chart timetable 400 years between old testament and new testament

From Alexandria they ruled Egypt and Palestine. Gymnasiums were built and Greek sports became popular throughout the Empire.Īfter Alexander’s death Palestine was ruled by his successors – the Ptolemie of Egypt. The Greeks gloried in their intellect and physical strength, but were pagan in In countries bordering Palestine even Greek religion was accepted and the many gods of Greece were worshiped with other pagan gods. Alexander’s armies were followed by athletes, artists and philosophers who came spreading Greek customs and language. The second current in the stream of history was Greek culture. The great city of Alexandria in northern Egypt became a center of Greek and Egyptian culture. Greek influence continued for several centuries after the conquest. Three centuries before Christ, Alexander the Great left Macedonia to conquer the world and to spread Greek culture and customs to the ends of the earth. Then Alexander the Great of Macedonia claimed the land. By the time of Christ the only evidence of Persian rule was that Aramaic – the language made official by Darius – was in common use in Palestine. Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes allowed Jewish captives to return to Palestine, where they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and restored their own form of worship. The Persian kings were sympathetic toward the Jews. The Israelites, called Jews, were now ruled by Rome, the most powerful empire that the world had ever known.ĭuring the 400 year period between the Old Testament and the New Testament, Palestine was ruled by successive military governments.įirst the Persians were in power. The New Testament records the story from the birth of Christ to the culmination of all history. After the completion of the Old Testament, there were 400 years of silence, during which God did not speak or inspire any Scripture.

Chart timetable 400 years between old testament and new testament