tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71453704188752306902023-11-16T07:57:56.753-08:00The Curse of God's TreasureA search for a mythical treasure thought lost for two millennia, triggers an international hunt by two ancient orders of holy warriors thought vanished from history, for archaeologist Robert Young. Evading his pursuers, Robert Young stumbles on a plot to assassinate the Israeli Prime Minister.Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-24733532953371763492013-12-01T07:52:00.004-08:002013-12-01T07:55:10.079-08:00This is the last posting to this blog. I have incorporated it with in the book's website:This is the last posting to this blog. I have incorporated it with in the book's website:<br />
<a href="http://www.thecurseofgodstreasure.com/#!blog/c1ks7">http://www.thecurseofgodstreasure.com/#!blog/c1ks7</a>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-46728488586903364112013-11-17T08:02:00.000-08:002013-11-17T08:02:08.040-08:00Signed up for Twitter. My handle is @jayglikman. Please follow meJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-29971107545047260392013-10-26T08:55:00.001-07:002013-10-26T08:56:07.237-07:00Just added two free chapters to websitePlease visit website to read<br />
<a href="http://www.thecurseofgodstreasure.com/">http://www.thecurseofgodstreasure.com/</a>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-25118238766521498932013-10-21T07:05:00.003-07:002013-10-26T08:45:36.400-07:00Added a website<br />
<br />
Added 2 free chapters<br />
<a href="http://www.thecurseofgodstreasure.com/">http://www.thecurseofgodstreasure.com/</a>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-34787947733691051202013-10-20T09:37:00.003-07:002013-10-20T09:37:27.250-07:00And now it is also available on Barnes and Noble<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-curse-of-gods-treasure-jay-glikman/1117156860?ean=9781483508009">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-curse-of-gods-treasure-jay-glikman/1117156860?ean=9781483508009</a>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-26379921004769649252013-10-19T10:52:00.001-07:002013-10-19T19:35:29.531-07:00Update to the stores where the book may be purchased, Now available in the stores listed below:<br />
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Amazon</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Curse-Gods-Treasure-ebook/dp/B00FX6O5IO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382200268&sr=1-1&keywords=the+curse+of+god%27s+treasure">http://www.amazon.com/Curse-Gods-Treasure-ebook/dp/B00FX6O5IO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382200268&sr=1-1&keywords=the+curse+of+god%27s+treasure</a></div>
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Sony </div>
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<a href="https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/jay-glikman/the-curse-of-god-s-treasure/_/R-400000000000001129578">https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/jay-glikman/the-curse-of-god-s-treasure/_/R-400000000000001129578</a></div>
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Kobo</div>
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<a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=the+curse+of+god%27s+treasure">http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=the+curse+of+god%27s+treasure</a></div>
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Copia</div>
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<a href="http://www.thecopia.com/catalog/details.html?catId=15008494">http://www.thecopia.com/catalog/details.html?catId=15008494</a><br />
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Ebook pie</div>
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<a href="https://ebookpie.com/ebooks/712778-the-curse-of-god-s-treasure">https://ebookpie.com/ebooks/712778-the-curse-of-god-s-treasure</a></div>
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Scribd</div>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/175493867/The-Curse-of-God-s-Treasure">http://www.scribd.com/doc/175493867/The-Curse-of-God-s-Treasure</a></div>
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pagepusher</div>
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<a href="http://www.pagepusher.com/store/TheCurseOfGodsTreasure">http://www.pagepusher.com/store/TheCurseOfGodsTreasure</a></div>
Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-59700989928491879152010-12-29T09:19:00.000-08:002013-10-26T09:09:45.847-07:00The synopsis<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“…May the wrath of God bring death and destruction upon you,
