The Phoenician Code

by Karim El Koussa

  “A little introduction would pave the way, right?” He turned to look at Paul, inquiringly. He nodded, having nothing to say.

  “The truth is that the Knights Templar were not, as they pretended to be, in quest of the Holy Grail in order to protect it. It was just a cover up story. In fact, they had hunted down the Grail to give it to someone else! They had searched for a treasure, as well as some secret documents that might lead them to that treasure inside the Temple of Solomon.”

  Finding the Holy Grail, to give it to someone else? A treasure in the Temple of Solomon? Paul couldn’t repress the urge to ask, “What treasure?”

  “The Ark of the Covenant.”

  “The Ark of the Covenant?” he almost leapt to his feet in surprise, yet years of self-discipline saved him from ridicule. He was in dismay.

  “Yes, but let’s focus on the Templars, for the moment, if you please,” he insisted with fatherly patience and a firm stance. He had the conversation under control.

  The Ark was lost a long time ago, before the Templars entered history! he thought, but dismissed the notion, reassured that the Keepers would inform him about it at a later stage.

  “William of Tyre wrote that the Order of the Templars, also known as the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, was a secret organization, founded in 1114 AD. Among those who founded that Order, probably as early as the beginning of the Crusades, I can name: Hughes—Count of Champagne, André De Montbard, Hughes De Payens, Geoffrey De Saint Omer, Bernard De Fontaine (St. Bernard of Clairvaux), and Baldwin I—brother of Godefroi IV De Bouillon.” He paused for a moment. “However, they had officially proclaimed it in Medieval Palestine, later on, some time around the year 1118 AD. A year after that, they took up quarters within the ruins of the Temple, a residence provided to them by Baldwin II, cousin to Godefroi. They began a secret and excessive excavation campaign, since the Templars, like most clandestine societies, endorsed two different doctrines.”

  “What do you mean, precisely?” he asked curiously.

  “One public and another hidden,” he replied, and added, “The public one showed an ideal marriage with the Catholic Throne. The nine founding members of the Templars took a public vow to protect Christian pilgrims, visiting the Holy places during the Crusades.” He paused, taking a sip from his cup of tea.

  “I already know that. What about the hidden one?” Paul asked, eager to know at once.

  “Oh… I almost forgot, you’re a Historian,” he said with a smile, slowly rubbing his mouth with a handkerchief. “The hidden one… well, some leaks of information within the Order divulged their plan to re-construct the Temple of Solomon—or construct that of the other Solomon—by restoring the Judaic worship based on the Kabala.”

  A moment of confusion overtook Paul, as he pondered on the two Solomons!

  “Surprisingly,” Dr. Bechara caught the new brother by surprise, interfering from his calm corner near the chimney. “In 1125-1127, the Templars claimed that they had found the Grail, and so, on Bernard’s order, they left Palestine for France, bringing the Grail with them. Almost a year later, the Church Council enacted a meeting at Troyes—in Champagne—hosted by Hughes, Count of Champagne, and presided by Bernard of Clairvaux, who officially recognized and incorporated the Templars.” He stopped, igniting his cigar from a tiny piece of burning wood in the chimney. “Becoming their Patron, Bernard wrote the rules, and composed the eulogy, based on those of the Cistercians. In the prelude of the Rules, Bernard wrote, ‘With God’s help, the great work has been accomplished.’ Then, Hughes de Payens, the cousin of the Count, was elected First Grand Master of the Order, and the Grail, kept under their protection, bestowed upon them the title of the Guardians of the Grail.”

  “Guardians of the Grail!” Paul exclaimed. “Did they really find the Holy Grail, as they claimed, or was it the Ark of the Covenant, as Dr. Najem insinuated earlier?” He then asked, confused.

  “Be patient, brother. Patience is a rewarding trait in thinkers and seekers. By the way, do you know anything about the Ark of the Covenant?” Professor Michel asked in a serious tone that was belied by his somewhat indulgent grey stare at Paul’s impatience.

