Text for the Abner Ravenwood Ark Journal(Seen in Raiders of the Lost Ark)

by Wayne Miller

Re-published (with permission) and Amended by Bryan Babich

Info. And background on this Project

Thebiggestchallengeofthisprojecthasbeentotrytomatchuphistorywiththefilm.Thereissomevery good information about where the Ark actually is or could possibly be, but it is not down the path thatwasfollowedinthefilm.Infactthepathfollowedbythefilm(theShishakpossibility)isconsideredundoubtedlywrongbymostscholars.So,Ihavehadtomuckwithsomeinformationinorderforthefilmtobe“correct”,andthe“true”disappearanceoftheArktobefalse.Inotherwords,Ihadtocomeupwitha reason to discount the information about the Ark being in Axum, and come up with a reason to believe in the much-discounted possibility that Shishak did indeed taketheArk(whichIthinkIdidratherbelievably,especiallywhenyouconsiderthelineinthescripturethatInoticed.Imayhaveactuallystumbledontosomethingthere!). Another challenge, though not nearly as formidable, was in making sure that the dates of the entries actuallymadesenseandcouldhavehappenedinthatway.Forexample,Abner’striptoFrancehastobe beforeWWI(theGreatWar),yetaftertheBalkanwarstobebelievable.(AlthoughtheBalkanwarsprobablywouldn’thaveaffectedtheirtrip,itmighthavemadethemthinktwiceaboutgoingtoEuropewhiletheyweregoingon.)Thisleftthewindowof1913forhistrip. Finally,Itriedtomakethejournalfitwhatwasseeninthefilmandavailableinthefilmnovelizationandyetleaveroomforthenovelsandcomics.ThesearesomeofthethingsIhadtokeepinmind:

1) ThejournalwasgiventoIndybyAbnerwhiletheywerestillfriends.2) The journal made no mention of the headpiece to the Staff of Ra (but could have mentioned

theStaff).3) TheverylastentrybrieflymentionsNepal.4) TherehadtobeabelievablereasonitwassenttoIndy,beforetheirattemptatfindingthe

headpiece to the Staff (the Dark horse comic) because there is no mention of the headpiece in thejournal.

5) Yet,ithadtohaveinformationontheMapRoomandWellofSoulsinorderforIndytousethatinfointheMapRoominthefilm.

All of the recounting of the excavations and trips were taken from real accounts (except of course fortheTanisdigsandanythinghavingtodowiththeStaffofRaortheWellofSouls).So,ifyougototheChartresinFrance,youshouldstillbeabletoseethesculpturesthatarementionedhere.IfyougotoAxum,youwillseetheGuardianoftheArk. Ihopeyouenjoythiswork.Ithasbeenveryenjoyabletoresearchandtowrite.Ifyounoticeanyglaringdiscrepancies,especiallyinthedatesoftheentries,pleaseletmeknow.

Wayne Miller

Addendum November2007

TheAbnerRavenwoodJournalisthemostfunIhaveeverhadworkingonacollaborativepropproject.Yearsaftermanyofourprojectshavelongbeencompleted,Istilllookbackatthemwithfondness,asWaynewasthemostcreative,openminded,andgenerouscollaboratorIhaveeverworkedwith.Throughallofourlabors,anonlinecollaborationevolvedintoanalmost10yearfriendshipthatIwillhonorformanyyearstocome.

OverthepasttwoyearsthisspecificprojecthasgainedagreatdealofinterestbyIndianaJonesenthusiastsandthepropcommunityasawhole,IcannotthinkofanybettertributetoWaynethantoofferthispieceagainontheeveofthenewIndianaJonesmovie.

IwanttothankWayne’sfamilyfortheirpermissiontoallowmetopresentthisprojectagaintothecommunity.

-Bryan

September 17th, 1910 InearlyOldTestamenttimes,theArkoftheCovenantwasworshippedbytheIsrealitesastheembodimentofGodHimself,asthesignandsealofHispresenceonearth,asthestrongholdofHispower,andastheinstrumentofhisineffablewill.BuilttocontainthetabletsofstoneuponwhichtheTenCommandments had been written, it was a wooden chest measuring three feet nine inches long by two feet threeincheshighandwide.Itwaslinedinsideandoutwithpuregoldandwassurmountedbytwowingedfiguresofcherubimthatfacedeachotheracrossitsheavygoldenlid.

Itwas,foraverylongtime,thecornerstoneoftheevolvingJewishfaith:indeedwhenKingSolomonbuilttheFirstTempleinJerusalemhissolemotivewastocreate“anhouseofrestfortheArkoftheCovenantoftheLord”.AtsomeunknowndatebetweenthetenthandsixthcenturyBC,however,thisuniquelypreciousandpuissantobjectvanishedfromitsplaceintheHolyofHoliesofthatTemple,vanishedwithoutsongorlamentationintheScriptures–almostasthoughithadneverexistedatall. TheevidencesuggeststhatitwasalreadylonggonewhenthearmiesofNebuchadnezzarburnedJerusalemin587BC.CertainlyitwasnotintheSecondTemplewhichwasbuiltovertheruinsoftheFirstaftertheJewshadreturnedfromtheirexileinBabylonin538BC.NeitherdoesitseemtohavebeentakenasbootybytheBabylonians. A close reading of the Old Testament reveals more than two hundred separate references to the Ark of the Covenant up until the time of Solomon(970–931BC);afterthereignofthatwiseandsplendidkingitisalmostnevermentionedagain.Fromthis,itseemsreasonabletosuggestthatsomesortofcover-up may have taken place – a cover-up devised by priests and scribes to ensure that the whereabouts of the sacredrelicwouldremainforeverasecret.Ifso,thenitisasecretIhavesetmyselftopenetrate.

October 3rd, 1910Ishallbeginbywritingdownwhatisknown.WeknowthattheArkofCovenantwaslocatedat

Shilohformanyyears,presumablyinahouse,tent,ortempleconstructedforitthere(Judges18:31,ISamuel1:39,3:3;Judges21:19).AtsomelaterperiodtheArkwasmovedtoBethelontheBenjamiteborderduringthewarwithGibeah(Judges20:26-27).TheArkwasthenheldbythePhilistinesforsevenmonths.Afterbeingrecaptureditwaslocatedfor20yearsatKiriath-jearim.KingSaulgenerallyneglectedtheArk(IChronicles13:3)butDavidbroughtittoJerusalemabout1003BC(IISamuel6;IChronicles13:15).TheArkwasgiventemporaryshelterinJerusalembeforebeinginstalledinthefirsttemplebuiltbyKingDavid’sson,Solomon.

