Secrets of the Lost Ark
Nablus, Israel
"Tom, how do you take yours?" Joshua Rosen asked as he poured coffee for himself, his wife, and his two American guests. Tom Donafin wanted his black. Decker started to respond but Joshua interrupted. "I don't need to ask you. I remember. You like yours with too much cream and too much sugar, just like you'd serve it to a baby." In preparation for their assignment to cover the recent disturbances in Israel, Decker and Tom had attempted to adjust to Israeli time but the coffee provided welcome assistance.
"So, Tom, tell us about yourself," Liana Rosen asked. "How do you know our Decker?"
"Oh, we've been friends for a long time. I guess we met in… " Tom scratched his chin beneath his thick brown beard, "it must have been 1968. It was at a coffee house in Tullahoma, Tennessee, We were both interested in writing so we hit it off right away." Tom looked off, as if through time, and added, "We were pretty weird looking back then… you know, long hair, love beads, the whole schtick."
Liana Rosen looked across the table at Decker, now age 47, trying to picture him as a hippie, and laughed. "Anyway," Tom continued, "We lost track of each other for a few years: Decker went into the army and I went to work on a construction crew. Then in 1973 I decided I was tired of sweating for a living, and decided to go to college. Well, one day I was sitting in a microbiology class that the school computer had mistakenly assigned me to, and I looked up and in walks Decker, as droopy-eyed as you see him today."
Decker had taken advantage of Tom's story to 'rest his eyes,' but now gave his head a shake and forced down some coffee to try to restore consciousness. "I guess I really should try to stay more alert during Tom's stories," Decker said. "There's no telling what he'll make up about me while I'm asleep."
Satisfied that his friend was listening, Tom continued his story. "For the next few years we stayed in pretty close contact at school. After college, I got a job with a newspaper in Massachusetts and I thought Decker was planning to go to grad school. But the next thing I knew he was publishing a weekly newspaper in Knoxville. After a few years I left Massachusetts and went to work for UPI in Chicago. Then about two and a half months ago Decker got me an interview with NewsWorld Magazine."
Despite his best efforts Decker was again drifting off to sleep, but as Tom finished speaking he felt three pairs of eyes staring at him. Giving his head another quick shake and a roll, he tried to act as though he had been listening intently. Tom ignored Decker's latest infraction of good manners and asked the Rosens about themselves. "Decker told me a little about you during the trip over, but there's still a lot I don't know."
"Well, in a nutshell," Joshua Rosen began, "Liana and I were both born in Austria a few years before World War II. When I was six years old my family left Austria when it became clear that there would be no place for Jews in Hitler's world. Fortunately my whole family was allowed to leave. Liana's family tried to leave just two weeks later and were refused passports. They were smuggled out later by Lutheran missionaries.
"In America, my father was one of more than thirty Jewish scientists who worked in atomic research for the Manhattan Project. At home, he was a very strict taskmaster and insisted that my two sisters and I excel in our school work. I went on to study nuclear physics and then became involved in laser and particle beam research." Rosen paused to sip some coffee.
"That's how you got involved in strategic defense," Tom said, filling the brief silence.
"Right," Rosen responded. "Then a few years ago the President decided to cut back on nearly all directed energy research."
"And that's when you decided to come to Israel."
"Well, not right away, but soon after. My father helped build the first atomic bomb to try to end World War II; I wanted to help build a defense against missiles carrying atomic bombs to prevent World War III. When it seemed clear that the United States no longer had the resolve to build such a defense, I decided to come to Israel to continue my work here."
"Decker said something about your son turning you in to Israeli immigration authorities so that you couldn't become citizens," Tom probed.
At this Mrs. Rosen responded in defense of her son. "Scott is a good boy. He was just a little confused."
"Yes," Joshua said. "You see, Scott and I have not seen eye-to-eye on most things for quite some time. Our family was never Orthodox in our practice of Judaism: we kept the feast days, but only out of tradition. They didn't really carry much meaning. Then in 1976, after a period of about a year and a half of study of the scriptures and talking with some Messianic friends, Liana and I accepted Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah. Three months after that my father died. Scott took his grandfather's death very badly." Liana patted Joshua's hand and gave a supportive look. "At one time, Scott actually blamed us for his grandfather's death. He believed that my father died as punishment from God for Liana and I accepting Yeshua and 'abandoning' our religion."
Tom nodded sympathetically, though he didn't entirely follow what Joshua was saying.
