{"id":533,"date":"2007-04-05T19:57:00","date_gmt":"2007-04-05T19:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect--part-seven.html"},"modified":"2007-04-05T19:57:00","modified_gmt":"2007-04-05T19:57:00","slug":"the-lazarus-effect-part-seven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html","title":{"rendered":"THE LAZARUS EFFECT– PART SEVEN"},"content":{"rendered":"

N.B.— These are the concluding chapters of the first half of the novel the Lazarus Effect. Let me know what you think— Happy Easter BW3<\/p>\n

————–<\/p>\n

CHAPTER TWENTY: <\/span>THE JAIL HOUSE ROCK<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>To say it was hot in the jail cell was putting it mildly. <\/span>The bottom floor of the Jerusalem police station had a series of cells in it, and this floor of the building, though having the advantage of being below ground, nonetheless had little ventilation, no air conditioning, and no windows. <\/span>If the police wanted to see their charges sweat, they didn\u2019t need to go to any extra effort on a June day in this building. <\/span>West had not been abused, nor had he been further interrogated, but his cell phone and all other potentially dangerous or blunt objects had been confiscated \u2013 even his L.L. Bean walking shoes (must be those dangerous shoe laces). <\/span>West had only been drinking Ahava bottled water. He didn\u2019t trust the food, not even the matzo ball soup. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>West had spent Wednesday afternoon on and off in a hot interrogation room rehearsing the details of yesterday with the police \u2013 including the fact that he himself had been stuck in the Lazarus tomb for over an hour. <\/span>Of course, it was embarrassing to admit he had been in there that long before remembering his cell phone! <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>He had tried hard not to leave out a minute of his day which left no room for making or planning some sort of forged stone. <\/span>No, Tuesday went from excavating a tomb, to getting stuck in a tomb, to escaping a tomb, to examining the tomb with the IAA \u2013 a definite repeating theme there! <\/span>But Tuesday evening was more problematic: dinner alone at home and his meeting with Kahlil. <\/span>Of course, that meeting led to a dozen more questions. <\/span>The upside, however, was the fact that the police admitted he had no gun powder residue on his hands, and no blood splatters on his clothes. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Fortunately, he was given a private cell for the evening. <\/span>Apparently, more questioning would follow on Thursday, after the police cross checked some of today\u2019s statements. <\/span>Meanwhile, Art was thrilled to discover that a lawyer, Mrs. Rachel Dembski, who also worked for the IAA had agreed to help him through the legalities. <\/span>She was a true blessing and during the afternoon had checked the paperwork, reminding the authorities that Art West was an American citizen, well-known in his field. <\/span>The only real downer was having to turn in his passport. <\/span>Rachel even managed to e-mail Harry Scholer and confirm his arrival at 9:25 AM Thursday into Tel Aviv on Continental. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Sleep was fitful, and Thursday morning\u2019s interrogations were again exhausting. By now, however, he was beginning to realize any case against him was weak. <\/span>He wished, however, the police would take his complaints about being sealed in a tomb more seriously. <\/span>No one seemed too impressed. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>By Thursday afternoon, Harry arrived at the police station and the police promised to release West on his own recognizance, especially after the Jerusalem police chief received a phone call from Sammy Cohen. <\/span>Bemused, West thought, \u201cMaybe they\u2019ll put a tail on me, hoping I will lead them to the real artifact.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>West thanked Mrs. Dembski, walked out of the building into the still blistering heat, turned to Harry and said, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAre you sure you want me to get into that tiny car with you. <\/span>I am a personal embodiment of that famous saying about Lazarus in the King James version: \u201cLord, he stinketh!\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Harry dismissed the idea of his walking home, and said <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s a Volkswagen rental car, not a limo!\u201d <\/span>West compacted himself into the lemon yellow VW wagon and rode off <\/span>toward his flat. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNow Harry, the least I can do is put you up at my place since you came all this way to help me out.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Harry agreed, \u201cFine for now. <\/span>I need some real food and sleep and you need a shower, shave and some rest. <\/span>Then we will draw up a battle plan.\u201d <\/span>The two men exchanged tired looks and headed for the bottom of the Hinnom valley.<\/p>\n

<\/span>————————————————<\/p>\n

<\/span>In another part of the police station, some extensive testing was being conducted on evidence found at the crime scene– the <\/span>part of el Said\u2019s shirt which had caught on the park bench, his jacket which had been supplied by Hannah, and of course the gun. <\/span>Also brought in by the police was a stone wrapped in brown paper. <\/span>In each case the search was for usable fingerprints plus blood or hairs from which DNA could be extracted and matches made. <\/span>What West had not known is that when he gave blood at Sinai hospital, a few drops had been requisitioned for testing by the police. <\/p>\n

<\/span>The relationship between the antiquities police who worked closely with and almost for the IAA and the general police was an interesting one. <\/span>There was usually a clear division of labor, but sometimes in the case of a stolen object, there was overlap and cooperation. <\/span>With a police force as stretched and under siege as the Jerusalem force was they were happy to have all the help they could get from the IAA police. <\/span>Sammy Cohen called the police station Thursday morning to inquire about Art West but also to check on the lab findings.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cMr. Cohen,\u201d said one lab tech, \u201cI already have one thing for you. <\/span>There was no gun powder residue on Mr. West, and no blood splatter on his clothes. <\/span>But we have taken hair fibers off the jacket of el Said. <\/span>Some are his own and match what the hospital gave us. <\/span>But some are not his. <\/span>There seems to have been a struggle of sorts. <\/span>There is a fair chance we have something from the assailant on the jacket. <\/span>We haven\u2019t finished our testing yet.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cGood, but what about the stone copy I keep hearing about?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSorry, Mr. Cohen, we are testing the paper for fingerprints. <\/span>As long as you have clearance I\u2019ll keep you posted directly,\u201d replied the technician.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Gr
\nace had arrived early Thursday morning to continue overseeing some of the testing on the manuscript and the ossuary. <\/span>She would have worked straight through lunch, but Sammy invited her to go for a ride. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cGrace, I think we need to have a chat about West. <\/span>Shall we go over to Ben Yehuda Street and have a quiet late lunch?\u201d <\/span>While this proposal was quite within the bounds of the appropriate, it was also true that Cohen, a widower, had an interest in Levine, who was also single. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace looked at him and said, \u201cFine, a business lunch then.\u201d <\/span>Cohen sighed and shook his head. <\/span>They reached Ben Yehuda Street in about ten minutes.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Cohen was counting on the upstairs of Sarah\u2019s coffee shop, Solomon\u2019s Porch, <\/span>to be quiet by now. <\/span>Quiet it was, as the two of them ordered lamb kebabs and salad. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSo Grace, why are you so certain that West could not have committed these crimes? <\/span>He is, after all, a fallible human being, and one with a shortage of money.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cTrue enough,\u201d said Grace. \u201cI grant you both of those points, but you must also agree he\u2019s an intelligent man. <\/span>He clearly did not seal himself in the tomb of Lazarus, and his subsequent actions all reflect a person who cares more about his friends than about his own reputation. <\/span>He could have called in anonymously to the EMT people and left the scene, but instead he stayed to help, and he even called the police. <\/span>These are not the actions of a criminal, or even just a person who is in shock. He was doing everything he could to give Mr. el Said a chance at life.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYou are right about all this,\u201d said Cohen. \u201cBut obviously you are also his true friend, and your pleading might be said to be special pleading.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYou could say it, but it wouldn\u2019t change the fact that the logic of what I said stands on its own. <\/span>I say again, West did not seal himself in that tomb. <\/span>Somebody was after him, and somebody wanted him not only off the scene, but also implicated in a crime.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Cohen scratched his head, \u201cI agree. <\/span>I\u2019m just testing. <\/span>In fact, I already called the police this morning to check on our Mr. West. <\/span>One of our lawyers was at the station. <\/span>I suspect Art will be released today.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace was relieved and surprised by all these announcements. \u201cBut when do we tell Art about what\u2019s hidden in the central room in the IAA building? <\/span>I want to watch his reaction!\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Sammy thought for a moment. <\/span>He noticed that both of them had been ravenous and had wolfed down their salads. <\/span>Hard work at a breakneck speed will do that to you. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI think we should wait on that for a while for both his sake and ours. <\/span>Let\u2019s run our tests. <\/span>Let him run the gauntlet of the legal process. <\/span>After that there will be plenty of time to consult with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cChanging the subject for a minute, did you see that a whole group of people including some from the Israeli Geological Survey have called for further testing on both the Jehoash tablet and the James box? <\/span>When will it end?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cWell this particular mess will end, hopefully, when we get to the bottom of <\/span>who is trying to frame Art West,\u201d said Grace. <\/p>\n

<\/span>As the waitress was bringing the lamb kebabs, Cohen\u2019s cell phone rang. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201c. . . <\/span>and alechem shalom to you as well. <\/span>What news? <\/span>Yes. <\/span>Fine. <\/span>OK.\u201d <\/span>Sammy <\/span>turned to Grace, \u201cThat was the lab tech again. <\/span>He confirms that there are absolutely no prints from West on the fake stone. <\/span>So far in regard to that he is in the clear.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWhich must mean someone is trying to frame him.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cDoes begin to look that way, doesn\u2019t it? <\/span>In addition, they did find a partial set of prints from someone else on the stone! <\/span>Someone was careless. <\/span>We are sending them to be checked now, and will see if they come back with a match.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cVery good, we are making progress,\u201d said Grace. <\/span>\u201cI think I\u2019ll leave the office early and go by the hospital to check on Hannah. <\/span>Her father is still in a coma. <\/span>She was hoping to see Art this morning, but obviously that couldn\u2019t happen.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Sammy and Grace returned to the IAA and parted company. <\/span>There was lots of work to do Thursday afternoon. <\/span>The lab had rung Cohen again. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cProfessor Cohen,\u201d said the lab tech, \u201cI have some good news. <\/span>Interpol has helped us find the match on that set of fingerprints on the stone. <\/span>It belongs to one Raymond Simpson, an American grad student at Yale University, aged 27. <\/span>Seems he had been stopped for driving while intoxicated in New Haven a couple of years back, and he put up a little resistance so the police took him in and finger printed him. That\u2019s how we know.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Cohen replied, \u201cDo we know where this Raymond Simpson is?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, that\u2019s a problem for immigration so I will put Samson on the line.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>In a second, another voice boomed, \u201cProfessor Cohen, <\/span>how are you! <\/span>We know Simpson <\/span>is still in country, but we just don\u2019t know where, so we are in process of <\/span>posting an APB to track him down and bring him in for questioning. <\/span>The airports, bus depot \u2013 the usual \u2013 will be watched. <\/span>We will let you know!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Cohen hung up the phone and said to no one in particular, \u201cHopefully, we catch him before he catches on that we are looking for him.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n

\n

CHAP
\nTER TWENTY-ONE: <\/span>RAYMOND\u2019S FOLLY<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>At that precise moment late Thursday afternoon, Ray Simpson had just cleared customs and security and was racing to his gate. <\/span>The taxi he had taken from Jerusalem had gotten stuck in traffic on the way to Tel Aviv, and he was barely going to make his flight from the new Tel Aviv Airport. <\/span>After working his way through the security checkpoint and the passport control, he raced through the terminal and sprinted to the gate. They were already boarding. <\/span>Breathless, he handed the gate attendant his boarding pass, and flashed his passport. <\/span>The card was run through the scanner once more, and he went down the corridor to get on the plane. <\/span>He would be able to relax once he was on the plane. <\/span>Simpson was a person who hated to be late for anything and he was a nervous wreck by the time he arrived for the flight.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The plane pushed back from the gate and taxied out onto the runway. <\/span>It was fourth in line for take off. <\/span>Suddenly, off to the right, there was a huge flash of light and an explosion which seems to happen just beyond the edge of the airport tarmac. Something had blown up far too near airplanes for comfort. <\/span>After a long uncomfortable silence, a voice came over the loud speaker. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cLadies and gentleman, there has been an incident, perhaps a terrorist incident, near the edge of the airport. <\/span>So far as we know, no one is hurt, but we are temporally in lock down mode until we get the all clear. <\/span>We will sit here for a while, and if needs be we will return to the gate if the tower so instructs. <\/span>Thank you for your patience.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>At that very moment an IAA policeman was talking to customs. <\/span>Holding up a faxed photo, he asked, \u201cHas anyone seen this man tonight. <\/span>Has a passport for Raymond Simpson been swiped through here?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>A woman at the last booth called out, \u201cYes, that\u2019s the young man who came running through here shortly before his flight was to leave. <\/span>He was convinced he was going to miss his flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>The IAA officer joined her to check the records. <\/span>Ray Simpson, Flight 902.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Suddenly, everyone instinctively ducked when they heard an explosion. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cA bomb!?\u201d <\/span>someone cried out but not quite sure. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell,\u201d said the officer peering around cautiously, \u201cif it is, I\u2019ll bet no flights are leaving anytime soon! <\/span>Regardless, I\u2019ve got to contact the control tower to hold that flight!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Ray Simpson, as it turns out, was not going anywhere Thursday, except back to Jerusalem. <\/span>He had a premonition that something was wrong, and since the plane was, according to the captain\u2019s announcement, going to try and take off in about an hour, he figured he could wait that long. <\/span>Almost everyone was standing up talking excitedly, making new friends <\/span>\u2013 except Raymond. <\/span>He sat glumly staring out the window wishing he were already home. <\/span>Patrick Stone\u2019s phone call was so transparent. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Stone had been \u201ccalled home\u201d <\/span>\u2013 yeah, right. <\/span>The good Dr. Stone fled Jerusalem leaving Raymond to deal with the inevitable fallout of taking the stone, making a copy, sending it to Dr. West, etc. etc. <\/span>Without a word to his roommate, Raymond had made plans to follow his professor out of town as quickly as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>The next announcement from the captain was more unsettling. <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m sorry for the inconvenience, but everyone has been ordered to leave the aircraft. <\/span>Airport personnel will be available to help you make other travel plans. <\/span>Please exit in an orderly fashion.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Miserable now, Raymond just sat on the plane while everyone else slowly departed. <\/span>The attendants looked at him quizzically but didn\u2019t bother him yet. <\/span>Finally, when everyone had departed he reluctantly began to gather up his coat and travel bag. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>When the police did not see Simpson get off the plane, they immediately entered flashing their badges. <\/span>The stewardess got out of the way quickly. <\/span>The officer in charge, Simon Bar-Elan, proceeded slowly down the aisle to the back of the plane with his hand on his holster gun. <\/span>Finally he came to a very sad-looking Ray Simpson. <\/span>One look at the policeman told Ray that he was the target, so he quickly held up his hands and pleaded, \u201cDon\u2019t shoot, I surrender!\u201d <\/span>The men in brown escorted a now thoroughly miserable young man whose head was buried in his jacket off the plane.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO : <\/span>HACKING STONE<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Thursday afternoon, Patrick Stone checked into the Royal Edinburgh Hotel near the British Museum, and rang up his old acquaintance, Oliver St. James. Propping his feet up on the bed while sitting in the Queen Anne chair next to the phone and sipping a Glen Fidditch he was determined not to be his usual irascible self. <\/span>He was going to be the soul of affability so he could get what he needed <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>authentication and appraisal. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOliver,\u201d said Stone, \u201c I am looking forward to our meeting tomorrow, and I promise you will not be disappointed in what I have brought.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Oliver, ever the meticulous scholar, said, \u201cWe shall see what we shall see. <\/span>It is a good thing you are bringing this to the labs at the Museum so we can do the patina testing and the like on the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cRight,\u201d said Stone. \u201cIt should prove to be an intriguing day. <\/span>Be sure you have your geologist with you as well. <\/span>I must ring off now and call Sotheby\u2019s.\u201d <\/span>As he rang of St. James pondered the note of excitement, but also anxiety in the voice of Patrick Stone. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cHello, may I please speak to Mrs. Delia Tidewater, the appraiser, please.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>A woman with an exceedingly high voice came
\non the line. <\/span>\u201cHalloo, is that you Professor Stone. <\/span>I am well aware of our rendezvous Friday at the South entrance to the British Museum. <\/span>You did say 10 AM sharp, did you not?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, and Mr. St James, whom I believe you know, will be meeting us.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cQuite, see you tomorrow. <\/span>TTFN.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>These British with their abbreviations! <\/span>The last time he was in England Stone had had a horrible time trying to figure out what the signs with F I Y were all about. <\/span>F Y I he understood as an abbreviation, but not F I Y. <\/span>Turned out to be a Fix It Yourself store, the English equivalent of Lowe\u2019s! <\/span>But T T F N \u2013 who says \u2018Ta ta for now\u2019 in this day and age?! <\/span>Stone was fading fast, and the jet lag was beginning to set in. <\/span>Best to take a shower and turn in early. <\/span>Tomorrow would be a crucial day.<\/p>\n

