The accusation that in the past “The Jews Killed The Prophets” is designed by a religious establishment to explain why their own current religious situation, or someone else [the Jews’] religious situation, is the result of their Jewish ancestor’s bad behavior. Jewish priests originated the accusation, Orthodox Rabbis and Christian polemicists often used the incident of the golden calf in place of it, and Muslim polemicists returned to the Jewish priests view of it.

Outrage and fury can make ones blood seethe. Holding a grudge for decades and a long term desire for revenge can stimulate people to do terrible things. A short biblical passage (2 Chronicles 24:17-22) refers to a pre exilic prophet who was killed in the Holy Temple by order of the king.

Prophet Zechariah (not the post exilic prophet) was a priest and a prophet who stood above the people and admonished them. King Joash (who ruled 836-798 BCE) gave orders to have Zechariah killed, and he was stoned to death in the courtyard of the Temple. As he was dying, Zechariah said, “May the Lord see and requite this.”

From his call for justice and revenge, an elaborate midrash was constructed and connected to the Babylonian general Nebuzaradan whose army conquered Jerusalem over two hundred years later. (Gitten 57b and Sanhedrin 96b)

Upon entering the Temple, Nebuzaradan saw a pool of blood seething and bubbling in the inner courtyard before the altar. He asked the priests: “What is the matter with this blood?” He was told it was blood from the daily offerings. He said, “Tell me the truth or I will have all of you whipped.” The priests replied, “What can we say to you. There was a priest among us named Zechariah who was also a prophet. He used to reprove us (priests and rulers) for the transgressions we committed, so we rose up against him and killed him. It has been many years now and his blood has not become still.”

Nebuzaradan said, “I will put it to rest.” He ordered the arrest of all the judges in Jerusalem and had them executed next to the blood, but the blood did not rest. He then killed all the young priests, but the blood did not stop seething. He then ordered young men and women from the general population of the city to be killed, but the blood continued to boil. He even ordered the slaughter of school children but the blood would not rest.

Finally General Nebuzaradan drew near the blood and said, “Zechariah, Zechariah, I have slain the best of them. Do you want me to kill all of them?” At that the blood stopped seething.

Zechariah’s public........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)