In His Image

by James Beauseigneur

  “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. 18 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. 19 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. 20

  “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—that 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 Aaron’s staff, which God had miraculously caused to sprout, bud, and bear almonds. 21 Those things were placed in the Ark as a witness to later generations of God’s power and his covenant with Israel.

  “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. 22 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 shepherd 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 eighteen-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 Poppins23 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 into the Ark, where it remained until it was taken out, more than 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 unanswe
red 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 more than a thousand years it totally escaped all deterioration and aging while it was inside the Ark!”

  “Holy—” 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!” he 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 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 Prieuré 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.’” 24

  “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.” 25 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 more than 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 that 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 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 nineties, but Moshe Green-berg, one of his followers, is now the Israeli minister of Religious Affairs.”

  7

  The Tears of Dogs

  Nablus, Israel

  THAT NIGHT DECKER AND TOM stayed at the Rosens’ home. They were invited to stay during their entire six-week stint in Israel, but both men felt that would be an imposition. Besides, NewsWorld had already made arrangements for them and they said it was best not to let the company get out of the habit of paying the bill.

  Decker had trouble sleeping that night. During the day he had catnapped at every opportunity, so sleep now seemed to lose its priority. He thought of home. It was nearly midnight in Israel. He wasn’t sure what time it was in Washington, but decided that late or early, Elizabeth would appreciate the call. Walking quietly toward the kitchen to use the phone, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard hushed voices and saw a light. At first he thought he might be imagining it, and then he became concerned that intruders might be in the house. As he stood motionless it became clear that one of the voices was Joshua Rosen and another was Ilana, but there were others—two or three men. By the time Decker realized that there was no danger, his reporter’s instincts had taken over. Later the guilt of spying on his hosts would eat at his conscience, but for right now he let curiosity rule.

  “Don’t you understand?” said one of the men. “We must not let cost stop us. God will provide what we cannot.”

  “Of course,” responded Joshua Rosen, “but we must not foolishly rush into this unprepared. If this is the task God has set before us, we must begin it, but not haphazardly. When God told Noah to build the Ark, he provided adequate time for its completion. If we are faithful, God will not allow the need to arise before the answer is provided.”

  “Yes!” responded the first man with undiminished zeal. “But Petra must be protected!”

  “Yes, yes,” said Rosen, “Ilana and I agree, Petra must be protected. All we are saying is that cost must be considered—not as an issue in whether to proceed, but rather to allow us to know how to proceed, as well as how much we must raise. We are not a large group, you know.”

  “You don’t need to tell me!” the man responded.

  “How are things progressing in getting the permits to obtain the equipment from America?” asked Rosen.

  This time another man answered. “I’m having a little trouble from some of my fellow Knesset members. Most trust me implicitly in these matters, but a few of the opposition members are constantly watching over my shoulder and have caused some delays.”

  “But you will be able to do it?” asked the first man.

  “Yes,” the other responded. “I think so.”

  “Good. Then, if there is no other new information,” said another man with an unusually rich and measured voice, “let us plan to meet again after the Shabbat two weeks hence.” Clearly this was the voice of the group’s leader. “In the meantime, Joshua, continue your design work; James, continue to arrange for the permits; and Elias, please work with Joshua to determine the costs. I will continue to speak to those of our number from around the world who believe as we do that Petra must be protected, so that we can raise the necessary funding.”

  “Yes, of course, Rabbi,” answered at least two of the participants respectfully.

  As the meetin
g broke up Decker quietly crept back to his room. He would call Elizabeth later.

  Jerusalem, Israel

  The next morning Decker and Tom went to the Jerusalem Ramada Renaissance Hotel, which was serving as the temporary Middle East headquarters of NewsWorld magazine. The office was nothing more than a hotel room with a southern view of the old city of Jerusalem and an adjoining room for the correspondents to sleep in. The room stank of stale cigarettes, which lay in a half dozen overfull ashtrays. It had apparently been some time since the trash had been taken out. A laptop computer and a small printer sat on a table, along with several crumpled sheets of paper and a day-old cup of coffee.

  “Nice place you’ve got here,” Decker said dryly as he surveyed the condition of the room. “What’s the matter, no room service?”

  “Better get used to it,” responded lead reporter Hank Asher.

  “Why, what’s going on?”

  “Most of Israel’s service workers are Palestinians,” answered Bill Dean, the other NewsWorld reporter. “When the protests started four months ago, they all refused to go to work. This is the result.”

  “It’s been the same in every recent episode of this never-ending battle,” continued Asher, as he took another drag from his cigarette.