Chapter 11 The third labyrinth-1

Arise, Lord God, Into the resting place with the ark of thy mighty power. Yahweh God, may your priests be clothed with salvation, May your saints be blessed and rejoice! ——Chapter 6 of 2 Chronicles of the Old Testament When I visited the Earl of Elgin's Scottish mansion, he confirmed my suspicions about James Bruce were correct: the explorer was indeed a Freemason Division II membership). Erkin also told me that Bruce had been involved extensively in the "speculative" activities of the Freemasons.In other words, he may have been deeply interested in the mystical and prophetic traditions of Freemasonry, including "the ideals of the Knights Templar", about which modern-day Freemasons are either ignorant or dismissive.

To this I should add: I never thought that all Freemasons were aware of this Templar heritage, on the contrary, I have reason to assume that only a very small number of members have ever been aware of it. However, Bruce seems to be one of these privileged few members.With his profound knowledge of the Bible, his scholarly interest in mystical books such as the Book of Enoch, and his fascination with the "speculative" side of Masonic thought, he would obviously go to Delve into the legends taught by the Templars about the final whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant. So, after visiting the Earl of Olkin, I see with greater certainty that it was always the Ark of the Covenant, not the Nile, that lured the Scottish explorer to Ethiopia in 1768.He lied about key issues, which seemed paradoxical (since he was usually quite honest), but now I was able to make sense of what he was doing, and his evasiveness and secrecy were explained.What mysteries he discovered during the years he spent on the Abyssinian plateau, I may never know now.However, I may at least have some clarity on his motives now.

I first tried to find out if Bruce was a Freemason in the summer of 1989, but it wasn't until August 1990 that I discussed the matter with Earl Olkin.At the same time, as I described in an earlier chapter of this book, I have also traced the "Portuguese ties," represented by members of the Christian Church who had traveled to Ethiopia in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. All the evidence I have found shows that the Ark has always been sought--a secret quest that has drawn travelers from all ages and nations to this noble and enduring goal.Not only that, but if that was the case in previous centuries, wouldn't it be the case today?Isn't there someone else looking for the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia like I am?

On subsequent expeditions, while I was always prepared to deal with such situations, I kept searching for the likes of James Bruce and Christopher de Gama to add to my investigative files.However, even without the stimulus to the contrary, my discoveries in the summer of 1989 have been enough to convince me that the time has come to go to Ethiopia for detailed field exploration and investigation to add to my present investigation, because So far, my investigation is mostly just a kind of thinking operation. hard times I decided to go to Ethiopia as early as June 1989, but it was several months later that I finally made the trip.What is the reason?

Because on May 19, 1989, an armed coup took place in Addis Ababa, which plunged the entire Ethiopia into turmoil. The government of President Mengistu Haile Mariam survived the coup, but paid a high price.After the coup was put down, 176 military officers involved in the rebellion were arrested, including at least 24 generals, including the army commander-in-chief and chief executive.The head of the armed forces and the commander of the air force committed suicide because they did not want to be arrested and tried. Eleven generals were killed in battle, and the Minister of Defense was killed by rebels.

The shadow of this ugly and bloody coup d’état has long loomed over Mengistu and his government—the officer corps almost ceased to exist, and the ability to make military decisions almost dropped to zero.This situation quickly turned into a reversal of the tide of battle. In fact, in the months following the coup, Ethiopian government forces suffered a series of crushing defeats and were completely driven out of Tigray Province (declared a "liberated area" by the "Tigray People's Liberation Front"), Also kicked out of most of the Eritrean province (the "Eritrean People's Liberation Front" has already begun the steps to implement the province's independence).Fighting has also spread to other regions with alarming speed, including the northeastern province of Wolo, where the ancient city of Lalibela was captured by rebels in September 1989, while the capital, Gondar, was besieged.

The biggest disadvantage, at least from my selfish point of view, is that the government no longer has control over the city of Axum.In fact, as I mentioned in Chapter 3 of this book, at the end of 1988, a few months before the coup, the "Tigray People's Liberation Front" (TPLF) had surrounded the holy city.At first I hoped that this situation was only temporary, but the rapid deterioration of the situation in the second half of 1989 forced me to think of the possibility that the anti-government guerrillas might occupy Axum permanently. This of course led me to the idea of ​​approaching the TPLF organization in London to win their cooperation and get them to allow me to visit the areas they now control.However, I didn't immediately implement the idea.

I have worked with the Ethiopian government for a long time, and this means that the Liberation Front will analyze all my intentions with intense suspicion.In fact, if I didn't play it smart, they might flatly refuse my request to visit Axum. But frankly, if they did agree to take me into Axum, I would be more concerned about my own safety, since I am known to be a friend of that hateful Mengistu government.Won't the local rebel officers shoot me for a spy during my long and dangerous journey to Tigray province?Even if the London office of the TPLF had clarified the purpose of my visit, wouldn't the partisan commanders have ignored me and executed me as a spy?

In a post-coup environment, you simply cannot predict what will happen in Ethiopia.No plan can be guaranteed, and you can't predict what will happen next week.In theory, any dramatic change is possible—Mengistu might even fall, and the combined forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front might win outright.Therefore, I decided to concentrate on studying other aspects for the time being, and wait until the situation in Ethiopia becomes clearer. In this way, I did not go to Ethiopia until November 1989. Is it a secret hideout? The news that prompted my return to Ethiopia was given to me by Elder Richa Berhanat Solomon Gabre Selassie.The first time I met someone with this extremely long name was on June 12, 1989 in London.When we met, I saw that he also had a long gray beard.He was dark brown, with twinkling eyes, and wore a rich ceremonial robe, with a carved wooden cross around his neck.

He is the archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of St Mary of Mount Zion and is actually a religious envoy to the UK.A few years ago he was sent to England by the Addis Ababa Presbyterian Church to spread the word about Orthodoxy.Not only that, but he succeeded in converting some converts, mostly young men from the West Indies who had come to London.When we met, he brought several young people like this with him.I arranged that meeting to ask him about the Ark of the Covenant. In my eyes, Archbishop Solomon is exactly like an Old Testament patriarch.The awe-inspiring long beard, the wise and slightly sly manner, the extraordinary charisma of true humility, and the absolute devotion to a deep belief all made me unable to avoid this impression.