"As a result – perhaps he felt that he was punishing us – Scott left the United States and came to Israel where he became involved with some of the most Orthodox and militant groups. He was only 18 at the time.
"When we came to Israel three years ago we had not heard from Scott in over fifteen years. But when we went to complete the paperwork for our Israeli citizenship – which is granted to most Jews almost automatically by right ofaliyah – it was denied. Later we learned that Scott had told the authorities that we had renounced our faith, and he insisted that we be denied citizenship.
"After discussing it for a few days, Liana and I decided to fight the charge. We have never renounced our faith!" Rosen's voice grew both defensive and dogmatic. "Many Jews are agnostics or atheists; and Israel grants them citizenship. But because we believe the prophecies about the promised Jewish Messiah, they say we're the ones who have denied our faith! Accepting Yeshua is not a matter of denying our faith but rather of completing it! Do you know that over the centuries there have been more than forty different men who have claimed to be the messiah, and no one ever accused the followers of those men of denying their faith!" It was obvious that Rosen had delivered this defense on numerous occasions, each time becoming firmer in his convictions. Liana placed her hand on his as if to reassure him that he was among friends. Joshua paused and smiled to lighten the mood and to offer silent apology for any hint of virulence.
"I had already talked with a number of officials in the Israeli Defense Ministry," Rosen began again, getting back to his story. "They were very interested in putting me to work on the Israeli strategic defense program. That's when Decker called me from America." They looked across the table at Decker, who was now sound asleep. Liana softly brushed her fingers through his hair. Joshua continued, speaking more quietly to keep from disturbing their guest. "He was doing a story about the decline of American strategic defense research, and had heard about my decision to move to Israel. He called me and I agreed to talk to him about it and suggested that he compare the strategic defense capabilities and goals of the U.S. to those of Israel."
"So you must have known Decker before that."
"Oh, yes," answered Rosen. "We met back in 1978 on the Shroud of Turin expedition in Italy."
"No kidding? I didn't realize that you were a part of that project," Tom said. "I'd like to talk to you about that sometime."
"Please," said Liana, "don't get him started."
Joshua pretended not to hear his wife's last remark, but went on with his story. "Anyway," he said, "where was I? Oh, yes, when Decker arrived I convinced him that there were really two stories to be told here. First was the story about the United States' decision to scrap lasers and particle beams, which is what he had called me about; and second was about Israel's policy to deny citizenship to Messianic Jews."
"Decker wrote about what happened to us and how we had been refused citizenship," Liana interjected. "He really put his heart into that story. But in the end the editors at your magazine cut huge pieces from our story and ran it as a sidebar article."
"While Decker was preparing the story he interviewed several members of the Knesset who are very staunch supporters of an Israeli missile defense," Joshua added, retaking control of the conversation. "When they became aware of our situation they demanded that the bureaucrats grant us Israeli citizenship immediately. Within two weeks we were given a hearing which went so quickly we were not even given a chance to speak. Before we knew what was going on, the judge found in our favor and soon after we became citizens. You see," Rosen explained, "without Israeli citizenship, I would not have been allowed to work on classified defense programs. We were trying to draw attention to the law against Messianic Jews: that became moot when we became the exception to that law."
"So have you seen your son since then?" Tom asked.
"Yes, at the hearing," Liana answered. "He was very upset about the way the case was rushed through, but apparently, seeing us there, fifteen years older, made him think. He called us two days after the hearing and asked to see us. He has never exactly apologized, but he has learned to accept us. And it turns out that, at least in one way, he has followed in his father's footsteps."
"Yes," Joshua said, continuing Liana's thought, "Scott has proven himself to be a first rate physicist. That's how he found out that we were in Israel and seeking citizenship: he too is involved in strategic defense research."
"Now we see him every few weeks," Liana interjected.
"We've even worked together on a couple of projects," Joshua added.
Each paused and took another sip of coffee, signaling the apparent close of the subject. Tom had one other thing he wanted to clear up, and so took advantage of the silence. "Joshua and Liana, you've mentioned 'Yeshua' several times. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with who or what it is you're talking about."
"Yeshua haMashiach," Joshua Rosen answered in Hebrew. You are probably more familiar with the Anglicized pronunciation of the Greek form of his name: Jesus, the Messiah."
Tom raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "You mean that Yeshua is the Jewish word for Jesus?"
Joshua and Liana both nodded.
"But how can you be Jewish and Christian at the same time?"