—————-<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sadiq Hadassah had had no trouble whatsoever following Stone to his hotel of choice as Stone was so self-absorbed with what he was doing, but he could hardly afford to stay in such a palace, so he had settled into a bed and breakfast down the street from the Royal Edinburgh. <\/span>Sadiq had been turning over and over in his mind what would be his next move. <\/span>He had brought his laptop and planned to report in to Rabbi Menachem and perhaps also to the IAA. He had noticed that Stone had brought his laptop with him, and since Hadassah, among other things, was a computer geek, he thought of hacking into Stone\u2019s hotmail account and seeing what was happening. He had installed on his laptop some conventional spy software and had already managed to both locate Stone\u2019s e-address, and had even decoded his password\u2013 YALEPROF. <\/span>He was thus set to listen in to what was going down, provided of course Stone actually used his laptop while in London. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>The email he had perused so far was boring in the extreme, except for a curious memo sent to someone with an e-address of simp3@hotmail.com <\/span>reminding him not to forget to await Stone\u2019s phone call about the nativity set! <\/span>What could that be about? <\/span>In any case Sadiq figured that something was going to go down tomorrow, and so he would simply stay locked in to Stone\u2019s account all the following day and wait and see what happened. <\/span>Unlike Stone, Saddiq would spend most of the night pacing the floor, and wondering what to do next.<\/p>\n

\n

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: <\/span>DEAL OF THE CENTURY<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>At 10 AM Friday morning, the door to the south end of the British Museum swung open and Oliver St. James welcomed both Delia Tidewater and Patrick Stone, carrying his satchel with its priceless content. <\/span>A light rain was falling, so they put their umbrellas in the stand in the hall. <\/span>Stone muttered to himself, \u201cThe only nation in the world that has umbrella stands in the entrance ways to every public and private building.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>The long, narrow, corridor was old, as was the museum, <\/span>and the lighting in this part of the building was poor, creating an eerie effect. <\/span>Stone felt like he was walking down a corridor in a maximum security prison. <\/span>At the end of the hall Oliver turned right and then another immediate right and took his guests into a laboratory <\/span>where three other persons, <\/span>dressed in the white frock coats so favored by European scientists, were waiting.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cLet me introduce you,\u201d said Oliver. <\/span>\u201cFirst we have Professor Soards of Leeds University. <\/span>He is one of the leading geologists in the country, with a specialty in the geology of Israel.\u201d <\/span>At the end of the line, a tall man with wavy white hair nodded solemnly. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThen we have Dr. Pamela Thistlewaite, a geochemist of note from Oxford, who will be checking the stone in regard to composition and patina. <\/span>She smiled briefly. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAnd Professor Ian Baring-Gould, an expert epigrapher for the New Testament <\/span>period who will be examining the script on the stone. <\/span>If it is likely that this stone is what you claim, we should be able to render a preliminary judgment later today. <\/span>Which brings me to Mrs. Delia Tidewater from Sotheby\u2019s. <\/span>She will aid us with the appraisal \u2013 Professor Stone invited her expressly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Stone took the tablet out of his satchel and laid it on the table in the center of the room. <\/span>He had some qualms about handing it over to anyone, but he knew that if he showed hesitancy it would indicate a lack of trust which would likely endanger the possibility of selling the object immediately. <\/p>\n

<\/span>The office of Oliver St. James looked like a hurricane had recently come through. <\/span>There were not only files everywhere but also pots on the floor, wilted plants on the window ledge, two worn Queen Anne wing backs in one corner, a pipe on a tea table between them, file cabinets bursting at the seams, and 2 banks of fluorescent bulbs \u2013 some not working. <\/span>Taking piles of files from several <\/span>folding chairs, <\/span>St. James said to his guests, \u201cPlease forgive the clutter, it can\u2019t be helped. <\/span>Grab a chair and do sit down.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>St. James was spry for his seventy-four years and had been with the museum for almost fifty. <\/span>He had struck up an acquaintance with Stone the last time Stone was in town and had given a lecture at the museum on ancient Near-Eastern archaeology. <\/span>St. James found Stone a bit off-putting and arrogant, but nonetheless a fine scholar and lecturer. <\/span>He was not totally surprised to hear from Stone, but he was certainly surprised to hear what he had to say. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNaturally, Professor Stone, we will need some assurances that this tablet has not been illegally obtained. <\/span>What documentation have you brought?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Stone opened his satchel again and brought forth the two documents he had purchased Wednesday afternoon on the black market. <\/span>The first document, dated May 17, attested to the authenticity of the stone and claimed to be from the Israeli Geological Survey. <\/span>The dealer had brought up a photo of a genuine Israeli Geological Survey document which he cut and pasted into a Word document. <\/span>After the blanks were filled in, he printed t
\nhe fake document on paper designed to look quite old, signed it with a real ink pen, and notarizing it complete with an embossed stamp. <\/span>There was no easy way to tell the difference between this document and a genuine one from the Israeli Geological Survey. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>The second document had been easier to produce. <\/span>This document stated that Stone had bought this tablet in the dealer\u2019s shop in 1972 \u2013 in other words, well before it became illegal to own such precious objects. <\/span>This second document was, in fact, genuine, but Stone had paid the dealer enough money to make the date read 1972, not 2004. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>St. James looked over the documents carefully one by one, and then handed them to Delia Tidewater. <\/span>\u201cThese papers seem to be in order, and since we are all familiar with the Israeli law about precious antiquities that come to light after 1978, this object would seem to fall well within the legal limit for purchase by a collector or a museum. <\/span>What is your assessment, Ms. Tidewater?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>After a moment she concurred, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes these papers seem to be in order. <\/span>Of course, let me add that Professor Stone could not have left Israel without the authorities seeing the tablet, checking the papers and passing him through the security and customs checkpoints. <\/span>The very fact that he is here in London would seem to speak for the genuineness of these document.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cQuite so, a good point,\u201d said Oliver. \u201cMiss Tidewater, you are free to go now.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cCertainly,\u201d said Delia, \u201cI have some more research to do if I\u2019m to come up with some dollar figures this afternoon.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>St. James closed the door behind her. <\/span>He invited Patrick to enjoy the comfort of the old chairs in the corner. <\/span>Oliver lit up his pipe. <\/span>Settling down into his chair he said to Stone, \u201cNow Patrick, you must tell me how you came to have this tablet, <\/span>and why it is that just now, if you have had it all these years, you have come to us with it.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIt is not a difficult tale to tell Oliver,\u201d said Patrick. \u201cBack in 1972 after I was in college, a group of us visited Jerusalem. <\/span>I bought all kinds of trinkets, and this stone from a dealer. <\/span>According to the notes I made at the time, it had been found in some Jewish graveyard at the bottom of the Kidron valley near the Pool of Siloam, but closer to Bethany. <\/span>The dealer said he had been sold this item by some poor Palestinian who found it on his own property. <\/span>I think he said the man lived in Silwan. <\/span>In any event, when I returned home, I put the stone in my attic along with my other souvenirs, and only recently rediscovered them all. <\/span>So, here I am at the end of my career, a man in his 60s. I am tired and would like to retire. <\/span>Maybe this tablet can help make that an easier process.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Stone was quite pleased with himself. <\/span>He felt he had come off as genuine as one could manage, considering it was all a pack of lies, except the bit about wanting to retire on his nest egg. <\/span>He knew it would be tough to explain why a man of his training would not have seen the significance of the stone much earlier in his career. <\/span>He hoped he had been believable. <\/span>He wasn\u2019t sure, and he was trying not to sweat. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Oliver looked intently at Stone which made him squirm. <\/span>He tried to keep his composure as Oliver said evenly, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI know what you mean old thing. <\/span>If I hadn\u2019t the security of my Old Age Pension, or the O.A.P. as we like to call it, I reckon I would be looking to do something like you are doing if I could manage it. <\/span>Your social security system is certainly more dodgy than ours. <\/span>Well, shall we go and see how the testing is progressing?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cI thought <\/span>you\u2019d never ask,\u201d said Stone as he too quickly jumped from the chair and moved to the table. <\/span>He could barely contain his excitement. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>St. James thought to himself: <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cHere is a man who is hoping for a sudden windfall at the end of his career. It is sad what happens to American teachers as their careers wind down. <\/span>I can\u2019t blame Stone for hoping for something grand. Perhaps we can help him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: LAW\u2019S LIMITS; STONES\u2019S SUCCESS<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Jamison Parkes Law was pacing the floor having just read his email from his main contact within the Sons of Zion\u2013 Sadiq Hadassah. <\/span>Something bad was about to go down and it seemed to involve both Patrick Stone and Art West. <\/span>This puzzled Law, as Law knew these two men to be rivals, and he had even had some congenial conversations with Art West once or twice. <\/span>What could they be up to? <\/span>Could West really be involved in some sort of shady antiquities scam? <\/span>Sadiq <\/span>had promised to send more information as soon as he knew it, but what would Law do with the info? <\/span>Would he go to the press? <\/span>Would he call up the IAA? <\/span>Should he involve Rabbi Menachem more directly? <\/span>He couldn\u2019t decide just yet.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Law had become increasingly agitated when his two disciples had reported to him that West had been taken into custody, apparently for forgery, and possibly for assault on el Said. <\/span>But this made no sense to him, in view of the fact that Hadassah had already communicated with him that it was Stone who had gone to el Said with some object and then later that evening had met with el Said in the park before West had arrived. <\/span>Hadassah had not been sure in the dark who had fired at who, but el Said had ended up being shot. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Could West really be in on such immoral actions? <\/span>Yet he had showed up on the scene almost immediately after el Said had been shot. <\/span>The clock was ticking, and Law\u2019s legal sensibilities and conscience would not leave him alone. <\/span>What to do? <\/span>He prayed and then decided to await the further revelations of the day before doing anything. <\/span>One thing for sure, it would reflect very poorly on conservative Christians in Israel if West turned out to be a criminal. Law would need to have incontrovertible evidence before
\nblowing the whistle on West.<\/p>\n

——————–<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>For three hours the British Museum\u2019s finest tested the Lazarus tablet. <\/span>After a break for a late lunch all the parties reassembled in the lab. <\/span>Oliver convened the session with the words, \u201cColleagues, what have you to report?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>Pamela Thistlewaite spoke first. <\/span>\u201cWe have run all the appropriate tests on the stone, and we have found no reason to doubt this is a first century stone, with a first century inscription.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Professor Baring-Gould added, \u201cAnd as for the inscription itself, not only did it have ancient patina with no signs of modern tampering, but the script itself was of one hand, all likely executed on just one occasion.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>Thistlewaite added: \u201cThis is clearly Jerusalem limestone, but it is not from the Mt. Scopus region, but rather further down the ridge where the limestone is of poorer quality. Perhaps from the region of Silwan or Bethany.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSo, then, it is your judgment that the stone is a genuine artifact of the Herodian period?\u201d <\/span>said Oliver.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes,\u201d said Pamela. \u201cWe are all in one accord on that point. We see no reason to have any doubts about the antiquity of the object or its inscription.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cJolly good,\u201d said Oliver. \u201cYou may go home early today in view of your <\/p>\n

exemplary work on this project.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>They all smiled and moved off towards the cloak room to take off their professional garb, and head for the nearest underground station, quite pleased with themselves. <\/p>\n

<\/span>Oliver beckoned Stone and Delia Tidewater to sit in chairs next to the <\/p>\n

examining table, and he handed her the stone. <\/span>\u201cDelia, the stone is now literally in your hands. <\/span>What is your appraisal?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Delia did not hesitate, but spoke up in her high voice: <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWe have in our business a term \u2013 <\/span>commensurate appraisal. <\/span>We appraise an object on the basis of what other similar objects of equal historical importance and of equal antiquity would fetch at a public auction. <\/span>This artifact is unique in that it has a unique inscription on it, and it is entirely the inscription that makes it so valuable. Therefore the most crucial part of the testing was the patina test and the epigrapher\u2019s analysis. <\/span>I gather the ultraviolet test showed absolutely no signs of modern tampering as well, which is good to know. Taking all things into consideration, especially the rather unique claim of the inscription to refer to a person who had died more than once, and taking Professor Stone\u2019s word that this comes from the very region where according to historical record Lazarus was buried, I would judge that this item would bring no less than about forty million US dollars on the open market.\u201d Of course what you two negotiate is your business entirely, but now at least you have a general figure to guide the discussions.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThank you, Delia, I will be sending your cheque along in the morning with thanks.\u201d said Oliver. <\/span>The weak sun had finally peeked through the clouds outside the window as the afternoon was drawing to a close, and Oliver sat in thought for a moment. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell Professor, I hardly know what to say. <\/span>Were the museum to acquire <\/p>\n

this object I have little doubt it would cause a sensation and draw paying customers to the museum for many years. <\/span>If we placed it in the room with Codex Vaticanus in its own secure temperature-sensitive case I am sure many millions would eventually come to view it. You have told me that time is of the essence, and I take you at your word, and you have also told me that you have a collector prepared to pay market price for this object in T\u00fcbingen. <\/span>Is that still the case?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Stone clearer his throat and responded: <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, but I am prepared to bargain with you in a fair manner, in exchange for a consideration.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>What consideration would that be?\u201d <\/span>asked Oliver. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI would like this negotiation to be in complete confidence \u2013 I have no desire to deal with the publicity. <\/span>The records must be sealed.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThat is quite extraordinary. <\/span>Any lesser man would bathe in the glory of such a find. <\/span>I admire your dedication to pure scholarship.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cThank you, Oliver. <\/span>You told me on the phone that you are prepared to strike a bargain today, and do the wire transfer tomorrow morning. <\/span>Is this still the case?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, the trustees of the museum are quite in a dither about this find, <\/p>\n

and they have given me a figure we are prepared to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cVery good. <\/span>And what indeed is that figure.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWe are prepared to pay twenty million pounds sterling, that is, thirty five million dollars, drawing on our Barclay\u2019s <\/span>account, in order to acquire this artifact. \u201c<\/p>\n