As we talked, it quickly became clear to me that he had an unshakable belief that the Ark of the Covenant was in Ethiopia.He was intelligent, obviously highly educated, and could quote the Bible with a certain confidence that stemmed from his lifelong study of the Bible.He expresses his belief in this way without acknowledging that it may be wrong. He emphasized and reiterated this point: the ark of the covenant that was made at the foot of Mount Sinai to contain the two stone tablets with the "Ten Commandments" written on it, and the real ark of the covenant is now in the city of Axum .I recorded his remarks in detail on a piece of paper in front of me.Not only that, but he emphasized that it still "has power, all by the grace of God."He added that "the whole people of Tigray are defending it".He concluded: "Today, the Ark of the Covenant is still safe in the hands of the church and the Christian congregation, which are often seen around the church." Before the Archbishop left, I wrote down on paper 15 questions that I wanted him to answer in detail.It wasn't until mid-June, however, that his thoughtful reply arrived at my home, by which time I had already left for Egypt.As soon as I got home a few weeks later, I began to scan through the ten pages of responses he had sent, both handwritten and typewritten.I was too busy analyzing and collating the material I had collected on Ethiopia to write a note of thanks to the Archbishop. At the beginning of November, I had a temporary free time, so I began to study the archbishop's reply.More than three months ago, I put this document into the "to be processed" document basket on my desk.I see that this reply answers all the questions I have raised.Not only that, but some of the replies were fascinating and instructive. For example, one of my questions is: Did the monarchs of Ethiopia ever use the so-called "supernatural power" of the Ark to win the war? The Bible makes it very clear that this happened in ancient Israel.So, if the Ark was in Ethiopia, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that the tradition was still being maintained? Archbishop Solomon replied: "In the teaching of our church, God is the only power in the universe. He created all existing life, visible and invisible life. God himself is the eternal light, not created, The Eternal Light gives us light, strength, and grace. However, we can understand the relationship between God and the Ark from a perceptual dimension, because the Ark contains the words of the Ten Commandments, which God wrote Yes, therefore, the power of God contained in it will not be diminished. Therefore, until today, the grace of God remains in the ark. Therefore, the ark in the name of God is extremely sacred and has great and extraordinary significance ." The archbishop continued in his reply that the former monarchs of Ethiopia understood this.Their first duty is to defend their Orthodox faith.In many wars in the past centuries, they often used the Ark of the Covenant as "the source of spiritual power against aggression... The king summoned the people to participate in the battle, and the priests also came to the battlefield, just like the old days. As Joshua carried the ark around Jericho, so our priests carried the ark, sang hymns, and went into battle to proclaim the glory of God." Archbishop Solomon said that the practice of using the Ark of the Covenant as a god of war did not only occur in ancient times.On the contrary, "as recently as 1896, when Menelik II, King of Kings, fought against the Italian invading army at the Battle of Adwa in Tigray Province, the priests also carried the Ark of the Covenant to the battlefield against the invaders. As a result, Menelik II Reek II had a great victory and returned to Addis Ababa full of honors." I reread this passage with interest, knowing that Menelik II had indeed achieved "a great victory" in 1896.That year, 17,700 Italian soldiers under the command of General Baratieri, equipped with heavy artillery and the latest weapons, marched from the coastal isthmus of Eritrea to the Abyssinian plateau in an attempt to occupy the entire country.Menelik's army was rushed and poorly equipped.But in the early morning of March 1, they achieved a historic victory in less than six hours in the Adwa encounter with the Italian invading army. That victory was later hailed as "Africans defeating Europeans after the time of Hannibal (246-182 B.C. one of the most famous victories of the In 1896, London's "Observer" also commented in the same tone: "The Italians have been hit hard...they have suffered a disastrous defeat unprecedented for