Posted on 09/26/2006 6:26:26 AM PDT by NYer
A COLLECTION of sacred artefacts looted by the Romans from the Temple of Jerusalem and long suspected of being hidden in the vaults of the Vatican are actually in the Holy Land, according to a British archaeologist.
Sean Kingsley, a specialist in the Holy Land, claims to have discovered what became of the collection, which is widely regarded as the greatest of biblical treasures and includes silver trumpets that would have heralded the Coming of the Messiah.
The trumpets, gold candelabra and the bejewelled Table of the Divine Presence were among pieces shipped to Rome after the looting in AD70 of the Temple, the most sacred building in the ancient Jewish faith.
After a decade of research into previously untapped ancient texts and archaeological sources, Dr Kingsley has reconstructed the treasure’s route for the first time in 2,000 years to provide evidence that it left Rome in the 5th century.
He has discovered that it was taken to Carthage, Constantinople and Algeria before being hidden in the Judaean wilderness, beneath the Monastery of Theodosius.
Dr Kingsley said: “The treasure resonates fiercely across modern politics. Since the mid-1990s, a heated political wrangle has been simmering between the Vatican and Israel, which has accused the papacy of imprisoning the treasure.
“The Temple treasure remains a deadly political tool in the volatile Arab-Israeli conflict centred on the Temple Mount [the site of the Jewish Temple and the Muslim Dome of the Rock].
“The treasure’s final hiding place – in the modern West Bank . . . deep in Hamas territory – will rock world religions.”
Emperor Vespasian ordered the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem after a Jewish revolt and Roman forces took about 50 tons of gold, silver and precious art to Rome.
The Arch of Titus, built a decade later, depicts Roman soldiers bearing the sacred spoils on their shoulders. The Jews were expelled from Jerusalem and dispersed throughout the world.
Between AD75 and the early 5th century, the treasure was on public display in the Temple of Peace in the Forum, in Rome.
The Vatican has told Dr Kingsley that there is no evidence in its archives that the treasure resided in Rome from the medieval period onwards.
He said: “One thing is for sure – it is not imprisoned deep in Vatican City. I am the first person to prove that the Temple treasures no longer languish in Rome.”
Dr Kingsley’s sources include Josephus, a 1st-century Jewish historian who sometimes exaggerated but is an authority on Roman and Jewish history. Dr Kingsley also found evidence in, among others, the works of Procopius, a court historian of the Emperor Justinian, who died in AD562, and from Theophanes Confessor (c760-817), a Christian monk from Constantinople.
In Chronographia, which spanned AD284 to 813, Theophanes recorded that Gaiseric, king of the Vandals, loaded the treasures that “Titus had brought to Rome after the capture of Jerusalem” on a boat to Carthage in Tunisia in AD455.
In the first holy crusade in AD533, the Byzantine Belisarius seized the treasure from a royal ship fleeing the Algerian harbour of Hippo Regius. It was then shipped to Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium.In the 7th century, Persians sacked Jerusalem, killing thousands of Christians, and dragging the Patriarch, Zacharias, to Persia. Dr Kingsley believes that his replacement, Modestus, spirited away the treasures to their final hiding place in AD614.
Dr Kingsley will reveal his findings in God’s Gold: The Quest for the Lost Temple Treasure of Jerusalem, to be published by John Murray on October 5.
Ping!
This could be the begining of the rebuilding of the Temple.
Maybe this will refocus attention on the significance of the Temple Mount which has been aggressively hijacked by Mohammedans while Jews and Christians lend meek complicity
Now wouldnt that be something...
Bill Clinton, "No President has worked harder than me to try and restore these lost ancient treasures. The Bush Administration hasn't done anything in 6 years on this subject until now."
The Moslems are having a run at Temple Mount under the protection of the IDF ~ simply think of Moslems as yet another kind of Gentile and it begins to make sense.
After Jesus was crucified, the fuse was lit on the Temple. It was no longer needed. The Jews believed the Temple was "cage" for God. God didn't agree. When the Temple was destroyed, so was Judaism as it had been defined by the various sects(Pharisees, Saducees, etc). By that time, Christianity had a foothold in the Jewish world. Jews, who had worshipped the Temple for so long, found themselves without anything to worship.
The "outside" Jews who were too far from the Jerusalem to worship the Temple, became the lynchpin for Judaism. The first became last and the last became first.
"They belong in a museum..."
"...Top men."
All kidding aside, this is a fantastic find.
Do you think they're going to start digging?
The ironic part - The Romans saved these treasure from absolute destruction as eventually Jerusalem fell to the islamic hordes...
Palestinians on the West Bank are making plans to excavate with dynamite. Lots and lots of dynamite.
He's just trying to sell books.
It is , and I am big on end times prophecy and know that all the prepartions for the rebuilding of the Temple are complete. They have all the supplies the high priests need to carry out the rituals. With these authentic artifacts it makes the case even stronger to start rebuilding. Although the Ark of the Covenant would probably be needed.
"Do you think they're going to start digging?" NOT UNTIL THE BOOK IS PUBLISHED
This book was an entertaining read, but the author's theories must be taken with a very large grain of salt.
In the book, Mr. Hancock claims that the Ark is in Axum, Ethiopia.
Perhaps you are mis-typing? The Jews never worshipped the temple. They worshipped in the temple. The Jews also worshipped (and still do) in Synagogues, and have never "found themselves without anything to worship." When you make such interesting and provocative claims about a religion, it might help those of us who are not nearly as smart as you if you would provide links supporting your claims from authoritative texts. Thanks in advance.
I am very much aware of Axum, but the problem is every tribe in that area claims to have the original Ark. Although it is interesting that they practice a very old form of Judiasm which could indicate they came from Israel at the time the Ark was taken away into hiding.
Nah, the various sects thought that everything revolved around the Temple. They controlled Jerusalem. When the Temple was destroyed, so were the various sects.
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