your household, your men and anyone who had, or shall ever have, a hand in this
sacrilege…” proclaimed the last high priest of the Second Holy Temple of
Jerusalem on the evening of Passover 70 AD, as he vehemently cursed Elazar Ben
Yair for robbing the Temple of 300 tons of gold and silver, as well as sacred
artifacts. Three years later on the mountain fortress of Masada, Elazar and his
Sicarii warriors resolved to take part in a mass suicide rather than fall into
the hands of the Roman Legion, giving rise to the phrase ‘NEVER AGAIN’, the
maxim upon which the new nation of Israel was born—but not before Elazar
succeeded in planting the seed to a 2000-year lineage of holy warriors whose
sole purpose was to protect the secret of God’s Treasure.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">For
1100 years the Treasure lay dormant. But when the Knight Templars, another
breed of holy warriors, came to possess it during the Third Crusade, the high
priest’s curse on the treasure-seekers unleashed its tentacles of death, misery
and destruction, bringing about the erasure of the Templars from of the pages
of history.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;">August
2005: Israel’s Prime Minister decides to return the Gaza Strip to the
Palestinian people. He plans to follow suit with the West Bank, also known as
Judea and Samaria, the ancient burial place of God’s Treasure. The modern-day
Sicarii warriors, as extreme and sinister as ever, are the present generation
sentinels of God’s Treasure. Only now, they are also part of the Mossad and the
General Security service, the pillars of the Israeli security establishment, as
they rise up again to protect their secret and plot the demise of the PM, the
man that in their eyes is a traitor to God and the people of Israel.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Professor
Robert Young, a famous archeologist who spent most of his adult life trying to
find God’s Treasure, suddenly finds himself a target of the secret
assassination squad of the Israeli Mossad, one of the most capable intelligence
services in the world. Aiding him in his adventures to uncover the treasure and
evade the deadly Sicarii assassins are a Swiss Police inspector, who is tasked
with determining whether it is the Mossad or rather some rogue agents instead
that are responsible for murders on Swiss soil; an ex-SAS warrior sent by Jay
Gross, the billionaire stepbrother of Professor Young, to help protect him from
the Sicariis; and a beautiful Israeli Mossad agent, who starts out as a Sicarii
then realigns herself with the professor after she falls in love with him.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;">This
intriguing tale weaves in and out of ancient history to follow the Templars who
believed that gaining possession of the treasure from the Sicarii was the
source of all their misfortunes. To the world the Templars were dissolved in
the early years of the 14th century; they were not. They reconstituted
themselves in utter secrecy. When word of the search for the treasure reaches
them in August 2005, they know they must find it before Young does and return
it to the Sicarii, or again risk potential destruction. During Professor
Young’s quest for the treasure and his attempts at escaping the deadly Sicarii,
he stumbles upon the conspiracy to assassinate the Israeli PM. Unable to trust
anyone within the Israeli security apparatus, the professor travels to New York
to try and stop the assassination himself. It is there that the final
electrifying confrontation takes place…</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div>
Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-56035485827170246762010-12-28T07:34:00.000-08:002010-12-30T14:06:43.741-08:00Locations - Switzerland and USA<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The caption above each image is actually a snippet from the manuscript.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A group of 100 men gathered in the large room at Castle Tourbillion in the town of Sion, in the Southwest of Switzerland. Unlike the previous meetings, this time, a hundred colorful banners hanging from the tall walls decorated the main hall. Each banner depicted the coat of arms of each of the participants.