  “Just a little, Professor, I guess,” he responded. “The Ark of the Covenant was given to Moses, by God, as a promise, or perhaps as a sort of agreement between him and his God. I remember that it stated that Moses would lead the people of Israel, the Chosen People, on the good path. In return, God would deliver them from slavery forever, and give them part of the Land of Canaan, later called Palestine.” He felt proud to show some knowledge in the matter, in front of these Scholarly Masters.

  “True, yet not complete,” the Professor replied diplomatically. “The Ark symbolized an accord of faith made between YHWH—the Jewish God—and the Israelites—led by Moses—at Mount Sinai. It supposedly contained three things: the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron, and a pot of manna.” He paused in thought. “The Ark represented the presence of YHWH among the Israelites. They carried it with them while wandering through the desert and during their battles. Later, the Old Testament says that Hiram Abiff, the Tyrian artificer of Solomon, built a beautiful Temple in Jerusalem, and placed the Ark inside the Holy of Holies. Unfortunately, after the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, in 587 BC, some Jewish priests took the Ark of the Covenant, and hid it in a place now forgotten.”

  “So… the Ark of the Covenant was lost,” Paul stated, and murmured mostly to himself, “I already know that.”

  “Yes. We know that you know,” the Professor rejoined. “Some say that Solomon gave it to his son, born from his relationship with the Queen of Sheba, and that the Ark of the Covenant could be hidden somewhere in Yemen.”

  “I know that too. Yet, if the Ark had been hidden in Yemen, then what did the Templars find in Jerusalem?” the Historian asked hypothetically. “I mean… it doesn’t make sense to me.”

  “It doesn’t make sense to any of us, and you’re absolutely right. In fact, it seems that there has never been an Ark of the Covenant, for there never was a Temple of Solomon, at all in Jerusalem. In fact, Archaeological and Historical studies strongly doubt the historical existence of both King David and his wise son—King Solomon. There is not a single reference about them, outside the Old Testament.”

  If King Solomon didn’t really exist then who was the other Solomon Dr. Najem had mentioned? Paul mulled over that thought, bewildered at the great secrets the Keepers might reveal in this meeting.

  “That’s not surprising at all,” Paul said in conformity. “I have often questioned the historicity of the Old Testament’s tales. There are plenty of scientific documentaries to watch, and quite a few good books to read on the non-historical existence of the two Jewish Kings. In fact, bookstores today are swarming with material written by reputable and respectable Archaeologists and Historians. They even say that Moses…”

  “What about Moses?” Professor Michel inquired.

  “They say…”

  “Well, let me tell you about Moses,” Professor Michel interrupted him. “It seems that Moses, the prophet and spiritual father of the Jews, was naught but a copy, created from the image of two important figures, which appeared in the ancient history of both Akkad and Egypt. The life of Moses and especially his birth is identical to the birth of Sargon the Great—the ancient King of Akkad and founder of the Akkadian dynasty—who reigned between the years 2335 and 2279 BC. In addition to that, his image as a liberator is a replica of an Egyptian Priest of Heliopolis.” He fixed his position in the armchair, added more tobacco to his brown pipe, and resumed his narration. “His name was Hosarsiph or Osarsiph. This man appeared almost 200 years after the time of Akhenaton, the Egyptian Sun worshipper, and preacher of the Monotheistic God—Aton. It is believed by many that Osarsiph was the cousin of Mernephtah, the son and successor of Pharaoh Ramses II,” he glanced at Paul to make sure he was still focused on what he was saying. “Egyptian history tells that Pharaoh Rams
es II continued suppressing the Monotheistic religious idea, brought by Akhenaton to Egypt. However, Osarsiph, a learned priest and loyal follower of Akhenaton, rebelled against the Pharaoh and his son—Mernephtah—all in hopes of restoring the cult of Akhenaton—the belief in one God.”

  Paul nodded in confirmation. “Exactly, I believe sciences such as History and Archaeology are accomplishing much in today’s understanding of the past and especially, the Old Testament. I guess it’s not difficult anymore to discern between facts and myths.”

  “I guess not,” the Professor confirmed.

  “Very well, but I want to get back to the Templars. What did they find then?”

