{"product_id":"the-wars-of-light-and-darkness-the-messianic-kingdom-revolt-of-the-anointed-houses-of-zadok-and-david-messianism-and-apocalypticism-in-the-late-sec-9798257288715","title":"The Wars of Light and Darkness: The Messianic Kingdom Revolt of the Anointed Houses of Zadok and David - Messianism and Apocalypticism in the Late Sec","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Reuven Efraim Schmalz\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Christianity - History\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is book 3 in the 7 book series.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this volume, the narrative explores one of the most dramatic turning points in ancient Israelite history: the catastrophic transition of the priesthood from the Maccabean Zealots of Righteousness to the Hasmonean \"Wicked Priests.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing the death of Judah Maccabee, his brothers Jonathan and Simeon took a shocking step. They treacherously usurped the Supreme Sacerdotal Office of the High Priesthood, an office that, by divine right, belonged exclusively to the Anointed House of Zadok. By accepting ordination from a pagan king, did they cross a forbidden line? Did this unconscionable act transform the Hasmoneans into the very \"Antichrist\" figures condemned in the ancient scrolls, displacing both the Altar and the Throne and creating a permanent religio-social divide between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe volume further follows the exile of the Teacher of Righteousness, the legitimate Zadokite heir. Physically driven out of Jerusalem, he eventually established a sanctuary in the rugged volcanic Wilderness of Damascus, in the region of Batanaea-Trachonitis. There, in the \"Nazarene Plantation\" (Netzer Mata'ao), a prophetic community took root, modeled after the oracles of Isaiah. Could the title \"Nazarene\" have originated not from the small village of Nazareth, but from this remote wilderness identity? Was this hidden northern refuge actually the true cradle of the messianic movement that would later produce John the Baptist and Jesus?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally, faced with a Temple they viewed as defiled and its sacrifices as inefficacious, how did these communities respond? They established what the scrolls describe as the \"Temple of Men\"ת a spiritualized sanctuary in which the community itself became the Holy House. In this living Temple, \"Spiritual Sacrifices\" of repentance, \"Offerings of the Lips\" (praise), and Baptism for the Remission of Sins replaced animal blood. Even their Sacral Banquet of Bread and Wine, shared in communion with angels, carried deep significance. Could these antecedent Essene traditions have provided the direct theological blueprint for the New Testament's understanding of the Church and the Eucharist?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis volume dares to examine these profound questions and the explosive history behind them.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independently Published","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47883666522263,"sku":"9798257288715","price":2469.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9798257288715.webp?v=1781103191","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/the-wars-of-light-and-darkness-the-messianic-kingdom-revolt-of-the-anointed-houses-of-zadok-and-david-messianism-and-apocalypticism-in-the-late-sec-9798257288715","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}