is one of the most important causes of the success of the earthly ministry of Christ and
the spread of His Word.
Jerusalem remained under the control of Pompey and the Roman Empire until clashes
with Julius Caesar caused civil war to breakout. While Pompey was trying to deal with the civil
war multiple Jewish politician tried to seize power, most notable was Antipater, father of Phasael
and Herod. The power struggle in Rome was evident even in the far reaches of the Empire with
local rulers siding with either Pompey or Julius Caesar, Antipater chose to side with Julius

Caesar. Caesar was the victor and because of the loyalty of Antipater he was raised to the
position of Procurator or treasury officer for the Roman Empire. It was this loyalty also led to
Rome naming Antipaters son Herod the Great as the governor of Galilee for Rome and setting
the final stage for the arrival of Jesus Christ.6
The Line of Herod the Great
When Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, Octavian, his adopted son took absolute control of the
Empire. Octavian was not interested in ruling every single area of the Empire though so he
placed Herod the Great as king of Judea. Herod used the occupying Roman army to rule over
Judea and to consolidate his power. And though Herod was put in place by Octavian, Herod
backed an unsuccessful coup by Marc Anthony and Cleopatra the Queen of Egypt. Herod
amazingly convinced Octavian that he remained loyal to him and remained the king of Judea.
Israel remained whole until the death of Herod the Great, after this it was split in to three areas
that were controlled by his sons Herod Antipas, Archelaus, and Philip the Tetrarch. Herod
Antipas married Philips ex-wife Herodias, who was also Herod Antipas niece. This is not a big
surprise because Herod Antipas was just as likely to engage in sexual immorality as his father. At
the same time John the Baptist was starting his ministry to clear the way for the coming of
Christ. When John the Baptist heard of Herod Antipass incestuous marriage he criticized and
condemned the marriage. Because John the Baptist told him, It is not lawful for you to have
her. Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a
prophet. (Matthew 14:4-5) John the Baptist was finally killed by Herod on the request of his
daughter who asked for his head on a platter, On Herods birthday the daughter of Herodias
6 D.S. Russell, The Jews from Alexander to Herod, (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1967),
84.

danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her
whatever she asked. (Matthew 14:6-7) Based on the desires of the Sanhedrin, Herod Antipas
was the ruler that arrested Jesus and turned Jesus over to the Romans for trial and crucifixion.
The line of Herod the Great ruled over Judea throughout the remaining time of the Second
Temple period, until a series of Jewish revolts led to the end of their line and the destruction of
the Second Temple in 70 AD.7
Pax Romana
Pax Romana; Roman peace; is the name that describes the atmosphere of the times right before
the birth of Christ and to the end of His earthly ministry. During this time there was relative
peace in the Empire that allowed unification of peoples that up to this point in history had never
happened. The peace afforded a time that saw the ability for roads to be built that connected
every corner of the known world that the Roman Empire held.
This time of peace can be attributed to Caesar Augustus (Octavian) due to his ability to
manage the Roman senate in a way that led to government policy to balance all aspects of life.
Christ was born into this time of peace and begins His earthly ministry in the Roman occupied
land of Judea. And though it is the Roman government that crucifies at the behest of the
Sanhedrin, it is the Roman peace that helps the fledgling Christian faith move throughout the
known world. This was also due to the cultural environment precipitated by the Roman peace
and with the infrastructure established by the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empires tolerance of multiple cultures also worked to the benefit of
establishing the Christian faith. Alexander the Great had already established the Greek language
7 William Horbury, W. D. Davies, and John Sturdy, The Cambridge History of Judaism, Vol. 3,
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), 746.

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as the common language used and this was still the case hundreds of years later at the time of
Christ. With most of the known world at least knowing Greek, it was easy was very easy to pass
oral and written accounts of His earthly ministry and teachings. The Old Testament had already
been translated into Greek so when the writings of the Apostles were circulated they were also in
Greek. This also gave the Council of Nicaea the ability to see all of the writing of what would
become the Bible in one language and be able to approve the Canon of Scripture.
Conclusion
History gives us a snap shot of God infinite plan for man and His plan for our salvation.
Each step of the Second Temple period was just more piece of this plan and the preparations that
He was making for the arrival of the Son. We can see that God intended each event in this period
to play out exactly as it did. Every event had a purpose, to help guide man to raise his eyes to the
Lord and cry out for salvation. From the beginning of the exile to Christs redemption on the
cross, He was continually glorifying Himself.
As with anything in history we have to look at it through a lens in the hope that we can
learn from it. 2000 years after the death of Christ we can look back and see God moving in this
world. In knowing this how we can sit by and not show the world that He is here and always has
been. Looking back at the history in this way should open our eyes to continually look for His
will moving through our time, just was He did in the Second Temple Period.
B
Hornbury, William, W. D. Davies, and John Sturdy. The Cambridge History of Judaism,
Vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).

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Kostenberger, Andreas J., L. Scott Kellum, Charles L. Quarles. The Cradle, The Cross, and The
Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2009.

Surburg, Raymond. Introduction to the Intertestamental Period. St. Louis, London:

Concordia Publishing House, 1975.

Russell, D.S. The Jews from Alexander to Herod. Oxford, England: Oxford University
Press, 1967.

Grabbe, Lester L. An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism: History & Religion of the Jews in
the Time of Nehemiah, the Maccabees, Hillel and Jesus. New York: T&T Clark International,
2010.