<\/span>Stone knew that he did not want to go through a long negotiating hassle with a collector. <\/span>He replied abruptly, \u201cOliver, it is a pleasure doing business with you, let us shake on it. We have a deal.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>The two men arose, smiled and shook hands. <\/span>Stone then added, \u201cI presume I can store the stone safely in your vault here?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI had anticipated this request. <\/span>Shall we go and place it out of harm\u2019s way together? <\/span>Then you can work with my secretary on the paperwork including, of course, your Swiss bank account number. <\/span>I expect that we will do the transfer Saturday morning at approximately 9 AM.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOh, and one more thing. I want 1 million pounds transferred to a Jerusalem account to further the archaeological work there.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThat should be no problem, just give me the number now.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Stone wrote out the number of the Jerusalem checking account of Dr. Arthur West, though St. James had no way of knowing whose number it was. <\/span>Stone saw this as his mast
\ner-stroke. <\/span>Sooner or later the police would be checking West\u2019s account balances to see if there were any dramatic changes. <\/span>When $1.7 million dollars suddenly showed up in West\u2019s account, he would be in even further hot water. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Stone had obtained West\u2019s account number in the most unobtrusive way possible. <\/span>He had had Simpson follow West to the bank one day, watch him right out his deposit slip on the usual desk blotter in the lobby, and when West left, not paying any attention to Simpson, Simpson simply highlighted the place on the blotter where West had written down the number with a yellow highlighter, bearing down hard, and the account number had magically appeared. Simple and effective. <\/span>West was about to be in a world of hurt. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>St. James and Stone walked to the end of the hall, this time turned left and walked into an inner room boasting a very large safe. <\/span>St. James turned two dials on the combination lock, placed the stone on a shelf, closed the safe, and escorted Patrick to the office of the Museum Director.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The director and his secretary were sitting at a conference table \u2013 all the paperwork neatly laid out and ready for signatures. <\/span>The business was transacted calmly and efficiently, and the director congratulated Stone on making such an important contribution available to the museum rather than a private collector. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>On their way out, Stone said to Oliver, \u201cShall we go celebrate with dinner somewhere? <\/span>I am glad to buy!\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWhy not?\u201d said St. James. \u201cI know just the place. <\/span>The Boar\u2019s Head is not two blocks from here, and has an excellent wine list, and wonderful cuisine.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cFine,\u201d said Stone. <\/span>He was now feeling like he had pulled it off, and he wanted to leave a good impression tonight on St. James. <\/span>They walked down the boulevard together, happy men for very different reasons. <\/span>Neither one of them paid any attention to the young man standing in the doorway of the B+B which they passed on the way to dinner. <\/span>Following them at a distance Hadassah planned on eves-dropping on their dinner conversation. <\/span>Little did he realize what indigestion that meal conversation would produce.<\/p>\n

\n

\n

\n

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: <\/span>PATRICK\u2019S SCAPEGOAT<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Thursday night found Ray Simpson sitting, not in a plane, but in the very jail cell where West had spent the day. <\/span>He had already survived one grueling round of questioning, and he barely managed to keep his cool. <\/span>He had demanded a lawyer, but was told that under Israeli law they had every right to interrogate him if they chose. <\/span>No charges had been made as yet, and even if they did <\/span>press charges, they could hold him without bail. <\/span>Ray Simpson soon realized that the law of Israel was indeed very different from what he expected. <\/span>Could torture be involved? <\/span>Thursday night produced very little sleep.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Raymond\u2019s Friday was certainly not going as well as Patrick Stone\u2019s Friday. <\/span>At nine o\u2019clock in the morning, no less than four IAA police agents came to his cell. <\/span>They trotted out the brown paper which he had used to wrap the forged Lazarus stone. <\/span>They showed him the evidence of his fingerprints on the forgery. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Detective Shimon spoke: <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cMr Simpson, we know from this piece of paper that you have a connection with a stone inscription found Tuesday in Bethany by Dr. Arthur West. <\/span>The fact that you made a copy indicates you have some knowledge of the original \u2013 which is still missing. <\/span>Further we believe that a man answering <\/span>to the description of Dr. Patrick Stone probably brought the original to the shop of Kahlil el Said on Tuesday afternoon, the same el Said who was attacked Tuesday night. <\/span>We also know that you are a graduate student currently working with Dr. Patrick Stone. <\/span>Unless you tell us right now where the original Lazarus stone is, and where Professor Stone is, you will be charged with attempting to steal antiquities, forgery and, if we find you had anything to do with the shooting of Kahlil el Said, attempted murder as well. <\/span>So, Mr. Simpson, where are the two \u201cstones\u201d — the man and the rock?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Simpson had begun to sweat. He thought to himself, \u201cI guess I won\u2019t be getting out of this cleanly just by stonewalling, so to speak. <\/span>I have to give them something and I have to tell them at least some of the truth.\u201d <\/span>From the line of questioning so far, he realized there was plenty they didn\u2019t know about. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Clearing his throat Simpson rehashed most of last night\u2019s answers. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m just Patrick Stone\u2019s teaching assistant. <\/span>We have been here in Jerusalem doing various sorts of research, and buying a few things. <\/span>Professor Stone called me Wednesday saying he was called away on family business. <\/span>I presume he left Wednesday night or maybe Thursday for New Haven and then his home in Tennessee to see his ailing mother. <\/span>He told me I could stay in Jerusalem and continue my research, but I decided to go home for a visit.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cAs for the inscription, yeah, I made that cheap copy and sent it by courier to Dr. Arthur West at Stone\u2019s request. <\/span>Professor Stone gave me a blown-up picture to make the copy. Really, honestly, I don\u2019t <\/span>know where the original is! <\/span>Perhaps Professor Stone can tell you, but I don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>So far, he was telling the truth \u2013 not all the truth \u2013 but the truth nonetheless. <\/span>However, he finally lied, adding, \u201cI\u2019ve never seen the original!\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Ray started getting more defensive and sarcastic. <\/span>\u201cTo my knowledge it\u2019s not against the law to make a copy of something ancient. <\/span>Right? <\/span>I wasn\u2019t trying <\/span>to pass it off as anything real. <\/span>You have the package <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>you <\/span>know that there\u2019s no request or demand for payment or anything like that. <\/span>Finally, I have no id
\nea at all what you are talking about in regard to the shooting of Kahlil el Said. <\/span>I was in the apartment with my roommate, Grayson Johnson, watching basketball and eating a late supper Tuesday night.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>\u201cWe will be checking your alibi by talking with Mr. Johnson. <\/span>Meanwhile, we will be tapping your phone in case Professor Stone calls. <\/span>We think you know a lot more about the original stone, especially since Dr. West claims to have seen the original stone Tuesday morning in a tomb in Bethany. <\/span>He also claims he was mysteriously sealed in that tomb for a time!! <\/span>Do you know anything about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Raymond looked up sheepishly but said nothing. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAs I said, we think you know a lot more. <\/span>For the time being you will be held in custody for further interrogation and possible charges. <\/span>Calling the American Consulate will do you little good, given the nature of the charges. <\/span>So I suggest you make your one phone call a more profitable one.\u201d <\/span>With this, the officer turned on his heels and left the room. <\/span>Raymond was taken back to his cell.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Shimon said to the other IAA police, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cHe is probably telling the truth to an extent. <\/span>I\u2019m convinced, however, it\u2019s not the whole truth. <\/span>Check customs and flight manifests for Patrick Stone. <\/span>We need to find him quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\n

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: <\/span>\u2018BORN ON A MOUNTAIN-TOP IN TENNESSEE\u2019<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Among his other duties, Detective Hoffner was in charge of one key piece of evidence \u2013 the weapon. <\/span>Surprisingly, it was a 19th century derringer, a one-shot weapon that could be concealed in the palm of a man\u2019s hand. <\/span>Probably made in the US, the gun was too old to have a serial number. <\/span>Hoffner narrowed his search to cities where Patrick Stone had lived, beginning with his birthplace, Johnson City, Tennessee. <\/p>\n

<\/span>The Internet is a wonderful thing. <\/span>Even if you connect in outer Slobovia, you can still find out the name and phone number of the local antique and gun shops in Johnson City Tennessee or New Haven Connecticut. <\/span>Hoffner had been calling numbers for a day now. <\/span>Finally, he came to Marvin\u2019s Gun and Ammo Shop. <\/span>Hoffner was in no way prepared for the conversation he was about to have. <\/span>Worlds and cultures were about to collide here, even worse than if Bonnie and Clyde had paid a visit to the Bedouins in the Judean desert.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Marvin\u2019s Gun and Ammo shop was sort of the Wal-Mart of gun shops <\/span>\u2013 one-stop shopping. <\/span>The neon sign blinked irregularly; figures hand-painted on the windows ranged from Wild Bill Hickcock to Annie Oakley to G.I. Joe to Johnny Reb. <\/span>The building was the sort of place no sane woman would ever enter. <\/span>It was strictly a man\u2019s domain. <\/span>Not only were there guns and ammunition of all sizes and descriptions, there was all sorts of Army surplus stuff ranging from uniforms to canteens to medals. <\/span>Shoot, there was even an old howitzer and a small tank in the front parking lot! <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>The floors in the store were concrete for the very good reason that they need hosing down once in a while due to the spitting of chewin\u2019 tobacco here, there and yonder. <\/span> <\/span>Right next to the cash register there was Red Man Chewin\u2019 Tobacco, Skol Dippin\u2019 Snuff, <\/span>a revolving display of Army patches, and even canned possum. <\/span>Marvin\u2019s had it all, except of course for a computer. <\/span>Marvin had not yet had a close encounter of the first kind with the computer revolution. <\/span>His son set up his website and monitored it from home.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Hoffner calculated that he was a good seven to eight hours ahead of <\/span>Johnson City time, so he would wait and call late Friday afternoon. <\/span>Dialing up the number in his small cubicle in the police station it took a while for the phone to ring, and even longer before someone picked up. <\/span>A gravelly voice finally rang out, <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYup, this is Marvin\u2019s, whatcha need?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Hoffner swallowed and answered, \u201cMy name is Detective Hoffner. <\/span>I am calling from the police station in Jerusalem. <\/span>Do you know anyone by the name of Patrick Stone or Leroy Stone?\u201d <\/span>There was a pause. <\/span>Avi could hear some arguing going on despite the fact that someone\u2019s hand was probably over the receiver. <\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>In truth, things were a bit confused at Marvin\u2019s store. <\/span>Marvin was sharing the conversation with the boys playing checkers.<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cJerusalem? <\/span>Jerusalem Tennessee? <\/span>Ain\u2019t that over near the border with Kentucky?\u201d <\/span>said Charlie, the best player around. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201c Yeah, maybe, but this here caller wants to know if we know\u2019d someone named Leroy Stone.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>The next thing Hoffner heard was laughter. <\/span>Finally Marvin was back on the line. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI reckon so. Leroy used to be the mayor of this place. <\/span>His son Patrick\u2019s a big shot, but he visits his mama sometimes.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Hoffner tenatively ventured another question. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cDid either one of them ever buy a gun from your shop? <\/span>In particular, an antique hand weapon ?\u201d <\/span>Again laughter broke out at the other end of the line. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cFeller, it\u2019s clear you ain\u2019t from around these parts. <\/span>Nobody around here would dare call a fire arm an antique hand weapon. <\/span>That\u2019d be bows and arrows around here.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Hoffner <\/span>tried again, <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI believe it is called a derringer, and it came with a pearl handle.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNow you\u2019re talkin, let me go look i
\nn the books.\u201d <\/span>When Marvin said look in the books he meant he would go back to his cluttered office, get out the sales receipts for the years when Leroy was living and start leafing through them. <\/span>This could take forever. <\/span>Ten minutes, later, Marvin picked up the phone again.<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cRecords take too long. <\/span>Now Vernon\u2019s here right now, and he saved me some trouble. <\/span>He recollected that Leroy did buy himself a little derringer just after he became Mayor in 1950 something, on account OF he figured he was a VIP now and could afford antiques. <\/span>It was a Civil War gun carried by some officer in Braxton Bragg\u2019s army. <\/span>Didn\u2019t have much velocity and no percussion at all. <\/span>Only works at really close range. <\/span>Don\u2019t do much damage. <\/span>May I ask now why you are askin\u2019 these funny questions?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Hoffner had begun to make some sense of this particular brand of southern American dialect, and he decided that the best thing to do now was beat a fast retreat before he got in any deeper. <\/span>His mental picture of the man he was talking to didn\u2019t come close to matching the reality of the codger at the other end in bib overalls and a Braves hat.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Hoffner bravely continued, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI am engaged in some police work involving Patrick Stone who seems to have taken possession of the gun at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cUh huh,\u201d said Marvin. \u201cDoesn\u2019t surprise me, seein\u2019 as how that boy went off to some fancy university up north, became an educated fool, and went atheist on us. <\/span>That boy in some trouble now? <\/span>His mama\u2019s poorly you know.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYou could say that; we are going to be questioning Dr. Stone\u201d Hoffner replied. \u201cBut let\u2019s not frighten his mother with rumors. <\/span>One more thing, what is your full name.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Marvin spat and responded proudly, <\/span>\u201cMarvin Moon , the gun expert.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThank you kindly for your assistance,\u201d Hoffner said and hung up. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>About then the chief of police walked by. <\/span>\u201cMaking any progress on tracing the gun?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes sir, but you wouldn\u2019t believe the person I just talked to. <\/span>I don\u2019t think we could coax him over here for the trial. <\/span>Nobody would understand his testimony anyway. <\/span>He sounded like those fellows in that movie, \u201cOh Brother, Where Art Thou\u201d with George Clooney. <\/span>Let\u2019s just say, the gun did originally belong to Leroy Stone , the father of Patrick. <\/span>Getting proof, on paper, will probably be impossible. <\/span>Plus, it\u2019s not registered. <\/span>I\u2019ll try to get some sort of signed affidavit.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

——————— <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Sadiq Haddasah had not slept a wink the previous night. <\/span>The conversation he had overheard in the booth next to his own in the Boar\u2019s Head Restaurant had so turned his stomach that he could barely restrain himself from attempting to do something violent. <\/span>He knew from the conversation that not only had Stone sold the Lazarus stone to the British Museum for a considerable sum, but he intended to disappear into retirement as soon as he left London. The trail might suddenly run cold. <\/span>Without question Hadassah would have to do something in the morning and he had heard the reassurance from St. James as they got up to leave that the wire transfers would take place about nine in the morning. <\/span>\u201cWhy transfers, instead of just a single transfer?\u201d <\/span>wondered Hadassah. <\/span>He formulated in his mind a plan of action just as soon as he had monitored Stone\u2019s emails that were likely to go out sometime between nine and ten the next morning. <\/span>\u201cAll Sheol is about to break loose in Jerusalem\u201d said Sadiq and he grimaced.<\/p>\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX: <\/span>PAROLE WITHOUT A LIFE<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Hannah had been very touched by Grace\u2019s visit Thursday afternoon. <\/span>She had only met Grace once before in her father\u2019s shop, although both she and Grace were friends of Sarah and she had seen Grace on occasion at Solomon\u2019s Porch. <\/span>Grace had brought Hannah up to date on Art\u2019s overnight stay with the police. <\/span>She reminded Hannah that the police was interested in finding not only her father\u2019s assailant, but also the stone\u2019s forger. <\/span>Apparently, the police still felt that Art knew more than he was telling them, but the police were planning to turn Art loose Thursday night. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>Hannah had loudly expressed her attitude right there in the ICU lounge. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous! <\/span>Art and my father are best of friends! <\/span>He was right here giving blood to save his life before he was arrested. <\/span>Of course Art didn\u2019t shoot him!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>All of that anger and frustration against the injustices done to her people by Israeli police and armed forces welled up in her. <\/span>Of course she knew that her own people, indeed her own former husband, had also committed atrocities, but it was hard to keep a balanced perspective when one had experienced great loss personally. <\/p>\n