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem was the last known location of the ArkoftheCovenant.ButitisitsdateofdeparturefromtheTempleiswhatisatquestion.ThelastknownreferencealludingtotheArk’spresenceintheTempledatesfrom701BC,whentheAssyriankingSennacheribsurroundedHezekiah’sforcesinJerusalem.Isaiah37:14-16reads,“AndHezekiahreceivedtheletterfromthehandofthemessengers,andreadit;andHezekiahwentuptothehouseoftheLord,andspreaditbeforetheLord.ThenHezekiahprayedtotheLord,saying:‘OLordofhosts,GodofIsrael,theOnewhodwellsbetweenthecherubim...’”ThisreferencetothepresenceofGod’sshekinahgloryabiding above the mercy seat on the Ark of the covenant, between the cherubim sculpted on the lid of the Ark,seemstoconfirmthattheArkwasstilllocatedintheHolyofHoliesin701BC. ItappearsthatthevillaininthedramaoftheArkwasthesubsequentking,Manasseh,andthattheArkmostprobablywastakenoutoftheTempleduringhisreign.AlthoughtheextentofManasseh’sevildoesnotallowafulldescriptionhereinthisjournal,theBiblesummarizeshisdeedsbynotingthathedidmoreevilthanthenationstheLordhaddestroyed.Hepracticedwizardryandsorcery,placedpaganidolsintheHolyofHolies,andshedinnocentbloodinthestreetsofJerusalem,fromoneendtotheother. Giventhis,IbelievethatapureLeviticalpriesthood,leftoverfromthedaysofHezekiah,wouldnothavetoleratedthedegradingandpollutingoftheTemplecontainingtheArkoftheCovenant.Itisevenpossible that Manasseh would have ordered the Ark removed from the Temple before installing his own debasedidols.WhateverthereasontheArkwasremoved,itisinterestingtonotethatjustashorttimeafterKingManasseh(687-642BC),KingJosiah(whobroughtgreatreformtotheJews)mentionstheArk’sabsencefromtheTemple.In2Chronicles35:3weread,“ThenhesaidtotheLeviteswhotaughtallIsrael,whowereholytotheLord:‘Put the holy ark inthehousewhichSolomontheSonofDavid,kingofIsrael,built.Itshallnolongerbeaburdenonyourshoulders.’”ThisnotonlyappearstoconfirmthattheArkhadbeen removed from the Temple, but also that the priests had been moving it somewhere in the manner prescribed by Levitical law. But if the Ark of the Covenant was removed from the Temple during the reign of Manasseh, where was it taken?

January 14th, 1911TheapocryphalbookofIIMaccabees(2:1-8)saysthattheprophetJeremiahhidtheArkand

thegoldenaltarofincenseinacaveonMt.NebobeforetheBabylonianexile.JeremiahwastakentoTahpanhesinEgyptbyaremnantoftheJewsafterthefallofJerusalem(Jeremiah42:1-43:7),soitisconceivablethathesecuredtheArkinacaveontheway.However,JeremiahtheprophetseemedtosuggestthattheArkhasbeenpermanentlylost(Jeremiah3:16),oratleastthatitwouldceasetobeofgreatsignificancewhentheMessiahcomes.So,itismorelikelyrumorthantruth.

Still,itisworthyofinvestigation.

June 21st, 1911 - MT. NEBO Wewalkedthroughthe“Siq,”animmersecrackintheNubiansandstone,tothecityofPetra.2000yearsagotheNabateanscarvedacityoutoftherose-redrockandtheTreasury,ElKhazneh,isoneofthemostelegantremainsofantiquityIhaveeverseen.BeyondElKhaznehweweresurroundedonbothsidesbyhundredsofPetra’scarvedandbuiltstructures.

ReturningthroughtheSiqtoWadiMusawecamenorth-westtoourobjective:Mt.Nebo,rumoredlastrestingplaceoftheArkoftheCovenantandbelievedtobethesiteofthetombofMoses.IamtakenabackbythespectacularviewacrosstheJordanValleyandtheDeadSeafromthesideofthismountain.

August 3rd, 1911 – MT. NEBO Wehavesearchedeverycrackandcrevasse,turnedeverystone,yetIamafraidwewillreturnhomeempty-handed.WeknewattheoutsetthatitwastheremotestofpossibilitiesthatwewouldfindtheArkhere.However,theentirecampisgreatlydisappointed.

November 11th, 1911 ThereisyetanotherpossibleexplanationforthedisappearanceoftheArk.In926BC,duringtheratherunsuccessfulreignofSolomon’ssonRehoboam,anEgyptianPharaohknownasSheshonq(or

Nebo

Jordan River

Jerusalem

Dea

d Se

a Ince

nse A

lter

“Shishak”)mountedafullscaleinvasion:“InthefifthyearofKingRehoboam,ShishakkingofEgyptcameupagainstJerusalem:Andhe took away the treasures of the house of the

Lord,andthetreasuresoftheking’shouse;heeventookawayall:andhetookawayallthe

shieldsofgoldwhichSolomonhadmade.”IKings14:25-26

AlsoretoldinIIChronicles12:9However,thereisnomentionoftheArkoftheCovenant.Surelysomethingasimportantasthe

ArkwastothepeopleofIsraelwouldhavebeenlistedamongtheitemstaken?Theremustbeabetterexplanation.EithertheArkwasremovedbefore the invasion by Shishak or it somehow remained in the HolyofHoliesandwasundisturbed.

April 23rd, 1912 IhavediscoveredhistoricalevidencethatduringthereignofManassehinIsrael,acolonyofJews - including Levitical priests-migratedfromIsraelandfoundedacolonyonElephantineIslandinEgypt.Itisstronglypossible,ifnotprobable,thattheElephantineJewswereescapingthedesecrationandpersecutionofwickedKingManasseh,andthattheyhadtheArkoftheCovenantwiththem. Thesemesterisnearinganend,andIintendtoorganizeasmallgroup,includingmyever-reluctantwifeandMarion(IthinksheenjoystheseadventuresasmuchasIdo),toinvestigatethislead.Ihavespokentosomeoftheotherfacultyaboutthispossibleexcursion,andwhilealldeclinedtheoffer,IwasgiventhenameofaDr.AtifHanna,curatoroftheAswanMuseum,asacontactinEgyptshouldweneedhishelp.Ishallwritehimandlethimknowourintent.