whites in Africa." The fact that the Ark of the Covenant was used at the Battle of Adwa redoubled my interest, and I even made a half-serious hypothesis that it is still being used today - perhaps by the "Tigray People's Liberation Front" .They have now controlled the city of Axum, and like Menelik II, they have indeed achieved great victories in the war in recent months. Please pay attention to more updated free e-books Please pay attention to more updated free e-books However, Archbishop Solomon did not mention this in his written reply.I asked him, at present, the government and the rebels are fighting fiercely, is the cabinet hidden in the chapel of the Axum church safe?His answer was completely different from before. When I spoke with him in June, he still seemed confident, saying that the Ark was still in its usual place and that "the entire population of Tigray is defending it."Now, there was not so much certainty in his answer. He writes: "On rare occasions during periods of great turmoil when violent conflicts occurred, the monk who guarded the Ark day and night all his life had to wrap it up and send it out of the city of Axum for safety. For example, we It is known that in the 16th century, Tigray Province was invaded by the Muslim army of Ahmed Grakin, and most of the city of Aksum was destroyed, and the Ark of the Covenant was sent out of the city. The guardian monk sent it to Daga Stefano Island Monastery, that island is on Lake Tana. The Ark of the Covenant is hidden in a secret place on the island." The archbishop's conclusion made me sit up straight and pay attention.He said that considering the current war situation and the chaos in Tigray Province, the guardian monk probably sent the Ark of the Covenant out of Axum again. two lakes, two islands On Tuesday, November 14, 1989, I flew back to Addis Ababa, arriving on the morning of Wednesday, November 15. Despite the ongoing fighting in almost all parts of northern Ethiopia, I knew the purpose of my trip very clearly.I thought, if Archbishop Solomon's analysis is correct, then the holy relic, which is regarded as the Ark of the Covenant, is not at this moment in the monastery of Daga Stefano, the same one that hid it in the sixteenth century. "Secret place"? Besides, it wasn't the only place where it was hidden.I also vividly recall a long-distance telephone conversation with Dr. Belle Godet, who told me an earlier legend about how the Ark of the Covenant survived Queen Gudit's uprising in the tenth century.Ethiopian historians explain that at that time, the Ark of the Covenant was delivered to an island in Lake Tana. Therefore, the purpose of my trip to Ethiopia is to inspect Lake Tana and Lake Ziwai - the former is located in the war-torn north, but is still within the government's control area; the latter is located in a safer location, from Addis Beiba can be reached by driving south for two hours. During my first few days in the Ethiopian capital, a sense of urgency was overwhelming.I left England less than a week after reading the written reply given to me by Archbishop Solomon. The reason for my urgency is simple: while Lake Ziway is safe (at least for now), there is absolutely no guarantee how long the government will be able to control Lake Tana.I knew that rebels had surrounded the fortified city of Gondar, about 30 miles north of vast Lake Tana.At the same time, the Bahir Dar Wharf on the south bank of Lake Tana is also being harassed by sporadic guerrillas.To get to Daga Stefano Island, Bahir Dar Jetty is the only way to go, so I must hurry up. There will be no difficulty in obtaining a domestic pass through normal bureaucratic channels.My old friend Richard Pankhurst took a few days off from the Ethiopian Institute to help me.So, accompanied by him, I went to meet the highest-ranking government official I knew — Shimailis Mazenga, a senior member of the political bureau and ideological head of the ruling Ethiopian Workers' Party. A tall, tall man in his forties, Schmelis spoke fluent English, was a staunch Marxist, and was the most knowledgeable and cultured member of the Politburo, wielding great power in the government.I also knew that he had a real passion for the ancient history of his country.I therefore hoped to persuade him to use his influence to support my investigation—and it turned out that he did not disappoint me. I briefly introduced my expedition plan to him, and he agreed with me to visit Lake Tana and Lake Ziwai, but the only condition was: I must try to shorten the time of my stay in Lake Tana. He asked me, "Do you have a specific schedule?" I took out my journal