<\/span>Friday morning Art had made a brief visit. <\/span>For awhile, Harry and Hannah, old friends, talked about all sorts of recent finds in Israel. <\/span>Art just stood by rather amazed at the depth of Hannah\u2019s knowledge about Israeli antiquities. <\/span>Hannah even gave Harry a key to her shop so Harry could peruse some things at his leisure. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>It was now Friday evening. <\/span>As Hannah sat by her father\u2019s bed reciting again and again the basic Islamic prayer in Arabic \u2013 \u201cThere is one God, Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet,\u201d \u2013 her heart had other words in mind, asking the Almighty to save her father, a good <\/span>man. <\/span>She was kneeling on her prayer rug facing Mecca and praying so intently that she hardly noticed that there was another sound in the room, the sound of very soft moaning. <\/span>She stopped praying and realized the sound was coming from her father. <\/span>She leapt up and went to his bed turning her ear in the direction
\nof his mouth. <\/span>Yes, he was moaning, now even more audibly. <\/span>Could he be coming out of his coma? <\/span>At once she pushed the call button for the nurse.<\/p>\n

_____________________________<\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace finally arrived home from synagogue, with her mother Camelia in tow. <\/span>Camelia had moved from New York <\/span>to Jerusalem at the insistence of Grace, as she had no close relatives in the United States <\/span>anymore to look after her. <\/span>What Grace had not counted on was that her mother was still just as formidable and domineering as ever. <\/span>She had moved into Grace\u2019s apartment and immediately rearranged everything, including Grace\u2019s own bed room! <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Her mother was like a runaway freight train, and Grace was constantly looking for the brakes. <\/span>Camelia\u2019s latest tantrum occurred at the local grocery store after learning they did not carry her favorite brand of kefilta fish. <\/span>She harangued the store owner for so long that his wife called up Grace and told her to come and take her mother home! <\/span>Grace was mortified and apologized profusely for her mother\u2019s overbearing behavior. <\/span>Of course, she was forgetting that she too could sometimes be very pushy and get in people\u2019s faces. <\/span>It\u2019s funny how we wince at the behavior in others that we are oblivious to in our own lives.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Once home Camelia put on the kettle and once again set in on her usual litany with Grace. <\/span> <\/span>\u201cYou realize that if you keep turning down the overtures of Sammy Cohen and others that you will end up sad and alone. <\/span>Far be it from me to tell you how to run your life, but I am just saying it would be nice to see you find someone before you are as old and gray as I am.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace practiced the art of \u2018selective hearing loss\u2019 and went about getting on her pajamas and getting comfortable before bedtime. <\/span>It had been a long day. <\/span>Finally, she returned to the kitchen. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cMother, thank you again for your concern for my life, but I am really quite happy and fulfilled just as I am. <\/span>I love my work. <\/span>I have numerous friends. <\/span>I enjoy the socials and services at our synagogue. <\/span>And you are here with me. <\/span>Really that\u2019s more than enough.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace was attempting the kill-them-with-kindness approach. <\/span>In actuality Grace felt like she had received a sentence of parole without a life. <\/span>There was a deeper part of her which really longed for love and permanent companionship, but Grace kept suppressing those feelings. <\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace turned on the 10 PM news and was immediately accosted with follow-up stories about the bomb that blew up outside of Tel Aviv airport Thursday night. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThis country has turned into a terrorist\u2019s work shop. <\/span>Practice here what you hope to make perfect when you export it to Europe and America. <\/span>Why is civility and friendship so impossible now between the various faiths and ethnic groups in this land?\u201d <\/span>She found herself arguing with the TV. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Her mother just listened quietly from the kitchen and shook her head. <\/span>She could not understand why in New York a thousand races could live side by side and survive without totally destroying each other\u2019s way of life, but here in Israel, even just two or three ethnic groups and faiths couldn\u2019t manage to get along and share the land and its blessings. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n

<\/span>But there was another person on the other side of town which also felt like he was on parole without a life. <\/span>Art had been released Thursday night. <\/span>He and Harry had spent a quiet evening at his flat, especially since Harry needed food and rest. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>Fortunately, he had not been charged with a crime, and therefore had not been required to post bail when he was released from jail. <\/span>Yet he had been stripped of his passport and told not to leave town. <\/span>In short, he was still under suspicion. <\/span>Art began to understand how Oded Golan, owner of the James ossuary, must have felt, living in some sort of twilight zone, waiting for the ax to fall. <\/span>West decided, however, that he was not going to let the situation get the best of him. <\/span>He was not going to hang his head and hide <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>he was going to be proactive. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Friday, Art relaxed and toured some of Harry\u2019s favorite spots. <\/span>Late morning they visited Hannah which turned out to be a lot of fun for Art as he watched Hannah and Harry together! <\/span>Harry\u2019s enthusiasm for his work and antiquities in general was just the medicine the doctor would have ordered <\/span>\u2013 for Hannah! <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>On Saturday, Shabbat, Harry spent the day at Kahlil\u2019s shop. <\/span>When Hannah left for the hospital, she gave Harry a crash course in making a sale. <\/span>But there were few customers. <\/span>He had the day and the shop mainly to himself to examine every piece. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>By Saturday night Harry had settled in nicely in the guest bedroom and spent most of the evening attending to e-mails. <\/span>He made a few phone calls to Mary Minor and Sam Feldman, two of his editors at Biblical Artifact. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Plus, Harry had begun drafting an amicus brief, just in case he had to go to court on behalf of Art. Of course, Art would need an Israeli lawyer as well, since Scholer did not know all the ins and outs of Israeli law. <\/span>He planned to consult with a local firm and take suggestions on who could best represent Art. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>One thing Harry did know however— normally Israeli trials were trial by judge, though there was a provision for trial by jury if the defendant was from a country where that was the normal practice and it was requested. Harry was hoping for a trial by jury for sure. <\/span>The judges he knew in Jerusalem were hanging judges with a low tolerance for possible antiquity thieves, much less potential murderers. <\/span>Too many years of having to deal with the fallout from the Intifadah had hardened them and their approach to such matters of jurisprudence. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIt is going to be an uphill battle,\u201d Harry said under his breath, as he prepared for bed.<\/p>\n

\n

\n

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN: <\/span>FLOWER CHILD <\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span> <\/span>Grayson Johnson was quite the young man with a rather amazing pedigree. <\/span>The son of the cult leader Charles Johnson, and a graduate of Fruitland Bible Institute in California, he was a blond hippie for Jesus. <\/span>He sported a nose ring, a tongue stud, and more tattoos than one might think safe. <\/span>\u201cIsrael is real, but Jesus is more real\u201d read his favorite t-shirt which he wore constantly. <\/span>Grayson Johnson was Ray Simpson\u2019s roommate, sharing an apartment near the Scottish Presbyterian Church in Jerusalem. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grayson supported himself by working at the Jerusalem YMCA and a health food store. <\/span>Whenever he could, he hung out with various conservative Christian groups in the city including attending from time to time the Society of the Millennial Dawn\u2019s public seminars. <\/span>He was a vegetarian, a pacifist, and someone profoundly interested in the correlations between archaeology and the Bible. <\/span>This latter interest had led him to attend worship services at the Garden Tomb not far from the Damascus Gate in the old city. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>An avid reader of <\/span>The Left Behind series of Timothy LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, Grayson figured the world was coming to an end soon, and he wanted to be in Jerusalem when Jesus came back. <\/span>For that reason, Grayson also kept up with the local news. <\/span>Wednesday night, the headlines in the Jerusalem Post included the story about West\u2019s arrest on suspicion of not only assault but also forgery \u2013 something having to do with an inscription and a limestone block. <\/span>That sounded familiar! <\/span>Friday morning\u2019s news included a story about a bombing at Tel Aviv airport. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grayson\u2019s morning granola was interrupted by a knock at the door. <\/span>The police searched Raymond\u2019s room and talked to Grayson for about an hour. <\/span>Grayson related all he knew about Raymond\u2019s activities that week \u2013 including the fact that he was indeed home Tuesday night. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>He knew Ray was up to no good, but he couldn\u2019t quite figure out what to do about it. <\/span>At the American Institute of Holy Land Studies, he had heard Professor West lecture on various occasions. <\/span>One could say that West was in a sense Grayson\u2019s hero, being in his eyes the man most responsible for helping the world to see that archaeology backed up the New Testament\u2019s claims about history and Jesus. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>He knew a lot more than Raymond could ever imagine. He knew: 1) <\/span>Ray had snuck out Monday and Tuesday mornings very early; <\/span>2) Ray was furiously chiseling an inscription into a limestone block Tuesday afternoon in the back courtyard; <\/span>3) Ray had returned to the apartment Wednesday afternoon very agitated; 4) Ray packed his suitcase, grabbed his laptop, and left Thursday; <\/span>and 5) Ray spent entirely too much time with that crabby old professor from Yale instead of getting his research done!<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>After work Friday afternoon, Grayson walked around the old city seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit and muttering, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cPrincipalities and powers man, <\/span>principalities and powers. <\/span>Somebody has got to help Doc West.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>He remembered an afternoon recently when he and Ray took a short trip from the bus station out to a local dig site. <\/span>Before leaving, Grayson saw Ray checking out a locker. <\/span>When Grayson asked him about it, Ray said it was for personal belongings, and he should mind his own business! <\/span>Grayson was no Sherlock Holmes, but he suspected that if Ray was hiding something, it might be in that locker. <\/span>He decided to search for the key! <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Sunday morning provided a glorious blue sky, and Grayson was off <\/span>to the Garden Tomb for worship. <\/span>He loved the outdoor worship service, the singing, the preaching, the communion service. <\/span>He called it the Adam and Eve praise service. Grayson knew from last Sunday\u2019s bulletin that Art West was scheduled to preach. <\/span>The text for the day was, \u201cYou are the light of the world. <\/span>A city set on a hill cannot be hid\u201d (Matthew 4.14). <\/span>Grayson sang lustily at the service, drawing a few stares, but settled down to listen intently when Arthur West took the pulpit. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>West stressed in his sermon how important it was for Christians to be honest and open about their faith. <\/span>In Israel, of course, it was against the law to proselytize Jews or other non-Christians but one could indirectly be a good witness by living a truth-filled life, and always helping the truth, of whatever kind, to come to light. <\/span>Grayson had found the message powerfully convicting, and had decided he would be brave enough to go up and speak with Dr. West after the service.<\/p>\n

<\/span>As the worshipers were gradually filing out of the Garden and passing through the gift shop on the way out to the street, Grayson deliberately got at the back of the line of those who were shaking West\u2019s hand. <\/span>Being rather shy despite his love for singing, it took Grayson some doing to be brave enough to speak directly with his hero. <\/span>As he came up to West and shook his hand, these words came tumbling out: <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m Grayson. <\/span>For sure that was a good sermon Dr. West, and it reminded me that I need to be totally honest so that gnarly dude the Devil doesn\u2019t win any victories because of me being shy and quiet. <\/span>My roommate Raymond Simpson is not walkin\u2019 the straight and narrow, to say the least, and he\u2019s been hanging out with the wrong crowd. <\/span>Thursday he packed his bags and split <\/span>\u2013 but he didn\u2019t get far! <\/span>Yesterday, I found a key on a nail behind Ray\u2019s bed. <\/span>I know it goes to a locker at the Bethlehem bus station. <\/span>In the rush, I guess he had a \u2018senior moment\u2019 <\/span>\u2013 uh, sorry Dr. West for rattlin on!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNo offense taken!\u201d <\/span>laughed West. <\/span>This young man was an enigma, but he could see Grayson was very sincere. <\/span>\u201cWhat
\nhas this locker got to do with me?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t know man,\u201d said Grayson who then continued with the world\u2019s longest one breath sentence: <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cBut the police searched Ray\u2019s room Friday and talked to me all about the mess with the stone and all, and some guy named el Said, and you being accused of bad stuff, <\/span>and Ray\u2019s in jail now, and I know Ray hid stuff in that locker and maybe the rock\u2019s <\/span>there \u2013 wow, think of that! \u2013 but I figured you being an archaeologist and all, you could check it out cuz\u2019 I\u2019ve been praying for you what with all your troubles of late, and I figured this is what God wanted me to do.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>West looked deeply into the young man\u2019s blue eyes and saw a simple soul who really did want to help. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cTell me your full name again,\u201d said West still staring.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOh, I\u2019m nobody compared to you, <\/span>I\u2019m just Grayson, Grayson Johnson. <\/span>This is about my roommate Ray Simpson. <\/span>Like I said, he up and left me all of a sudden <\/span>Thursday. <\/span>He was hanging with the wrong crowd <\/span>\u2013 to say nothin\u2019 of that Stone character.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYou are certainly not nobody,\u201d said West. \u201cYou are a precious child of God, and who knows \u2013 what you\u2019ve done may shed light on many problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Grayson blushed and said, \u201cThanks man for makin\u2019 it real, the Bible I mean.\u201d <\/span> <\/span>West thought to ask. <\/span>\u201cCould you give me your address and phone number? <\/span>At the very least I owe you lunch \u2013 and I\u2019ll need to return this key and let you know what I\u2019ve found!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Grayson turned in amazement. <\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cYou mean it? <\/span>I don\u2019t have a cell phone, can\u2019t afford them plus I hear they mess with your brain, the signals I mean. <\/span>But my apartment phone is 783-4242.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

West took out his palm pilot and entered Grayson\u2019s address and phone number. <\/span>\u201cI promise to be in touch as soon as I\u2019ve learned something. <\/span>God bless you.\u201d <\/span>Grayson waved and went out through the gift shop.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Now Art was eager to share the morning\u2019s excitement. <\/span>He headed for his one of his favorite sidewalk caf\u00e9s in the Jewish quarter to have brunch with Grace. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>Walking quickly <\/span>through the Damascus gate, he passed right by Kahlil\u2019s shop, which reminded him to visit with Hannah later in the afternoon. <\/span>Going through the bazaar, the crush of people was huge. <\/span>Sunday, of course, was just a normal work day in Israel for the vast majority of people. <\/p>\n

<\/span>West strolled through the Cardo Maximus, the remains of the old Roman street and shops from not long after the period in which Jesus lived. <\/span>He often thought about which of the early Christian figures might have walked down this same street. <\/span>Just beyond the Cardo was a nice Italian pizza parlor. <\/span>Grace was already waiting there sitting under an umbrella sipping something cool. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cMan, I\u2019ve had a weird morning, so much to tell, but let\u2019s order first!\u201d he exclaimed. <\/p>\n

\n

\n

\n

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT: <\/span>OUT IN THE CLEAR?<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Sammy Cohen\u2019s phone had been ringing off the hook on Sunday morning. <\/span><\/p>\n

The lab tech kept calling with new revelations. <\/span>First was the fact that neither West\u2019s nor Simpson\u2019s DNA samples matched the DNA from the hair fibers on el Said\u2019s coat. <\/span>Then <\/span>came the news that the prints were neither Simpson\u2019s nor West\u2019s. <\/span>Both the prints and the hair samples were being checked against those found in Stone\u2019s apartment. <\/span>Of course, the police still had Ray Simpson in custody charged with producing the forged stone. <\/span>And Sammy knew the police were also looking for Patrick Stone especially since the gun belonged to him! <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAny way you cut it, \u201csaid Cohen to no one in particular, \u201cWest cannot be charged with assault, <\/span>nor, it would appear, with the forgery either. <\/span>I had better call him.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Art had put his phone on voice mail so he could have an uninterrupted chat with Grace. <\/span>He told her all about the morning service at the Garden Tomb and the unusual Grayson Johnson. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWhat will you do next?\u201d <\/span>she asked. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIf it\u2019s legal I plan is to go to the Bethlehem bus station, but that means going through a check and there is that horrible wall around the city now as well. <\/span>But I probably should take Sammy and Harry with me. <\/span>Meanwhile, I want to talk to Mustafa again, and I really should visit Hannah.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Lunch had been going very pleasantly with their sharing a Kosher pizza and some drinks, but Art could tell that Grace seemed a bit withdrawn. <\/span>She wasn\u2019t really listening to all his plans. <\/span>She kept bringing the conversation back to his personal state of affairs. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cArt, if this all gets cleared up pretty soon, then what will you do? <\/span>Will you go back to the States?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d <\/span>said Art, \u201cThe digging season is far from over, <\/span>and I hope to at least make a start in the excavations in and around the tomb. <\/span>I\u2019m going to have to draft one or two volunteers to help me, but since it\u2019s a small, self contained site, it won\u2019t require a lot. <\/span>I have an idea for one person who might help me.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI am glad to hear this. <\/span>I think it is important that you stay here,\u201d Grace replied emphasizing the last two words.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, I can hardly do otherwise at this juncture. <\/span>Your police have my passport you know!\u201d <\/span>reminded Art.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Art did not press Grace, but he could tell she w
\nas being somewhat evasive. <\/span><\/p>\n