July 2nd, 1912 - EGYPT – ASWAN, ELEPHANTINE ISLAND InourvisittoElephantineIsland,wethoroughlyinvestigatedruinsofareplicaJewishtemplethathadbeenbuiltby650BC,matchingpreciselythedimensionsofSolomon’stempleinJerusalem.Ofcourse, the practice of building temples outside of Jerusalem was strictly forbidden by Deuteronomic Law, so only the most dire of circumstances would have compelled a group of Jewish refugees to undertake such aproject.Moreover,atemplereplicawouldhavebeenfruitlessatthatpointinhistorywithoutservingitsprimaryfunctionasarestingplacefortheArkoftheCovenant.

Ma’di

Dead Sea

Egypt

View of south of Temple

ElephatineIsland

Dairut

Anumberofancientdocuments(suchastheElephantinePapyri)seemtoconfirmtheexistenceofaJewishTempleatElephantine.Egypt,oratleastcertaindistrictsofEgypt,wouldhavebeenasafehavenforJewishrefugees,asweseefromKingNeco’sfriendlyappealtoJosiahin2Chronicles35:20-21,lessthanagenerationlater.(ItmayevenbethatJosiahdiedtryingtogainenoughcontroloverEgypttoreclaimtheArk). What’smore,ourscholarlycontactinEgypt,Dr.Hanna,hasconcludedfromhisinvestigationthattheArkoftheCovenantdidindeedcometoElephantineIslandduringthereignofManassehinIsrael,andthatitwashousedinthereplicatemple. However,Dr.Hannahasalsodeterminedthatthereplicatemplewasdestroyedforunknownreasons-possiblytheadvanceofanew,aggressivefromofidolworship-in410BC.Thatevent,then,raisesthequestion:WherewouldtheArkhavebeentaken?Wheremightoursearchleadusnext? Unfortunately,theanswerstothesequestionswillhavetowaitforanothertime.OurthreeshortweekshereinEgyptareover,anditistimetoreturntothestates.

October 9th, 1912InBookII,ChapterXofhisAntiquitiesoftheJews,Josephusrecountsanepisodeinwhich

Moses,leadingforcesfromEgypt,besiegestheEthiopiancityofSaba,andsubsequentlyreceivesanofferofmarriagefromtheking’sdaughternamedTharbis.AccordingtoJosephus,MosesacceptsandconsummateshismarriagetoanEthiopian,andsowinsthecityforEgypt. Isthisfableorfact?It’shardtosayforcertain-butinNumbers12:1Ifindthat“...MiriamandAaronspokeagainstMosesbecauseoftheEthiopianwomanwhomhehadmarried;forhehadmarriedanEthiopian.” Ifsuchamarriagetookplace,itiseasytoseethatalineofMosaicdescendantsinEthiopiawouldprovide an ideal place of refuge for the Ark, particularly if its welcome had been revoked further down riverinEgypt,andifitsreturntoIsraelwasnotpossiblebecauseoftheBabylonianconquestofJerusalemin587-586BC.

November 6th, 1912 Ihavebeensentamanuscriptbyanoldfriend,SirE.A.WallisBrudge,formerlykeeperofEgyptianandAssyrianAntiquitiesattheBritishMuseum.HehasbeenworkingonanEnglishtranslationof KebraNagast(“GloryofKings”),atextwhichdatesfromthethirteenthcenturyADandhadoriginallybeen written in Ge’ez,theancientliturgicallanguageofEthiopia.Tomysurpriseanddelight,itcontainsastoryabouttheQueenofShebaandKingSolomon,thebirthoftheirsonMenelik,andthe eventual abduction of the Ark of the Covenant from the First Temple in Jerusalem.

May 29th, 1913 - FRANCE Afterthespringschooltermwasover,andIwasdesiringacompletebreak,IhavecomeonholidaytoFrancewithmyfamily.WehiredacarinParisandthen,withnoparticularitineraryinmind,headedsouth.OurfirststopwasVersailles,wherewespentacoupleofdayslookingatthepalaceandthechateaux.ThenwewentontoChartres,alovelyoldtowninthedépartementofEure-et-LoirethatisfamousforitsGothiccathedral–acathedraldedicatedtoSaintMarytheMotherofChrist. Ispenttwofullhoursinthenorthporchtryingtopuzzleouttheconvolutedstoriestoldbythesculptures.TheleftbaycontainedseveralrepresentationsoftheVirginMaryandtheinfantChrist.ThecentralbaywasdominatedbyagroupofOldTestamentpatriarchsandprophets.

ItwasintherightbaythatIfoundtheQueenofSheba.ShewasplacednexttoafigureofSolomon,whichmadesensegiventhebiblicalcontext.IwasremindedimmediatelyofmyfriendSirBrudge’srecenttranslation of Kebra Nagast.

Onacolumnbetweenthecentralandright-handbays,Icameacrossapieceofsculpturethatwas

tohaveanenormousimpactonme.Miniaturized–nomorethanafewincheshighandwide–itdepictedaboxorchestofsomesortbeingtransportedonanox-cart.Beneathit,incapitalletters,werecarvedthesetwowords:

ARCHACEDERISMovingonaroundthecolumninananti-clockwisedirectionIthenfoundaseparatescene,badlydamagedanderoded,whichseemedtoshowamanstoopingoverthesameboxorchest.Therewasaninscriptionhere,too,alittledifficulttomakeout:

HICAMICITURARCHACEDERIS(orpossiblyHICAMITTITURARCHACEDERIS,

orHICAMITITURARCHACEDERIS,orevenHICAMIGITURARCHACEDERIS)

Thestyleofletteringwasarchaic,jumbledup,andobscure.However,IrecognizeditasLatin,oratleastaformofLatin. ItisobvioustomethatARCHAmeans“Ark”.Icouldalsoseethattheboxorchestdepictedinthesculptureswasabouttherightsize(scaledagainsttheotherfigures)tohavebeentheArkdescribedinthebookofExodus. CEDERISismostprobablyacorruptionofFOEDERIS–meaning“Covenant”.Onthisreading,therefore,ARCHACEDERISwouldtranslateverysimplyandlogicallyas“ArkoftheCovenant”. Astothelongerinscription,theproblemistheobscurityofthefourthletterofthesecondword.Itispossiblethattheobscuredletterisa“C”.Ifso,thentherelevantphrasebecomesHICAMICITURARCHACECERIS–whichwouldtranslateeitheras“HereisthehiddenArkoftheCovenant”,or“HereisthehiddenArkoftheCovenantthatyouwillyield”(or“giveup”or“sendaway”).AMICITURinthiscontextcouldequallywellmean“coveredup”–althoughthatdoesconveythesamesortofidea.