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcw6hk7jr7iUCE6GYzOE_bvQeLpVmMa4f-FCrJU2vUYTgz91h1FAmqQmHJdD9re-_BaKHV1S2YiDIDY7o7rosDk_oIL-zkFfJM1-OOTI8NePOd3mBjElngeTC7KqIV0bTTk7HDNtjSnAc/s1600/Sion-Map%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcw6hk7jr7iUCE6GYzOE_bvQeLpVmMa4f-FCrJU2vUYTgz91h1FAmqQmHJdD9re-_BaKHV1S2YiDIDY7o7rosDk_oIL-zkFfJM1-OOTI8NePOd3mBjElngeTC7KqIV0bTTk7HDNtjSnAc/s320/Sion-Map%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The irony of it all didn't escape him. The hall he was in belonged to Castle Tourbillion,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which translated literally to whirlwind, which was exactly how he felt, all spinning out of control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xj5vn-drM0wIYzE-7peG5o7CY36WXpemPsdDZOGR3m6rxyQuDwjB9jIWDfDohsAd306f9RzIssKQXPep23yarfe6uVJTBuEM3LoyAv6DVibd4t6AdX6y1TS_HMvqW65nbi2eiY-a3hk/s1600/Tourbillon-Sion%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xj5vn-drM0wIYzE-7peG5o7CY36WXpemPsdDZOGR3m6rxyQuDwjB9jIWDfDohsAd306f9RzIssKQXPep23yarfe6uVJTBuEM3LoyAv6DVibd4t6AdX6y1TS_HMvqW65nbi2eiY-a3hk/s320/Tourbillon-Sion%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Through the balcony, Lake Zurich came into view and again she was drawn to it. She stepped outside and was enthralled by the brilliance of the sun's reflection on the water. The self-proclaimed hopeless romantic thought of what it would be like to share the view with a man. He would come up from behind her and wrap his strong arms around her, protecting her from the gentle breeze, and the world. Although the man in her short daydream was not endowed with a particular face, it struck Miki that it was definitely not her husband. (Author's note - View of Hotel Baur au Lac from lake Zurich)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8YZ6kOy93kXcpmrYzsiMOgXLq35IOA-pWJVZLwy7Clyjms4x5Q9SMPCchAI3MaO-r9_8vdhlhdwgv7zkqOUavZxt25gSfy86Gu97BOaf2xBChZLC2K7S60xGs6PCJXKk-tSqzdTOSY0/s1600/109911%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8YZ6kOy93kXcpmrYzsiMOgXLq35IOA-pWJVZLwy7Clyjms4x5Q9SMPCchAI3MaO-r9_8vdhlhdwgv7zkqOUavZxt25gSfy86Gu97BOaf2xBChZLC2K7S60xGs6PCJXKk-tSqzdTOSY0/s320/109911%255B2%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The top three floors of the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan made up what was known as the ultimate penthouse. The first floor was comprised of a library, a dining room, a kitchenette and the main kitchen as well as bedrooms for the staff. The wine cellar rivaled those of the finest restaurants in the world. The 41<sup>st</sup> floor of the 43 story hotel was covered with Byzantine-style ceramic tiles that featured a commanding staircase of black marble leading to the upper floors.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN44bsvk2UZ9BoT_yDaZz-glrpUXBVi_ptayhNYSBQW0jnXf1J9yE9-JeVuZYfej_NBjPhmjV_5hCqRozWk6KRICf5T0FNV2w3mZJN3Y57MunlBFZvHxUAAbBL7Eg3xXNzWvd7V3M8UgE/s1600/The-Pierre-pos1-cat1-thepierre-new-york-hotel-exterior%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN44bsvk2UZ9BoT_yDaZz-glrpUXBVi_ptayhNYSBQW0jnXf1J9yE9-JeVuZYfej_NBjPhmjV_5hCqRozWk6KRICf5T0FNV2w3mZJN3Y57MunlBFZvHxUAAbBL7Eg3xXNzWvd7V3M8UgE/s320/The-Pierre-pos1-cat1-thepierre-new-york-hotel-exterior%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The UN building on First Ave. New York City.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToo8rQfr73Q1LEVP4_vJGvUKZpsQGXnsTKrO555TTx9CjaW3RdnMWt2WHa1FDXrdASgXkyUjBeJHsjHxO2BsFDb_pg7J4VVJvHQwL-B48wrfWjReJkIRm3e8-J5Wy1UwuWNhtu_raP6M/s1600/new-york-photos-077%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToo8rQfr73Q1LEVP4_vJGvUKZpsQGXnsTKrO555TTx9CjaW3RdnMWt2WHa1FDXrdASgXkyUjBeJHsjHxO2BsFDb_pg7J4VVJvHQwL-B48wrfWjReJkIRm3e8-J5Wy1UwuWNhtu_raP6M/s320/new-york-photos-077%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-80803562212094344462010-12-27T08:34:00.000-08:002010-12-30T14:06:15.156-08:00Locations - The Galilee<span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The caption above each image is actually a snippet from the manuscript.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">They arrived to the citadel in the late afternoon. It stood in a perfect location, on a hill about 200 feet above the road leading to the east. The citadel was made of stone with ten foot thick and forty foot high walls. It covered about 16,000 feet of the summit of the hill with a 360 degree view of the area below. The place was empty but for a few nuns that tended the small church less than half a mile to the northwest. The Count didn’t allow any rest</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENrZShaJ34cNMA4e7lRfQX3KyD6BETmyL-kGry0LsqAhbptoy3djVTkWRqUKRvV-HiqnY85zprm-sds_jimAbtAouZX9A3Bi7ztEQSqNHIil0XEDO2VRtNrfzobY9Pkz5j4PpTfUdJHc/s1600/P4131601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENrZShaJ34cNMA4e7lRfQX3KyD6BETmyL-kGry0LsqAhbptoy3djVTkWRqUKRvV-HiqnY85zprm-sds_jimAbtAouZX9A3Bi7ztEQSqNHIil0XEDO2VRtNrfzobY9Pkz5j4PpTfUdJHc/s320/P4131601.