The archaeologist, Vendyl Jones is hard to pin down. Apparently the inspiration for Indiana Jones, I found plenty of links about him on conspiracy sites, right next to UFOs and the Illuminati, including a much cited story about him having three kidneys? But I kept reading because the story is long, well told and fascinating.

The center of this story lies in the contents of the Copper Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls which Vendyl has been studying for some 30 years. Though some think the whole scroll is a hoax, many believe it contains an inventory of the treasures of the First Temple, hidden away to keep them safe from the Romans. Vendyl’s story of piecing together the information in the scroll makes for very interesting reading.

The story of the Blue Aura reminded me that I once found that exact phenomenon at the bottom of a parking garage in Pasadena. There was a small hole between concrete slabs which was open for six or seven stories to the sky. At the right time of day, pure blue light would stream down. I went back several times and have never forgotten the quality of that light.

Further poking around in Vendyl’s site lead me to the story of Haym Salomon, a key figure in the American Revolution, who was Jewish, and whom I’d never heard about before. I got there reading a Jones essay titled “A Real National Treasure” in his foundation’s self published Researcher Newspaper (pdf link, page 9). The bulk of that essay was a fascinating Kabbalist breakdown of the symbolism in the Great Seal of the United States, based on the possibly erroneous belief that Haym Salomon designed the seal (The US Department of State’s official Great Seal pdf booklet doesn’t mention Haym Salomon at all). Usually the seal is explored via the symbolism of the Freemasons. According to the often dubious Wikipedia entry on Haym Solomon, he might or might not have also had a hand in crafting the US Constitution. I’m not sure how much to believe here, but the anti-Semetic conspiracy fringe seems to believe Salomon is responsible for all sorts of things. Those people would be funny if they weren’t so frightening.

I’m not sure what to make of Vendyl Jones, he seems like the sort of character who is either prophetically correct or consumed by madness. I don’t think anyone’s eyeballs will melt from their skulls if does find it, but discovering the actual Ark from the First Temple with a clearly described historical lineage would have a significant impact on the course of world events and all followers of Judiasm, Christianity and Islam.

Crazy stuff, fun to think about.