God's Gold : A Quest for the Lost Temple Treasures of Jerusalem

In 70 AD, the Roman emperor Vespasian and his son Titus plundered the great Temple of Jerusalem, claiming for themselves a priceless hoard. The golden candelabrum, silver trumpets, the bejeweled Table of the Divine Presence—the central icons of the Jewish faith—were cast adrift in Mediterranean lands and exposed to centuries of turbulent history and the rule of four different civilizations. Only an intriguing trail of clues remains to betray the treasure's ever-changing destiny—a trail eminent archaeologist Dr. Sean Kingsley has followed on one of the most remarkable quests of this or any other age: the search for the final resting place of God's gold. God's Gold explores the fate of the greatest biblical treasure in history, the central icons of the Jewish faith looted from the Temple of Jerusalem. The Golden candelabrum, silver trumpets, and the bejeweled Table of the Divine Presence were plundered by the Roman Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus in A.D. 70. These biblical treasures are cast adrift in Mediterranean lands and exposed to 550 years of turbulent history and the rule of four different civilizations; only an intriguing trail of clues betrays their ever-changing destiny. The Temple treasure is a priceless horde, but it has yet greater significance as the ultimate symbol of man's communication with God. The gold's recovery is central to Israel's broken dreams of messianic redemption by building a new House of God on the Temple Mount and its hopes for a return to an age of biblical sacrifice. Using untapped historical texts and new archaeological sources, Sean Kingsley unravels the incredible history of this treasure; its character; and religious, political, and financial meaning across the ages. Unexpected discoveries send him on a physical journey to expose the treasure's destiny. From the Vatican to the Vandal palace of Carthage, Constantinople's hippodrome, and the wilderness of Judea, his remarkable quest reveals facts more astonishing than fiction. - Jacket flap. God's Gold explores the fate of the greatest biblical treasure in history, the central icons of the Jewish faith looted from the Temple of Jerusalem. The golden candelabrum, silver trumpets, and the bejeweled Table of the Divine Presence were plundered by the Roman emperor Vespasian and his son Titus in AD 70. These biblical treasures are cast adrift in Mediterranean lands and exposed to 550 years of turbulent history and the rule of four different civilizations; only an intriguing trail of clues betrays their ever-changing destiny. The Temple treasure is a priceless hoard, but it has yet greater significance as the ultimate symbol of man's communication with God. The gold's recovery is central to Israel's broken dreams of messianic redemption by building a new House of God on the Temple Mount and its hopes for a return to an age of biblical sacrifice. Using untapped historical texts and new archaeological sources, Sean Kingsley unravels the incredible history of this treasure; its character; and religious, political, and financial meaning across the ages. Unexpected discoveries send him on a physical journey to expose the treasure's destiny. From the Vatican to the Vandal palace of Carthage, Constantinople's hippodrome, and the wilderness of Judea, his remarkable quest reveals facts more astonishing than fiction. Introduction Roots. River of gold Awakenings Ghosts of Israel past Exodus and exile Herod's treasure chest Israel : land of God. Dark secrets in the Vatican Temple prophecies Volcano of hate Keeping the faith? Benjamin of Tudela The philosopher's folly Dead Sea treasures Castles in the air Temple treasure. Divine light : the Menorah Hunting graven images The tree of life Bread of Heaven Trumpeting messages Revolution. City of unbrotherly love Turning the screw Death of a temple Flavian spin Imperial Rome. Walking with God A word from the sponsors Aliens in Rome Of circuses and artichokes The triumphal way A day at the Circus Maximus A temple for peace Vandal Carthage. Jewish gold, barbarian loot Heresy and holocaust Keeping the faith In a Vandal palace Constantinople : new Rome. Treasures recycled Hunting hippodromes Imperial war games The Holy land. Sanctuary of the Christians Desert city of saints City of gold, world of man Archaeologist Sean Kingsley describes his experiences tracking the Temple treasure--the golden candelabrum, silver trumpets, and bejeweled Table of the Divine Presence looted from the Temple of Jerusalem by the Roman emperor Vespasian and his son Titus in 70 A.D., and provides information on the history, character, and religious, political, and financial meaning of the cache which is central to the Jewish faith Traces an archaeologist's search for the ancient Jerusalem Temple treasure, a fifty-ton cache of gold, silver, and jeweled relics for which the author researched nearly two millennia of history and embarked on a series of labyrinthine quests. Title from PDF title page (viewed on Aug. 1, 2007).