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Chapter 21 Where can I find the fifth part of glory? -4

Aswan, on the east bank of the Nile, is about as far from Israel as it is from the northern border of Ethiopia.The transit point between Africa and the Mediterranean world, its name comes from the Greek "Seyene", which is a variant of the ancient Egyptian word "Swenet", which means "to do business". In ancient times, the town of Aswan benefited to a large extent from a rich two-way commercial trade, in which a large number of handmade products flowed from highly civilized Egypt to the southern countries, while spices, essences, Slaves, gold and ivory were sold to the northern countries.It is from this last commodity, ivory, that the island of El Fatan gets its name.This island is located in the middle reaches of the Nile River, facing the town of Aswan. It was once directly called "Abu" in history, which means "Island of Elephants".

At the front desk of the "New Great Waterfall" Hotel in Aswan, I asked about the general situation of El Fatan, especially the situation of the Jewish temple there.Salva Weir has told me that the temple was demolished in the 5th century BC, but she also said that some archaeologists are working on the island, so I would love to see some ancient ruins there to visit . Mentioning the word "Jewish" to a restaurant employee will not elicit a kind reaction.Although diplomatic relations between Egypt and Israel have softened in recent years, I cannot forget how much hatred and suffering still divide the peoples of these two neighboring countries.However, I finally managed to get the following information from the front desk supervisor: "There are many temples in El Fatan, Egyptian, Roman, and possibly Jewish... I don't know. You can go and see , take a boat and look there. Anyway, there are some archaeologists, German archaeologists. You can ask Herr Kessel;"

I walked out of the hotel lobby.It was very hot outside the hotel.I thought, Mr. Castle, that's not a bad story! indiana jones I went in a small boat to the island of El Fatan, and I was taken to a house on the west bank, where they said the "Germans" lived.I went to the door and knocked, and a Nubian (Nubia, ancient East African country in history, here generally refers to East Africans——Translator's Note) manservant wearing a red cap came out of the door.Without asking me anything, he led me down the corridor into an interesting room.In front of the four walls is a ring of wooden shelves, reaching from the floor to the ceiling, and the shelves are filled with pottery shards and other artefacts.The footman turned to leave.

I coughed softly: "I'm sorry... I want to find Mr. Kessel, please invite him here." The valet stopped, gave me a bewildered look, and left, still without a word. After about five minutes, during which time I was standing in the middle of the floor shaking, then... Indiana Jones appeared in the into the doorway.No, not Indiana Jones himself, exactly, but a Harrison Ford lookalike.He looked very at ease with a Panama hat on one side of his head.He was tall, muscular, thick and handsome, with a bright eye.He apparently hadn't shaved in days. Controlling my impatience, I said aloud, "I think you are Mr. Kessel." Then, in a slightly calmer tone, I asked, "Are you Mr. Kessel?"

"No. My name is Cornelius von Piglim." He came towards me.After I introduced myself, he extended his right hand to shake my hand.His hands were strong and sunburnt. "I'm visiting El Fatan," I explained, "as part of a project of mine. I'm interested in the archaeological work on the temple ruins here." "Oh. "Yes. You see, I'm investigating a historical mystery...about...the missing, I mean, the missing Ark of the Covenant." "Oh. "Do you know what I mean by the Ark of the Covenant?" So far, I can only describe the look on his face as porcelain-like. "I don't know." He answered my question simply.

"Don't you speak English?" I asked.I need him to make it clear. "Yes, I speak English very well." "Fine. That's good. The Ark. Let's talk about the Ark. You know Moses, don't you?" He nodded noncommittally. "And what about the Ten Commandments? Carved on stone tablets?" He nodded noncommittally again. "Oh, the Ark of the Covenant is the wooden box that holds the Tablet of the Ten Commandments, covered with gold. And... I'm looking for it." It seemed that Cornelius von Piglim was not overly excited.Without the slightest sense of humor, he said, "Oh, you mean, like Indiana Jones?"