Queen of ShebaSolomon

Aftercopyingtheinscriptionsfromthecolumns,Imovedaroundtotrytoproduceasketchofthewholenorthporch.Thereissomethingelseherethatispossiblysignificant:theArktableau,thoughstandingtothefrontoftheporchonthesupportingcolumns,ispositionedexactlymid-waybetweenMelchizedek,theOld Testament priest-king whose statue dominates the central bay, and the statue of the Queen of Sheba, whichdominatestheright-handbay.Indeed,lookingatthesepiecesofsculpture,Icandrawaneattriangleconnectingupallthree–withMelchizedekandtheQueenofShebaateitherendofthelongbaseandtheArkoftheCovenantattheapexoftheshortersides.

Ark?

“ARCHA CEDERIS”Ark of the Covenant

Andthisisnotall.ItisapparenttomenowthattheArkonitslittlecarthasbeendepictedasmoving awayfromMelchizedekanddirectlytowardtheQueenofSheba–alongsidethementaltriangleIhavedrawn.GiventhecrypticnatureofmuchofthesculptureatChartres,andthewayinwhichdifferentfigureswereoftendeliberatelyjuxtaposedinordertotellstoriesandconveyinformation,itseemstomethatthisparticulararrangementisunlikelytobeaccidental. UponfurtherexaminationofthesculptureofMelchizedek,Inoticedthatdanglingbeneathhisrighthandwasacenserforburningincense.Butinhislefthand,heheldalong-stemmedchaliceorcupcontainingnotliquid,butrathersomesortofsolidcylindricalobject. Ishallhavetoresearchtheseimageswhenwereturnhome.

Ark

The North Porch

Statue of Queen of Sheba

The Ark appears to be moving away from Melchizedek and toward the Queen.

Statue of Melchizedek within the central bay

June 15th, 1913 - FRANCE TheremainderofourholidayhasseenmeplaguedwiththoughtsofmyfindinginthenorthporchofChartreswhereIhadseenthesculptures.WhatIcannotseemtoforgetisthewayinwhichthereliconitsox-carthadappearedtobemovingtowardstheQueenofSheba;norcanIdismissfrommymindthepossibilitythatthissuggestsmovementorajourneytowardsEthiopia.EvenmoreperplexingistheimageofthechaliceorcupinMelchizedek’shand. August 30th, 1913 UponourarrivalhomefromFrance,IsettoworkonthesymbolsinthehandsofthesculptureofMelchizedek.Ihavesincefoundadescriptionofthesculpture.Init,asketchofthesculptureissubscriptedwiththesewords:“MelchizedekbearingtheGrailcupoutofwhichcomestheStone”,andthenadds:“WiththiswemayconnectthepoemofWolframvonEschenbach,whoissaidtohavebeenaTemplar–thoughthereisnoproofofthis–forwhomtheGrailisaStone.”

March 3rd, 1914IhavepurchasedanumberofdifferentversionsoftheGrail“romance”.TheseincludedChrétien

deTroyes’sConteduGraal,leftunfinishedbytheauthorinAD1182,SirThomasMalory’sLeMorte D’Arthur,amuchlaterepicdatedtothemid-fifteenthcentury,andlastbutnotleastParzifal, which WolframvonEschenbachwasthoughttohavewrittenbetweentheyears1195and1210–dates that coincided almost exactly with the main phase of construction work on the north porch of Chartres cathedral.

August 23rd, 1914InMalory,theGrailisdescribedasa“vesselofgold”.However,inWolfram’sParzival, the grail is

indeed referred to as a stone.WhyshouldtheMorteD’ArthurhavedepictedtheGrailas“avessel”whenthe far earlier Parzival had unambiguously described it as a stone?

Onadifferentnote,itisfortuitousweholidayedinFrancewhenwedid.ChaosreignsinEuropeasoflate.

Sculpture of Melchizedek,

North Porch of Chartres

Cathedral

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April 17th, 1915 AccordingtoeverythingIcanfind,ChrétiendeTroyeshadeffectively“invented”theGrailin1182.Priortothatdateithadexistedneitherinhistory,norinmyth.ThegreatFrenchpoethadneverfinishedhisfamous ConteduGraal.Withinafewyears,however,WolframvonEschenbachcapitalizedonthegoodstartthathadbeenmade,extendingandcompletinghispredecessor’sstory. Although Wolfram remained by and large faithful to the original story, he made one glaringly obviouschange–thebizarreinnovationofmakingtheGrail a Stone. Could Wolfram have somehow gained access to the KebraNagast and enjoyed the story about the Ark of the Covenant being removed from Jerusalem, and decided to work elements of it into his own Parzival?HisGrailstorydoeslooktometobeinfluencedbyEthiopiantraditionsconcerningtheArk.There could be more to this – muchmore.This,combinedwiththe“code”intheChartrescathedral,mighthintthattherelichadbeentakenbacktoEthiopia.

