The Jewish writings of the Second Temple Period (often called the "Intertestamental Period") are significant for the interpretation of the NT as they bear witness to the historical, literary, and theological context of the apostolic writings. This guide will list resources for many of these works in order to provide a basic point of entry into the discussions surrounding them.
This guide is designed for students or researchers to get a grasp on literature in the Second Temple period (roughly 586–AD 70). This body of literature is crucial for understanding early Judaism and the immediate historical context of the New Testament texts. The Overview page will list several encyclopedias and dictionaries which are full of information on this literature. The next four pages go through the major movements of Second Temple literature, offering resources and primary texts for each movement. These movements are: LXX, Apocrypha, and Pseudepigrapha; Dead Sea Scrolls; Rabbinic Literature; Philo & Josephus. Next, the monographs page will list several miscellaneous studies on Second Temple literature itself, as well as studies pertaining to the New Testament's Second Temple background.