  “They might have found some Jewish historical and theological documents. This is very logical, but what they claimed to find—the Ark of the Covenant—might be nothing more than a document, concerning the Merkabah or Merkava of Ezekiel, Yahweh’s throne, the chariot beheld by Ezekiel, which later took him up to the Sky!” he paused, “Ah… see Ezekiel 1. It is, indeed, a Kabalistic creation.”

  “What about the Grail? There was no Grail either?” Paul realized at once. “Why did they call themselves the Guardians of the Grail then?”

  “In fact,” Dr. Najem intervened, “The Grail that Joseph of Arimathea kept secretly safe, and passed down from generation to generation in his family, was the same Grail the Knights of the Round Table sought in Britain. They found it and kept it hidden in a secret place. Joseph of Arimathea, his descendants, and the Knights of the Round Table were the true Guardians-Keepers of the Grail.” He took a breath, looked around at his brothers, at Paul, and then continued, “However, in 1127, when Bernard of Clairvaux ordered the Knights Templar to leave Palestine and return to France, he did so because he knew that they would not find the Grail in Jerusalem anymore. He might have been informed by Hughes, Count of Champagne, who came to know it from the other Solomon—a dying old man, who wanted the Grail in order to use its power or even destroy it,” he said, as he stood up, and walked towards the window.

  The night was just falling outside, and the wind was beginning to blow all around the fabulous Fortress. Winter had not yet come, in all earnest, and yet, there was a different feeling one could sense in the air, which indicated a mighty winter this year, a winter like no other before it.

  “By 1127 AD, Solomon—that big brother—was long dead,” Dr. Najem added suddenly. “Both Godefroi and his brother Baldwin I had reported many a time, to Hughes, that the excavation in the ruins of the Temple had unearthed no such Grail, not of any sort. Concordantly, Bernard realized—through a British legend, dating back to the time of the Knights of the Round Table—that the Grail had long since journeyed to Britain with a Christian adept, Joseph of Arimathea, and that the Grail could have been hidden somewhere in the monastery of Glastonbury, which Joseph had built.” Still by the window, Dr. Najem added, “The Templars returned immediately to France, and claimed to have discovered the Grail in Jerusalem. Bernard, who presided over the Church Council a year later, rushed to recognize them, by granting them the title: Guardians of the Grail.”

  “Aha… I think I understood what you mean,” Paul agreed, looking first at Nabil then at the aged brothers around him. “So, in order to discredit the original story of the Knights of the Round Table and the Holy Grail, the Templars covertly created their own version of the story of the Grail, and spread it around.”

  Dr. Najem nodded, and walked to his seat. No one said anything. In the silence that followed, Paul gathered his thoughts. Not by any stretch of the imagination could he now believe that there had ever existed any historical relationship between the Knights Templar and the Knights of the Round Table. His dilemma had been finally answered; there was no relationship whatsoever. He recognized much too clearly that both Orders of Knights differed greatly, in their beliefs and in the sequence of their historical events. At any rate, the Semi-Legend of King Arthur and his Knights’ quest for the Holy Grail had inspired a great number of novelists and poets of the Middle Ages. Their fertile imagination had built up extraordinary stories of love, betrayal, heroism, legends, and Magic.

  Time to think…

  .27.

  Royal Blood!

  Wednesday, November 3, 08:30 PM

  Time seemed to have swiftly drifted by inside the mysterious walls of the Fortress. Paul never stopped thinking about Joseph of Arimathea, the Grail, and the Knights of the Round Table. He wondered why the Knights Templar had invented their own story. The answer dawned on him one evening, as he was heading for the Dining Room, to join the Keepers for dinner. It seemed that the Templars had claimed the discovery of the Grail with a single purpose in mind, to control the Church.

  It was not by coincidence that Bernard De Fontaine, known also as St. Bernard of Clairvaux—who presided over the Church Council, convened in 1128 AD—hastened to recognize the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani, known in English as the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem. This Order is none other than the famous Order of the Knights Templar, which Bernard bestowed with the title: Guardians of the Grail.

  But, which Grail? And who was the other Solomon? Paul wondered, as he stepped into the Dining Room, and took his place at the table. An old couple, a man and his wife, who, as Paul later found out, lived in a small house at the western side of the Fortress, served dinner. After they had poured the wine, they made sure that everything was set properly on the table, and left for the kitchen, closing the Dining Room door behind them.