and flipped through it, and decided to leave for Lake Tana on Monday, the 20th: "I want to go to Bahir Dar jetty first, rent a motorboat from the military to go to Daga Stefano Island, and then... Returning to Addis Ababa on Wednesday 22nd. That's enough time... I'm ready to drive to Lake Ziwai on Thursday 23rd if you agree." Schmelis turned to Richard and asked, "Professor Pankhurst, are you going too?" "Oh, if I could...of course I'd love to go." "Of course there is no problem." So Shmelis called the National Security Headquarters in Addis Ababa and spoke a few quick words to the person in charge in Amharic.He hung up the phone and told us we could get our passes that afternoon. He said, "Come and see me next Friday when you come back from Lake Tana and Lake Ziwai. You can make an appointment with my secretary." We happily left the Workers' Party headquarters building.As I was leaving, I said to Richard, "I didn't expect it to be this easy." The morning flight took about an hour and a half from Addis Ababa to the town of Bahir Dar on the southern shore of Lake Tana.Despite reports of fighting in the area, there was nothing extraordinary about the plane's landing. The plane circled slowly at low altitude over the Blue Nile, and then landed on the bumpy gravel runway.Richard Pankhurst and I got into a taxi and drove to the town a few kilometers away on a road lined with jacarandas and poincianas. There were 100 vacant guest rooms at the "Tana Hotel" on Lake Tana. We rented two of them, and then went to the Military Control Commission Wharf, where there was a motorboat we wanted to rent. We had a long discussion with the officials concerned, and they finally gave us permission to hire the launch, but not until the next morning, Tuesday, January 21st.Plus, we were paying a hefty rent of $50 an hour. I had no choice but to grumble and accept the extortionate price and to have the launch ready by 5 o'clock the next morning. We had to kill time that afternoon, so we drove out of the town of Bahir Dar to the nearby hamlet of Tish Esat.Our car traveled through the dark brown countryside scattered with farmland, and finally came to a large stone bridge spanning a steep river valley.The crumbling stone bridge, built by the Portuguese at the turn of the century, looked precarious, but Richard reassured me that it was still functional. We crossed the bridge and climbed up a hill.Two militiamen suddenly appeared from the bushes on the top of the hill.They searched us, checked our passports (mine was scrutinized, as usual), and waved us through. It took us 15 minutes to walk along a winding path lined with lush tropical shrubs and yellow daisies.We began to feel a vibration with a low rumble under our feet.As we walked past, the air became more and more humid.A few moments later, we saw what we had come to see—majestic basalt cliffs with the thunderous roar of the Blue Nile below.The river swirls under the cliffs before heading on its epic journey to the Abyssinian plateau. The Blue Nile Falls, and the small village you must pass to get there, have their local name "Tith Usaat", which means "smoky water".Standing beside the waterfall obsessively, watching the boiling waterfall throw beautiful foam and mist high into the sky, and rainbows playing among them, I suddenly understood why it is called "smoking water". I also recall the Scottish explorer James Bruce's description after visiting the falls in 1770, and was struck by the precision of the description: This mighty river .The waterfall is shrouded in thick smoke, or water mist, permeating the water curtain.Although I couldn't see the flow, the mist marked its path.The most majestic sight of this school is one I will never forget.No matter how long the time is, it cannot damage or annihilate this beauty.It almost made me faint, it shocked me, and it made me forget where I was, and all other cares in the world. I mused: In Ethiopia, time can indeed stand still.In the landscape before me, there was nothing to remind me that more than two centuries had passed since Bruce visited the waterfall.Again I had a feeling of sympathy for this Scottish traveler.I also happen to have his family name (from my maternal side, my maternal grandmother was also named Bruce; Bruce is also my middle name). gems of ethiopia At 5 o'clock in the morning the next day, we arrived at the dock of the Military Control Commission.There was silence. Less than half an hour later, the captain of the "MV Dalark" motorboat arrived.With him was a young man, clean-shaven and well-fitting.He introduced himself as Wyndham, and told us very humbly that he was the