September 12th, 1915 My readings of Parzivaloverthesummerhavebroughtastartlingpossibilitytomyattention.ThefictionalobjectknownastheHolyGrailcouldhavebeendevisedtoserveasacomplexsymbolfortheArkoftheCovenant.Isuspect,basedonWolfram’sstory,thatnoneotherthanMenelikI–thesonoftheQueenofShebaandKingSolomon–hadbroughttheArkoftheCovenanttoEthiopia. “Belacane”=“Makeda”(theEthiopiannamefortheQueenofSheba)and“Bilquis”(MuslimnamefortheQueen). “Gahmuret”=KingSolomon. BelecaneandtheQueenwerebothblack,GahmuretandSolomonwerebothwhite. “Feirefiz”=Menelik.Both“half-caste”sonsofblackmothersandwhitefathers. “Feirefiz”–“vairfils”?(Frenchfor“piebaldson”) orperhaps“vraifils”?(Frenchfor“trueson”)

March 28th, 1916 FromThe Legend of the Queen of Sheba in the Tradition of Axum(translatedintoEnglishbyDr.Littman–Princeton,1904): “AtonceMenelikwenttohimandtookhishandtogreethim.ThenSolomonsaid‘Thouartmytrue son’.” “Vrai fils”!!!

September 20th, 1916 IhavecomeacrossasmallbuthighlysignificantdetailcontainedinasinglelinethatIhadmissedbefore.AccordingtoWolfram’s“happily-ever-after”conclusion,thesonofFeirefizandRepansedeSchoyehadbeennamed“PresterJohn”.Itwasobvioustomeatoncethatthiscouldbeanenormousclue.IknowthatthefirstEuropeanstoarriveinEthiopiahadaddressedthemonarchsofthatcountryas“PresterJohn”.Ialsoknowthatthelegendaryfounderoftheself-styled“Solomonic”dynastytowhichthosemonarchs had belonged had been MenelikI–thesupposedsonofSolomonandtheQueenofSheba.IcouldnothelpbutbeexcitedtoreadthatRepansedeSchoyehadgivenFeirefiz“asonnamed‘John’”and,moreover,that“Theycalledhim‘PresterJohn’,andeversince,theycalltheirkingsbynoothername.”

ThereisanothermedievalGermanepicinwhichPresterJohnbecametheguardianoftheGrail.Called DerFungerTiturel, it was written in a style so close to that of Parzival that scholars had long attributed it to Wolfram himself.

WhenWolframtalkedof“PresterJohn”couldhehavehadanEthiopianmonarchinmind?Itappearsnot,becausehestatesplainlythat“PresterJohn’s”birthhadtakenplaceinIndia,acountryof

whichFeirefizwasapparentlythekingandtowhichheandRepansedeSchoyehadreturnedaftertheadventures described in Parzivalwereover.

May 7th, 1917 Ihavebeenresearchingthenamesof“India”,becauseIcouldnotletgoofthenotionthatWolframwas indeedspeakingofanEthiopianmonarchwhentalkingofPresterJohn.Ihavefoundthat“India”wasalsoknownas“Tribalibot”(Here,wecallit“India”:there,itis“Tribablibot”).CheckingbackinParzival, IfoundearlierpassagesinwhichFeirefizhadbeenspokenofasthe“LordofTribalibot”–whichisconsistentenoughsinceInowknowthathisson“PresterJohn”hadultimatelysucceededhimastherulerofTribalibot/India.However,IcouldhardlyforgetthatFeirefizwashimselfthesonofBelacanetheQueenof“Zazamanc”.IwasthereforenotsurprisedtolearnthatWolframhadalsoreferredtoFeirefizasthe“KingofZazamanc”. The only reasonable conclusion to be drawn from this confetti of exotic titles and appellations is that“Zazamanc”,“Tibalibot”,and“India”wereall,infact,thesameplace.ButcouldthisplacepossiblybeEthiopia?Isn’titmuchmorereasonabletoassume–sincehehadactuallynamedit–thatWolframhadhadthesubcontinentofIndiainmindallalong?

October 8th, 1917 Thename“PresterJohn”,Ihavediscoveredhadbeencompletelyunknownbeforethetwelfthcentury–acenturyduringwhichEuropeanCrusadershadoccupiedtheHolyCityofJerusalemforacontinuousperiodofmorethaneightyyears(theywerefinallyexpelledbytheSaracensin1187).HistorianshaveagreedthattheveryfirstmentionofPresterJohnhadbeenmaderoughlyhalf-waythroughthisperiod–in1145intheChronicleofBishopOttoofFreisingen.

February 11th, 1918 In1177,PopeAlexanderIII(writingfromVenice)addressedalettertohis“dearestsoninChrist,John,illustriousandmagnificentKingoftheIndians”.

July 27th, 1918 Ihavebeenabletoconfirmoverandoveragainthat“thePrester’s”realmswerereferredtoasIndiaor,moreloosely,“theIndies”.ItisquiteobviousthatnoneofthemedievalauthoritiesconcernedhadhadanyfirmideaintheirownmindsastowhereexactlyIndiaand/ortheIndieswere.Anditisequallyobvious,whentheytalkedabout“India”,thattheywereonlyrarelyspeakingofthesubcontinentitself.Themajorityofthereferencesarequiteclearlytosomeotherplace,perhapsinAfrica,perhapselsewhere–althoughnobodyreallyseemstoknow.

June 12th, 1919 Ihavebeguntounderstandwhatthesourceofallofthisuncertaintymighthavebeen:formorethan a thousand years beforetheearliestmentionofPresterJohn,aprofoundterminologicalmuddlehadexistedinwhich“India”hadfrequentlybeenconfusedwith“Ethiopia”.Indeed,fromthefirstcenturyBC(whenVirgilhadwrittenoftherisingoftheNilein“India”),untilatleastthetimeofMarcoPolo–whenallthecountriesthatborderedontheIndianOceanwerestillreferredtoas“theIndies”–theterms“Ethiopia”and“India”appearedtohavebeenusedasthoughtheywerecompletelyinterchangeable.

August 29th, 1920 InowfeelthatthecircumstantialevidenceverystronglysupportsmyhypothesisthattheChartressculpturesandWolfram’sremarkablenarrativepoemhadbeenexplicitlycreatedtoserveasesoterictreasuremaps.And,thoughnotactuallymarkedwithan“X”,thereseemstobelittledoubtthatthespot

identifiedbythesemapsasthehidingplaceofthetreasurecouldonlybeEthiopia–thelandofPresterJohn,thelandthathadprovidedthelastrestingplaceofthefictionalHolyGrail,andthus(ifmymemoryiscorrect)thelandinwhichtheArkoftheCovenant,therealobjectthattheGrailsymbolized,will be found.