In truth, Grace was trying to make sure her friend didn\u2019t plan to leave. <\/span>She was bursting to tell him about the contents of the ossuary! <\/span>But Sammy hadn\u2019t given her the go ahead yet. <\/span>Art\u2019s name had to be cleared before he would be allowed anywhere near that ossuary.<\/p>\n

<\/span>As their Sunday lunch was winding down, Art flipped up his cell phone and discovered he had two new messages. <\/span>The first was from Harry: \u201cHey, Art, give me a buzz as soon as you can.\u201d <\/span>The second message was from Sammy in his best professional voice: <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cProfessor West. <\/span>I am pleased to tell you that we now have sufficient evidence to exonerate you from the crimes of attempted murder and probably of forgery. <\/span>You will probably be able to retrieve your passport at the Jerusalem police station next week sometime. They need to track down a couple of final details before releasing the passport.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Art let out a yelp \u2014 <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cHey, looks like I am going to be cleared. <\/span>Sammy was pretty definitive about the matter of assault, and seemed confident about the forgery and theft allegations\u201d <\/span>Grace looked up shocked. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWho called you \u2013 Sammy?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, which must mean they now have some firm leads that point in some other direction. <\/span>Boy is that a load off my mind. <\/span>Now if Ha\u2019Aretz and the Jerusalem Post will just print that news in as prominent a spot as the original story about my arrest.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI will see what can be done,\u201d said Grace laughing! <\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace headed home <\/span>\u2013 her mother had made \u2018not to be dismissed\u2019 plans for her this afternoon. <\/span>Art lingered long enough to enjoy another cold glass of lemonade and return phone calls to both Sammy and Harry. <\/span>Sammy was feeling kindly toward Art and heartily agreed that the search should be conducted officially. <\/span>He promised to go with Art to Bethlehem with the proper papers. <\/span>Harry was definitely up for the treasure hunt, and Art promised to swing by the flat and collect him within the hour. <\/p>\n

\n

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE \u2013 <\/span>PILGRIMAGE TO BETHLEHEM<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Harry and Art passed easily through the security check point on their way to Bethlehem. <\/span>The bus station was rather nondescript. <\/span>Made of the same limestone as everything else in the area, the one-story building was off-white in color. The lockers were on the far back wall of the ground floor. <\/span>Within minutes, Art and Harry were joined by Sammy and Officer Avi Hoffner who had followed them in another car just to make sure all went well at the checkpoint. <\/span>Pleasantries were exchanged quickly \u2013 Sammy and Harry were still keeping their distance. <\/span>Each person was provided with gloves to prevent any fingerprint contamination.<\/p>\n

<\/span>West headed straight for locker number 666, and with Sammy\u2019s go-ahead nod , put the key in the small lock <\/span>and opened it without a problem. <\/span>In the locker were two objects. <\/span>The first was a leather bag, a tool kit of some kind, with chisels and pointed instruments. <\/span>The second was a cardboard box, covered with brown paper, which appeared to have been taped properly at one time, opened, and resealed hastily. <\/span>Officer Hoffner held the package carefully while Sammy peeled back the layers of paper. <\/span>The cover was removed. <\/span>Lying amongst wads of tissue paper, were several olive wood nativity figurines <\/span>\u2013 Mary, Joseph and the three Wise Men. <\/span>West was allowed to pick up one of the figurines and examine the bottom <\/span>\u2013 a red and white label read, <\/span>\u201cThree Arches.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>West mused aloud, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve been to this shop on several occasions \u2013 the owner is quite reputable. <\/span>Why would Ray Simpson hide nativity figures in a locker?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cKeep looking, maybe there\u2019s some paperwork,\u201d chimed in Harry.<\/p>\n

<\/span>West poked around in the box and found a mailing label with a name but without a return address. The name he immediately recognized: \u2018Dr Patrick Stone.\u2019<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cLooks like the good Doctor did some souvenir shopping, that\u2019s all. <\/span>But we don\u2019t know where he planned to send the figurines\u201d mused Harry.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, maybe there is more here than meets the eye. <\/span>An olive wood piece like this should be heavier,\u201d commented Sammy as he weighed one of the figurines in his hand. <\/span>At that point he gave the figurine a vigorous shake. <\/span>Something moved up and down within the statue. <\/span>Under the label, he noted a wooden plug. <\/span>Looking at the bottom of the other four statues, the same was the case with each of them.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, there are certainly more surprises in store,\u201d laughed Harry. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, but we should open these back at the IAA office \u2013 not here in a bus station! <\/span>And I\u2019ll get a team in here to thoroughly inspect the locker,\u201d promised Hoffner, the resident expert in forensics, as he flipped up his cell phone. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI suggest on our way back to the IAA office that we stop first at The Three Arches. <\/span>Avi you stay here and secure the area,\u201d ordered <\/span>Sammy. <\/span>All were in immediate agreement, especially Harry who had promised to bring back a few quality items to his family.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The Three Arches was a popular tourist spot for those looking for early Christmas presents. <\/span>Situated only a few blocks down the street from the Bethlehem plaza and the Church of the Nativity, it was usually packed with browsers in June. The wall erected around Bethlehem however had put a damper on business and there was only modest business being transacted. The three men walked in the front door and West immediately saw Ibrahim\u2019s daughter, Hagar, dealing with a customer at the main counter. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Art smiled and waved to her when she looked up, and asked, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWhere\u2019s your father?\u201d <\/span>She pointed to the office door and re
\nplied, \u201cHe\u2019s in there with a friend working on his third Turkish coffee of the day.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>A knock and a call of \u201cEnter!\u201d allowed the men to peer into a cramped little office. <\/span>Seeing the impossibility of them all squeezing into such a small space, Harry immediately agreed to do some shopping. <\/span>Art and Sammy stepped into the office where Ibrahim was sitting at his desk drinking coffee with a fellow Palestinian. <\/span>Ibrahim smiled and offered the usual greeting, \u201cSalam alaykum!\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAnd to you,\u201d said West, well versed in the proper protocol. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIbrahim, this is Mr. Samuel Cohen of the IAA. <\/span>We have some very important business to discuss. <\/span>But I see now is not a good time for you \u2013 may we come back soon?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Ibrahim\u2019s friend arose and bowed. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI have been honored with my friend\u2019s company long enough <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>it is a good time to continue my business elsewhere.\u201d <\/span>Turning to Ibrahim, he nodded, and left graciously.<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>Art continued, \u201cI must ask you to remember something, something which seems to have taken place some time ago, though I don\u2019t know just how long ago. <\/span>Perhaps within this year. <\/span>A customer seems to have come into your shop, bought carvings of Mary, Joseph, and the Wise Men, and then asked you to hollow them out so they could contain something, and then after the insertion be plugged back up by your artisans. <\/span>Do you remember any such transactions? <\/span>Surely one like this would stand out.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Ibrahim pulled on his beard and said thoughtfully, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cTo tell you the truth, I do not remember something like this, but as you know I do not handle the small day to day trade any more, I am more the negotiator for sales in bulk. <\/span>Let me call my daughter Hagar to come and speak with us privately.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Ibrahim left the office. There was a lull in the activities in the shop and Hagar was merely arranging bills in the drawer. <\/span>He said to his daughter, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cHagar, my dear, please come with me to the office. <\/span>We must have a private word with you.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cCertainly, Father, let me ask Kalitha to take over here,\u201d she replied dutifully. <\/p>\n

<\/span>After Hagar was seated in the office, Art repeated the question he had asked Ibrahim, and Hagar got a very excited look on her face. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOh, yes, I remember. <\/span>That transaction occurred only in the last week \u2013 Wednesday morning I believe. <\/span>A small, older nearly bald man came in, picked out the carvings he wanted, <\/span>then asked if we could safely hollow out the statues. <\/span>He said he wanted to put some surprises in them as additional gifts for his family. <\/span>We thought that was fair enough and so we did the work quickly, boring out the statues very carefully but making sure the plug in the bottom would be secure. <\/span>He came back about mid afternoon, and paid cash for both the product and the labor, no questions asked.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cDid he give his name?\u201d <\/span>Sammy asked.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNo, in fact, he did not really say much at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWould you know him if you saw him again?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI think so, and in any case, he spoke with an American accent.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThank you, Hagar, I think that is all for now. <\/span>You have been a great help to us.\u201d <\/span>Hagar smiled and left the office. <\/span>Ibrahim stepped in with cold drinks for his guests. <\/span>\u201cI presume you do not want Turkish coffee!\u201d he said smiling. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Art laughed, \u201cYou know us well, Ibrahim! <\/span>Thank you for your hospitality. <\/span>Now I must find my friend.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Back in the shop, Harry was enjoying himself. <\/span>Art cautioned, \u201cIf you are buying something there is not much time for haggling. <\/span>We\u2019ve got to squeeze ourselves into the Mini Metro and get back to Jerusalem.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Harry smiled and said, \u201cWell, OK, but perhaps I can come back next week. They do quality work here.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sammy joined them. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIt is getting late, gentlemen. <\/span>I am going to return to the IAA office with the tool kit and figurines we found in the bus station. <\/span> <\/span>Art, if you want to be there for the grand opening, you may join us. <\/span>We will be working late tonight!\u201d <\/span>explained Sammy with authority. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, indeed I do want to be there if I can. <\/span>Let me drop off Harry at my flat, and we can rendezvous about 5PM. <\/span>How about calling Grace and inviting her to join us <\/span>\u2013 if her Mother will let her! <\/span>I think Grace is eager to hear about our Bethlehem pilgrimage.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAgreed,\u201d said Cohen. \u201cFive o\u2019clock then.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>As Art drove off, Harry turned on the radio to listen to the 4 PM local news report. <\/span>The radio crackled for a moment and then they heard, \u201cA young American named Ray Simpson was taken into custody Thursday night at the Tel Aviv airport. <\/span>He has now been charged with forgery. <\/span>The police are looking <\/span>for an alleged accomplice.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Harry and Art looked at each other and said simultaneously, \u201cPatrick Stone!\u201d<\/p>\n

————–<\/p>\n

<\/span>At that same moment Jamison Parkes Law walked into the offices of the Jerusalem Post. <\/span>\u201cI have a story for you,\u201d he said to his contact there, the senior editor Shlomo Glickstein. <\/span>\u201c Here you have evidence of a very large wire transfer of moneys into the account of Arthur West from the British Museum as of yesterday morning. <\/span>We all know that West was lacking funds for his dig this summer, and we also know that he has been under suspicion in regard to theft and forgery involving the Lazarus Stone. <\/span>It looks to me as though
\nWest and some accomplice have now sold the stone to the British Museum for a huge sum of money.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Glickstein looked at Law eagerly and said: \u201cIf this pans out, it will be sensational news. How can we check out this story?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Law replied: \u201cYou see the email address for the British Museum, there. Why not just send them a message asking for confirmation about the transfer of funds?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Glickstein paused and said <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell they may deny it, unless and until they are prepared to go public. <\/span>I think I will just fax this document over to Sammy Cohen at the IAA and ask him to comment before pulling the trigger on this story.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Law was looking a little chagrined. He said: \u201cYou need to understand the urgency of this matter. <\/span>If we do not act fast, Israel may lose another precious piece of its own heritage, precious to both Jews and Christians.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAlright,\u201d said Glickstein, \u201c I will fax this right now and follow it with a phone call after a bit. <\/span>Thank you Mr. Law. <\/span>I will call you for further comment and a full interview shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cRemember,\u201d said Law as he was leaving, \u201cTime is of the essence now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

CHAPTER THIRTY: <\/span>CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Seated around a long conference table, Grace, Art, Sammy and Avi peered at the booty collected from the locker in Bethlehem. <\/span>Officer Hoffner began removing tools one by one from the leather bag. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYou see these tiny little chisels with narrower than usual blades, and some with points on them? <\/span>These are indeed the tools of a forger. <\/span>No one would be doing the plastering or repairing of a wall or tiles in a bathroom with this equipment!\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIf I\u2019m remembering correctly, the forged stone is made of Mount Scopus limestone, right? <\/span>Can we check and see if there\u2019s any residue of that precise sort of limestone?\u201d <\/span>inquired Art. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes. <\/span>As a matter of fact, the stone is now in our possession. <\/span>The police sent it over for inspection after you were released from jail,\u201d informed Hoffner.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAnd now the part we\u2019ve all been waiting for <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>our Christmas presents!\u201d <\/p>\n

smiled Art turning to the figurines. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThese gifts just keep on giving. <\/span>Each one seems to contain something that rattles or shuffles around a bit, without being heavy.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>With gloved hands, Avi Hoffner carefully removed the wooden plug from the bottom of the Joseph figurine. <\/span>A digital camera flashed. <\/span>With forceps he grasped the edge of a piece of paper and slowly but surely pulled out a tiny scroll. <\/span>The camera flashed again. <\/span>As he lay the scroll on a piece of glass, everyone instinctively leaned forward. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace was the first to break the silence, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI recognize the script. <\/span>It\u2019s definitely Aramaic. <\/span>And if I\u2019m not mistaken \u2013 it sure looks like . . ., \u201c she stopped short and looked at Cohen not knowing whether to proceed. <\/span>Art, after all, had still not seen the manuscripts recently found in the ossuary.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sammy\u2019s expression and head shake discouraged her from continuing. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIt sure looks like . . . some other first century manuscripts I\u2019ve seen recently.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWhat other manuscripts?\u201d asked Art, shooting a quizzical look at Grace.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, that\u2019s a long story, my friend, a story we will NOT get into right now,\u201d began Sammy holding his hand up to stop any further comments along those lines. <\/span>\u201cRight now, let\u2019s find out what\u2019s in the other figurines.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Outranked, Art bit his tongue. <\/span>For the next hour, each figurine was carefully opened, each manuscript was carefully removed and laid out on glass slabs, and each leaf was meticulously photographed. <\/span>The real work of examining the manuscripts would begin <\/span>tomorrow. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWe really have no proof that these manuscripts are genuine as yet, but I\u2019m willing to guess that they have something to do with the Bethany tomb. <\/span>My staff will get to work on them right away. <\/span>Art, did you see anything like this when you were in the tomb?\u201d asked Sammy.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI just saw the ossuary and the inscription. <\/span>Of course, darkness descended if you remember! <\/span>I looked around with my flashlight while I was temporarily entombed, but I wasn\u2019t really paying much attention to every nook and cranny. <\/span>If those manuscripts were in the tomb, they weren\u2019t just lying on the floor, I\u2019m sure! <\/span>And if they were in the tomb then they were removed with the stone inscription. <\/span>And since they were found in Ray\u2019s locker, it sure looks bad for Ray \u2013 unless he\u2019s being framed like I was,\u201d reminded Art.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Everyone was looking tired, and everyone agreed it was time to lock up for the evening and head home. <\/span>Art was invited back Monday morning with a promise to explain all, if he promised not to ask questions until then! <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Art, who preferred to be in charge, really didn\u2019t appreciate being left out of the loop, or so it seemed. <\/span>But more and more, Art was learning to appreciate his cell phone and he now took a moment to check his recent messages. <\/span>Sure enough, Hannah had called. <\/span>He said to Grace, <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve got a message from Hannah and I\u2019m sure she wants me to visit tonight. <\/span>Do you want to get something to eat and come along with me?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSure, let\u2019s go outside and give her a call,\u201d agreed Grace.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Once outside, Art quickly punched in the numbers: <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cArthur, Arthur, some good news,\u201d excla
\nimed Hannah breathlessly. <\/span>\u201cFather is regaining consciousness. <\/span>I\u2019m sure of it. <\/span>Today he opened his eyes. <\/span>He saw me! <\/span>This is a good sign!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cExcellent! <\/span>God is working. <\/span>Grace and I are here \u2013 we can eat quickly and come right over. <\/span>Can you arrange for us to come up to his room? <\/span>I promise we\u2019ll be brief. <\/span>I suspect the police will also want to talk to him when he\u2019s fully conscious.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Hannah replied, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, the police check in regularly. <\/span>And yes, of course, I will make sure you can come into his room tonight.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n