second deputy to the governor of the district: "Yesterday afternoon, my superior received a call from Addis Ababa, and it was Shimailis Ma Comrade Zanga called and asked us to take care of you. I will report to the hotel where you are staying, but you are not here. The receptionist told me that you are going to inspect today, so I am here." He said with a silly smile. At 5:45, shivering in the chill of dawn, we boarded the motorboat and headed straight for the Darling Stefan Islands, some twenty miles to the north.The sun had risen over the mountains beyond the eastern shore of Lake Tana.The breeze was fresh, bringing birdsong and dogs barking. After a while, Richard and Windham went to the cabin to drink tea and chat.I stayed on the deck and watched the scenery in front of me fascinated, intoxicated in the refreshing air of the plateau, intoxicated in this romantic trip.I stared at the ever-changing scenery of the lake and mountains, but subconsciously calculated how much money I would spend on this short but pleasant boat trip.The captain has said that it takes about two and a half hours to get to Daga Island.We were at least two and a half hours on the island, and another two and a half hours on our way back, so it looked like I'd be paying close to $400 this time. The number I had calculated in my mind made me feel somewhat depressed, but this state of mind was interrupted by a startling sight: I saw two large ships, with long hulls and high bows, Come across from us.I saw, against the background of the pink sunlight in the morning, five or six people on each boat were squatting in the cabin and paddling in neat movements.The oars go in and out of the lake, up and down, up and down. When I visited in 1983, I knew that such a boat was often seen on Lake Tana, and it was called "Tank Gas".The two boats before us were now roughly parallel to our launch, but traveling in opposite directions.They are much larger than any similar boats I have seen before.Nevertheless, they were basically the same in construction and shape as ships of their kind, and were also made of bundles of papyrus reeds bound together. I have spent considerable time studying archaeological remains in Egypt in the preceding months, so now I can confirm something with my own eyes.Some historians have mentioned it, and that is: Ethiopian "tank gas" resembled the reed boats used by the Egyptian pharaohs for transport and fishing on the Nile.On the decorative murals of the "King's Valley" mausoleum in Egypt, I have seen the patterns of these high-headed boats, which are similar in shape to the "tank gas" in front of me.I have also seen such ships on the reliefs on the walls of the temples of Karnak and Luxor in Egypt. A question came to my mind again: Did the ancient Egyptians ever visit Lake Tana?What led me to this idea was not just that the resemblance of the two boats suggested a strong cultural influence, but that Lake Tana was significant because it was the chief reservoir of the Blue Nile. Lake Tana itself is not officially considered the source of the Blue Nile.The source of the Blue Nile was identified as two springs in the mountains south of the lake, which Bruce and some of his previous travelers had visited.These two springs merge into a river named "Little Abai River", which flows into the west edge of Lake Tana (you can see the river entering the lake), and then flows out, which is called "Big Abai River". ", and this is the local name of the Blue Nile. In any case, geographers and engineers now agree that the true source of the Blue Nile is Lake Tana.Its water comes not only from the Little Abai River, but also from many other rivers on the vast plateau of Abyssinia. Lake Tana, an inland lake with a surface area of ​​3,673 square kilometers, provides 100% of the total water volume of the Blue Nile and White Nile. 617. Above all, it was the long monsoons of Ethiopia (which flooded Lake Tana and cascaded down the Blue Nile) in Ethiopia from time immemorial, which caused the annual floods of the Egyptian delta, bringing fertile silt and abundance to Egypt. By contrast, the longer White Nile contributes little to Egypt's harvest, as more than half of its water is lost in the southern Sudanese swamps. So, as I sat on the motorboat and looked at these "tank gas" made of papyrus reeds, it occurred to me that the priests of the Karnak and Luxor temples worshiped the Nile River as a life-giving force. , and also regard it as a blessed god, in their long history, it is unimaginable that they have never been to Ethiopia.There is no historical record to confirm this, so this is just a hunch on