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Dr. Clarence E. Mason, Jr.
Philadelphia College of Bible
1964

9. THE 400 SILENT YEARS: AFTER MALACHI TO CHRIST (432 to 5 or 4 B.C.)
    
   1. BOOKS WRITTEN DURING THE PERIOD (APOCRYPHA)
      Most of the Apocryphal books (i.e., those accepted as Scripture by the church of Rome, but rejected by Protestants) were written during this period. A few of them may date from the early Christian years. Below is an outline of the Apocryphal books according to subject matter.
      1. Historical books
         1. 1 Esdras: largely a compilation of our 2 Chr., Ezra, Nehemiah.
         2. b. 1 Maccabees: account of Maccabean war; quite trustworthy.
         3. c. 2 Maccabees: supplements 1 Maccabees; untrustworthy.
      2. Didactic (teaching) books — wisdom literature, patterned after Solomon’s canonical books a. Wisdom of Solomon b. Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach)
      3. Religious romances — very fanciful a. Tobit’ b. Judith
      4. Prophetic books
         1. Baruch: imitation of Jeremiah
         2. Epistle of Jeremiah: imitation of Jeremiah
         3. 2 Esdras: seven visions
      5. Additions to canonical books
         1. Remainder of Esther
         2. Song of the Three Holy Children
         3. History of Susanna additions to Daniel d. Bel and the Dragon J e. Prayer of Manasses: after 2 Chronicles 33:18-19
             
   2. BOOKS ABOUT THE PERIOD
      1. About the APOCRYPHA
         Miller, H. S. General Biblical Introduction. Houghton, N.Y.: 1937. Ch. XVI.
         Charles, H. S. Religious Developments Between Old and New Testaments. London: 1948.
         Pfeiffer, R. H. History of the New Testament Times with an Introduction to the Apocrypha. New York: 1949.
          
      2. About the HISTORY of the period
         Davis and McDonald. A Source Book of Interbiblical History. Nashville: 1948. A good collection of important parts of Apocrypha, Josephus, and other sources.
         Margolis and Marx. A History of the Jewish People. Philadelphia: 1947, Riggs. A History of the Jewish People During the Maccabean and Roman Periods. New York: 1900
         Pfeiffer. Op. Cit.
         Finegan. Pp.192-220. Young, E. J. The Prophet Daniel. Grand Rapids: 1949. Appendix VI: “The Historical Background of the Book of Daniel, “ pp, 295 305.
         Dosker, H. E. “Between the Testaments, “ ISBE. Vol. 1, pp. 455-458.
         
          
   3. HISTORICAL SUMMARY OF THE PERIOD
      1. PERSIAN PERIOD (concluded from VIII above) 432-332 B.C.
         (The chest and arms period of the Times of the Gentiles, Dan. 2 and 7)
      2. HELLENISTIC PERIOD 332-63 B.C.
         (The Greek period of the Times of the Gentiles—“belly and thighs, “ Dan. 2 and 7)
      3. ROMAN PERIOD 63 B.C.-A.D.325 (Legs of iron, Dan. 2 and 7)

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