<\/span>Hannah adjusted the sheet over her father\u2019s chest and sat down to read for awhile. <\/span>Like her father, she loved a good novel and was currently enthralled by the works of <\/span>Naguib Mahfouz. <\/span>Today she was reading, Midaq Alley. <\/span>In 1988, Mahfouz became the first Arabic writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. <\/span>Sometime after that honor he was stabbed in the neck by two Islamic militants, but he survived. <\/span>Hannah took some comfort in that fact. <\/span>So absorbed was she in her reading, she didn\u2019t even notice when the doctor slipped in and began to check her father\u2019s pulse, <\/span>IV and general condition. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>After the examination, the doctor pronounced, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThis is all good. <\/span>He is making progress. <\/span>The fact that he opened his eyes briefly and spoke to you this morning signals that he is beginning to come out of the coma. <\/span>You should take a little encouragement from his vital signs which are all stable and steady.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThank you doctor. <\/span>I do appreciate your taking such good care of my father. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how we will ever pay the hospital back,\u201d said Hannah with a worried look on her face.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, things have a way of working out, and you need to concentrate on being there for your father and not fretting about other things you can\u2019t control. <\/span>Please, however, talk to our business office soon,\u201d instructed the doctor. <\/p>\n

<\/span>At this moment, Grace and Art peeked into the room. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cCome in,\u201d invited the doctor. <\/span>\u201cYou are welcome to keep Hannah company for awhile; I am on my way out.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Without warning, Kahlil began stirring and trying to turn over. <\/span>Hannah rushed over and spoke excitedly, \u201cFather, father, can you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>There was a long pause. Finally in a mere whisper the words came, \u201cHannah, Hannah, I am so tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>Tears of joy came streaming down Hannah\u2019s face. <\/span>Her father had spoken her name clearly and distinctly. <\/span>He had understood what she was saying. <\/span>\u201cYes, I know, <\/span>Papa, <\/span>you may go back to sleep. <\/span>We will talk later.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Kahlil never opened his eyes, but he smiled and drifted off again into <\/p>\n

sleep. <\/span>Hannah remembered the line from Shakespeare: \u201cSleep which knits up the <\/p>\n

raveled sleeve of care, sleep the best medicine.\u201d <\/span>But just those few spoken words were medicine to Hannah\u2019s soul. <\/span>Her father was back in the land of the living. <\/span>Grace and Art respectfully drew near the bed.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cLike Lazarus come back from the dead <\/span>\u2013 do you know the story Hannah from the Christian New Testament?\u201d <\/span>asked Grace. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes,\u201d replied Hannah. <\/span>\u201cJesus was a great prophet.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cPerhaps more than that, Hannah,\u201d said Art softly. \u201cPerhaps also the giver of life itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Meanwhile back at the IAA office, as Sammy Cohen was finally trying to get some <\/span>paper work done, one of his secretaries raced in. <\/span>\u201cMr Cohen this fax just came in marked urgent from the Jerusalem Post. You are to read it, and then call Shlomo Glickstein at once.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Cohen read slowly through the fax, and just started moaning \u201coh no, surely not!\u201d <\/span>\u201cOh <\/span>no. Now the police are not only going to charge West, he will become a prime suspect in this matter.\u201d <\/span>With a heavy heart Cohen dialed the number at the Jerusalem Post. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE: <\/span>A CREDIT TO HIS ACCOUNT<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Saturday morning, the sun rose over the Royal Edinburgh Hotel. <\/span>Stone rose early and packed his bag. <\/span>Nine o\u2019clock couldn\u2019t arrive quickly enough. <\/span>The dining room was gorgeous, complete with a huge chandelier and elegantly appointed tables each with a flower arrangement of roses and pansies. <\/span>His breakfast had consisted of eggs and stewed tomatoes with toast points. <\/span>As a treat, he insisted on an order of fresh strawberries and Devon clotted cream <\/span>\u2013 hardly proper for that time of day. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Full of himself, he was prepared to be told he was very rich indeed. <\/span>At 8:45 he went back to his room to await the call from the British Museum. <\/span>Stone sat on the bed. <\/span>He no longer believed in praying, but he was concentrating on thinking positive thoughts. <\/span>Nine o\u2019clock came and went. <\/span>Stone sulked. <\/span>Finally, the phone rang. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cHello, this is Oliver St. James. <\/span>At precisely 9:06 AM the funds were transferred into your account and the other million into the Jerusalem account. <\/span>Are you sure we cannot persuade you to attend Monday\u2019s press conference?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Stone\u2019s pride was such that he was sorely tempted to do so, even if he had
\nto sit in the back row. <\/span>However, when someone in Israel finally figured out what had happened, which he hoped would not be soon, then he might be labeled a felon or worse, unless of course they blamed it all on West. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSadly,\u201d replied Stone, \u201cI cannot do this. <\/span>I am flying back to the States today <\/span>to be with my mother. <\/span>But I wish you the best. <\/span>At this juncture I would like to enjoy the beginning of my retirement and privacy without a lot of paparazzi bothering me.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cJust so,\u201d said Oliver, \u201cI understand entirely, and would want it this way <\/p>\n

if it were me. <\/span>You can count on us being discreet. <\/span>Farewell, and thank you.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>St. James rang off. <\/span>Before Patrick headed to Heathrow, he went to the business center, connected to the Internet, and keyed in his account number with Banque Suisse. <\/span>After a brief pause a huge number came up on the screen: <\/span>35 million 312 dollars.<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>Stone began to laugh uncontrollably. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThose fools really gave me all that money. <\/span>They\u2019re as gullible as West and all those true believers like him.\u201d <\/span>He then sent an anonymous email message from a hotel computer to Shlomo Glickstein at the Jerusalem Post: <\/span>\u201cCheck out Arthur West\u2019s Jerusalem bank account.\u201d <\/span>Checking out of the hotel, he went straight to the curb and hailed a black hansom cab. <\/span>He hopped in the back and heard the dulcet tones of the Cockney accent: \u201cWhere to guvner?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cVictoria Station,\u201d said Patrick truthfully.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cToo right,\u201d <\/span>said the cabbie. And they were off.<\/p>\n

\n

\n

<\/span>Sadiq Hadassah, having monitored Stone\u2019s internet activity in the morning had immediately sent a full report to both Rabbi Menachem and Jamison Parkes Law, including forwarding the verbatim of the message Stone sent to Glickstein. <\/span>But what was he to do now? <\/span>He looked out the window just in time to see Stone leap into a hansom cab and drive off in a hurry. <\/span>He had not been prepared for such a sudden exit. Apparently Stone had his bags packed and simply made a quick trip to the business center at the hotel before leaving. <\/span>Now he would never catch him… unless of course he emailed someone soon about his whereabouts. <\/span>He would stay in London for the next day or so, and continue to monitor Stone\u2019s email account.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO: VIVA LA FRANCE<\/p>\n

<\/span>Patrick\u2019s trip took him further and further from home. <\/span>First by train to Paris,<\/p>\n

and then by car over miles and miles of country roads through miles and miles of stunning countryside. <\/span>He enjoyed a long and circuitous route paid for with cash and never by credit card. <\/span>Patrick Stone covered his tracks as best he could given his limited knowledge of being a potential fugitive. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>As luck would have it, the dealer who had supplied him with the fake documents, had also offered him a fake passport. <\/span>Unfortunately, that counterfeit cost more than the other documents! <\/span>He had used his real passport only to get to London. <\/span>From there he hoped his trail would go cold. <\/span>By Monday night he arrived in Cannes and checked into L\u2019Otel de Roi.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The beautiful south coast of France, known as the Cote D\u2019Azur, or azure <\/p>\n

coast, is one of the most expensive and <\/span>exclusive places to live in all of Europe. <\/p>\n

As the local tourist brochure for the area says: <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOriginally, the French Riviera was a winter retreat for European and Russian aristocrats fleeing from the fog, cold and damp. <\/span>Then, in the Roaring Twenties, sunshine became all the rage <\/span>– <\/span>albeit with parasols and stripy cover-up bathing suits, <\/p>\n

and it was then that the Riviera’s towns kicked into higher gear as fashionable summer resorts. <\/span>Thanks to fun-loving Americans Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, the Murphys, Isadora Duncan and other celebrities such as Picasso and Chanel, this seasonal switch acted as a catalyst to the Riviera’s year-round development. But more recently, another switch was thrown, this time to diversify the region’s activities from tourist playground to high-tech, clean industry, congress, seminar and convention center. <\/span>Today, outside the summer season, one of every two trips to the Riviera is business-related.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>In short the old clich\u00e9 is true: \u201cIf you have to ask how much something costs \u2013 <\/span>on the French Riviera or in nearby Monaco \u2013 you can\u2019t afford it.\u201d <\/span>Stone was enjoying a glorious sunrise, sitting on the balcony of his hotel room, drinking a rich red wine from the Loire Valley. <\/span>He was slowly reading the local brochures, and had to laugh at the fact that the Riviera had become a hub for business. <\/span>Not as far as he was concerned! <\/span>\u201cTo life\u2019s finer pleasures!\u201d <\/span>he toasted as he raised his glass to the sky.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Tuesday\u2019s <\/span>London Times carried a press release outlining a major new purchase by the British Museum. <\/span>The Press conference had apparently drawn a lot of attention, including from AP, UPI, Reuters and others. <\/span>True to his word and their contract, St. James had made sure there was no mention of the seller. <\/span>Patrick hoisted his glass for a second toast: \u201cHere\u2019s to you, Oliver!\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>No doubt, news of the British Museum\u2019s purchase would travel to Jerusalem quickly. <\/span>One thing he was sure of -\u2013 <\/span>it would be very <\/span>difficult to get the French to extradite someone to Israel. <\/span>France did not exactly have a close relationship with the current Israeli government. <\/span>The French government had regularly sided with various Arab and Palestinian causes through the years, in part because of the high Moslem population in France. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cViva la France!\u201d was his third toast of the morning. <\/span>His spoken French was a little rusty, but he read French just fine. <\/span>He would adapt. <\/span>Today he would find a bank, look at cars and visit a
\nrealtor and he should send a message to his mother via email to see how she was doing. <\/span>That would set his new life in motion. <\/span>Maybe tonight he would go to the local jazz hot spot, Club Noir, and hear one of the great jazz legends, Oscar Peterson and his Trio. <\/span>It appeared to Stone that the world was his escargot, to rephrase a clich\u00e9, and he was ready to consume it. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n

<\/p>\n

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: <\/span>OH LAZARUS, WHO ART THOU? <\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Monday morning Art fought the Jerusalem traffic to pickup Grace and arrive at the IAA office before nine o\u2019clock. <\/span>Art was never late \u2013 he considered being ten minutes early being late. <\/span>He was actually irritated to see that Grace was standing by the curbside waiting. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, Arthur, I have some good news, and then some shocking news. <\/span>Which do <\/span>you want first?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Art smiled. <\/span>\u201cYour choice \u2013 but make it a good one!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThe good news is that the ossuary has been authenticated, there are no <\/p>\n

problems with the inscription. <\/span>Its patina is just fine; it passed the ultraviolet test, <\/p>\n

and it\u2019s made of the right sort of limestone. <\/span>There are no <\/span>real bones in <\/span>the box \u2013 <\/span>just some shards, maybe even <\/span>first century shards \u2013 but that takes time to determine.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOK. <\/span>Now give me the other news.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cBe patient,\u201d commanded <\/span>Grace. <\/span>\u201cAnd drive slower; go around a few extra blocks. <\/span>There\u2019s more to tell. <\/span>When the IAA examined the shards they noticed a few hairs attached to one piece, perhaps the ointment poured over the body <\/span>preserved it. <\/span>In any case, they are running DNA tests \u2013 that should confirm our skeleton is a male of middle-eastern descent if nothing else. <\/span>But what the scientists are guessing now is that our man may have had leprosy.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWow!\u201d said Art. \u201cBoy does that fill in a few gaps in the biblical story. <\/span>It explains why grown daughters and sons in a particular family were still single and living together. <\/span>It also explains why in the earliest Gospel account in Mark we are told that Jesus was anointed by a woman in the house of Simon the leper while he was in Bethany, yet the Fourth Gospel says this took place in the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. <\/span>These two stories are speaking of the same house and the same <\/span>family, only Simon, as the ossuary inscription suggests, <\/span>is the father, and Lazarus or Eliezar is the son.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cVery intriguing,\u201d said Grace trying to hurry along the conversation. \u201cBut you haven\u2019t heard anything yet. <\/span>We found something else in that ossuary besides bones, Art!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI take it you\u2019re about to divulge the shocking news, the sooner the better,\u201d urged Art.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, I would, but there\u2019s the IAA office. <\/span>You\u2019ll just have to wait a few more minutes!\u201d <\/span>said Grace, enjoying every minute of Art\u2019s frustration.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Once in the IAA building, Grace led the way to the examining room. <\/span>As she opened the door, she blurted out, \u201cWe found a scroll in the ossuary as well!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cWhat? <\/span>What are you saying? <\/span>Was it a death certificate or some sort or a <\/p>\n

will?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell,\u201d said Grace as Sammy joined them around the table, \u201cyou could say, in a manner of speaking, that it\u2019s a last will and testimony. <\/span>In fact, it\u2019s an Aramaic telling of the Gospel story that we now call John\u2019s Gospel, only the heading says it\u2019s Eliezar\u2019s memoirs.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Art started laughing, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYou\u2019ve known about this for some time now \u2013 I guess having my name cleared allows me into the inner sanctum now. <\/span>Grace, you almost slipped up Sunday afternoon when we were looking at the fragments in the figurines, didn\u2019t you!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, that was close. <\/span>Sammy here wasn\u2019t too pleased.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cTrue,\u201d piped in Sammy. <\/span>\u201cI was still waiting for the official paperwork, even though I called you Sunday morning! <\/span>Keeping secrets is not Grace\u2019s strong suit, so let\u2019s get to work! <\/span>I should tell you that Prof. Chartier has already looked at this scroll.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace and Art both put on the latex gloves used for examining any large and <\/p>\n