June 2nd, 1922 - ETHIOPIA – TANA KIRKOS ISLAND Ourresearchon-siteinEthiopiahasledustotheshoresofLakeTana,abodyofwater53mileslongand41mileswide,locatedontheheadwatersoftheBlueNile.IsolatedfaroutonthewatersofLakeTanaisTanaKirkosIsland,consideredbytheEthiopianstobeaholyisland,andpopulatedonlybyEthiopianChristianmonks.ThemonksofTanaKirkosbelievetheyarelivingontheislandwheretheArkoftheCovenantrested,andwhereLevitical-stylebloodsacrificeswereperformeduntil338AD,whenthenationofEthiopiaconvertedtoChristianity.

Athree-and-a-half-hourboatridehastakenustotheshoresofTanaKirkosIsland,whereIhaveencounteredthemostmysteriousandprimitivecultureIhaveexperiencedinallmytravelsaroundtheworld.WeweremetbyacolonyofmonkswholivealifeentirelyisolatedevenfromEthiopiancivilization,dedicatedtoalifeofprayer,meditation,andworship-alldatingbacktoatimewhentheybelievetheArkoftheCovenantwassafeguardedontheirisland.RecruitedfromthevillagessurroundingLakeTana,theydedicatetherestoftheirlivestoworshipingonTanaKirkos,wheretheygrowtheirownfood,grindtheirowncorn,andmaketheirownclothes. ThemonksofTanaKirkosescortedustoahighplateauwheretheyshowedusseverallarge,moss-coveredstoneswhichtheysaidhadpreviouslybeenusedinsacrificialceremonieswhentheArkoftheCovenantwasontheisland.Theyalsotoldusthattherocksurfaceonwhichwewerestandinghadbeenthelocationofatabernacle-liketentthathadhousedandprotectedtheArk. Intriguedthatatenthadbeenontherocksurface,Iexcavatedsomeloosetopsoilanddiscoveredfourhand-carvedsocketholes,spacedtocreatea13’by13’square,orientedinanorth-south,east-westconfiguration,apparentlytoemulatetheoriginalHolyofHolies. ThemonksthenaskedmeifIwouldcaretoseeimplementsfromSolomon’sTemple.Intriguedbytheirstatement,Iwaitedexpectantlywhileamonkapproachedalargemud-brickbuilding,unlockedaheavy latch and lock (the only signs of modern society present on the island), entered and then emerged withfourlarge,heavyartifacts.Ifirstwasshowntwolargemetalforks,whichtheyclaimedweremeatforksusedforburntofferingsinSolomon’sTemple.Theywereabout4-1/2feetlongandboretheancientsymbolofabuddingalmondfloweronthetopofeachone. Nextthemonksshowedmealarge,bronzebowlthatwasapproximately22”acrossand2”deep.They referred to the bowl as a “gomer,” and described it as a vessel in which priests placed animal blood

Khartoum

Whi

te N

ile

Blue Nile

Red SeaNile

Lake Tana

Adowa

Masowa

Jedda

duringtempleritual,stirringitoccasionallytokeepitfromcoagulating.Finally,themonksshowedmeametalstand,approximately3’high,designedtoholdthebronzebowl,thoughextremeagehadcausedthemetalofthestandtofatigueanddroop. Iaskedthemonkswhytheseitemsremainedontheisland,andtheytoldmethatin338ADKingEzanawasconvertedtoChristianitybyaSyrianmonknamedAbbaSalama.SinceChristianitywasthendecreedthenewreligionofthecountry,bloodsacrificialceremonieswerenolongerused,andtheimplementswererenderedobsolete. Mynextquestionwaskey:Iftheimplementsofsacrificewereleftwiththemonks,whathappenedtotheArkoftheCovenant?IwastoldtheArkitselfwastakentoAxum, where today it is kept in absolute isolation at St.Mary’s of Zion Church.

July 1st, 1922 - ETHIOPIA - AXUM We have journeyed to Axum, the purported resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, and have madeourwaytoSt.Mary’sofZionChurch.Thisisthesecondchurchhereofthatname.Itdatesbacktothemid-seventeenthcenturyandwastheworkofEmperorFasilidas.Theoriginalwasbuiltin372ADatthetimeoftheconversionoftheAxumitekingdomtoChristianity.

Iwasintroducedtoamanreferredtoas“TheGuardianoftheArkoftheCovenant.”Thismanreportedlyliveshisentirelifeinsideafenced-offareainwhichisSt.Mary’sofZion.Hewillnotleavethisfenced-offcompounduntilhediesandisreplacedbythenextGuardianoftheArk.Inthechapelofthechurch,29robesfrom29previousguardiansareondisplay-andeveryoneofthe29professedthattheobjecttheyprotectedwastheArkoftheCovenant. IwasabletospeakthroughaninterpreterwiththeGuardianoftheArk,whotoldmethatnootherman besides himself could lay eyes on the Ark, that it was an absolutely holy object, and that the world wouldnotpolluteitbylookingatit.HeaddedthatheandthevillagerswouldprotecttheArkwiththeirlivesifnecessary. Interestingly,wewereshowntwosilvertrumpetsthatborearemarkablesimilaritytothetrumpetspicturedonthearchofTitusinRome,commemoratingtheRomanconquestofJerusalemandthedestructionoftheTemplein70AD.TrumpetslikethesewereanessentialpartoftheimplementsusedinTempleworship. Subsequenttothisinitialinvestigation,welocatedandinterviewedtwopeoplewhohaveclaimedtohaveseentheobjectrestinginSt.Mary’sofZion.Thefirstwasa105-year-oldpriestwhooncewastheadministratoratSt.Mary’sofZion.Ontwooccasions,hesaid,whentheGuardianoftheArkdiedandanewguardianwastrainedintheworshiprituals,hewasabletogazeupontherelic.Hedescribeditasagoldboxwithtwowingedangelsontop. ThesecondpurportedeyewitnessisamannamedHaileSelassie(notthelateemperor),whowasagovernmentemployeeintheAxummuseum.HisjobwastocatalogalltheitemsinSt.Mary’sofZionchurch, which he did by photographing each item and making a comprehensive list of all objects in the churchtreasury. Inhisdetailedinventoryofthetreasury,hedescribedtheArkasagoldboxwithtwowingedcreaturesonthetop.Hedescribed24smallerangelic-typefiguresformingamoldingaroundthetop,withtwogreenstones(notdescribedintheBible)ateitherend. IsthistheArkoftheCovenantdescribedintheBible?Atthisjuncturewecannotsaywithcertaintythatitis-orthatitisn’t.WhatwehaveconcludedisthatSt.Mary’sofZionchurchinAxum,Ethiopia,istherestingplaceeitherofanincrediblereplicaofthebiblicalArkoftheCovenant;oroftheactualArkoftheCovenantitself.