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A bird's eye view of the Citadel. It is located above the ancient town of Sepphoris, the Capital of the Galilee during Roman occupation of the Judean province. Notice the church off St. Ann and St. Yoachim on the far right of the photo.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32as60q5fTCZHk-pPzllFyH_F_2Bi7EH5cHnNzjSTGcfaw6A7CAjuh98dt17yx9SdmzjY2jl27Spo0W2_zAUlhfeIY4pzAm3VLbpE7VUx_vw4SJMiHh0wr5lKmPtVfuDZNSYSJ-W3P1E/s1600/Sepphoris_with_theater_aerial_from_northeast%252C_122-17tb%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32as60q5fTCZHk-pPzllFyH_F_2Bi7EH5cHnNzjSTGcfaw6A7CAjuh98dt17yx9SdmzjY2jl27Spo0W2_zAUlhfeIY4pzAm3VLbpE7VUx_vw4SJMiHh0wr5lKmPtVfuDZNSYSJ-W3P1E/s320/Sepphoris_with_theater_aerial_from_northeast%252C_122-17tb%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The Count knew almost nothing about the area except that he had been to the small church nearby. At least he would die in the presence of the divine. The Mamluk scout had shared with the Count that this fortress served as the departure point to the Battle of Hattin. It was 41 years ago that Guy De Lusignan and many of his fellow Templar knights went to their last battle against Saladin. They were all killed. Those who survived the battle were beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam.(Author's note - The ancient town of Nazareth would be on the upper left hand of the photo.)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8hUA-ho5Qp36wKgjButQfqJoWFmDOr5a9QUR2AvswYrqiq1c6s-ebK1cJOFUxH2KsOocdDmNtiKNlFdbd9RYTzzVYLSFn_7v15Gmsq0n340oyOZQ97pfeFYWvIkKL66g5UVW-Zud0dQ/s1600/P4131622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8hUA-ho5Qp36wKgjButQfqJoWFmDOr5a9QUR2AvswYrqiq1c6s-ebK1cJOFUxH2KsOocdDmNtiKNlFdbd9RYTzzVYLSFn_7v15Gmsq0n340oyOZQ97pfeFYWvIkKL66g5UVW-Zud0dQ/s320/P4131622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">It was noon. Grey skies warned of rain and filled the air with the sweet scent of moisture. Miriam Ben Yair and Jack McLeod stood together at the bottom of a hill on the banks of a river known as Kziv. It was one of the few rivers in Israel that flowed year round. Above them on a precipitous rock crest were the ruins of what had once been the splendid Montfort Crusader’s Castle. Built in the early 12<sup>th</sup> century but destroyed by Saladin following the battle of Hittin, it was recaptured five years later and restored in 1220 AD only to be sold to the order of the Teutonic Knights. With the sale it had lost the name Montfort Castle and been renamed by the Germans “Starkenberg,” the strong mountain. </span></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6BmhbvdX9TSY6EptHkgIErtSTX02PdXB1U5gvSup1ZLC3BTXsxazi5KLTRXAsSZcbWJxszAJzudxWz8mhlcrRa9-IL51J_M0-a_2e6tCiHru89vxcSbMCeYs2f_MDnd9E35NBuJFA4w/s1600/Montfort074as%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6BmhbvdX9TSY6EptHkgIErtSTX02PdXB1U5gvSup1ZLC3BTXsxazi5KLTRXAsSZcbWJxszAJzudxWz8mhlcrRa9-IL51J_M0-a_2e6tCiHru89vxcSbMCeYs2f_MDnd9E35NBuJFA4w/s320/Montfort074as%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-25396932200238781192010-12-27T07:40:00.001-08:002010-12-31T09:23:34.530-08:00The History vs. The Fiction<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">While this novel is a work of fiction, the events upon which it is based are historical and archaeological facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;">During ancient times, a sacred duty of the Israelites, according to the Torah, was to pay tribute and bring sacrificial animals and gifts to the Temple during the three pilgrimage festivals. </span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype><shape alt="Herod's Temple" id="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 167.4pt; width: 248.4pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:href="http://www.mystae.com/images/temple2.gif" src="file:///C:\Users\Owner\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;"></span></imagedata></shape></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;">Following the destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC, Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, had allowed for the Temple to be rebuilt in 535 BC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the next 500 years up until the rebuilding of the Second Temple by Herod the Great, vast amounts of precious metals and gems continued to accumulate in the Temple’s vaults from those tributes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some accounts estimate there to have been about 300 tons of gold, silver and precious stones. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;">Historical accounts claim that Titus son of Vespasian Caesar had looted some of the Temple’s treasure after he destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 AD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In modern-day Rome, visitors can still see etched into the stone of Titus’ arch near the coliseum part of that treasure, such as the seven branch candelabrum, or Menorah.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New light was shed on the treasure following the 1952 discovery of the Copper Scrolls in cave Q3 at the Essene settlement of Qumran on the northern shores of the Dead Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scrolls described the value of the treasure and the 64 different burial sites throughout Judea and Samaria, today’s West Bank territories controlled by Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To date, no archaeological proof has been found that can positively identify who may have hidden the vast treasure. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;">In June 2007 the Copper Scrolls were taken from their permanent residence at the Amman Archeology Museum on a tour of the US and were displayed for about 6 months at the San Diego Natural History Museum. </span></span></div><div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;">In 2006 Professor Oren Gutfeld, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has identified the Herodian Palace of Hyrcania located ten miles southeast of Jerusalem, also known as Khirbet Mird, to be the place mentioned on the first line of the Copper Scrolls as “the Ruin which is in the Valley of Achor…” He subsequently began to excavate a tunnel leading into the hill on which the fortress had been built. </span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><shape id="_x0000_i1026" style="height: 232.2pt; width: 298.8pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="khirbetmird" src="file:///C:\Users\Owner\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.jpg"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;"></span></imagedata></shape></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;">The other 63 locations described in the Copper Scrolls have yet to be identified. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Sicarii, (You can find intersting facts here - <a href="http://www.fectio.org.uk/sites/jerusalem1990.htm">http://www.fectio.org.uk/sites/jerusalem1990.htm</a> )a splinter group from the religious faction, the Pharisees, appeared around 6 AD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Followers of Judas the Galilean, the Sicarii were a sect of extreme right-wing Jews who believed that no other than the Lord God should have the power to rule the Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considered the first terror group, the Sicarii men were expert assassins. Their favored method of killing was slitting their target’s throat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although they killed in broad daylight and in public, for all to see, afterward they always managed to disappear like ghosts, never to be caught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Sicarii weapon was a unique dagger known as the Sica, from which the name of the sect had derived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The Sicarii’s rebellion against the Romans had began in 6 AD and ended 67 years later when Elazar Ben Yair led the Sicarii in a mass suicide pact on the fortress mountain of Masada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to historical accounts written by Yosef Ben Mattityahu (Joseph son of Matthias), also known as Titus Flavius Josephus, two women and five children were spared from the mass suicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is this fact that I am using to fictionalize the Sicarii’s continuous existence throughout history and today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="color: #0c343d; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;">The Knights Templar Order written about in this novel (historical facts about the Templar Knights - <a href="http://www.templarhistory.com/">http://www.templarhistory.com/</a> ) is also an order that in fact existed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, according to historical accounts they were completely disbanded following the execution of their last Grand Master Jacques De Molay in 1314.