Identify key historical movements and figures leading up to and within the New Testament era The historical backdrop of the New Testament is rich with opportunities for deeper exploration in order to understand more fully the very words, stories, and instruction that are meant to influence how we live today.

Objective: Identify key historical movements and figures leading up to and within the New Testament era
The historical backdrop of the New Testament is rich with opportunities for deeper exploration in order to understand more fully the very words, stories, and instruction that are meant to influence how we live today. For this assignment, you will choose one of the topics below and write a 3-page essay detailing insights useful for our understanding of the topic. Use at least one additional source besides the textbook (not including Scripture) to bring increasing balance to the issue.
New Testament Backgrounds Essay-
Select one of the following essay topics to apply your learning following the requirements below:
Choose a prophet who lived during or after the Babylonian exile (eg., Ezra, Malachi, Haggai, etc.): What are the problems he deals with, and what are the expectations of him and of the Jews of that time?
Judaism at this time was divided into the Hellenized, the Hasmoneans, and the Hasidim. Describe each of them. Which seem more like “real Jews” to you and why?
Describe the relationship of the Gentile cultures of Greece and Rome to the ethos of the New Testament community. What did they bring that helped the ancient Christian community? What did they bring that hindered it?
How did Israel’s location between the great empires of the ancient world (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome) bring prosperity and devastation to the Israelites who lived there?
Jesus often traveled to Jerusalem for Jewish festivals, and the New Testament records important events in his life related to certain festivals. What are they and how do they amplify the significance of his actions?
What are the different approaches to biblical translation?
In a minimum 3 page essay, explore this topic using at least one additional source (in addition to your textbook).
All written assignments should be formatted using APA. For the current OCU APA Template, click the Student Toolkit in the top navigation bar and view the APA: Citation and Formatting Help page.

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