UNDERGROUND IN THE HOLY CITY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3334, 6 February 1918, Page 57

UNDERGROUND IN THE HOLY CITY.

LOST SACRED TREASURES. ARK O.F THE! COVENANT. According to a tradition, disputed, though * pretty well generally accepted, when the Babylonians took Jerusalem and removed the Jews into captivity by the waters of Babylon, they failed to secure the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Shew Bread, and the Seven branched Candlestick. These ancient objects of Jewish veneration were said to have been hidden among the soft limestone caves, of which there are many underneath the city, an expression which, would include the adjacent area. The secret of the hiding place, or places, was confined to the family of the High Priest, and was carefully guarded. When Cyrus permitted the Jews to return, after the 70 years' captivity, their leader, Ezra, reconstructed the temple ori the lines of Solomon's Temple as far ae possible. But he could not replace the wealth of ornamentation in gold and other material; the Jews being now a poor people. In Solomon's time they had .expanded their boundaries for a short time because the two great empires of the Assyrians and 'the Egyptians had become utterly exhausted by their continuous wars. Solomon got astride tho great Asian-African trade route, and got far enough south to secure Akabah as an outlet oh the Red Sea for. the South Arabian and Indian Ocean trade. Ho made the most of his opportunities, and levied teibute . like any robber - knight on the Rhine did on tho unlucky traders who' had to pass his stronghold by land or by water. Ezra is said in the Bible narrative to have made, a new ark, a new table, 'and a new candlestick on tho mode of the old sacred relics, the measurements being known from the old records in the Pentateuch, and they and the Temple were in due time solemnly dedicated to the glory of Yahweh. But a tradition exists in the East that Ezra had knowledge of the hiding place- of t|n\e original ark, table, and candlestick, and made. his replicas, from the actual holy relics; but the secret of their actual existence was carefully guarded What tho new ark, table or candlestick were like can be seen on tho arch of Titus at Rome, which was erected to commemorate his Palestine and other compaigns. these sacred relics being depicted in relief as they were borne in the triumphal procession" voted bv the Senate and tho people on the return of Titus. They were then kept in Rome, probably in the Temple of the Capitoline Jove. In 410 A.D., Alano the "Visigoth took Rome by storm, and was extremely merciful to the city and the people, but naturallv required some plunder, and followed the usual custom by taking possession of the enemy's most sacred relics and religious objects. -- Now comes' in a considerable doubt as to the fate of tho ark, table, and candlestick. One legend savs that they were thrown, with other treasures, into the river for safe keeping by Father Tiber, "to whom we. Romans pray," and to whom every Roman from earliest times to tho present made, and makes, offerings on special occasions, the more wealthy frequently throwing in objects of gold and silver or other precious material. Another legend says Alano securecj these precious relics, and that when he died, in tho south of Italy they' were buried: with him, with other treasures, in tho river bed of the Busonto, The story goes that the Visigoths, fearing the desecration of the grave of their king, collected the people in the .neighbourhood, made them turn the course of the little stream, then dig tho grave. When that was'ready and the king was buried, surrounded by his treasures, the people were / made to restore the stream to its former course, and then were slaughtered, m orde* that the grave of the great dead_ should remain unknown, and therefore free from ; all fear of desecration; while another legend states that these treasures were lost during tho great storm which wrecked a large part of Alaric's fleet when he attempted to cross to Carthage, and it was this storm which turned him back to die on Italian soil- . . u Though the Turkish Government has at intervals allowed excavations to be carried on under Jerusalem, and both Generals Warren and Wilson, of the Royal Engineers working under the Palestine Exploration Fund Committee, made important discoveries, and later other explorers, objects so venerated by the Jews have never been found. As a matter of fact, the amount of exploration done has been very small, and it is a testimony to the knowledge and acuteness of tho various explorers that so satisfactory results have been obtained. Quite recently a syndicate was formed by Captain Parker (of the Macclesfield family) and friends to explore beneath Jerusalem. They found plenty of influence to place- in the right quarter, for they got a firman from Abdul Hamid, and were allowed unusual latitude as to their operations. There was a hint that they had' come upon some extraordinary finds, but their operations were put a sudden end to by the Turks, who forbade any further explorations. And there the story of the search for their venerated objects ends, Now that tho British are in possession of Jerusalem a thorough exploration of underground Jerusalem should be systematically made in tho interests of history and of antiquarian research. There is no knowing what treasures may be the reward. It is weil worth while, and should be undertaken at once. •