At the threshold of the New Testament: from the era of Alexander the Great to the mission of John the Baptist

This article is part of a vast history of the origins of Christianity written by Father Alexander Men, a Russian Orthodox priest and theologian. It is a historical and theological study covering the period stretching from the Hellenistic era, inaugurated by the conquests of Alexander the Great, to the mission of John the Baptist, regarded as the immediate threshold of the New Testament. The author examines the religious, cultural and political transformations of the Mediterranean and Near Eastern world that formed the soil in which Christianity emerged. The central idea is that the coming of Christ is part of a long historical and spiritual preparation. The contribution of the article lies in a scholarly synthesis that brings together secular history and sacred history, thereby offering an indispensable contextualization for understanding the origins of the New Testament.