The Plot Hung In Suspense

The Old testament makes up 75% of our Bible. The Old Testament lays out the plot while the New Testament gives us the resolution. Analogy- the OT is setting the rules of the game and beginning to play while the NT is winning the game. Israel- the dead tree Jesus chops that tree down New Growth begins with the church

Adam and Even sin God creates a people group called Israel God wants Israel to be Holy Israel does a terrible job of being Holy God lets Assyria and Babylon conquer Israel Israel returns to their land. They slowly rebuild They wait for God to keep his promises

Hellenism and Christianity Alexander the Great conquered a large part of eastern Europe and the Middle East He spread Greek culture to millions of people. He built cities, roads, and gave money to artists. He also spread the Greek language. Greek philosophy also influenced theology heavily.

Was God speaking in the Intertestamental Peiord?

1 st Century Palestine

There were many transitions of power during the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments: Babylon to Persia Persia to Greek (Alexander) Greek to Egyptian (Ptolemy) Egyptian to Syrian (Seleucid) Syrian to Independent (Maccabean) Independent to Roman

Reflection Questions

Politics and Geography in Palestine

Facts about Geography: 1.Israel is a hilly and mountainous country. This affects how people move through the country and how battles were fought. 2.Israel has a wide variety of geography: from dry deserts in the south to rich lush green land in the north 3.Israel is a “crossroads” between three continents. 4.The different regions of Israel in NT times held different kinds of people—there were Gentile regions, Jewish regions, and mixed regions.

The land of Palestine (also known as Israel or Canaan) was about 241 by 80 kilometers. It was a small country, but why was it important to so many civilizations?

The land could be divided up into three main regions: 1.Galilee 2.Judea 3.Samaria

Let’s divide into three groups. Each group will have a region of Israel. At the end of class, your group will tell the class what you have discovered about that region.

Religious Groups in Palestine

Facts More Jewish people were scattered around the Roman Empire rather than living in Israel. (More Jews live in America than in Israel today) How can Jews retain and practice their religion when they are away from the temple in Jerusalem?

Synagogues The synagogue is a place for Jews to gather. They pray, worship, study scriptures, and listen to teaching there. There are synagogues all over the world today. They are like churches or community centers for Jews.

The Sanhedrin The Romans were in control of Israel, but the Sanhedrin was a group of religious leaders that controlled religious matters. Two groups make up the Sanhedrin: the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The Sadducees They were often priests and focused on the temple. They were more likely to tolerate the Romans. They often were rich. They only believed in the first 5 books of the Bible as scripture. They were not popular with the common people.

The Pharisees They were focused on obedience to the law They did not have much influence with Rome They were often commoners They accepted all OT as scripture and also had many added writings they followed They were popular with the common people.

Scribes and Teachers of the Law They had the ability to write, read, and deep knowledge of the laws and codes of Israel They could be from either the Pharisees or Sadducees They interpreted the law and teachings of others They were like religious lawyers

The Zealots This was a revolutionary group that wanted to overthrow the Roman government and make Israel free again. They could be very radical—using Sicarii as a tactic.

The Essenes They don’t seem to be mentioned in the Bible They were a separatist group focused on holiness and cleanliness. They may be the Qumran community (But not sure)

Cultural Setting in Palestine

Agriculture 1 st Century Palestine was an agrarian society. Crops- wheat, barley, olives, grapes Livestock- sheep, goats Fishing Many of Jesus’ parables mention these items. They were common items for everyday life.

Education Most education was actually an apprenticeship Learned from parents or relatives Some boys had torah education The highest education was for priests, scribes, and rabbis. Who did Jesus pick for disciples? Who did Jesus allow to learn from him?

To sit at his feet Sitting at someone’s feet is a way to say that they were a student of that teacher. Jesus let men and women sit at his feet, meaning that he was happy to teach men and women.

Classes UPPER CLASS Priests, Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Rabbis, merchants, craftsmen, tax collectors LOWER CLASS Laborers, slaves, sick, disabled ?????SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE??? Farmers, fishermen, merchants, Pharisees, tax collectors The gap between the upper and lower class was wider than it is today. There were very few in the middle.

What did Jesus have to say about money and classes in society?

Preparing to Read the NT

What did you learn?

Reflection Choose one reflection question (found at the end of every lesson) from Unit 1 Write a one page journal entry in your BIBLE notebook responding to the question you have chosen. Due Friday at the end of class