e traced the Ark's journey back to
the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (who, he maintains, was Ethiopian
and not Persian). Supposedly, the son, having fallen to disfavor among the
Hebrew religious leaders, was banished. Solomon, being much troubled by this
because he loved his son, retaliated by banishing the sons of these leaders
in order that they might accompany his son on his return to Ethiopia. Angered
by the banishment, the Hebrew youths conspired to and stole the Ark from
the Temple. They did not tell Solomon's son about it until they were well
on their way through Egypt on their journey to the headwaters of the Nile
(in Ethopia). Solomon's son, being a good lad, wanted to return the Ark to
Israel. But the others convinced him that God had said that the Ark could
not be taken unless it was by His will. Reluctantly, he agreed and proceeded
to his homeland with the Ark.
ast forward several thousand years,
after the Templars, those busy little gophers, found something in their digging
in the recaptured city of Jerusalem. All of a sudden, this group of white
strangers shows up in front the Emperor of Ethiopia and volunteers, no less,
to give a helping hand in the construction of the churches. The emperor,
being a canny fellow and suspicious of Trojans bearing gifts, agreed to their
offer of help but kept a watchful eye on them. Who knows what tipped him
off to the Templars true intentions of stealing the Ark and returning it
to Europe (such a powerful artifact, as important to the Christian religion
as, say, the True Cross or the Holy Grail, would create quite a stir in post
dark-ages Europe, where such things were of extreme importance). Whatever
it was, he decreed that the Templars were to become his guests for the rest
of their lives. Having problems of their own in Europe with the increasing
discontent of the Roman Catholic Church and the European nobles with the
Templars autonomous status and increasing wealth and power, the order failed
to follow up on the results of their investigation.