Between the Testaments: From Malachi to Matthew

Given that Judaism has its roots in the Torah, I errantly thought that when the Old Testament ended there was little left that significantly shaped the Jewish culture. Holzapfel would probably faint if he heard me utter the hint of that opinion. Obviously, I assumed incorrectly, and it wasn't until I informed myself via this book that I have understood better what went on in Jerusalem so many years ago that influences modern politics and culture both in the east and in the west. Holzapfel and Brown, both professors of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, explain in detail the fall of the kingdom of Judah-remember the Babylonian captivity-to the birth of Christ. Despite being so small, Jerusalem and Judea remained a breadbasket and a cultural influence to the Babylonians, the Persians, the Seleucid Greeks and the Romans. Since the prophets Lehi and Jeremiah prophesied the fall of Jerusalem around 600 BC until the establishment of a Jewish state in AD 1948, there is only a brief window of time that the Jews were able to rule themselves. The Maccabean revolution was a landmark event for Jewish history-from the political nature of the office of high priest to doctrinal changes in the Sadducees' rhetoric. But this book is not just about history. Have you ever wondered what the Dead Sea Scrolls were all about? How about the apocrypha, or the great Diaspora? Knowing what the sociopolitical conditions were in Jerusalem has helped me understand the New Testament much better-the spiritual interpretation becomes even richer. But his book is not a novel; so don't expect Kurt Vonnegut's metaphors or Toni Morrison's style. In fact, it is a bit dry-not unlike most history books. Richard Holzapfel was my History teacher at BYU. A dynamic lecturer with an abnormal analytical aptitude, Holzapfel merits his recognition for his achievements in the field of ancient scripture and early church history. I often recommend his class and his book to anyone marginally interested in early world history.