"Yes. That's what I meant. I came to El Fattan because I was told by authority that there used to be a Jewish temple here. My opinion is that the Ark of the Covenant was somehow brought to Ethiopia in ancient times. So naturally I wondered if there was a possibility -- if there was even archaeological evidence to suggest -- that the Ark of the Covenant was brought to the island before it was brought to Ethiopia. You know, I think the Ark of the Covenant was in the 7th century BC was removed from Jerusalem, so my question is: What happened in the intervening 200 years?" (The Jewish temple on the island was destroyed around the 5th century BC, so the author says that from the 7th century BC to the There was a gap of 200 years between the destruction of the temple - Translator's Note)

"You want to find out if the Ark of the Covenant might have been kept in that temple on this island during those two centuries, right?" "Exactly. In fact, I think you and your archaeological team have already excavated the ruins of the temple. If you have done so, then I would very much like to know what you found." Cornetus von Piglim took off his hat before my hopes were dashed.He pondered for a long time before saying: "Yes, we excavated the ruins of the temple. But there was nothing there. On the ruins of the Jewish temple, a Roman temple was later built, and we thought it was under the ruins of it." There may be something left... but we have now excavated through the foundations and there is still nothing. Not at all. Between the 7th and 5th centuries BC, there were indeed a large number of Jews living on the island , it is true. However, they have left no archaeological traces, only a few houses in which they lived. I am afraid that is all I know."

Trying to ignore the overwhelming feeling of frustration that had just passed over me, I asked, "If nothing remains of that temple, how do you know there was one there? " "Ah, that's not a problem. Don't doubt it. There was a period in those days when there was a great deal of correspondence between the island and Jerusalem. The letters were written on pottery shards and papyrus, many of which have been found and translated The temple of Yahweh on the island of El Fatan is specifically mentioned in a large number of letters. There is quite ample historical evidence for the existence of this temple. We thus know the exact location of the temple, which is at A few meters from here. We also know the date when the temple was destroyed, which is in 410 BC. Finally, we also know that the later Roman temple was built on the site of the Jewish temple. All this It's all very clear."

"Why was that Jewish temple destroyed?" "Ah... I'm not an expert on the subject. I specialize in monuments from the 2000 BC period, long before the period you're studying. If you want more detailed information, you'll have to speak to one of my colleagues He has a special interest in Jewish colonies. He is Mr. Ajim Kreckler." "Is he on the island?" "Unfortunately, he's not on the island. He's in Cairo. But he'll be back tomorrow. Are you still here tomorrow?" "Yes. I mean... I don't have much time. I have to go back to England. But I can wait until tomorrow."