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The order’s role in this book beyond this year is mostly a figment of my imagination.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Courier New;">In August 2005, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to return Gaza to the Palestinians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were rumors at the time of right-wing Jewish settlers who may have planned to violently oppose the removal of Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, except for minor disruptions, the “disengagement” as it was called, went rather smoothly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The assassination plot against the Israeli PM is also imaginary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. Yossi Melman, intelligence correspondent for Israeli newspaper Haaretz, and author of seven books on Israeli spymasters and terrorism including his latest, the <b><i>Nuclear Sphinx of Iran</i></b>, gave me his approval to use his name in this story.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br />
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</span></div>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-21905638825647284492010-12-23T13:31:00.000-08:002010-12-30T14:06:26.462-08:00Locations - Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">The caption above each image is actually a snippet from the manuscript.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">First let's get acquainted with the area the story revolves around, mostly in Judea and Samaria.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">The land was under the control of the Hashemite kingdom (Jordan) till 1967. It was lost to Israel following the Six day war on June of that same year. Since then a almost a 100,000 Jewish settlers have made that area their home. It is feared that any attempt of relinquishing that land to the Palestinian people, may cause the Jewish settlers to rise and oppose violently such actions by the Israeli government.It is their belief that the land was given to them by God, thus government has no right to remove them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><img alt="Click on the image to see a full sized map." height="706" src="http://www.justpeaceforisrael.com/just_peace_for_israel/images/JudeaAndSamariaMountainRangesMap_300wide.JPG" width="300" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">The particular fortress he planned to survey on that day was called the Bastion of Dagon, located seven miles from Jericho on top of Jabel Al Qarantal. A cone-shaped hill with a Greek monastery, it was situated on its eastern side about two-thirds of the way up.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpj6wW39tUAElc8-AI2umIMYj48bX1YGS8uFrk_sgjjH83kv6y-Wd9jqJThZgLRZ7Pc_Kdvqc7qk_9hqfqb-PR5_9ql7dKnQAz_SDK7cCJhBM21eCtuRY7qrb17ow2y7tGrN8XeocqxA/s1600/dagon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpj6wW39tUAElc8-AI2umIMYj48bX1YGS8uFrk_sgjjH83kv6y-Wd9jqJThZgLRZ7Pc_Kdvqc7qk_9hqfqb-PR5_9ql7dKnQAz_SDK7cCJhBM21eCtuRY7qrb17ow2y7tGrN8XeocqxA/s320/dagon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The air was stagnant. Standing at the edge of the hill looking east, Professor Robert Young thought he could see the peak of Mount Nebo far in the distance. The complete desolation and the exhausting heat turned his mood gloomy. Vale Achor, door of hope. He almost wanted to laugh. </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Why would anyone use the word 'hope' to describe this place? No trees, no bushes. Not one green patch. Just sand and rocks. The hope he would find the treasure was equally matched with doubt. The 8th century BC prophet Hosea, who uttered those words, must have been one incredibly optimistic guy. </span></span></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/HurkaniaTop.JPG"><img alt="File:HurkaniaTop.JPG" height="300" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/HurkaniaTop.JPG/800px-HurkaniaTop.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><br />
Another view of Hyrkania (Khirbet Mird)<br />
