Theintertestamental period (Protestant) ordeuterocanonical period (Catholic andEastern Orthodox) is the period of time between the events of theprotocanonical books and theNew Testament. It is considered to cover roughly 400 years, spanning from the ministry ofMalachi (c. 420 BC) to the appearance ofJohn the Baptist in the early1st century AD. It is roughly contiguous with theSecond Temple period (516 BC–70 AD) and encompasses the age ofHellenistic Judaism.
It is known by some Protestants as the "400 Silent Years" because according to their faith, it was a period when no new prophets were raised and God revealed nothing new to theJewish people.[1] Many of thedeuterocanonical books, accepted as scripture by the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy, were written during this time, as were manypseudepigraphal works, theBiblical apocrypha andJewish apocrypha. An understanding of the events of the intertestamental period provideshistorical and literary context for the New Testament.
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