From Bondage to Freedom: A Survey of Jewish History from the Babylonian Captivity to the Coming of the Messiah

In our Bibles there is a blank page between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The casual reader turns that page without realizing that it represents 400 years of history. What happened during that period? When the Old Testament closes, the Jews are ruled by Persia; when the New Testament opens, Rome holds Israel in its iron grasp. In Old Testament times the Jews frequently became idolaters; in the New Testament idolatry never seems to be a problem. Clearly the intertestamental period was an era of substantial change. The era is frequently referred to as 'the 400 silent years' an unfortunate name, for Daniel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah all prophesied about this period, and we have written record of how God preserved His people during the time and prepared the world for the coming of the promised Messiah. 'From Bondage to Freedom' is a fascinating look at a remarkable period in Israel's history and provides us with a framework for understanding the relationship of the Old Testament to the New.