July 22nd, 1922 - ETHIOPIA-AXUM MyquestionsevaluatingtheAxum’sclaimtobethelastrestingplaceoftheArkoftheCovenanthavebeenill-received.TheywereespeciallyunnervedwhenIquestionedthedateoftheArk’sarrivalinAxumandaskedmetoleavethepremises.This“softspot”regardingtheirtestimonywilldefinitelyrequirefurtherinvestigation.Tomorrow,Iintendtospendsometimeinthetown’scentrallibrary.

July 23rd, 1922 - ETHIOPIA-AXUM Disappointment.IhavediscoveredthatAxumdidnotevenexist in the period that Menelik was supposedtohavestolentheArkandbroughtithereinhiding. Solomondiedsomewherebetween940and930BC.IfMeneliktooktheArkandbroughtittoAxum, it would have had to have been at the latest(ifnot10-15yearsearlier)around940-930BC,aswell. However,Axumwasnotfoundeduntilatleast the third century BC, perhaps not even until the secondcenturyBC–Inotherwords,sevenoreighthundredyearsafter the supposed theft of the Ark of the Covenant! ItappearsasifIhavebeenleddownyetanotherfalsetrail.Atbest, whatever resides within the wallsoftheSt.Mary’sofZionchurchhereinAxumisaveryfinereplicaoftheArkforwhichIamsearching.

April 17th, 1923 IhaverenewedmyinterestintherecountingofShishak’sinvasionofJerusalemin926BC.Somethingaboutpartofthescripturehascaughtmyinterest.IamsurprisedthatIdidnotnoticeitbefore.

“InthefifthyearofKingRehoboam,ShishakkingofEgyptcameupagainstJerusalem:Andhe took away the treasures of the house of the

Lord,andthetreasuresoftheking’shouse;he eventook away all:andhetookawayallthe

shieldsofgoldwhichSolomonhadmade.”IKings14:25-26

andIIChronicles12:9“Heeventookawayall.”Whatastrangestatement!Theoriginaltextcouldalsobetranslatedas“Heeventook away theall.”AsasignandsealofGod’spresence,power,andwill,theArkoftheCovenantcouldvery well described as “THEall.”

August 14th, 1924 FurtherexplorationhasrevealedthatShishakmadearathercrypticvisittothecityofTanismanyyearsafterreturningtoEgypt.Thereismentionofasignificantdeposit(in980BC?)ofmanypreciousitemsinasecretplacecalled“WellofSouls”,thoughIfindnoothermentionofthatplaceinanyotherliterature.

July 6th, 1925 The search for more information about the lost city of Tanis have revealed little other than that soon afterShishakreturnedtoEgypt,thecityofTaniswasconsumedbythedesertinasandstormthatlastedforafullyear.However,thepresent-daycityofTanisispossiblybuiltoverornearthecitythatwasdestroyedsolongago. Onceagain,Iamcalledtogoonmyquest.

June 10th, 1926 – EGYPT – TANIS DIG We have found some artifacts that point to the existence of a city named “Tanis” that existed before thefoundationofthepresent-dayTanis.However,itsexactlocationisstillunknown. Marionhasgrowntiredofthedesert,andIgrowwearyofthisquest.Onlyaweekorsomore,andthen we will return home

June 15th, 1926 - EGYPT – TANIS DIG Onatabletunearthedinourexcavation,Ihavefoundmentionofa“StaffofRa”and“MapRoom”or“RoomoftheMap”inconjunctionwiththe“WellofSouls”.However,thereisnoexplanationgivenastotheirsignificance. Ipostulatethatthis“Map”maygivethelocationofthesecret“WellofSouls”.The“Staff”maybeanimportantkeytounderstandingthemap:apointerormeasuringdevice.Ifitisindeedameasuringdevice,Imustsomehowdetermineitslength. ThisnewdiscoveryhasbreathedlifeintomysoulandrenewedmydesiretoresumethequestfortheArk.Weshallextendourexcavationfortwoweeksmore.Iamthinkingofrequestingthepresenceofoneofmybeststudentsfromthestates:HenryJones(or“Indiana”ashelikestobecalledthesedays),whohasshowngreatpromiseinthepast.Iwouldappreciatehisinsightinthismatterandbecomfortedbyseeingmyyoungfriendagain.

Simple pot - probably functional rather than decorative.

Hippopotamus - decorative

Goddess Hathor

June 21st, 1926 - EGYPT – TANIS DIG Ihavefoundanothertabletpertainingtothe“WellofSouls”.Itisinverypoorshape,butitismostdefinitelyalistoftheEgyptiansymbolsfortheseasonsandtimesoftheyear.Itisobviouslyofsomeimportance,anditshouldtakerelativelylittletimetoreconstructthemissinginformation.

Inscriptionsonthetabletseemtobeoftheseasonsoftheyear.Thisisareconstructionoftheinformation,includingwhatwaswornand/orbrokenoff.IhavealsotranslatedtheEgyptiancalendarintoourmodern-daycalendar.ThismayproveitselfusefulwhenwefindtheMap Room.

Thetabletisbrokendownasfollows:

“SeasonofInundation”“SeasonofPlanting”“SeasonofHarvest”

as well as sixEpagamonaldays

SeasonofInundation:

Contains4months:

Month1(June21-July20)

Month2(July21-August19)

Month3(August20-Sept.18)

Month4(Sept.19-Oct.20)

SeasonofPlanting

Alsocontains4months:

Month1(Oct.21-Nov.19)

Month2(Nov20-Dec19)

Month3(Dec.20-Jan.19)

Month4(Jan.19-Feb1)

SeasonofHarvest:

Alsocontains4months:

Month1(Feb18-March19)

Month2(March20-April18)

Month3(April19-May18)

Month4(May19-June15)

EpagamonalDays

June15(leapyearonly)

DaysacredtoNuitandGeb

June16 Day sacred to Osiris

June17DaysacredtoHorus

June18DaysacredtoSet

June19DaysacredtoIsis

June20DaysacredtoMaat

Howtocountdays

one day

two days

ect

day10

day20

day11

day 22

day7

ect

Usethekeyfromthepreviouspagestofindthecorrespondinghieroglyphicforthemoderndate.