my part.Nevertheless, in the light of that mysterious November morning, I felt confident that the ancient Egyptians must have been at Lake Tana at some point, and had expressed their adoration there. Strabo, a Greek geographer around the time of Christ, was proficient in the knowledge of Egypt. Of course he knew that the Blue Nile came from a large lake in Ethiopia (but later scholars did not know it). Than Lake" (Pseboe).Claudius Ptolemy, an Egyptian geographer in the 2nd century AD, also expressed a similar view, but called Lake Tana "Coloe". It also occurred to me that the Athenian dramatist Aeschylus wrote a fascinating description in the fifth century BC, and that his inspiration may well have been more than poetic speculation.The passage reads: "A brassy lake . . . it is the jewel of Ethiopia, where the all-enlightening sun dips the imperishable wheel of light day after day, resting the weariness of a day's journey , and the gentle ripples of the lake are like tender caresses." (Quoted from No. 67 of the Quotations of Aeschylus quoted by Jean Duleiser in "Ancient Cities and Temples of Ethiopia", London 1959 edition - Author's original note) I know that in addition to the above materials, there are other materials that also mention the connection between the mysterious water of Lake Tana and ancient Greek, Egyptian and Middle Eastern cultures. I'm sitting on the deck of the "MV Dalark", heading for Daga Stefano Island.I remembered one more point: the Abyssinians themselves firmly believed that the Blue Nile was nothing but the "second river" mentioned in Chapter 2, Section 13 of "Genesis", "surrounding the whole land of Ethiopia." "That river—Gihon.What's more, this legend is still very old, and it is almost certainly a legend before the birth of Christianity, thus quite convincingly confirming a statement: Lake Tana, its rivers and islands, may indeed have some real connection with the Ark of the Covenant. So, I felt a moment of optimism.I looked ahead, miles away, at the green slopes of Daga Island, rising from the sun-shining lake like the peaks of a mountain half submerged in the lake. Set foot on Daga Stefano Island It was about 8:30 when our motorboat docked at Daga Island.The sun is now high in the sky.Despite the high altitude (Tana Lake is more than 6,000 feet above sea level), the mornings here are still hot and humid and suffocating. There were some monks on the wooden jetty, their robes strangely dirty.They had evidently been watching us dock, but they were not at all pleased to see us.Windham spoke to them a few words, and at last they reluctantly led us through a small banana plantation and down a steep winding path towards the highest point of the island. As I walked, I took off my jumper, stretched my arms, and took a few deep breaths.The trail below ran through the middle of a dense forest of tall, intertwined trees whose leaves made a canopy over our heads.The air is filled with the fresh scent of freshly turned earth and the scent of tropical flowers.Bees and a few other large insects buzzed tirelessly all around us, and in the distance came the monotonous chime of a traditional stone clock. When we came to a height of about three hundred feet above the lake, we finally came in sight of some low, thatched-roofed rotunda, where the monks lived.Then, through an arch in a high stone wall, we came to a lawn.In the center of the lawn is the Church of San Stefano.This is a long and narrow rectangular building with rounded corners on the outer wall and a circle of corridors around it. "It doesn't look that old," I said to Richard. "You're right," he replied, "the original church was destroyed by a wildfire 100 years ago." "I guess that's where the Ark of the Covenant was brought into that church in the 16th century?" "That's right. In fact, there is likely to be a church on this island that is at least 1,000 years old. It may even be more than 1,000 years old. Daga Island is considered one of the holiest places on Lake Tana. This is because, there are five The mummy of the dead emperor's body is preserved on this island." Windham volunteered as a guide and spokesperson, and has been talking to several monks.Now, he found one among the monks, whose clothes were slightly cleaner than the other monks.He took the monk's hand, walked towards us, and announced proudly: "This is Bishop Zieffler-Mariam Mengiste. He will answer all your questions." However, the bishop clearly had his own plans.His face was wrinkled and plum-colored, revealing a complex expression, which mixed hostility, hatred and greed, which was very strange.He was silent, looked Richard