Ch.1 -Historical and Religious Background to the Gospels Flashcards
What is the Intertestamental Period?
The 400 years between the time of Malachi (425 B.C.) and John the Baptist (A.D. 27) during which no canonical books of the bible were written.
What is the Greco-Roman World?
The geographical regions that were influenced by Greek and Roman Culture or that were forced to embrace Greco-Roman culture.
What were the three major battles in Alexander the Great’s conquest of Asia Minor?
The Battle of Granicus (May, 334 B.C.) at the Granicus River, Turkey.
The Battle of Issus (November 5, 333 B.C.) in the city of Issus.
The Battle of Gaugamela/Arabela (October 1, 331 B.C.) in Tel Gomel.
Who was Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας?
Alexander III the Great of Macedon was the King of King of Macedonia, Egypt, Persia, and Asia. He was born 356 B.C. to Phillip II of Macedon and ascended to the throne in 336 B.C. He conquered much of the world and spread Greek culture. He died in323 B.C. in Babylon.
What is Hellenism?
The syncretistic spread of Greek culture throughout the Greek empire. Involved the adoption of Greek lifestyle and the language of κοινή ελληνικά. Also involved the construction of new cities that became cosmopolitan centers.
What happened to the Greek Empire after Alexander’s death in 323 B.C.?
Political upheaval overtook the nation. Alexander’s wife, Roxana murdered the other wives and she herself and her son were assassinated by Cassander. then in 301 B.C. The empire was split between four of Alexander’s generals.
What was the political state of the Greek Empire after the Wars of the Diadochi in 301 B.C.
The Empire was divided among the Generals:
Cassander -The King of Greece
Lysimachus -The King of Macedonia
Seleucus -The King of Syria and Persia
Ptolemy -The King of Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, and Palestine
When did Babylonian Captivity end?
539 B.C.
What is the Septuagint (LXX)?
The Greek translation of the Old Testament purportedly produced by 70 scholars. It was created in reaction to the spread of Hellenism and the Greek language.
Between 539 B.C. and 332 B.C., what was the general behavior of the Jewish people?
The Jewish people enacted political and social reforms to better align themselves with biblical law. This included many family and Sabbath reforms.
To Whom and When did the Ptolemaic Dynasty lose control of Palestine?
Palestine was completely lost to the Seleucid Empire in 200 B.C. after the Syrian Wars.
What two major political parties rose due to the Syrian Wars?
- The Tobiads: supporters of the Seleucids. A rich and powerful family that began to fully exert its influence after 260 B.C.
- The Onias: supporters of the Ptolemys. A group led by the eponymous High Priest Onias who traced his lineage to the High Priest Zadok.
