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remaining members of the “Old Guard,” and sat on the throne of David. This was the Third Betrayal. The Scepter of Judah—the civil power of the nation—was no longer held by a son of David. It was now firmly in the hands of the people of the curse. [Citation: Antiquities of the Jews, Book 14, Chapter 14, Sections 4–5.]
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The throne was occupied by a man who was not only a foreigner but was biologically from the line of Esau. The “Inside Job” had now handed the civil government over to the very people the prophets had warned about. With the King’s seat occupied by an Edomite and the Priesthood already a hollowed-out political office, the stage was set for the final act of the third betrayal.
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When Herod the Great took the throne in 37 B.C., he knew he had a massive legal problem: According to the Law, a King could not be an Edomite, and a High Priest had to be a Zadokite. To secure his stolen seat, he had to destroy the independent power of the Sanctuary.
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Herod’s first move was a bloodbath. He executed 45 of the leading members of the Sanhedrin (the high court of the elders). These were the men who held the records of the bloodlines. By killing them, he silenced the “legal department” of the nation that could have protested his lineage. [Citation: Antiquities of the Jews, Book 15, Chapter 1, Section 2].
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Herod knew he couldn’t use the local, legitimate Levites who still remembered the Law. So, he went “shopping” for priests who would be loyal only to him. The Boethusians:
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Herod took a woman named Maria to be his wife. Her father was Simon ben Boethus from Alexandria. Herod simply made him High Priest. [Citation: Antiquities of the Jews, Book 15, Chapter 9, Section 3]. This started the “Boethusian” line—a group of wealthy, Hellenized (Greek-thinking) priests who were essentially Herod’s employees.
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The Ananus (Annas) Family: This is the infamous family of Annas and Caiaphas that you see in the New Testament. They weren’t the “Old Guard” of Zadok; they were a wealthy political mafia appointed by the Herodian/Roman machine to keep the people in line [ Citation: Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 2, Section 1].