"Well, there are a great many people here in Israel who would ask the same question," Joshua answered. "But surely you know that all of the earliest Christians were Jewish. For most of the first century, Christians – who at the time were called 'Followers of the Way' – continued to live among their Jewish brothers as equals and became a rather large sect within Judaism. In fact, the first real disagreement among the followers of Yeshua was whether or not Gentiles had to convert to Judaism before they could become Christians."
"I guess I never really thought about that," Tom said. "So the reason that your son turned you in is because you're Christians."
"We prefer the name 'Messianic Jews,'" Joshua answered. "But to answer your question: yes."
Tom shook his head as he considered the Rosens' story. The conversation seemed to have reached a conclusion, the coffee had all been drunk, and the bagels had all been eaten. Tom reached over and shook Decker from his sleep. Joshua had taken the day off so he could take Tom and Decker into Jerusalem for some sightseeing. Decker drank the last of his coffee, which was by now quite cold, and the three men left for the city.
Joshua took his guests on a whirlwind tour of some standard tourist stops, all of which shared one thing in common: Israeli police and military. Jerusalem is a city where the people have grown accustomed to such things. Tom Donafin was particularly interested in the Wailing Wall, which was the western wall – and all that remains standing – of the ancient Jewish Temple.
As they approached the wall, they were handed black paper yarmulkes to place on their heads. The Israeli government allows tourists to visit the wall but requires men to wear the traditional covering for their head. Near the wall dozens of darkly clad men formed a constantly moving mass as they rocked back and forth, in a practice called dovening, while they prayed or read from their prayer books. Some of the men had ropes or cording tied around their arms and wore small boxes called phylacteries tied to their foreheads like a headband. Inside the boxes, Joshua explained, were pages from the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament.
As he had at their other stops, Joshua gave a brief history of the site. "The original Temple," Joshua began, "was built by King Solomon and was destroyed during the Babylonian captivity. It was rebuilt beginning in 521 B.C. and later went through major renovations under King Herod. In about 27 A.D., Yeshua prophesied that the Temple would be destroyed again before all of those listening to him died. Just as he predicted, the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. when Titus invaded Jerusalem to put down a Jewish revolt against Rome. An interesting point of disagreement exists among biblical scholars on the extent of the destruction Yeshua was prophesying. What he told his disciples was that the entire Temple would be destroyed before the last of them died. But, as you can see, this portion of the wall is still standing. Some say that he meant only to include the structures within the walls of the Temple. Others say that the western wall was merely part of the foundation and therefore, by their reasoning, was not included in Yeshua's prophecy. But according to Josephus, who was present at the Roman siege of Jerusalem, Titus ordered that parts of the city be left standing as a monument to his accomplishments. He wanted everyone to be able to see the kind of fortification he had to overcome to defeat the Jews."
"So, which interpretation do you hold?" asked Tom.
"I am reluctantly forced to side with those who say the prophecy only included the buildings of the Temple and not necessarily all of the walls."
"Why do you say 'reluctantly'?" Tom asked.
"Because Yeshua seems to have gone out of his way to make the prophecy all-inclusive, saying that 'not one stone will be left standing upon another.'13 Since the wall is still standing, there are only two other possibilities that I can think of: either Yeshua was wrong – a hypothesis which I cannot accept – or," Joshua concluded with a strained chuckle, "at least one of those who was with Yeshua when he prophesied about the Temple two thousand years ago, is still alive."
"Joshua, forgive my ignorance of such things," Tom said, "but this is the Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, right?"
"You are correct," Rosen said. "Of course this wall is some distance from where the Ark was. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing really. It's just that I must have seen the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark about half a dozen times over the years and I was just wondering if anyone knows what really happened to the Ark."
"Well, there are a number of theories. The Bible doesn't mention the whereabouts of the Ark after the Temple was destroyed in the Babylonian invasion. It's assumed that when the invaders plundered the Temple they took the Ark with them. But the Bible says that when Ezra returned from Babylon to rebuild the Temple, he brought back everything that had been taken. Some people have speculated that the Ark may have been taken from the Temple when it was destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D. and that it was either melted down or perhaps locked away and later hidden in some secret treasury room in the Vatican. However, there is some evidence to dispute that theory. In Rome there is an arch which was dedicated to Titus in honor of his successful siege of Jerusalem. Carved into the arch are scenes of the Roman destruction and looting of Jerusalem, including a detailed carving showing the treasures taken from the Temple. The Ark is not among the treasures depicted, even though, as the most highly valued item, it surely would have been included had Titus taken it.
