I don't like the Bachiyr much either. I can understand the Council's logic to a certain extent. I met one of the most powerful Bachiyr I have ever encountered and even he was vulnerable to a crowd armed only with torches. They seem to wish to hide and if people were turned at will, it is inevitable that they would soon be known to all and the people would turn on them. So they choose to kill all rogue Bachiyr out of fear for what we might ruin.
The old blood came from a man who had been dead perhaps two hours, maybe as much as six. It tasted foul and it was... inert, useless. It was missing whatever it is that we need from the blood. I do not know what that is. If the body has been dead mere minutes then the blood is still useful but I have not experimented to find out what the limit is. I do perhaps have a small advantage there. Those from whom I feed but do not kill gain some advantages. They gain some of my abilities for about a month. Not at the same level but certainly greater than normal.
They included the Jewish texts? Many of the Jews didn't particularly care for Jesus and his followers. I think the Bachiyr Council feared him and what he might do. When I encountered him after I had been turned, he... glowed. It sounds ridiculous but it's the only way I can describe it. It made me feel weak and I could barely look at him. I am certain I could not have approached him or touched him. I think that's why Theron used Marcus and myself rather than directly killing Jesus himself. He couldn't go near the Nazarene but we could. We could do his work for him.