and me over, then turned to Wyndham and whispered something in Amharic. "Oh..." our guide sighed, "I'm afraid he wants money. To buy candles, incense and... other church supplies." "How much?" I asked. "Whatever you want, as you see fit." I offered to give him ten Ethiopian birr, about five dollars, but Zieffler-Mariam pointed out that was not enough.He said that the banknote I gave was not worth much now, so he didn't even bother to take it from me. Wyndham whispered in my ear, "I think you should pay more." "Of course I'd love to give more," I said, "but I want to know what he'll get in return." "He'll talk to you. Otherwise, he says he has a lot to do." After further haggling we settled for 30 birr.The money was quickly sent away, tucked away in some smelly fold or pocket of the bishop's robes.Then we walked slowly into the cloister of the church and sat in the shade under the thatched porch.A few monks followed us, hiding around us, pretending to be in meditation rather than eavesdropping on our conversation. Zieffler-Mariam Mengist first told us that he has been on this island for 18 years and knows everything about this monastery like the back of his hand.To prove it, he began to talk endlessly about those well-known histories, blah blah blah. 温德姆为我大致翻译了他这番令人厌烦的演说，我便打断了话头说："不错，我的确需要了解历史概况。不过，我首先想请这位主教回答一个具体的问题，那就是：我听说16世纪阿赫迈德·格拉金的军队进攻阿克苏姆的时候，约柜曾被送到了这个岛上。他知道这个故事吗？这故事是真的吗？" 于是，温德姆和那位主教用我听不懂的语言进行了15分钟或20分钟的争论。最后，温德姆宣布说，主教对这个故事全然不知。不仅如此，由于他没有听说过这个故事，他当然无法告诉我们它是真是假了。 我又换了一种提问的方式："他们这里也有自己的塔波特吗？这座教堂里有吗？"我指着身后过道那边的内殿人口，在幽暗的教堂里，它刚刚能被看见。 又经过一阵阿姆哈拉语的问答，温德姆说："不错。他们当然有自己的塔波特。" "好极了。我们总算弄清了这一点，这使我很高兴。现在请你问他：他是否认为他们的塔波特是复制品，是阿克苏姆那个真正的塔波特的复制品？" "也许是吧。"这个回答令人捉摸不透。 "我知道了。好吧，如果是这样的话，请你问他是否知道些有关约柜的事情，例如约柜是怎么到了阿克苏姆城的，是谁把它带去的，等等。让他用自己的话给我们讲讲这个故事。" 主教很快就对我这个要求做出了有效反应。温德姆颇为悲哀地翻译说："他说他不知道那个故事，他说自己不是这类事情的权威。" 我气恼地问："谁是这方面的权威呢？" "谁都不是。齐弗勒一马里亚姆·门吉斯特就是岛上资格最老的神甫。如果连他都不知道，那就不可能有任何其他人知道了。" 我看着理查德说："这到底是怎么了？我从来没见过一个埃塞俄比亚神甫不知道《国王的光荣》里的约柜传说，从来没见过。" 这位历史学家耸了耸肩膀："我也从来没见过。这实在是太特别了。也许，你还应该再给他……一点儿钱，作为诱导吧。" 我不禁暗自叫苦。最后总是要归结到金钱上，不是吗？不过，假如再给几个比尔，就能让这个守口如瓶的老杂种开口，那最好是越快越好。我从伦敦到这里来，毕竟就是为了考察达伽·斯台方诺岛——就连此时此刻，"MV达拉克号"汽艇还停在码头L，掐着秒表，按每分钟大约1美元的价格计算着租金呢。 于是，我只好很不情愿地做出让步，把一小迭揉皱的钞票交给了主教。 然而，我这最后一次慷慨之举却没给我带来任何好处。对我感兴趣的所有话题，那主教已经说不出任何东西了。我用了好一会儿才领悟到这一点。于是，我靠在一根支撑屋顶的柱子上，盯着自己的手指，思量下一步怎么办。 我想，对齐弗勒一马里亚姆·门吉斯特这种明显的无知，大概有两种解释：其一是此人真的愚蠢，这是一种最不可能的解释；第二种解释到目前为止最有可能，那就是他在撒谎。 ，但他为什么要撒谎呢？我想这也有两种解释：第一种最不可能，即他要隐瞒某个重要的情况；第二种解释到目前为止最有可能，那就是他想从我这里索要更多的钱，而我手里的埃塞俄比亚现钞正在急剧减少。 我站起身来，对温德姆说："再问他一个问题。问他16世纪时约柜是不是曾经从阿克苏姆被送到这个岛上……还有，约柜现在是不是就在这里。告诉他，如果他给我看约柜，我会有所酬谢。" 我们的导游不解地扬起了眉毛。我方才的要求很不合时宜。但我还是催他说："去问吧。你只管去问他好了。" 温德姆又和主教用阿姆哈拉语谈了几句，然后告诉我说："他的说法和刚才一样。他不知道约柜的事情。他还说，很长时期以来，从没有任何东西被从外面送到达伽·斯台方诺岛上来。" 那几个僧人此时散开了，他们一直围成半圈，偷听我和齐弗勒一马里亚姆·门吉斯特谈话。不过，我们沿着那条陡峭小道回码头去的时候，其中一个僧人却跟了过来。他赤着脚，牙都掉光了，衣衫褴褛，破烂不堪，以致在亚的斯亚贝巴的任何一条街上，他都会被当作是个乞丐。我们正要登上甲板，他把温德姆拽到一旁，对他耳语了几句。 "怎么回事？"我厉声说，以为此人还想要钱。 可是，这一次却并不是和钱有关的事情。温德姆皱着眉头说："他说咱们应该去塔纳·奇克斯去看看。看样子，咱们能在那里了解到约柜的一些情况……了解到一些很重要的事情。" "什么塔纳·奇克斯？" "是另一个岛……在这个岛的东边。很远。" "让他详细说说。他说的很重要的事情指的是什么？" 温德姆向僧人提出了这个问题，然后把他的回答翻译给我："他说约柜就在塔纳·奇克斯岛上。他就知道这么多。" 对于这个惊人的消息，我最初的反应是两眼望天，心烦意乱地挠着头发，用脚踢着船帮。这时，那个僧人已经离开码头，消失在香蕉林里了，而我本想从他那里知道更多的信息。 我看了看手表，已经将近正午了。我们离开巴赫达尔镇已经有6个小时，或者说，我已经花掉300美元了。 "我们回去的时候，路过塔纳·奇克斯岛吗？"我问温德姆。 "不，"他答道，"我从来没去过那儿。谁都没去过。可我知道它在咱们的正东，而巴赫达尔镇在南边。" "我明白了。你知道去那个岛需要多长时间吗？" "不知道。我得去问船长。" 温德姆问了船长。去那个岛大约需要一个半小时。 "从那里回巴哈达尔镇需要多长时间？" "大约三个多小时。" 我心里飞快地计算了一下。如果在塔纳·奇克斯岛上逗留两个小时，加上去那里需要的一个半小时，再加上回巴赫达尔镇需要的三个小时……这一共是6.5个小时。就算7个小时，再加上我们已经花掉的6个小时。这样一来，就一共是13个小时。 13个令人心疼的钟点！按每小时50美元计算，我至少要支付650美元。God! 我心里暗暗骂了一会儿，但最终还是决心去一趟。此刻，我感到心头沉甸甸的，而钱包却轻飘飘起来。 约柜当然不可能在塔纳·奇克斯岛上。我知道这一点。其实，我们到了岛上，很可能又被领着到处看看，就像在达伽·斯台方诺岛上一样。我的钱会被一点一点地榨走，直到我表示不再付任何钱为止。然后，还会再有人提出个诱人的小建议，说出另一个岛的名字。而我还会去那个岛，准备好钞票，去喂肥另外一群穷困不堪的隐士。 我记得，詹姆斯·布鲁斯18世纪曾到过塔纳湖。他曾写道："湖上有45个有人居住的岛，你若相信阿比西尼亚人的话，那就是如此，而他们都是非常出色的骗子……" 塔纳·奇克斯岛 我们到达塔纳·奇克斯岛时，它和我们想象的大不相同。不过，我站在"MV达拉克号"的船头，怒视着前方的岛屿时，还是不得不承认这是个美丽而不同寻常的地方。它被完全遮蔽在茂密的绿色灌木、花树和高大的仙人掌丛中，兀然地从湖面高高耸起。站在岛的最高处，我只能隐约看见一个环形居所的茅草屋顶。蜂鸟、翠鸟和浅蓝色的八哥纷纷在空中穿梭而过。湖岸边的一小片沙滩上，临时搭建起来的码头上站着一群僧人，微笑着。 我们抛锚下艇。温德姆像以前那样做了一番介绍和解释。我们握了手，然后是冗长的寒暄。终于，僧人们带我们走上了一条狭窄的小道，它是沿着一座灰白色峭壁开出来的，两边长满了杂草。我们穿过峭壁顶上的一个拱门（它也是在光秃秃的岩石上开凿出来的），走进了一块草坪，上面有三、四座破败的屋子，还有十几个鹑衣百结的僧人。 我们站的这片草坪四周都是天然的石墙，封闭得很严密，寂静而幽暗。惟有一些光线从树木和灌木伸展出的枝叶间透进来，仿佛被滤掉了声音，并带着绿色。 和我的清醒判断相反，我开始以为这里真的有某种值得一看的东西了。我不知道该如何解释这个想法，但我还是感到塔纳·奇克斯岛值得一看，因为它使我产生了一种"就是这里"的感觉，而达伽·斯台方诺岛就没有使我产生这样的感觉。 来了一位高级僧人，通过温德姆，向我们自我介绍说叫梅米尔·菲塞哈。他瘦骨嶙峋，浑身散发着焚香的气味。他没向我们要钱，却问我们有没有安全检查证。 我对这个问题感到困惑，因为提问的人是位身穿僧侣长袍的传统人物。 我一边说"我们有安全证"，一边掏出了许可证，那是我们在亚的斯亚贝巴保安警察局领到的。我把证明书递给了温德姆，他又交给了梅米尔·菲塞哈。这个老僧人（埃塞俄比亚的僧人是否全都这么老呢？）只是大致地打量了一下证明书，就把它还给了我。看样子，他已经满意了。 温德姆告诉他说，我想提些有关塔纳·奇克斯岛和约柜的问题，问他是否可以。 "可以。"老僧人回答说，我听他的语气颇为悲哀。他带着我们来到一间屋子的门口，那屋子像是个厨房，因为里面摆着熏黑了的罐子和平底锅。他坐在了门口的一个小凳上，并示意我们也坐下来。 