"Some people believe the Ark is in Ethiopia, though there are a number of major weaknesses in that theory. Another theory, based on one of the apocryphal books of the Bible, is that to prevent the Babylonians from finding the Ark, the Prophet Jeremiah hid it in a cave on Mount Nebo in Jordan."
"What do you mean, 'apocryphal'?" Tom asked.
"Well, of course you know about the Old Testament and the New Testament, or – as we Messianic Jews prefer to call them – the Old and New Covenants."
Tom nodded.
"Well, not all religious writings were considered worthy of inclusion in the Bible. The other books make up the Apocrypha. Some are simply flights of fantasy, others are obvious fakes written hundreds of years later than their texts would lead you to believe. But there are a few where the question of authenticity is not quite so clear. A number of the apocryphal books appear in the Catholic version of the Old Testament. But these are books that neither the Jews nor the Protestants considered to be inspired by God. The Greek Orthodox Bible also includes the Apocrypha but the Greek Church does not consider them to be inspired. Today, even the Catholic Church downplays their importance."
"So, where do you think the Ark is?" asked Tom.
"Actually," Joshua answered, "I have my own theory. I think that whether it was hidden on Mt. Nebo or taken to Babylon, the Ark was probably returned when the new Temple was rebuilt."
"But then where is it now?"
"I think it may be somewhere in southern France."
"France? Why France?"
"Well," Joshua began, "like I said, this is just a theory. I never gave it much thought until a few years ago when they announced the results of the carbon 14 dating of the Shroud of Turin."
A puzzled look came over Decker's face. "What does all this have to do with the Shroud?" he asked.
"Decker, you remember how impressed we all were with the Shroud," Joshua said. "It really isn't important to my faith whether it's real or not, but from a purely scientific point of view, it's just too good to be a fake. But until recently the carbon 14 dating seemed conclusive. Then one day I was reading some of the writings of St. Jerome, who lived in the fourth and early fifth century and was the first to translate the Old Testament directly from Hebrew to Latin. In the piece I was reading, Jerome quotes from a book which he called the 'Gospel of the Hebrews,' a book which unfortunately either no longer exists or is lost. He doesn't quote from it very extensively, but the small piece he does quote reveals a very interesting piece of information about the Shroud. Of course, there's no way of knowing how authentic this gospel really was. It may have been as spurious as some of the other apocryphal writings, but it says is that after Yeshua rose from the dead, he took his burial shroud and gave it to the servant of the High Priest. That's not very much, but it's the only record we have that indicates what happened to the Shroud following the resurrection."
"Who was the servant of the High Priest?" Tom asked.
"That was my question as well," Joshua continued. "Who was he and why would Yeshua give him the Shroud? Well, I mulled that over and then I recalled that there is a reference to the servant of the High Priest in the gospels. In that account, the servant of the High Priest, a man named Malchus, was among those who went to arrest Yeshua on the night before his crucifixion. The Apostle Peter attempted to fend them off with a sword and in the scuffle he cut off Malchus' ear. Yeshua told Peter to put his sword away, and then picked up the ear and placed it back on Malchus' head and instantly healed it.
"This same Malchus would have been in the Temple on a daily basis and would have seen the curtain which separated the people from the Holy of Holies inexplicably torn in two after Yeshua's crucifixion. The Holy of Holies was the most sacred place in the Temple. When Yeshua died, God himself tore the curtain from top to bottom, allowing ordinary men and women – not just the high priests – access to his holy presence. And Malchus, like everyone else in Israel at the time, would have been very much aware of Yeshua's miracles and the evidence of his resurrection. ' It seems reasonable to me to assume that Malchus, having experienced all this – especially the healing of his ear – may well have become a follower of Yeshua himself. If so, it would explain Yeshua's contact with him after the resurrection: the Bible says that Yeshua appeared to more than five hundred people in and around Jerusalem after the resurrection.
"But it still doesn't explain why he would give Malchus the Shroud. That was the toughest question. Then one day, when I wasn't even thinking about it, something just clicked, and I realized it must have been to preserve the Shroud as evidence of the resurrection! I believe Yeshua told Malchus to put the Shroud in the Ark of the Covenant."
"Why would he do that?" Tom asked.
"It's a little complicated," Rosen continued. "As I said, we're pretty sure that the Ark wasn't in the Temple when it was plundered by the Romans in 70 A.D. So where was it? I believe the Ark disappeared a second time; but this time it clearly wasn't stolen. It was hidden by the High Priest.
