The Period Between The Testaments

During the period between the Testaments, another collection of books was written that has been called the "Apocrypha," which in Greek means "hidden." These books are not part of God’s word, though in some editions of the Bible they are included. The early Jewish community rejected the Apocryphal books (though they were written by Jews), and the early church did not regard them as inspired Scripture. While the Apocrypha contains much truth, it adds nothing to what has already been written in the Old Testament.

By the time the New Testament era began, great changes had taken place in the ancient world. Greek had become the universal language, and the ancient world had been unified under the rule of Rome. Roads were built; travel increased; and a little group of believers called "Christians" took their Greek Bibles and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over the Roman Empire and beyond. And the world has not been the same since.

¹ The word "Maccabean" means "hammerer"; it was a nickname applied primarily to Mattathias’ third son Judas, the main leader of the revolt.

² In Latin (the language of the Romans), “Septuagint” means “seventy.” This name was given to the Greek translation because, according to legend, it was produced by seventy-two scholars in seventy-two days.