Forexample:

Dec.30th

AlwaysfiguretheEgyptiandatebywritingthemonthfirst,followedbytheseason,thentheday.

There is no doubt in my mind that this somehow ties in with the “Staff of Ra” mentioned elsewhere. Ra has to do with the sun, and given the importance of the dates of the year, it seems that precisealignmentwiththesunwillsomehowbenecessarytolocatetheWellofSoulsintheMapRoom. TheexactmeaningwillprobablybeevidentwhenIlocatetheStaffitself.

June 27th, 1926 - EGYPT – TANIS DIG NewdiscoveriespointtoNepal for information on the “Staff”.Iamratherexcitedbytheprospectofadigthere.Ishallmakereparationsatonce.IhavedecidedtosendthisjournaltoIndiana,sothathemayget“uptospeed”,astheysay,onthecurrentsituationashetravelsherefromthestates.

this is the month

Season of Plantingday 10

Ravenwood Ark JournalNotebook Tutorial by Wayne Miller

Amended by Bryan Babich

Materials:

The base for the book can easily be found by searching Amazon, Record/Account Book, Black/Red Cover, Record Rule, 7-7/8 x 5-1/4, 144 Pages (ESS96304). It is much too large for the purposes of this book, but you can use the paper out of it and the red strip of spine material. Be sure to order the RECORD version.

Glues: (You’ll need both of these.)Fabri-Tac (Wal-Mart in the material/hobby section or Hobby Lobby)E-6000 (Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby)

Cloth for Cover: Go to Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby and look for a gray cloth that has the texture of linen. You don’t want anything very thin. The closest thing I could find was a tad too dark so I used some dye remover to lighten it up a bit.

Additional materials:

ScissorsTwo small disposable paint brushesA rolling pinThick rubber banksCotton or terry cloth ragExacto knifeAn iron and starchHigh grit sandpaperSome really heavy books or a cinder blockA Kinko’s or a good copy place with an industrial sized cutter.

InstructionsDismantling the original book:1. When you get the book, open it up, and carefully peel back the white pages that are clued to the inside front and back cover. Don’t worry if it tears. You’ll replace these flaps later.2. Now carefully pull away the entire pad of notebook paper from the cover, including the front and back “flaps” that you just pulled loose.3. With a very sharp Exacto knife, trim the front and back flaps off as close as you can to the base of the pad. 4. Peel off the red spine material from the cover. Some of the black cover material will come off with it, that’s OK. You’ll need to trim this red spine down later anyway.5. Hopefully, the front and back covers will still be attached together as one piece.

Cutting everything down to size: 1. Take the cover and the notebook paper to Kinko’s or someplace that has an industrial cutter that can cut thick material. If you don’t have such a place, you’re screwed ;-) Nah, but there’s got to be someplace nearby that can do this for you. 2. Have them cut the cover, laying flat and inside-down, to 8.75” wide x 6.25” tall.3. Have them cut the pad of paper to 4” wide x 6.25” tall. Have them cut the bottom off and leave the top alone to get the right height.4. Pick up a sheet of semi-thick white paper. Probably something like resume paper, but not as thick as card stock. You don’t want any watermarks on it either. This will be glued around your pad of paper to make new front and back flaps. While you are at Kinko’s, use one of their little manual cutters to trim it to the right size to fold around your pad of paper and make the new flaps. 5. Use their little manual trimmer/cutter to trim the red spine to 3” wide, with the spine part centered, of course.

Putting the flaps on the pad:1. Take the piece of paper that you’ll use for the flaps and fit it around the pad, creasing it really good around the spine area. 2. Using some E-6000 on the little spine of the pad, and press the folded paper around it. Secure with a couple of loose rubber bands and let dry overnight.

Making the cover: 1. Take the gray cloth and trim it so that it is the size of the cover, but with an extra inch or so around all sides. These cuts don’t have to be straight. 2. Use and iron and some fresh starch to press this piece of cloth. Use lots of starch. 3. Take some fabri-tac and smear it on the outside of your cover using the paint brush. Don’t get it too think. Work quickly!!!4. Flip the cover over onto the center of the gray cloth. Flip it back over and use the rolling pin to make sure it’s nice and smooth.5. Flip the cover back over so it’s inside up. Cut the corners of the cloth at a 45 degree angle at about 1/4” away from the corner of the cover. 6. Spread a little Fabri-tac around the edge of the cover, fold a flap of the gray cloth over and secure. At the corner, tuck in the little section of material (you may need to add a spot of Fabri-tac here) and then do the adjoining flap. This may take a little bit of trial and error, but you’ll get the feel for it after you try it once or twice. Repeat this all the way around the cover. 7. Get your red spine material and use the sandpaper to “age” it, wearing away at the gold stripes and let-

tering.8. Flip the cover back over so that it’s outside-up. Get your red spine material and spread some Fabri-tac on the underside of it. Place it on the cover where it should go. Be sure to sort of center the gold lines so it looks right. 9. Flip the cover over and fold down the red spine material on the top and bottom, and hold it really tight until the Fabri-tac sets up. You may want to use a couple of rubber bands to hold it in place. 10. Set your cover aside to fully dry/cure, preferably overnight. Leave it opened up.

Ageing the pages:The original tutorial discusses the use of coffee, but there are many ageing tutorials on Indygear.com that can help anyone walk through this process.

Gluing the pad in the cover:1. Run a bead of the E-6000 on the spine of the pad. 2. Place the pad inside the cover and fix with some tight rubber bands and leave overnight. 3. Use the paintbrush to smear some Fabri-tac on the flaps to glue them down. Glue them down with the cover open, and leave it open to dry. Use the rolling pin to make sure they are glued down flat. Leave overnight to make sure it’s dry.

NOW, start writing and drawing!! :)