"Between the time of the Babylonians and the Romans there were several other times that bandits tried to rob the Temple. I think the priests probably developed an evacuation plan to hide the Ark whenever the Temple was threatened. Surely when the Romans conquered Israel, the priests realized that the Temple was once again an extremely attractive target for those seeking their fortune.
"My theory is that the Ark was hidden somewhere in the tunnels beneath the Temple to protect it from the Romans. If so, very few people would have known about it, but certainly the High Priest would have known. And if the High Priest knew, it's likely that his servant – that is, Malchus – would have known as well."
Decker and Tom nodded tentative agreement.
Rosen continued. "Okay, now let's move ahead in time about eleven hundred years, during the time of the first Crusade. Not many people realize that the Crusaders, who were mostly French, were quite successful in their first attempts to take the Holy Land from the Muslims. They even succeeded in capturing and holding the city of Jerusalem and establishing a French-born king over the city. Shortly after that, an order of knights known as the Knights Templar was formed in Jerusalem."
"I've heard of them," Decker offered. "They were pretty powerful, if I remember correctly."
"Yes, but not at first. The stated purpose of the Knights Templar was to protect Jerusalem and to aid European pilgrims coming to the Holy Land. This was a rather unrealistic undertaking, since originally there were only six or seven members in the order. And they were very poor. Ironically, poverty was one of their vows. I say ironically because somehow over the next hundred years, this small group of knights not only grew in number, but grew unbelievably wealthy. In fact, these men became the first international bankers, loaning money to kings and nobles throughout Europe. How they acquired their immense wealth has been the subject of great speculation."
"And you think you know the answer?" Decker urged.
"I think so, and if I'm right, it explains a lot more. You see, the headquarters for the Knights Templar was in the Mosque of Omar, that is, the Dome of the Rock, which sits on the site of the old Temple. It has been suggested that the knights excavated the tunnels beneath the Mosque and found the treasures of Solomon's Temple and that was the source of their wealth."
"But how does the Shroud of Turin fit into all this?" Tom asked.
"God had Moses build the Ark," Joshua continued, "as a container for certain sacred objects: the stone tablets on which God wrote the ten commandments; the first five books of the Bible written by Moses; a container of manna, which God caused to fall from the sky each morning for the Hebrews to eat while they were in the desert; and one other thing, Aaron's staff, which God had miraculously caused to sprout, bud, and bear almonds. Those things were placed in the Ark as a witness to later generations of God's covenant with Israel, and of his power.
"But something always struck me as odd about that list of items. Stone tablets will last forever. Protected in the Ark, the parchment that Moses used to write the first five books of the Bible might last for thousands of years. But the container of manna, under normal conditions, would turn to dust within just a matter of months. And Aaron's staff – though it might survive the centuries as a simple wooden staff – without the budding and the almonds, would not be much of a witness of God's power. That's when it occurred to me that perhaps the power of the Ark is greater and quite different than we may have realized. For instance, think about the staff for a minute. How tall do you imagine Aaron's staff would have been?"
"Oh, gee," Tom said, "I hate to show my ignorance, but all I can think of is another movie, the Ten Commandments? In that movie it seemed like Moses' staff was about six or seven feet tall."
"Well, I can't say much for the reliability of your sources, but I think that's a fair guess," said Joshua. "Shepherding hasn't changed much over the centuries, and all the shepherds' staffs I've ever seen are about that long. So when you think about Aaron's staff, with the limbs and sprouts and almonds growing from it, it would have had quite a large diameter. But," said Joshua, about to make his point, "based on a standard 18 inch cubit, the absolute longest that staff could have been and still have fit in the Ark is four feet, nine inches, and that's without any branches."
Tom tried but didn't catch Joshua's point. "So?"
"Well, think about it. The only way that a six to seven foot shepherd's staff could have fit into the Ark is if the inside dimensions of the Ark are not limited by the outside dimensions."
Tom's eyes widened. "Oh, I get it! Sort of a 'Mary Popping' effect," he said, referring to another movie. "Where Mary Poppins was able to put all sorts of things in her carpetbag that were much bigger than the bag itself."
Decker and Joshua laughed.
"Exactly," Joshua answered. "If the container of manna and Aaron's staff were to be a witness to future generations of God's power, there must be some miraculous, preservative power to the Ark. I'm sure you know that time is generally referred to as the fourth dimension – with length, width, and height being the first three. What I'm suggesting is that perhaps inside the Ark there is a total absence of dimensions: no length, width or height (which would explain how Aaron's staff could fit); and no time (which explains how the manna and the staff could be preserved)!"
