HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW
Book: The Covenant Revolt: Jesus, the Zealots, and the Destructions of Israel
Author: Marcus Raymond Sanford
Publisher: Independently published, 2023
ISBN-13: 979-8396570801 Paperback
ISBN-10: 8396570801 Paperback
Website(s): https://www.interplans.net/ (publisher)
Language level: 1
(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)
Recommended reading level: Of interest primarily to adults
Rating: **** 4 stars
(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)
Category: Religious history
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker
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Sanford,Marcus Raymond. The Covenant Revolt: Jesus, the Zealots, and the Destructions of Israel (Published in 2023, republished in 2023 by Interplans.net Studio). The author’s major premise is that the New Testament can best be understood in light of the conflict between the Zealots of Israel and the Roman empire which resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The Covenant Revolt gives New Testament background from the Hasidim through to the decisive generation of Jesus, explaining how that generation self-destructed. The Zealots’ replacement theology is examined in two key New Testament passages, with an intriguing sense of tension between Judaizers and Paul as they ‘ghost’ his ministry. The author’s conclusions about the role of Luke-Acts as a document give a heightened dramatic sense to Paul’s insistence on being heard by Caesar.
I am always a little leery of anyone who comes along claiming to have found some special “key” to unlock the true meaning of the Bible, without which people just cannot properly understand the Scriptures. One may not agree with all the conclusions that Sanford reaches, but there is a lot of good, historical information about the events that led up to Jerusalem’s destruction by Rome to be found in the book. I especially like the way in which it shows that the evidence just does not support the speculations of dispensational premillennialism. Marcus, who has a research master’s in New Testament studies from Regent College, includes an extensive list of his resources and an index of authors and Biblical passages cited. The Covenant Revolt would be of interest primarily to adults who enjoy reading books about religious history.