"Very well. Then I suggest that you come back tomorrow, tomorrow afternoon, at about three o'clock in the afternoon, and then you will be able to see Mr. Kreckler. However, if you want, I will be happy to show you Where the Jews lived...and the ruins of your temple." I accepted this offer from von Piglim.As I walked with him, I asked him who had organized and financed the excavations on El Fatan. "We're from the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin," he replied, "and we've been working here for several years." We came to the foot of a hill.On the hillside in front of you was a vast labyrinth of rubble and rubble, with sections of partially restored stone walls (blocks built up instead of plaster) showing roughly the outlines of houses and streets."This is part of the old town of El Fattan, where the Jews lived," von Piglim said. We began to climb up the hill, carefully weaving among the ruins.By the time we reached the top, I was out of breath.However, I was also free of the depression that had beset me just now.Although I don't know how to explain it, I still feel that there is something about this place that makes me feel "right here", that kind of thing haunts this place, as if it is about to come out, as if it is telling those ancient times and hidden histories . Cornelius von Piglim led me to the highest point of the island of Elfatan, pointed around and said: "Here is the Temple of the Jews, just below the place where we stand." I pointed to a large broken stone pillar that appeared in front of us to the right, and asked what it was. "It's part of that Roman temple I told you about. In fact, there's evidence that a number of other temples were erected here at various times in the history of the first millennium BC, dedicated to the occupation of Egypt. The various gods of foreigners. When these temples were built, people often reused materials from previous buildings. I think this is why the Jewish temple disappeared completely. It was demolished, pulled down, or was burned, so its stone was left to be built into the walls of the next temple." "I just asked you why the Jewish temple was destroyed, and you didn't have time to answer me..." "Basically, we think there was a problem between the Jewish community on the island at the time and the Egyptian population. You know, there was an Egyptian temple on the island..." "In the same place?" "No. Back then, the Jewish temple was built roughly next to the Egyptian temple. The Egyptian temple was over there," he said, pointing to another large pile of rubble. "We found Part of it remains. That temple was dedicated to the god Khnum. He was a ram-headed god. All his statues represent him as a ram-headed god. We infer from this that the relationship between Jewish priests and Egyptian priests may have become very tense at that time." "Why the tension?" "Oh, the reason is obvious. It is said that the Jews on the island practiced burnt offerings, and we are almost certain that they used rams for burnt offerings. This would not have pleased the Egyptian priests who worshiped the god Knum. So we guessed : On a certain day in that year, the Egyptians laid hands on the Jews of the island, and may have massacred them, or may have driven them off the island, and destroyed their temple." "You said that this event took place in 410 BC, correct?" "Yes. Exactly. However, if you want to know more details, you must interview Ajim Kreckler." Is it the missing link? Following von Piglim's suggestion, I went again to Elfaten the next afternoon.I had insomnia the night before, and I was restless that morning. I kept thinking about all the situations I learned, looking for the logical relationship between those events, and trying to draw some preliminary conclusions. I did this and finally got results.Even without seeing Kreckler, my mind has reached a reasonable conclusion: that the Jewish temple on El Fatan may turn out to be the missing link, which was originally It should be on the chain of clues I've been gathering over the past two years. If I'm right, and if a group of Levites did leave Jerusalem with the Ark during the reign of King Manasseh, they could hardly have found a safer place than this island.The power of the wicked king of Judah (who put a pagan idol in the inner nave of the temple) could not reach here. Not only that, but I have confirmed the connection between the Ark's laying ceremony and the Apat festival (the Apat festival is held every year in Luxor, which is 200 kilometers north of El Fatan Island In addition, see Chapter XII of this book), so I also think that the escaped priests also probably regarded this island in Upper Egypt as a unique and suitable place-this island is surrounded by the holy water of the Nile River. Don't they have the feeling of returning to their roots? This is all speculation on my part.What I do know for sure, however, is that there was a Jewish temple on the island, dated almost exactly to allow it to shelter the Ark of the Covenant, which was removed from the inner sanctum in Jerusalem.One more thing I can be sure of: the temple was later destroyed and dated to the same century (according to Tana Cheeks legend) that the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Ethiopia. It seems to me that all this constitutes a suggestive series of events.The date of the destruction of the Jewish Temple at El Fatan (410 B.C.) was about 60 years later than the date I calculated