precious samples of papyri. <\/span>Then Art was allowed to roll open part of the scroll. <\/span>It was written in an absolutely beautiful hand. <\/span>Some of the letters had the more cursive shaping, some more squared off, but that was typical of Herodian period Aramaic lettering. <\/span>Art thought of all the time and care it took to write all this out. <\/span>Perhaps Lazarus, because of his disease, had a lot of time late in his life to write these stories down. <\/span>Perhaps he spent a lot of time alone. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell,\u201d said Sammy, breaking the silence. <\/span>\u201cA propitious moment, don\u2019t you think? <\/span>We rarely see such complete manuscripts, in such a well-preserved condition. <\/span>I have examined many Qumran scrolls, but this text is exquisite. <\/span>Prof. Chartier has already examined parts of the scroll. <\/span>He believes it to be first century \u2013 dating is not certain yet \u2013 it could be a copy of a copy. <\/span>He, of course, wishes to head up a committee to study the text; however, plans have not been finalized. <\/span>Any chance you wish to be involved?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOh, yes,\u201d exclaimed Art emphatically, dismissing Sammy\u2019s teasing tone. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn any way possible. <\/span>Just looking at this manuscript takes your breath away. <\/span>Do you know what this means? <\/span>We have a Gospel written from the perspe
\nctive of a person whom Jesus raised from the dead! <\/span>Now that sort of miracle could really change your world view! <\/span>Scholars have been debating for centuries why this Gospel is so different from the other canonical Gospels. <\/span>And the dating! <\/span>This is the earliest Gospel, an eyewitness testimony of a Judean, not a Galilean disciple! <\/span>Is the entire Gospel on that scroll?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cApparently not,\u201d said Grace a bit cautiously. \u201cAccording to Prof. Chartier, <\/p>\n

the beginning of the Gospel, the material before John 1.19 is missing. <\/span>Like Mark it begins with John the Baptist. Also missing is John 21, and the famous passage about the woman caught in adultery.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, most scholars say that the Fourth Gospel is a collection of texts, but the core material is attributed to the Beloved Disciple,\u201d <\/span>explained Art.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAnd that, brings up one more thing. <\/span>In the part of the text which tells the story of Lazarus\u2019s illness, it calls him \u2018the one whom you love.\u2019 <\/span>I think that\u2019s John 11. <\/span>But where we normally have <\/span>the references to the Beloved Disciple there is instead the name Eliezar.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNow let\u2019s think about this,\u201d said Art now pacing around the room. <\/span>\u201cIf <\/span>the Beloved Disciple is Lazarus . . . <\/span>Wow, this solves so many puzzles about the Fourth Gospel. <\/span>For one thing, scholars had always thought it unlikely that a disciple of Jesus would run around calling himself the Beloved Disciple if he wrote this Gospel. <\/span>Now we have evidence that he didn\u2019t do this. <\/span>Rather, whoever translated this document into Greek likely made the changes, and perhaps he was also the one who added the beginning and end of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSo, the beloved disciple is Lazarus \u2013 interesting hypothesis,\u201d mused Sammy. <\/span>\u201cAnd what do we do with the story of the woman caught in adultery?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Art took up the story. <\/span>\u201cNo one thinks that wonderful story was in the original Gospel. <\/span>It shows up in too many different places in the Greek manuscripts of John, and in one manuscript of Luke you also find the story. <\/span>Clearly it\u2019s a story looking for a home. <\/span>Various scribes loved the story, and kept sticking it into various manuscripts! <\/span>You\u2019ve gotta admire their persistence!\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace was feeling like a super sleuth again. <\/span>\u201cTry this out, everyone. <\/span>If John\u2019s Gospel was actually written by a Judean disciple, a southerner, doesn\u2019t this explain why all but two of the northern Galilean miracle stories found in the other Gospels are missing in this Gospel? <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSure it does. <\/span>Plus, having a Judean author explains why all the special stories about the Twelve, about the three, about even the Zebedees are not found in this Gospel. <\/span>It is not by a Galilean disciple! <\/span>Our author just didn\u2019t spend any time with the boys in Galilee,\u201d laughed Art. <\/p>\n

<\/span>Sammy, after taking all this in, raised up his hand and added. <\/span>\u201cI was born and raised in Jerusalem. <\/span>For me, this explains why our author knows so much about Jerusalem, and knows so much about Jesus\u2019 ministry in that city and its vicinity, <\/span>things the other Gospel writers do not know. <\/span>John\u2019s Gospel just has the sound of a local author. <\/span>But the long-standing tradition opts for a John of Zebedee, correct?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell, that\u2019s a later tradition,\u201d explained Art. <\/span>\u201cThe Greek labels on the Gospel documents were added later, and nowhere in the text of this Gospel is John of Zebedee equated with the Beloved Disciple. <\/span>Holy Smokes . . . <\/span>these finds are going to change the face of Johannine scholarship, not to mention raise a bunch of questions about the reality of resurrection!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace could tell how passionate Art was about all this. <\/span>As for her, it merely confirmed that some early Jew was brought back from death. <\/span>Maybe he was healed by Jesus, maybe he revived in the cool of the tomb, but in any case that resurrection didn\u2019t prevent him from dying again. <\/span>Extrapolating from this case to the case of Jesus would be a stretch. <\/span>Though Lazarus was raised, he obviously didn\u2019t get the same resurrection body that Jesus is supposed to have gotten. <\/span>But still . . . it was a remarkable miracle. <\/span>It raised again the question about whether and how such things happened. <\/span>She had to admit this shook her up a bit. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace was a thoroughly modern person in the sense that she did not expect to see miracles happen, though she could not absolutely rule them out. <\/span>So now she had a big question mark in her mind. How should she interpret these findings without seeming to try and explain them away?<\/p>\n

<\/span>Quiet pervaded the room for some time. <\/span>Each scholar\u2019s thoughts lost in the first century \u2013 each imagining a man named Eliezar carefully writing down his memoirs beside in an oil lamp lit Judean room in Bethany. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Sammy had decided, knowing that West was coming to the IAA office anyway, to simply play dumb for a while and see if West showed any signs of being a duplicitous person when shown all these treasures. He could detect no such signs, so either West was very good at masking his real intents and behavior, or some one was truly trying to frame Art. <\/span>He decided that now was the juncture to drop the bombshell about the money in the bank account. He would show him the report of the bank deposit and watch closely his reaction.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cArt,\u201d said Sammy, tenatively,\u201d would you by any chance have a bank account in the Jerusalem Bank which has this account number?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>West looked at the paper on which the number was written, and said \u201cYes,\u201d but how did you get this number, and why are you asking?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWell either you\u2019ve been playing the Israeli lottery and got very lucky in the last couple of days, or you\u2019ve got some serious explaining to do, as it appears the British Museum has deposited over a million dollars in your Jerusalem account.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWhat!!\u201d <\/span>said West and Levine in unison.<\/p>\n

<\/span>West was showing all of the signs of
\nbeing totally dumbfounded.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cGrace,\u201d said Art, \u201cI know you told me there was some shocking news but I was not prepared for this!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>At this juncture Sammy handed Art the faxed evidence of the wire transfer of funds into his account. <\/span>Art stared at it incredulously. <\/span>\u201cSomeone is going way out of their way to try and frame me Sammy.\u201d <\/span>Art finally said in a hushed stunned voice as he broke into tears. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Sammy wanted to believe him, but the evidence of the fax seemed very damning. <\/span>\u201cSorry, Art, but I suspect the police will be here in a few minutes to charge you with theft and illegal selling of antiquities. <\/span>I would like to believe you are innocent of all this, but I am hard pressed to explain this evidence. <\/span>How did someone at the British Museum even know your account number?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d said Art, and now he was shaking.<\/p>\n

Sammy turned to Grace. \u201cGrace you must absent yourself from Art\u2019s problem for now, lest you and the IAA somehow be tarnished as well, and in any case there is so much work to be done. <\/span>And then there are the fragments from the figurines. <\/span>How do they fit in? <\/span>Do you have time to study those little manuscripts after lunch?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m certainly up for it,\u201d Grace replied, \u201cbut I shall not be abandoning my friend Art.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>There was a knock on the door. <\/span>Detective Shimon was standing there: \u201cI am sorry Professor West, but we must take you in once more for questioning, and it seems likely you will be retained in custody as you will be charged with a crime before the end of the day.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Art looked at Grace and said \u201cPlease call Harry at once, and ask him to meet me at the jail.\u201d <\/span>Grace <\/span>nodded and said \u201cHang in there Art, we\u2019ll get to the bottom of this.\u201d <\/span>Right now, thought Art, I seem to be in free fall with no bottom in sight.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR <\/span>\u2013 THE SLEEPER AWAKES<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Hannah was just leaving the antiquities shop, having spent the last two hours catching up on paperwork, when Grace called. <\/span>As Grace arrived in the fifth floor visitor\u2019s lounge, she was met by an entirely different and more upbeat Hannah. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cFather is actually talking now Grace. <\/span>In fact, at lunch he asked for you. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s so wonderful, like he has come back from the dead!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>\u201cYes,\u201d said Grace nodding. <\/span>\u201cArt would call this the Lazarus Effect.\u201d <\/span>Pondering how much to tell Hannah, considering the delicate state of Kahlil\u2019s health, Grace said quietly \u201cHannah there is something I must tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOur friend Art has just been taken in a second time by the police and this time it looks quite grave. <\/span>They found evidence that he was sent lots of money by the British Museum, apparently for something he sold them. <\/span>Now I am still not convinced he has done anything wrong, but the evidence is pretty damning at this point and so we need to keep Art in our prayers, and equally importantly it will be wise not to tell Kahlil about this most recent shocking news for a while, during the time that he is mending lest he have a setback. Are we agreed on this approach?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Hannah\u2019s demeanor had gone from cheerful to profoundly worried once more, but she shook her head and said, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, for now his re-arrest had best be a secret, as Father is only beginning to regain his strength.\u201d The two women entered Kahlil\u2019s room in a more somber mood than they had hoped to do in view of Kahlil\u2019s improvement. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Kahlil was sitting up in bed drinking his favorite Haifa orange juice and complaining to his nurse that he needed more food. <\/span>This was a good sign! <\/span>Still bandaged about the head and across the chest, Kahlil looked like he had been through the war, emerging bloody but unbowed. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSalam alaycum,\u201d <\/span>boomed Kahlil when he saw Grace coming. <\/span>Grace came right over to the bed with an \u201cAlso to you,\u201d and smiled at Kahlil.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI would greet you less formally, but I imagine physical contact\u2019s still forbidden due to your injuries. What\u2019s the medical report?\u201d asked Grace.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI no longer have a spleen, but apparently I can do without it. <\/span>My liver is <\/p>\n

mending itself as we speak, and as you know I have always been hard-headed.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSo tell me,\u201d urged Grace, \u201cWhat do you remember about last Tuesday night? <\/span>Can you talk about it \u2013 have the police been here?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSlow down, my friend,\u201d said Kahlil. <\/span>\u201cThe police are coming later this afternoon. <\/span>Unfortunately, I remember very little about some things. <\/span>I remember sitting on the bench in the park, then standing because someone said something to me. <\/span>I turned and then . . . I remember nothing.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWow, amnesia! <\/span>I\u2019ve never met anyone with amnesia\u201d mused Grace. \u201cWhat about earlier in the day. <\/span>Anything stand out?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOnly that a small angry man came into the shop and had a heated argument <\/p>\n

with me over a stone tablet. <\/span>I sent him away dissatisfied as he wanted money too quickly and under suspicious circumstances. <\/span>Hannah saw him briefly from behind the safety of her desk, as did a Dr. William Arnold from your United States. <\/span>But neither of them saw the stone tablet he was carrying.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOK, first the man. <\/span>Did you know him?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cMy memory is a bit fuzzy. <\/span>However, I do not believe I have met him before, nor do I care to meet him again. <\/span>Come to think of it, Dr. Arnold recognized him, but we did not speak of the man.\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cBut do you remember anything more about him \u2013 more than what Hannah saw?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, he was quite short compared
\nto me, I would say in his 60s, an <\/p>\n

American by accent, and with a rather impatient nature. <\/span>Oh yes, also nearly bald.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWould you recognize him again if you saw him?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI should think so, but let\u2019s talk about Art for a moment. <\/span>Is he out from <\/p>\n

under the dark cloud Hannah told me about this morning?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace chose her words carefully \u201cNo, not entirely, but we live in hope. <\/span>The police do not appear to suspect Art had anything to do with your attack. <\/span>But the stone, being missing, is another matter. <\/span>Art photographed a stone inscription last Tuesday morning in a tomb in Bethany, but it was stolen Tuesday afternoon before he went back to the tomb with me and the IAA. <\/span>A copy of that same stone arrived at his apartment Wednesday morning. <\/span>We don\u2019t know where the real stone is! <\/span>So tell me about the stone you saw in your shop.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grace sat down in a chair next to Kahlil and Hannah stood beside him while Kahlil carefully described the very stone that Art took pictures of inside the Lazarus tomb. <\/span>There could be no doubt. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSo we know for sure this stone really exists. That is important news.\u201d said Grace.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cA man named Raymond Simpson has already been arrested for making the forgery. <\/span>He\u2019s the graduate student of one Dr. Patrick Stone who fits your description perfectly. <\/span>So there\u2019s no doubt that he and Ray Simpson are involved in stealing the inscribed stone. <\/span>The question in the mind of the authorities is whether Art is also involved. <\/span>Did Hannah tell you Art was temporarily sealed up in that very same tomb!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNo, no, what is this? <\/span>Did the ghosts of the cemetery try to frighten you off? \u201c exclaimed Kahlil. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m embarrassed to admit it took Art awhile to realize he could call out and get help! <\/span>Mustafa the church steward rescued him. <\/span>Maybe someone followed him. <\/span>Maybe grave robbers are everywhere. <\/span>Maybe it was just a local prankster. <\/span>But it gave him a scare nonetheless. <\/span>And by day\u2019s end the ossuary was safe with the IAA but the inscription was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOssuary, what ossuary? <\/span>I\u2019ve been asleep too long!\u201d <\/span>sighed Kahlil. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Kahlil, I know there is much to tell you but some of these stories must wait while you rest. <\/span>Hannah will slowly catch you up on all the excitement, and I promise to come back and share wonders even Hannah doesn\u2019t know about. <\/span>Trust, me I\u2019ve already had an interesting day!\u201d said Grace. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Hannah added, \u201cPoor father, when he gets back to the shop, he\u2019ll be overwhelmed with work, too \u2013 we have lots of new items to catalogue!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Finally, Grace asked gently, \u201cAre you sure you don\u2019t remember who shot you?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNo, but I think the memories will come. <\/span>I see a vague form already in my mind, and I pray to the Almighty for clear thinking on this,\u201d sighed Kahlil. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m sorry if I am being too pushy. <\/span>Would you mind if I said a little prayer of thanksgiving to the Almighty for your deliverance and that Art may be cleared?\u201d <\/span>Hannah <\/span>and Kahlil both smiled, and Kahlil <\/span>said, \u201cOf course not, <\/span>we also pray to the Ineffable One you know.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>With a tear in her eye Grace prayed: \u201cGracious God of all peoples and nations, <\/p>\n

I thank you so much on this day that Kahlil is going to be alright. <\/span>I thank you for the healing you have brought here. <\/span>God, a grave injustice has been done to Kahlil, and I would pray that the truth will come out. <\/span>Give us strength through these days. <\/span>Help us all to continue to live in the light, and be honest and true persons who live according to your will. <\/span>Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Monday afternoon was warm with heavy clouds as Grace left the hospital, and her <\/span>heart, while warm, was also heavy. <\/span>Art would have said God really does work all things together for good for those who love Him, but right now Grace felt circumstances were about to put that idea to the ultimate test.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE: <\/span>MASS IN THE MORNING<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>West woke up at seven o\u2019clock Tuesday morning, refreshed for the first time since the excitement began a week ago. <\/span>He dove into the shower, toweled off, pulled on a khaki shirt, long pants, and his comfortable sandals. <\/span>He was ready for breakfast and church. <\/span>Though the authorities had taken Art in Monday evening, Harry had been right there with him, and had immediately posted bail. Art would not get his passport back any time soon he figured, but Harry was an excellent lawyer and he had already proved his worth Monday night when he came to the rescue.<\/p>\n