Suddenly it all became clear to Decker just what Joshua was getting at. "So you think the servant of the High Priest put the Shroud in the Ark where it remained until it was taken out, over a thousand years later, by the Knights Templar when they discovered the Temple treasures!"
"Exactly!" Joshua said. "Of course, it's mostly just conjecture – but it does offer a unified theory that would provide a consistent explanation for a number of unanswered questions. Besides, it makes sense that the Shroud – the only physical evidence of Yeshua's resurrection and the consummation of God's new covenant with his people – would be kept in the Ark of the Covenant together with the evidence of God's old covenant."
"Wait a second, wait a second," Tom said, trying to catch up with the thoughts of his companions.
"Don't you see?" said Decker. "That's why the Shroud flunked the carbon 14 dating. For over a thousand years it totally escaped all deterioration and aging while it was inside the Ark!"
"Holy sh… " Tom caught himself, but his excitement showed in his raised voice and many of the nearby tourists and worshipers turned to stare at him disapprovingly. "That's incredible!" Tom said in a more controlled voice. "But what about the Knights Templar? Is there any connection between them and the Shroud of Turin?"
"Well," Joshua answered, "as far back as it can be traced, the first person who we can positively prove had the Shroud was a man in France named Geoffrey de Charney. Some years later his family gave the Shroud to the House of Savoy, who later moved it to Turin, Italy."
"So is there a link between de Charney and the Knights Templar?" Decker asked.
"As a matter of fact," Joshua glowed, having been asked the question he was hoping for, "there is."
"So what is it?" Decker asked, when he felt Joshua's pause had gone on long enough.
"Well, as we said, the Knights Templar became very powerful throughout Europe. But then the King of France decided he no longer wanted them around. He accused their members of hideous sins and atrocities. They were arrested and tortured to force them to confess to his trumped up charges. Those who confessed were locked away in prisons; those who refused were tortured to death or burned at the stake. Two of the last to be executed in this way were Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and Geoffrey de Charney, Preceptor of Normandy. That Geoffrey de Charney apparently was the uncle of the later Geoffrey de Charney, who was the first person that we can positively determine had possession of the Shroud."
"Incredible!" said Tom.
"Additionally," Joshua said, "one of the accusations against the knights was that they worshiped the image of a man."
"The Shroud of Turin!" Decker concluded.
"And that's why you think the Ark is in France?" Tom asked.
"Yes," Joshua answered. "It's my belief that the Shroud, the Ark, and the other Temple treasures were taken from Israel and hidden in southern France by the Knights Templar. If so, many of the treasures and the Ark may still be there, hidden away. In fact, there is a secret society in France called the Prieure de Sion, which traces its origins to the Knights Templar. The head of the society has been quoted as saying that he knows where the Temple treasures are and that they will be returned to Jerusalem 'when the time is right.'"
"Are there really tunnels and hidden passageways under the Temple where the Ark could have been hidden before the Knights Templar found it?" Decker asked. "Oh, absolutely. In fact, not just tunnels, but large vaulted rooms. Most haven't been excavated, but they have been identified by radar soundings." Rosen pointed to a pair of low arches to the left and perpendicular to the wall. "Over there beyond those arches is the opening of one of the tunnels that has been excavated. It runs south along the inside of the wall, and north for over a hundred yards along what was the western boundary of the Temple. A great deal of fighting broke out when the tunnel was opened to the public in 1996. There's a side tunnel which leads eastward in the direction of what today is the Dome of the Rock, but two thousand years ago would have been the Holy of Holies, where the Ark resided. Some rabbis were excavating that tunnel but the government stopped them and sealed it off."
"Why?" Tom asked, obviously disappointed with such an uneventful end to the tale.
"When Israel captured Jerusalem in the Six Day War in 1967, we made a pledge to allow the Muslims to continue to control the area of the Dome of the Rock. When the Muslims found out about the digging, they immediately protested and the tunnel was sealed. Some people believe that the Ark may still be buried under the Dome of the Rock and that the Muslims know it's there but don't want the Jews to have it. A more likely reason for refusing permission, though, is that the Muslims fear that Jewish zealots might get into the tunnel and blow up the Mosque in order to bring about the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. It would not be the first time that Israelis have tried to blow up the Dome. A group of zealots, mostly followers of Meir Kahane, tried it back in 1969. Kahane was assassinated while visiting New York in the early '90s but Moshe Greenberg, one of his followers, is now the Israeli Minister of Religious Affairs."