the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant at Tana Chikes (470 B.C.), which is not the case Causes me too much anxiety.From the 5th century BC to the 20th century AD, through this long period, the oral traditions of the Ethiopians (on which my calculations are based) appear in and out of time around 60 years, I think this is entirely possible . So when I came again to meet Agim Kreckler at the residence of the German Archaeological Institute on the island, I was filled with optimism.Agim Kreckler was a stocky, friendly man of about thirty-five who spoke good English.He is carefully observing some fragments of ancient papyrus.He explained that extra care must be taken with them because they are extra brittle and brittle. "Is it a papyrus like this that proves that a Jewish temple once existed on this island?" "Yes, they also confirm the destruction of the temple. After 410 BC, there were letters sent to Jerusalem describing what happened at that time and asking for funds and permission to rebuild the temple." "But the temple was never rebuilt, was it?" "No, absolutely not. In fact, all the correspondence was cut off abruptly around 400 BC. Those Jews seem to have left El Fatan after that." "Do you know what happened to them?" "No, not sure. They apparently got into trouble with the Egyptians at some point, though. They were probably forced to leave the island." "Don't you know where they went?" "We did not find any information on this." I modestly explained to Kreckler my interest in the Ark and my feeling that it might have been brought to El Fatan and then into Ethiopia.Next, I asked him if he believed that the Ark of the Covenant might have been brought to this island. "Of course it's possible. Anything could happen. But I keep hearing that when the Babylonians burned down the Temple in Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant was already burned down." "That's orthodox, but I'm pretty sure that the Ark of the Covenant was removed from the Temple long before the Babylonians burned it down, during the Manasseh dynasty in the 7th century BC. So, I want you to do me a favor and tell me the exact date when the Jewish Temple of El Fatan was built." "It's impossible to know the exact date, I'm afraid. Opinions vary. But I don't think it's hard to accept that the temple may have been built in the seventh century BC. Other scholars agree." "Can you describe what the temple looked like? I know you haven't unearthed any actual artefacts, but I'd still like to know if the papyrus hint at that." "Very few. There is no record in such scrolls at all. However, we have found a relatively long description, which describes the internal conditions of the temple. From this description, we can safely say: the temple There are many stone columns, five porticoes, also of stone, and a cedar roof." "Does it have a cella?" "Probably. It is a decent temple, a temple in the strict sense. However, there is not enough evidence to determine whether it has an inner sanctuary." We continued to discuss this topic for another hour or so.But in the end, Kreckler said that his time was limited and he had to return to Cairo the next day because there was still much to do. "I can lend you two of the best publications on El Fatan," he said, "but you must return them to me tomorrow. They summarize the research that has been done here by scholars of many countries throughout the century." I returned to the hotel where I was staying with the two heavy volumes mentioned by Kreckler.I spent the whole night reading those two books carefully. Ark of the Covenant at El Fattan Here are some of the facts I learned about the Jewish temple at El Fatan, that is, some of the most important facts relevant to my investigation.I wrote them down in my notebook: 1.The size of the temple must have been considerable, as Kreckler had told me.Much information about its appearance is preserved in papyri.Archaeologists believe that the temple is 30 feet long and 30 feet wide.Of course, in the ancient measure of length, it was 60 cubits (cubits) long and 20 cubits wide.Interestingly, the dimension of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem described in the Bible is exactly the same (see Chapter 6, Section 2 of "Old Testament 1 Kings"). 2.The roof of the Jewish Temple at El Fathan was made of cedar, as was Solomon's Temple (see 1 Kings 6:9). 3.It therefore appears that the model for the Temple of Elphattan must have been Solomon's Temple.Since Solomon's Temple was built to house the Ark of the Covenant, shouldn't it be possible that the Temple of Elphattan was also built to house the Ark of the Covenant? 4.Burnt offerings are usually held at the Temple of El Fathan, including the most important sacrifice of a lamb, which is the first burnt offering held during the week of Passover.This fact is significant because it shows that the Jews on the island must have immigrated to the island before King Josiah's Reformation (640-609 B.C.E.).Those reforms outlawed burnt offerings everywhere, allowing only the temple in Jerusalem (the prohibition was observed even by the Jews during their Babylonian exile).However, in El Fatan, from the 6th century BC to the 5th century BC, burnt offerings have always been an important daily sacrifice for the Jews.Those Jews were usually in correspondence with Jerusalem, so they undoubtedly knew of King Josiah's prohibition.Nevertheless, they continued to practice burnt offerings.So they must have felt that they had a privilege to continue doing so.Needless to say, the Ark of the Covenant in their temple must have provided them with the privilege they needed. 