  “There is something you need to know, Paul.” Dr. Najem advanced after a few seconds, confident that the room was secured from outsiders. “Of course, you recall what I have imparted to you earlier on the Templars. Like most secret societies, they endorse two diverse doctrines: one public and another hidden. The first exposed an ideal relation with the Catholic Throne, taking a public vow to defend Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy places during the Crusades. The second, however, divulged their plan to re-build the Temple of Solomon, or construct one, according to the wishes of another Solomon, thus restoring the Judaic worship based on the Kabala,” he said, and took a sip of wine.

  Paul nodded. He remembered very well. The other four Keepers smiled, and took a sip of their wine, as well.

  “Great!” Dr. Najem said. “We have seen how the Templars furtively created a special version of the story of the Grail to fit their plans, which would allow them to be in alliance with the Catholic Church. This, my brother, was just a cover up story, not only to hide their hidden doctrine related to Solomon, but to keep their Grail guarded, as well.” He gazed all around him. His eyes were everywhere.

  “Wait… just wait. You’ve got me confused here, Doctor,” Paul uttered. “You said, during tea, that they hadn’t found any Grail, and that it was all just a hoax. I don’t quite understand what you mean by: keeping their Grail guarded.” His eyebrows lifted, his eyes perplexed. “You mean there were two Holy Grails?” he probed for confirmation.

  They all smiled widely, and then burst out laughing. Paul was startled at that. His face revealed his now even greater perplexity, and their laughter increased. Nabil didn’t join in the laughter, apparently as confounded as Paul, who felt heat burning his face.

  “No… not at all,” Professor Michel finally decided to end his discomfiture. “There was only one Holy Grail, but two contradictory stories. In fact, the Grail of the Templars was not a Holy Cup, but rather, a woman.”

  “A woman?” Paul exclaimed.

  “Well, that’s what they alleged. The Knights Templar believed the Grail was a woman, who held in her womb the offspring of Jesus Christ,” he explained.

  A moment of silence prevailed, in which the Historian sat dumbfounded on his chair.

  “But… err, Jesus was never married,” Nabil burst out, breaking his silence at last. He blushed profusely, seemingly upset.

  “Of course, and we all know that, so take it easy, Nabil. The Templars believed it, or maybe they were made to believe it.”

&n
bsp; “What do you mean?” Paul frowned, his senses on alert.

  “Well, here’s the story,” Dr. Bechara began; discarding the cigar he had previously lit. “The Templars and their successors, the Scottish Freemasons, believed that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married, and that she was pregnant at the time of the crucifixion. In order to secure the safety of their child or children, as others have also claimed, she ran off to Gaul (which we now know as France) right after the death of Jesus on the cross. Joseph of Arimathea, the trusted great uncle of Jesus, escorted her to a safe harbor. She found refuge within the Jewish community in southern France, where she delivered a daughter that she named Sarah. The Jews, according to the Templars, protected Mary and her daughter because of their bloodline with the Jewish Kings—David and Solomon—through Jesus Christ, supposedly of Jewish lineage!”

  “Oh… wait a minute!” Paul interfered, needing to point out the irony of this statement. “This claim is entirely outrageous! Stating that the Jews in France proved to be more considerate towards the alleged wife and daughter of Jesus, and his Jewish Kingship lineage, than those who persecuted, judged, and sought to crucify him at the Golgotha in Jerusalem, as stated in the New Testament, is gibberish.”

  “I agree with you, Paul. I don’t really understand why the Jews of France would care to protect the blood of Jesus—the blood their forefathers hold a great responsibility for shedding in the first place,” Nabil joined in, with the same state of confusion and denial.

  Dr. Najem coughed lightly, and then commented in exasperation, “Well… nobody understands that logic of theirs, really. This is not a historical fact, of course, but just a legend, fabricated by the Templars and their descendants, the Scottish freemasons. As far as we know, Jewish history has never mentioned such a tale!” Dr. Najem waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal, and rushed to say, “Anyway, we’ll revert to this issue later on. But for now, please allow Brother Robert to continue.”