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<div align="center"><img alt="Aerial View of Hyrkania" class="size-medium wp-image-1709" height="300" src="http://www.dannythedigger.com//wp-content/uploads/2010/10/image003-279x300.jpg" title="Aerial View of Hyrkania" width="279" /></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In his mind's eye, he could see his father. He remembered a day, many years ago, when the two of them stood at the foot of a hill. The Arabs called it Khirbet Mird. They got off their horses by the man-sized entrance carved into the rock. It was then that Elazar realized he was standing at the entrance to the tunnel his father had told him so much about. He was standing at the epicenter of Sicarii history. The place where the man from Masada had buried God's treasure. A short tremble moved through his body.</span>.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Qumran cave Q3, where the Copper Scrolls were found in 1952</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixa3gHz16wHf4C05-OlL6-1XH0ZVu8Y74AaKqB2lEGqCOeMwW5q-WIrLqpMtpFn_4IHyvdn6IJZ58Kzs6Ztm5udI6OoZcncxl3uJa96kpAGJ89GyqJxhkCQfT8eQ_O6IRoa6mIhGQPTbI/s1600/scroll_qumran%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixa3gHz16wHf4C05-OlL6-1XH0ZVu8Y74AaKqB2lEGqCOeMwW5q-WIrLqpMtpFn_4IHyvdn6IJZ58Kzs6Ztm5udI6OoZcncxl3uJa96kpAGJ89GyqJxhkCQfT8eQ_O6IRoa6mIhGQPTbI/s320/scroll_qumran%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is how the Copper Scrolls look like, currently housed in a museum in Amman, Jordan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some interesting facts about the Copper Scrolls,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.philipcoppens.com/copperscroll.html"><span style="color: cyan;">http://www.philipcoppens.com/copperscroll.html</span></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New";">“I know a place,” said Young. “It is south of here, in Wadi Rum, where the chief of the Hawyatat lives. It is the largest Bedouin tribe in Jordan and the northern parts of Saudi Arabia combined. About ten years ago I helped the chief’s son out of some trouble. The chief said that if I ever need his help all I had to do was ask.” (Author's note - The location where the movie "Lawrence of Arabia," directed by David Lean was made)</span></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxHDGPxiQpS2ILty42qfwltrhT9s1Yh3yD0rqtQh8EJA-dVapD0l4GIpoW3UC9IzM_zVngfX_ylW17GetMrT2LR909LRzt-Agdfk602itFVQGic4DCA4RQERE6KZZftxMHYQhhZ1UB28/s1600/wadi-rum%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxHDGPxiQpS2ILty42qfwltrhT9s1Yh3yD0rqtQh8EJA-dVapD0l4GIpoW3UC9IzM_zVngfX_ylW17GetMrT2LR909LRzt-Agdfk602itFVQGic4DCA4RQERE6KZZftxMHYQhhZ1UB28/s320/wadi-rum%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The Second Temple of Jerusalem had taken 10,000 masons eight years to renovate. Ten of the thirteen giant gates, adorned with gold and silver, studded the thick, high walls. Inside, 160 marble pillars, each 36 feet high, held up a roof of polished cedar trees. Both Jews and Gentiles could enter the Outer Court, but only the former were allowed into the inner court. It was from there that Elazar Ben Yair directed the carnage and plunder</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-hkkQIXC5oRaY3THu1jIEMJRMyRHxyVzy0NGOK7m8QfYJlrJjIAHFhGcqC9US-YPqH4Ov-04Q6qq8h_zHeub2bsGUs9Bx7Wv4A7XIHSIu6R3nPdrJ0cdqimR9kFGPgGIYReT-ovD5pI/s1600/holy+temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-hkkQIXC5oRaY3THu1jIEMJRMyRHxyVzy0NGOK7m8QfYJlrJjIAHFhGcqC9US-YPqH4Ov-04Q6qq8h_zHeub2bsGUs9Bx7Wv4A7XIHSIu6R3nPdrJ0cdqimR9kFGPgGIYReT-ovD5pI/s320/holy+temple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="blackclass1"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">At</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> <span class="blackclass1">Khirbet</span> <span class="blackclass1">Mird,</span> <span class="blackclass1">Elazar</span> <span class="blackclass1">and</span> <span class="blackclass1">Menachem left</span> four <span class="blackclass1">men</span> <span class="blackclass1">to</span> stand <span class="blackclass1">guard</span> at t<span class="blackclass1">he</span> <span class="blackclass1">entrance to the tunnel and</span> began d<span class="blackclass1">escending</span> <span class="blackclass1">stairs that had been</span> <span class="blackclass1">carved</span> <span class="blackclass1">into</span> <span class="blackclass1">the</span> <span class="blackclass1">stone</span> two thousand <span class="blackclass1">years</span> before. I<span class="blackclass1">t</span> <span class="blackclass1">quickly</span> <span class="blackclass1">became</span> <span class="blackclass1">difficult to</span> <span class="blackclass1">breathe.