我开始问："你相信约柜是门涅利克皇帝从耶路撒冷带到埃塞俄比亚的吗？" "相信。"温德姆翻译说。 I breathed a sigh of relief.这个收获的确比在达伽·斯台方诺岛的强多了。 我接着说："我听到一个故事，说约柜现在就在这个塔纳·奇克斯岛上。这故事是真的吗？" 梅米尔·菲塞哈鞣皮般的脸上掠过一片痛苦的表情，他回答说：嘈经是真的。 " 曾经是？这到底是什么意思？我带着几分激动，朝温德姆大声说："他说曾经是，这是什么意思呢？" 老僧人的回答既使我激动，又使我失望："那故事曾经是真的。不过，约柜已经不在这里了。它被送到阿克苏姆去了。" "被送回阿克苏姆去了！"我叫道，"什么时候？什么时候被送回去的？" 温德姆和老僧人又开始用阿姆哈拉语争论起来，其中的主要观点显然被澄清了多次。最后，温德姆翻译说："约柜是在1600年以前被送到阿克苏姆去的，那是在艾扎那国王在位时期。不是送回阿克苏姆，只是送到那里，从此它一直在那里。" 我感到困惑不解，大失所望。我想了片刻，然后说："让我来澄清一下。他并不是说约柜最近在这个岛上，又被送回了阿克苏姆，对吗？他是说，很久以前约柜曾在这个岛上。" "完全正确。1600年以前。他就是这么说的。" "好吧。下面请你问他，约柜最初是怎么到这个岛上的？它是被从阿克苏姆城送来，然后又被送回阿克苏姆城的吗？或者，约柜是先到了这个岛，后来才被送到阿克苏姆城的？我想他说的是后一种意思，不过我想把这一点弄得绝对清楚。" 老僧人吃力地讲述着，这个故事慢慢地呈现了出来。从老僧人嘴里追问出这个故事，就像从红肿的牙床上拔烂牙根一样困难。其间，我们不得不几次向其他僧人请教，还有一次，老僧人还翻阅了一部杰泽文写的羊皮面大部头古书，并且朗读了其中的一段。 概括地说，梅米尔·菲塞哈告诉我们的是：门涅利克及其同伴从耶路撒冷的所罗门圣殿偷出了约柜。他说，他们把约柜带出以色列，进入埃及。然后，他们就沿着尼罗河走（先是沿着尼罗河，然后沿着其支流特克泽河），最后到了埃塞俄比亚。 这些内容，当然和《国王的光荣》里记载的盗约柜传说完全一样。不过，此后的情节却是全新的。 老僧人继续说，门涅利克一行想找个安全而恰当的地方，安放这件珍贵的圣物，就去了塔纳湖。他说，当时，整个塔纳湖都是神圣的。上帝很珍视这个湖。它是个圣地。因此，他们就来到了塔纳湖的东岸，并且把这个现在被叫作"奇克斯"的岛选作了约柜的安放地。 "约柜在这里放了多长时间？"我问。 "放了800年，"老僧人回答道，"那800年间，它的存在赐福给我们。" "当时岛上有建筑吗？约柜是不是被放在某种类似神庙的建筑里的呢？" "没有建筑。约柜被放在一个帐篷里面。就在帐篷里，它被放在塔纳·奇克斯岛上，放了800年。我们当时还是犹太人。后来我们改信了基督教，艾扎那国王就把约柜送到阿克苏姆城去，放进了城里的那座大教堂里。" "你是说，1600年以前，约柜被从这里送进了阿克苏姆城吗？ "yes." "这么说，约柜被送到阿克苏姆以前，在塔纳·奇克斯岛上放了800年。让我算一算……约柜到这个岛上的时间，必定是在2400年以前。我说的对吗？你是不是说，约柜是在基督诞生的大约400年以前到这个岛上的？" "yes." "公元前400年在所罗门时代以后很久，你真的知道吗？而据说所罗门就是门涅利克的父亲。公元前400年的时候，所罗门其实已经死了大约5个世纪了。你怎么解释这一点呢？" "我无法解释。我给你们讲的这个传说，和我们的经卷和记忆里记载的一模一样。" 这位老僧人刚才说的一句话曾使我产生了极大的兴趣，此刻我又接上了那个话头："你告诉我，当时你们还是犹太人么？这是什么意思呢？你们当时的宗教是什么呢？" "当时我们就是犹太人。我们实行燔祭……用羊羔燔祭。我们这个做法一直保持到约柜从我们这里拿走，被送到阿克苏姆城。后来，阿巴·撒拉玛就来了，他向我们传播基督教信仰，我们就在岛上建了一座教堂。" 我知道，"阿巴·撒拉玛"就是弗路门提乌斯的埃塞俄比亚名字，即那位叙利亚大主教，公元330年前后，他曾说服艾扎那国王和整个阿克苏姆王国皈依了基督教（参见本书第一章——译者注）。这就意味着，梅米尔·菲塞哈说的那个时期是可信的，至少他能自圆其说。惟一的矛盾是：公认的所罗门时期（公元前9世纪中期），与传说中约柜被送到塔纳·奇克斯岛的日期（从公元330年上溯800年，它应当是公元前470年），这两者之间还存在一大段间隔。 我继续追问："阿巴·撒拉玛到这里向你们传播基督教信仰之前，岛上没有教堂吗？" "没有教堂，我已经说过了。我们当时是犹太人。我们实行燔祭。"老僧人停了一下，又说，"燔祭的时候，从羊羔身上流出来的血被盛在一只碗里……那碗叫作gcmer。然后把血洒在几块石头上，洒在几块小石头上——它们至今还在。" "对不起，请再说一遍。什么东西至今还在？" "就是我们还是犹太人的时候在燔祭上用的石块。那些石块还在这里，在这个岛上。现在它们还在这里。" "我们能看看吗？"我问。我感到一阵激动的颤栗。如果梅米尔·菲塞哈刚才说的话是真的，那么，他就提供了一个物证，这个真正的物证证实了他讲的那个故事，那故事虽然离奇，却极为可信。 "你们可以去看看。"老僧人回答说。他站起身来，"请跟我来，我带你们去看。" 洒血 老僧人带着我们走上了小岛最高处附近峭壁上的一块高地上，峭壁下面就是塔纳湖。这里有个隆起的底座，是一块天然的独体岩石。他让我们看3根聚在一起的短石柱。其中最高的一根大约有一米半的样子，是根方柱，顶部有个碗形的凹陷。其余两根是圆柱，都大约一米高，粗细如同人的大腿。它们的顶部也各有一个凹陷，深约10厘米。 这些石柱上长满了厚厚的绿苔，尽管如此，我还是能看出：它们都是独体石柱；它们各自独立；它们是从同一块灰色花岗岩上凿出来的；它们显得很古老。我问理查德有何见解。 他回答说："当然，我不是考古学家。不过我还是要说，从它们的做工和风格上看，尤其是那根方柱……我认为它们的年代如果不是更早，至少也属于阿克苏姆时期。" 我问梅米尔·菲塞哈，石柱上的碗形凹陷是做什么用的。 他的回答是："用来盛血。燔祭之后，把一些血洒在石头上，把另一些血洒在遮约柜的帐篷上。剩下的血就装在这些凹陷里。" "你能给我演示一下怎么洒血吗？" 老僧人叫来另一个僧人，低声吩咐了几句。那僧人快步走开了，几分钟后回来时，他手里拿着一只碗。那碗的碗口很大，但碗却很浅，由于年代久远，它已经锈蚀，失去了光泽，我甚至猜不出它是用什么金属做的。老僧告诉我们，这就是"gcmer"，燔祭上的血先要被收集在它里面。 我问温德姆说："gcmer这个字究竟是什么意思？" 他耸了耸肩膀："我不知道。它既不是阿姆哈拉语里的字，也不是提格雷语里的字。听上去，它不属于任何埃塞俄比亚语言。" 我看着理查德，向他请教，但他也承认自己没听说过这个字。 梅米尔·菲塞哈只说那碗叫"gcmer"，并且一直被叫作"gcmer"，他只知道这些。接着，他站到石柱旁边，左手拿碗，右手食指在碗里蘸了蘸，又猛地把右手甩过头顶，然后一上一下地挥动着。他说："就这样洒血，把血洒在石头上，洒在遮约柜的帐篷上。然后，像我告诉你们的那样，照这个样子把剩下的血倒进石柱顶上的小坑里。"说着，他用碗斜对着石柱顶部那些碗状的凹陷。 我问老僧人，放有约柜的帐篷究竟是在哪个岛上？他却只是回答说："离这里不远……就在离这里不远的一个地方。" 于是，我便设法澄清我们方才的讨论："你告诉我说，约柜是在1600年以前从塔纳·奇克斯岛被送往阿克苏姆城的，对吗？" 温德姆翻译了我这个问题。梅米尔·菲塞哈肯定地点了点头。 "很好，"我继续说，"现在我想知道，约柜又被送回来过吗？在任何时间，出于任何理由，约柜又被送回这个岛上过吗？" "没有，它被送到了阿克苏姆，一直被放在阿克苏姆。" "据你所知，约柜今天还在阿克苏姆吗？" "yes." 看来我不可能得到进一步的信息了，不过我的收获已经使我十分满足了，尤其是这些信息不是用钱买来的。为了表示感激，我拿出一张100比尔的钞票，作为对寺院开销的捐献。然后，经过梅米尔·菲塞哈的允许，我给这些燔祭石柱拍摄了各种角度的照片。 我们回到巴哈达尔镇的时候，已经快到晚上8点了。我们的塔纳湖之行用了14个多小时，而"MV达拉克号"汽艇的总租金则达到了750美元。 无论以哪种标准衡量，这都是代价高昂的一天。不过，我已经不再抱怨自己的开销了。我在达伽·斯台方诺岛上的疑问曾使我感到困惑，而这个疑问却已经被塔纳·奇克斯岛驱散了。现在，我觉得自己可以怀着一种被刷新的责任感和乐观态度，去继续我的考察了。 回到亚的斯亚贝巴以后，我这种积极的心境又得到了加强。我计划在11月23日星期四去济瓦伊湖考察。此前我还有一些时间，去大学图书馆查阅资料，核对一下《旧约》中有关犹太教使用燔祭石的经文。 我发现，与塔纳·奇克斯岛上的石柱近似的石柱，同犹太教的一些最早阶段有关，它们来自西奈和巴勒斯坦。那些石柱被称为"masseboth"，被竖立在高地上作为祭坛，用于拜祭和燔祭仪式。 我翻阅了《圣经》，看是否能找到对《旧约》时代正式燔祭具体细节的说明。我真的找到了这样的细节。我反复阅读有关经文，认识到了一点：梅米尔·菲塞哈在岛上向我描述的那种洒血仪式，的确是一种真正的、非常古老的仪式。在代代相传下来的传统记忆中，这种仪式无疑是被搞乱了，被混淆了。不过，他谈到洒血仪式的时候，却惊人地贴近历史事实。 例如，在《旧约·利未记》第4章，我读到了这样一句经文："把指头蘸于血中，在耶和华面前对着圣所的慢子弹血七次"（第6节）。同样，在第5章也说到："也把些赎罪祭牲的血，弹在坛的旁边，剩下的血要流在坛的脚那里。"（第9节） 然而，直到我阅读《米什纳书》（Mishnah），才真正理解了梅米尔·菲塞哈的叙述是何等真实。《米什纳书》记录汇编了早期的口头犹太律法。在《米什纳书》的第Th部分的一篇叫作"Y。ma"的短文里，我找到了一段详细的描述，其中讲到：大祭司在所罗门圣殿里进行燔祭仪式，仪式在遮蔽约柜的一道帐慢前举行，那道帐慢是为了防止会众偷窥约柜。 那段描述说，祭牲（无论是绵羊、山羊还是小公牛）的血被收集到一个盆里，再指定一个人"去搅动……以防凝固"。然后，从圣所里走出一位祭司，"从他那里接过正被搅动的血，再回到圣所里，站到原来站的地方，向上弹血一次，向下弹血七次。" 这位祭司弹血时，究竟站在什么地方呢？《米什纳书》上说：他把血弹到了"约柜对面的帐慢外面，向上一次，向下七次，其意图似乎并非上下弹血，而像在挥鞭……然后，他又向祭坛的洁净表面上弹血七次，再将余血倒出"。 在我看来，梅米尔·菲塞哈很可能读过《米什纳书》。作为基督徒，他本来没有理由这样做，何况在那个偏远的岛上，他也不可能读到这部书；此外，他也不懂翻译《米什纳书》的那种语言。尽管如此，他向我演示洒血仪式时，他双手的动作却的确很像在挥动鞭子。他还很有把握地说，燔祭时祭牲的血不仅要洒在祭坛的石头上，而且要洒在"遮约柜的帐篷上"。 这些联系实在太密切了，根本无法忽略。我确实感到，在遥远过去当中的某个时刻，犹太人曾把一件具有重大宗教意义的东西带到了塔纳·奇克斯岛上。尽管那件东西到达该岛的推测日期与历史年代相左，但还是完全有理由假定：那件东西很可能就是约柜——梅米尔·菲塞哈对此显然深信不疑。