<\/span>When his toast popped up, Harry wandered into the kitchen, and said, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYou\u2019re up and about rather early.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes, I\u2019m off to church in Bethany and to have lunch with one Grayson Johnson. <\/span>And you are welcome to come. <\/span>By the way I saw you watching Law and Order reruns on the tube last night. What do you think of that show?<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s the best. <\/span>I love it,\u201d admitted <\/span>Harry. <\/span>\u201cMost of the time Sam Waterson gets his man <\/span>– or woman as the case may be. <\/span>You realize that show is a huge hit over here. <\/span>In fact, the ultimate compliment was paid to one of the lawyers at the firm I contacted on your behalf. <\/span>Their point man, Benjamin, is called \u2018Mr. Law and Order\u2019 here!\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cInteresting, plus it\u2019s a big improvement over Beverly Hillbillies so far as the image of Americans is concerned,\u201d laughed Art. \u201cI gather you are getting a good deal done here for articles that will go into Biblical Artifact. <\/span>I promise you an exclusive interview about the Bethany tomb, the ossuary, the inscription
\n, and \u2013 oh yes, did I mention we found manuscripts!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI know about the small scrolls in the figurines you found Sunday. <\/span>Are you saying there\u2019s more?!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOh yes, much more! <\/span>When the dust settles, and the IAA is free to make all its announcements, I guarantee you\u2019ll be filling your journal with stories. <\/span>And I\u2019d like <\/p>\n

to see you and Sammy Cohen work together, despite past differences. <\/span>What do you think?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYeah, I obviously want to work with them as well \u2013 having you to plead my case would be an interesting roll reversal! <\/span>But I gather they will not be fraternizing with you for a while until you are cleared in regard to this latest shocking news. How do you think that money got into your checking account here in Jerusalem? <\/span>Any theories yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Art just shook his head and said, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI never want to believe the worst about a person, but the only thing I can think of is that someone connected to Ray Simpson is trying to frame me, and that someone would seem to be the ever elusive Patrick Stone.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cMy thoughts exactly, but proving it is another matter!\u201d said Harry.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Harry was a great guy, and it seemed he was enjoying having some more quiet <\/p>\n

time here in Jerusalem talking to archaeologists, visiting digs, generating stories and the like. <\/span>Art liked having a congenial roommate, but he liked his legal acumen even better. <\/span><\/p>\n

—————<\/p>\n

<\/span>Patrick Stone was sitting in an internet caf\u00e9 in Cannes composing a note to his mother. Little did he suspect someone was reading his outgoing and incoming mail! The message said: <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201dDear Mother: Through an incredible turn of good fortune I have been able to come into a significant amount of money, and would like you to begin thinking about coming and living with me in Europe so I can look after you more properly. <\/span>I realize that would be a big move, but they have the best health care here in southern France on the Cote D\u2019 Azur imaginable, far better than in Kingsport, and I am now able to make it possible for you to have the surgery you have needed for such a long time. I hope you will consider this request and get back to me soon. <\/span>Love, Patrick.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Stone knew that his nephew Randy would be reading this and then reading it to his Mom. She would then make an oral reply which Randy would type in an email message. <\/span>He hoped to hear from her soon.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sadiq read this message with some relief, and immediately forwarded it to both Rabbi Menachem and Jamison Law. <\/span>They would know what to do with this evidence, and perhaps they could alert Interpol. <\/span>It was time for him to return to Jerusalem before his funds ran out. <\/span>He had noticed in the Jerusalem Post that morning a small article about West being further questioned, this time about a wire transfer of money. <\/span>Sadiq licked his chops and said \u201cWe are going to nail this ring of goyim bandits who are stealing our heritage. Finally I am doing something for the good of the cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

——————- <\/p>\n

<\/span>The Church of Mary and Martha is beautiful in its simplicity. <\/span>Apart from <\/p>\n

the stained glass windows there is very little color in the place, but the semi-vaulted ceiling makes for a great echo chamber if one is inclined to sing. <\/span>Art was definitely a singer, always had been. <\/span>He had sung in church choirs and loved all kinds of music, both high brow and low brow. <\/span>His CD collection included everything from Tchaikovsky to James Taylor, from John Coltrane to Allison Kraus, from the Bee Gees to the Beatles. <\/span>Lately he was enjoying jazz, and regularly went to the club off <\/span>Haddasa Street– Le Jazz Hot. <\/p>\n

<\/span>To many conservative Christians, West was something of an enigma. <\/span>He was <\/p>\n

orthodox in his theology, but had no problems as a Protestant attending Mass and benefiting from it. <\/span>The Mini Metro seemed raring to go as it raced down the serpentine road along the Hinnom valley towards Bethany. <\/span>He would get there in plenty of time for the service. <\/span>Parking in the back of the church he walked in the door and was immediately welcomed by Mustafa who handed him a missal. <\/span>Putting something of a damper on things was the fact that the police had told him he would be followed wherever he went. <\/span>Nevertheless, saying a pray, Art tried not to let this get him down when he saw the police cruiser pull up and park next to his own vehicle.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Art whispered in Mustafa\u2019s ear, \u201cI must speak with you afterwards.\u201d <\/span>Mustafa nodded and ushered him to a pew. <\/span>There were only twenty-five people in the <\/p>\n

church which held perhaps a couple of hundred. <\/span>The Catholic service involved a good deal of liturgy with a little bit of singing, all in Arabic. <\/span>The service was only forty-five <\/span>minutes long, with a ten minute homily. <\/span>West\u2019s spoken Arabic was not great, but he got the drift of the sermon which was about loving your neighbor, even your Jewish neighbor, as yourself. <\/span>How very odd, thought West, for a Palestinian to use a Jewish text to obligate Palestinians to be neighborly to Jews! <\/span>That\u2019s just like God thought West. <\/span>What did Paul say? <\/span>\u201cIn Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile . . . <\/span>but all are one.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>The service concluded with communion, just the bread, not the wine. <\/span>The cup was reserved for the priest. <\/span>There was a final benediction which surprisingly enough was in Latin, and then the passing of the peace. <\/span>West found himself nodding and smiling towards a diminutive Palestinian woman of about eighty. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Walking out the door, West was followed by the unflappable Mustafa. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cMustafa, my friend,\u201d said West slowly as Mustafa\u2019s English was not great.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to figure out what happened to me that day sometime ago when I was trapped in this tomb back here. <\/span>Did you see any one loitering around here that Tuesday or on Monday when I was surveying the tel? <\/span>Anyone strange who didn\u2019t seem to belong here?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Mustafa answered, \u201cThere are many tourists who come here to see the traditional s
\nite up the road where Lazarus was thought to be buried. <\/span>Of course, it is only called the traditional site. <\/span>Now we know better! <\/span>Yes? <\/span>But I saw a few people that day wandering around the church and looking out back during that time. <\/span>One was a short man, an American I think, though he had someone younger with him. <\/span>Come to think of it, I may have seen the younger man on Monday also. <\/span>The IAA have questioned me about this already.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cThis man, was he rather bald, rather short?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYes that describes him. <\/span>I did not have time to inquire what he was doing <\/p>\n

as I had so much work in the church. <\/span>And I don\u2019t think he saw me at all. <\/span>The two were busy taking pictures and looking around. <\/span>Thank goodness you had a cell phone or you might still be in that tomb now, resting peacefully with Lazarus!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t remind me. <\/span>Can we have one more look in the tomb. <\/span>I realize that the <\/p>\n

IAA has it cordoned off, but I have permission to look though I can\u2019t take anything away from the site. <\/span>Apparently the robbers found the small manuscripts in a clay jar, or maybe they were in the back of another niche.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOf course, let us go together,\u201d said Mustafa, back to his usual serious self. <\/p>\n

<\/span>Sliding again into the tomb and pulling out his flashlight West peered into the various niches. <\/span>\u201cHere, you are smaller than I am, Mustafa, can you crawl in and see if you see anything at all.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Mustafa examined a number of niches. <\/span>At one point he shimmied in so far that all one could see were his two legs dangling out. <\/span>He rolled over and looked up at the top of the niche. \u201cYes, there is a writing on the roof of this niche.\u201d <\/span>\u201cCan you manage to photograph it with my small digital camera? \u201c <\/p>\n

<\/span>It took a minute or two for Mustafa\u2019s eyes to adjust and for him to focus <\/p>\n

on the inscription. <\/span>He realized that when he took the picture the flash would go off and blind him, so holding the camera very still he looked through the view-finder, aimed, closed his eyes, and shot the picture. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cTake two or three if you can,\u201d said West. <\/span>A minute or two later Mustafa emerged with the camera. <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cLet\u2019s get out of this humid place, Mustafa, and get some air.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>When they emerged from the tomb West was already checking the pictures on <\/p>\n

the back of the camera as they came up. <\/span>One shot was especially clear and complete. <\/span>There was an inscription alright in Aramaic . . .<\/p>\n

<\/span>Martha, asleep in the Lord, lies here, awaiting resurrection. <\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Here was further evidence that this indeed was a family tomb of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. <\/span>Art had no doubts now that the Eliezar in question was the same person mentioned in John 11. <\/span>As he walked back to the church with Mustafa he queried, <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI wonder where the ossuaries of Mary and Martha went?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAh,\u201d said Mustafa, a man of wise words, <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWe must be thankful for what we have found, <\/span>not complain about what we have not.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAmen to that,\u201d agreed Art as he climbed into his car for the short ride to Jerusalem and his lunch date at Solomon\u2019s Porch. <\/span>Right on his bumper was his new Israeli shadow, Officer Shimon.<\/p>\n

\n

\n

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX: <\/span>HEADLINE NEWS<\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Grayson Johnson was waiting on the bench staring at the passers by who, in turn, were staring at him. <\/span>He hopped up as soon as Art approached. <\/span>\u201cThis is great, man, I love this place. <\/span>Sarah\u2019s a neat lady \u2013 she always waits on me,\u201d exclaimed Grayson.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Art enjoyed telling Grayson about all the excitement on Sunday at the Bethlehem bus station. <\/span>He related how they had found the tools and figurines in the locker. <\/span>The key to the locker was still with the police, and his roommate Ray Simpson was still in custody.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Grayson enjoyed telling Art about his visits in jail with Raymond. <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve been telling Ray all about the Lord. <\/span>He\u2019s scared, man, so he\u2019s really willing to listen.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cSo you really did see Raymond working out in the courtyard with rocks and tools on Tuesday afternoon?\u201d <\/span>asked Art.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYeah, he was making a racket with the chisel. <\/span>He had on goggles and all \u2013 stone was flying, man. <\/span>He was in a rush. <\/span>I\u2019ve seen him make stuff before for Dr. Stone\u2019s lectures. <\/span>He\u2019s pretty good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cDid you see the stone that he was copying?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNo, I think he just had a picture \u2013 a good picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cAnd you\u2019re quite certain that Ray was at home with you watching the TV between seven and ten last Tuesday night?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cFor sure. <\/span>The dude wouldn\u2019t even let me have the remote once so I could check my favorite Nature Channel show once in a while. <\/span>I can\u2019t vouch for Monday or Tuesday morning, but he was working away after lunch, and lounging around <\/span>eating Cheetos and drinking Maccabee beer most of the night. <\/span>Not a healthy diet if you ask me.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cDid you ever see Raymond with the statues of Mary or Joseph or the wise men?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cNot me, man. <\/span>I knew about the locker, but I don\u2019t know who put those fancy figures in the locker \u2013 or when. <\/span>The police are hoping Dr. Stone will call and ask to have those figurines sent somewhere. <\/span>Then they can catch him! <\/span>And none too soon if you ask me. <\/span>But what I don\u2019t get is why Ray\u2019s covering up for that Dr. Stone. <\/span>
\nHe must have some hold over my poor roomie. <\/span>But you know what the Bible says, \u2018God is not mocked. <\/span>Whatsoever a person sows, that shall they also reap.\u2019 <\/span>That\u2019s sort of the spiritual version of what goes around comes around, if you catch my drift.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Art laughed, \u201cYeah, Grayson, I like your Cotton Patch version! <\/span>I presume you are going to stay around for the summer?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOh yeah, I like my jobs, especially at the Health Food Store, and Sarah says I can work here anytime. <\/span>This will be the happenin\u2019 place to be when the Lord returns!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Just then, Sarah came hurrying over, and handed Art the daily papers, with a breathless, \u201cHave you seen this, Dr. West?\u201d<\/p>\n

HEADLINE <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Priceless Artifact Obtained by British Museum. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Press Conference Reveals Ancient Inscription. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Below it, and mercifully in smaller print there was the article entitled \u201cWest question about money transfer from British Museum.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Grayson, looking over West\u2019s shoulder, opened his mouth in amazement, checked himself and then said \u201cPrincipalities and powers man, principalities and powers. Time for some serious prayer Doc.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cYou are right,\u201d said Art, \u201cwhy don\u2019t you pray for us before we eat.\u201d <\/span>Art would be finding out who his real friends were now. <\/span>Thinks were about to take another turn in an unexpected direction.<\/p>\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

N.B.— These are the concluding chapters of the first half of the novel the Lazarus Effect. Let me know what you think— Happy Easter BW3 ————– CHAPTER TWENTY: THE JAIL HOUSE ROCK To say it was hot in the jail cell was putting it mildly. The bottom floor of the Jerusalem police station had a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nTHE LAZARUS EFFECT- PART SEVEN - The Bible and Culture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"THE LAZARUS EFFECT- PART SEVEN - The Bible and Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"N.B.— These are the concluding chapters of the first half of the novel the Lazarus Effect. Let me know what you think— Happy Easter BW3 ————– CHAPTER TWENTY: THE JAIL HOUSE ROCK To say it was hot in the jail cell was putting it mildly. The bottom floor of the Jerusalem police station had a…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Bible and Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-04-05T19:57:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ben Witherington\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"THE LAZARUS EFFECT- PART SEVEN - The Bible and Culture","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"THE LAZARUS EFFECT- PART SEVEN - The Bible and Culture","og_description":"N.B.— These are the concluding chapters of the first half of the novel the Lazarus Effect. Let me know what you think— Happy Easter BW3 ————– CHAPTER TWENTY: THE JAIL HOUSE ROCK To say it was hot in the jail cell was putting it mildly. The bottom floor of the Jerusalem police station had a…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html","og_site_name":"The Bible and Culture","article_published_time":"2007-04-05T19:57:00+00:00","author":"Ben Witherington","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html","name":"THE LAZARUS EFFECT- PART SEVEN - The Bible and Culture","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/#website"},"datePublished":"2007-04-05T19:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2007-04-05T19:57:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/d1fd6c7893819eabc624db38ecfd8426"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2007\/04\/the-lazarus-effect-part-seven.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"THE LAZARUS EFFECT– PART SEVEN"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/","name":"The Bible and Culture","description":"All Things Biblical and Christian","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/d1fd6c7893819eabc624db38ecfd8426","name":"Ben Witherington","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/75e\/75ec11e1916a2008bc4cc638a0a0de2fx96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/75e\/75ec11e1916a2008bc4cc638a0a0de2fx96.jpg","caption":"Ben Witherington"},"description":"Bible scholar Ben Witherington is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. A graduate of UNC, Chapel Hill, he went on to receive the M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He is now considered one of the top evangelical scholars in the world, and is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. Witherington has also taught at Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell. A popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings not only in the United States but also in England, Estonia, Russia, Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia. He has also led tours to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Witherington has written over thirty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications, and is a frequent contributor to the Beliefnet website. Along with many interviews on radio networks across the country, Witherington has been seen on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, The Discovery Channel, A&E, and the PAX Network.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/author\/bwitherington"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}