</span> <span class="blackclass1">At about</span> <span class="blackclass1">350</span> <span class="blackclass1">feet</span> <span class="blackclass1">below ground</span> <span class="blackclass1">they</span> <span class="blackclass1">reached</span> <span class="blackclass1">a</span> <span class="blackclass1">small</span> <span class="blackclass1">cavern. The</span> <span class="blackclass1">beams</span> <span class="blackclass1">of</span> <span class="blackclass1">their</span> <span class="blackclass1">flashlights illuminated</span> a <span class="blackclass1">small</span> <span class="blackclass1">mound</span> <span class="blackclass1">in</span> <span class="blackclass1">the</span> <span class="blackclass1">center. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5IXHow8RGw6YOG1Ba8AQMLc0M3yo9CL6YFxi-BWwLpFnf0SwRf5bKThiW5mRcXNbtrXHUWIFT1OXjRh_ienrgFr6MKjvnsK-arrI0sY6cAUwBep5hBWp_vNmvyH2-HeDsChtAEPpOVw/s1600/map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5IXHow8RGw6YOG1Ba8AQMLc0M3yo9CL6YFxi-BWwLpFnf0SwRf5bKThiW5mRcXNbtrXHUWIFT1OXjRh_ienrgFr6MKjvnsK-arrI0sY6cAUwBep5hBWp_vNmvyH2-HeDsChtAEPpOVw/s320/map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The Breastplate of Judgment was first mentioned in the Book of Exodus. Thirty-five hundred years ago, Aaron the brother of Moses carried it as a sign of his religious authority. Biblical accounts described it as being inlaid in cloth woven of five different threads and linen, the gems sewn onto it</span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeNKnghRbQHJIsl1pi4nIEpmVCEV1vXBNul1eo0y6IBaPUqR5OhBbM6hbYPan9LiIRXz0se9-BHPwuKvlGeUwz6j9ZTIZe7GbjSxD0Dm0V_cOejwtdSR5yxGNP3MW4atC9QweSnl5W28/s1600/PLATE4DX%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeNKnghRbQHJIsl1pi4nIEpmVCEV1vXBNul1eo0y6IBaPUqR5OhBbM6hbYPan9LiIRXz0se9-BHPwuKvlGeUwz6j9ZTIZe7GbjSxD0Dm0V_cOejwtdSR5yxGNP3MW4atC9QweSnl5W28/s320/PLATE4DX%255B1%255D.jpg" width="254" /></a><br />
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More locations to come on the next post,<br />
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</div><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"> <stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"> <stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype></span>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145370418875230690.post-75839551940156613422010-12-20T11:52:00.000-08:002010-12-30T08:35:23.814-08:00This blog is about a dream - writing a novel<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d; font-family: Calibri;">In a span of about 50 years, I have read thousands of books. I admired the authors for their ability to create their stories. I wanted so very much to follow in their footsteps. I promised myself that if one day an idea would come, I would do just that, despite my limitations. My vocabulary limited, my grammar atrocious, I would need someone to help me. I don't think I can call myself a writer, maybe a good story teller.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d; font-family: Calibri;">One day in June 2005, speaking with the director of the Art and Natural History museum in San Diego about proposed groups to the Holy Land (I owned a travel agency), he told me about the Copper Scrolls. Although I regard myself as an avid reader and history maven , I had never heard of the Copper Scrolls before. He suggested I should read the book "The Treasures of the Copper Scrolls," by Prof. John Marco Allegro of Oxford. It took some efforts to find this 1960's edition, but I finally managed. </span><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/copertx2.html"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/copertx2.html</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"> –</span> <span style="color: #0c343d;">when they were unfurled, they</span> <span style="color: #0c343d;">hinted at a huge treasure taken from the 2<sup>nd</sup> Temple of Jerusalem before it was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. It was buried all over Judea and Samaria, in 64 different locations. When calculated it came to somewhere between 270 and 300 tons of gold, silver and precious stones. Problem was that the places mentioned on the scrolls couldn't be identified. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Two months later the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon announced the disengagement plan from Gaza. Hinting he was also ready to relinquish the control of the West Bank also known by the Israelis as Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians. There was genuine fear the West Bank settlers would rise and violently oppose those actions. Aside from some sporadic events, there was no violent, but then an idea flashed through</span> <span style="color: #0c343d;">my mind. What if</span> <span style="color: #0c343d;">?</span></span></div>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037746926955444840noreply@blogger.com0