Second Temple Judaism, covenant, Messiah expectations, and why the New Testament starts where it does.

Jesus wasn’t dropped into a blank world. He was born into a story already in progress.

To understand the New Testament, we’ll keep returning to:

• Covenant (what God promised and what Israel carried)
• Temple / sacrifice (how sin and holiness were understood)
• Messiah expectations (what people thought “Messiah” would mean)
• The world of Second Temple Judaism (Rome, sects, tensions, hopes)

This isn’t “Christianity vs Judaism” as a debate topic.
This is understanding the roots so we can read Jesus with clarity.