5.Against this background, it is worth noting that the Jews of El Fatan apparently believed that Yahweh really lived in their temples: some papyri unambiguously state that Yahweh "dwelt there."In ancient Israel (and during the Jewish wilderness days), the Jews believed that the Lord lived wherever the Ark of the Covenant was.In fact, this belief did not change until it became known that the Ark of the Covenant was missing.The Jews on the island of Elfatan spoke of Yahweh as a real God who was present among them.So it is probable that when they spoke of the Ark, they thought of it as such. 6.The Jews on the island of El Fatan often say that Yahweh lives in their temples and that he is the "Lord of Hosts" or "Yahweh of Hosts".Scholars believe this title is very ancient.It is often associated with the Ark of the Covenant.See: Before the construction of Solomon's Temple, the Israelites "sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant that sat on the two cherubs of the Lord of Hosts" (see "Old Testament · Chapter 4, Section 4 of 1 Samuel, translated as "Jehovah of hosts" in the Chinese "Bible"——Translator's Note). 7.All of the above lends credence to the idea that the ark may have been housed in the temple at El Fatan.In fact, the first occasion for the construction of that temple may have been the fact that the Ark of the Covenant had arrived on the island.Kreckler told me that it is not possible to prove the exact date of construction of the temple, which is true.However, according to the records in those two documents, it is clear that scholars analyzing papyrus scripts have done a lot of research work on this problem.They pointed out that in the early 7th century BC, the Jewish population on El Fatan Island was already quite large, and most of the island guard troops hired by the Egyptians were also Jews.These Jewish soldiers and their families must have attended the temple for sacred services and formed a thriving social circle.So, based on this and other evidence, scholars have come up with a carefully considered opinion: by 650 B.C. the Jewish temple at El Fatan must have been constructed. 8.This date cannot be overestimated.What is the reason?Because it happened to be during the reign of King Manasseh.Manasseh moved pagan idols into the inner sanctum of the Temple in Jerusalem, thereby causing the Ark to be removed from outside the Temple (perhaps it was carried away by priests who remained faithful to the traditional belief in Yahweh).Confirming that the Ark was indeed removed from the Temple at this time is a daunting task.However, I have accomplished this task, and I am satisfied that there is no evidence of the Ark's subsequent fall in the Bible at all-even Professor Menaheim Harlan was unable to come up with any theory for the Ark. Where were they sent after leaving Jerusalem. 9.Academic authorities on the El Fatan Papyrus believe that the Jewish temple on the island was built in 650 BC.They apparently had no idea that the Ark of the Covenant would have disappeared from Jerusalem during the reign of Manasseh.If they had known, they would have linked the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant with the construction of the temple.However, they were aware of the widespread indignation aroused by King Manasseh's "pagan innovation" and concluded that the only reasonable explanation for the construction of a Jewish temple on the island of El Fatan was out of this indignation , otherwise the construction of the temple would be inexplicable. There was a lot of bloodshed in the Manasseh Dynasty, so it can be speculated that: All the priests and prophets spoke out against the king's apostasy.some priests fled to went to Egypt, participated in the Jewish garrison on El Fatan... and built a up this church. (B. Poten: "From the Archives of El Fatan", p. 299) 10.That is the claim of Bézalaire Poten, author of the authoritative monograph "From the Archives of El Fatan".Even so, he was puzzled by the fact that why should there be a Jewish temple on the island of El Fatan?Because there is a deep-rooted concept in Judaism that "Gentile lands are unclean, and therefore the temple of the Lord must never be built on Gentile lands" (ibid., p. 115).He notes that after the destruction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, the Jews exiled to Babylon "heeded Jeremiah's advice to calm down and pray to God (instead of making burnt offerings)."Then, the author added: "There is no evidence that the Jews in exile ever built the temple of Jehovah in Babylon." He also asked: "Then the Jews of El Fatan built their temple, What good reason is there for that?" 11.I think the answer to Poten's powerful question is quite obvious: their justification is that they have brought the Ark from Jerusalem to the Isle of El Fatan, and they now need to build "a house for the Ark" - a long time ago Solomon had done this before. Elfatan and the Farasa When I got back to England, I felt pretty sure that I had at least finally sorted out the true sequence of events behind the mystery of the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant. In search of corroborating evidence, I went to the archives of the Institute of Oriental and African Studies in London and copied the two out-of-print monographs that Ajim Kreckler had lent