Prophet's Son, Book II , Sojourn in the Desert

As Descent to Darkness opens, Phinehas meets the devil in the person of Judas. Phinehas, full of his hatred, is easy prey to Judas, who wants revenge on him because Judas' father Jonah, who had turned away from worshipping God, had been put out of the Temple by Eli. Judas and his family were then forced to leave Jerusalem in disgrace. To get his revenge, Judas plans to destroy everything Phinehas loves, and he sees that Phinehas' hatred, bitterness, and thirst for revenge will be the weakness he can exploit to accomplish his plan. As the story progresses, the devil, through Judas, fans the flames of Phinehas' hatred and bitterness to separate him from his protector, Zebulun. Meanwhile, Judas makes plans, along with his friends, Tobiah and Sanballat, and with the cooperation of Ahab, to kidnap Rachel and sell her in the slave markets of Susa. Eventually Judas' plan regarding Phinehas succeeds and he comes to hate Lord Zebulun. In his irrational hatred of this good man, Phinehas insists that he be manumitted, which exposes him and his family to Judas' plans for them. It is not enough for Phinehas to be free of Zebulun, however. Judas must get the perfumer completely out of Jerusalem before Judas' comrades, especially Ahab, will xiii agree to carry out his plan regarding Rachel. To get Zebulun out of their way, Judas contrives to have the great king order Lord Zebulun to Susa to celebrate the queen's birthday, a trip that would take more than a year to complete. Once Phinehas is free and Zebulun gone, Ahab, Tobiah and Sanballat agree to aid Judas.