"God's Gold" charts the fate of the greatest religious treasure in history, the key symbols of the Jewish faith looted from the Temple of Jerusalem. The golden candelabrum, silver trumpets and bejewelled table were ransacked by the Roman emperor Vespasian in AD 70. They were cast adrift in Mediterranean lands, which saw 550 years of turbulent history and the rule of four different civilisations. Now, only an intriguing trail of clues remains as to their whereabouts. The Temple treasure is an immeasurably precious hoard, but it has yet greater significance as a symbol of man's communications with God. The gold is central to Israel's dreams for messianic redemption and it's discovery could signify the return to an age of biblical sacrifice. Using untapped historical texts and new archaeological sources, Sean Kingsley reveals the incredible history of this treasure, its composition and religious, political and financial meaning across the ages.
God's Gold thrillingly pursues a priceless hoard of treasure - snatched from the Temple of Jerusalem in AD 70 - across 550 years of history, five faiths and four civilisations to its dramatic final resting place.
Archaeologist Sean Kingsley sets out on a physical quest to trace the treasure's destinv. From the Vatican to the Vandal palace of Carthage, Constantinople2 hippodrome and the wilderness of Judaea, his remarkable journey exposes facts more astonishing than fiction.
Illustrations
Peface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Roots
1.River of Gold
2.Awakenings
3.Ghosts of Israel Past
4.Exodus and Exile
5.Herod's Treasure Chest
Israel-Land of God
6.Dark Secrets in the Vatican
7.Temple Prophecies
8.Volcano of Hate
9.Keeping the Faith?
10.Benjamin of Tudela
11.The Philosopher's Folly
12.Dead Sea Treasures
13.Castles in the Air
Temple Treasure
14.Divine Light-The Menorah
15.Hunting Graven Images
16.The Tree of Life
17.Bread of Heaven
18.Trumpeting Messages
Revolution
19.City of Unbrotherly Love
20.Turning the Screw
21.Death of a Temple
22.Flavian Spin
Imperial Rome
23.Walking with God
24.A Word from the Sponsors
25.Aliens in Rome
26.Of Circuses and Artichokes
27.The Triumphal Way
28.A Day at the Circus Maximus
29.A Temple for Peace
Vandal Carthage
30. Jewish Gold, Barbarian Loot
31.Felix Carthago
32.Heresy and Holocaust
33.Keeping the Faith
34.In a Vandal Palace
Constantinople-New Rome
35.Treasures Recycled
36.Hunting Hippodromes
37.Imperial War Games
The Holy Land
38.Sanctuary of the Christians
39.Desert City of Saints
40.City of God, World of Man
Select Bibliography
Index