me, as I now wanted to study them more thoroughly.I also collected other relevant sources, including Herodotus's History, because I learned that this famous ancient Greek scholar visited Elphatan around 450 BC. My further research was fruitful.For example, there is a problem that has been bothering me: Josiah, a zealous adherent to tradition, succeeded to the throne in Jerusalem two years after the death of Manasseh, and he did not manage to get the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem from the island of El Fatan, What is the reason?As it turns out, it's not that hard to find the answer to this question. I have confirmed: King Josiah's reforms did not start until his 12th year (he was 20 years old).At that time, the relationship between the Kingdom of Judah and Egypt had deteriorated sharply - because of this, Josiah was later killed while fighting the Egyptians (this happened in 609 BC, see "Old Testament Kings") 2 Chronicles, Chapter 23, Verse 29: "The king of Egypt found Josiah at Megiddo, and killed him."——Author's Note).So, even though Josiah knew that the Ark was sent to El Fattan, he would not be able to claim it back from a powerful nation that was at war with him. With that in mind, I began to consider the next phase of the history I was trying to reconstruct, the entry of the Ark of the Covenant into Ethiopia from the island of El Fatan in the 5th century BC.My interview in Jerusalem with Rafael Hadani, a priest of Farasa, led me to the intriguing possibility that the ancestors of these black Ethiopian Jews might have immigrated to Ethiopia from El Fatan.For there is no doubt that when Hadani told me that his ancestors built a temple in Aswan, he was referring to El Fatan.What's more, the view that "the Falasha people may have gone to Ethiopia from Elfatan" has also been supported by my own previous research results. In November 1989, I was amazed at the "fingerprints of the race" in the settlements of the Falasha people in the Tana Lake area.From this and other evidence, I conclude that: Solomon's religion could only enter Ethiopia from the west, i.e. along the Nile The old traditional caravan route through Egypt and Sudan. Some time before arriving at this conclusion, I had been dissatisfied with a great deal of scholarly opinion that the Farasa were descended from Jews from southern Arabia who arrived in Ethiopia in AD 70 ( See Chapter 6 of this book).Now, reading the books recommended to me by the social anthropologist Salva Weil in Jerusalem, I have discovered additional theories that challenge this dominant orthodoxy. Some dissenting voices, although repeatedly ridiculed by Ethiopian research authorities (such as Professor Edward Uhrendorf), still insist that it is very likely that immigrants from the Jewish district of El Fatan Island made Falasha Man's ancestors converted to Judaism.During this period, there was undoubtedly extensive commercial and cultural contact between Yemen and Ethiopia, but in fact, hundreds of years before the Jews settled in southern Arabia, several Jewish settlement communities with a considerable number of people had already been established in Egypt.Therefore, considering that the religion of the Falasha people also has strong religious characteristics of the "Old Testament", we can make a logical inference: Judaism must have passed through a gradual process of "cultural integration" from Egypt to Southeast and into Ethiopia. To be precise, there is no absolutely indisputable historical fact that connects the Falasha with El Fatan.However, I did find a number of intriguing clues that, I think, strongly hinted at the connection.All the evidence is circumstantial and none of it confirms my theory that the Ark was first placed in the Jewish Temple at El Fatan for 200 years before being brought to Ethiopia in the 5th century BC.However, taking into account all the background information I have learned (in Israel, Egypt, and Ethiopia), my latest findings suggest a more convincingly different picture. Here are my main conclusions and the evidence behind them: 1.It is indeed significant that the Jewish inhabitants of the island of Elfatan practiced burnt offerings and continued to do so long after the reforms introduced by King Josiah.One of the evidences that Judaism is very old in Ethiopia is the extremely ancient character of the Falasha religion, in which the burnt offerings practiced at El Fatan played a key role.This evidence lends weight to the hypothesis that the Falasha are "cultural descendants" of Jewish immigrants from El Fattan, and thus strongly supports the proposition that the Ark of the Covenant may have been brought into Ethiopia from that island . 2.During the golden age of the El Fatan Jewish Temple, it had its own priesthood.In that papyrus language without silence these priests were called "khn"; adding the vowels a and e to the word it of course became the word "kahen".Priests of the Falasha are also called "kahen". 3.The Jewish temple in El Fatan has a name, "msgd," which means "place to kneel." Today, the Falasha of Ethiopia have neither a synagogue nor a temple; however, they keep their This simple sanctuary is called "Mesgid" (this is formed by inserting the vowels e and a in msgd.) In this context, it is worth noting that when King Solomon prayed before the ark of the Lord , It is indeed "kneeling" (see "Old Testament 1 Kings" Chapter 8, Section 54).
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