Zadokites are Important for the New TestamentZadokites are important for the study of the New Testament because the history and experience of the Zadokites elucidate why the Jews at the time of Jesus Christ rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Thus, the Zadokites provides the important background information regarding the relationship between Jesus the Christ and the Judaism at the time of Jesus Christ's ministry. Why did the Jewish leaders reject Jesus Christ, when there were Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ? Why did the Jerusalem Temple priests see Jesus Christ as a threat and wanted to kill Jesus? The historical experience of the Zadokites help explain why Jesus Christ was targeted by the Jewish religious and political leaders during His life and ministry. Nothing happens in a vacuum. The Jewish rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah as described in the New Testament happened in the historical context and socio-political dynamics over time. It was because the Zadokites were forced out of the Jerusalem Temple by the Hasmoneans, descendants of the leaders of Hanukkah (a Jewish religious holiday that is celebrated around the time of Christmas), and replaced by the Hasmoneans that the history of Israel veered off into a direction that created a socio-political environment which was hostile to Jesus of Nazareth. In other words, if the Zadokites were not forced out of the Jerusalem Temple, one hundred and fifty years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Israel would most likely have not rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah. The books at the bottom of this page will help you to understand the historical developments surrounding the Zadokites better.
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