THE CHURCH OF BLOOD

Chapter Six - Solomon's Ark

"What do you mean 'it's worse?'" Beynolds asked.

"You're familiar with King Solomon in the Bible, I'm sure?" Professor Rummings asked.

"Yes," Nyles answered.  "What does this have to do with him?"

Rummings rummaged through some nearby books that were stretched behind him on a small shelf and removed a pile of papers as well as a Bible.  He set them in front of him.

"Well, for starters," he began, opening the place in the Bible that was bookmarked.  "Solomon was perhaps the richest king in Israel's history.  His reign started around 971 BC.  He had the power, wealth and wisdom greater than that of other kings in Israel's history, greater than the kings in other nations at that time.  And, yes, he and the Queen of Sheba did have an affair on top of the other 700 other wives and concubines this gentleman had."

"Damn!" Nyles interjected.  "I couldn't imagine the stress that guy must've been under."

Beynolds laughed.  "One wife is enough to send a man to his grave."

Rummings chuckled.  "The guy was plenty busy."

"Why is his affair with this Queen of Sheba a big deal?" Beynolds inquired.

"The Bible merely mentions her in the first thirteen verses in the tenth chapter," Rummings relayed.  "Oddly enough, the Bible mentions nothing about the affair.  However, there is what is called the Kebra Nagast, a text of importance to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church dated to about the sixth to the fourteenth centuries CE, or Current Era.  According to this account, this Queen of Sheba was named Makeda and identifies the land of Sheba as ancient Ethiopia."

"Ah! The dude was into the sistas!" Nyles laughed.

"And they had a son together," Rummings continued.  "His name was Menelik.  Solomon tried to make his son succeed him as king, but the lad refused and went to Sheba to stay with his mother.  Solomon sent some envoys to travel with Menelik and they took the Ark of the Covenant with them."

"The Ark of the Covenant?" Beynolds asked.

"Yes.  Many Ethiopians today believe this very Ark resides in the Chapel of the Tablet which is next to the Church of Maryam Tsion in Arkum, Ethiopia."

"Does the Ark of the Covenant have anything to do with this pentagram?" Beynolds wanted to know.

"I'll get to that in a minute.  There are other facets of King Solomon that are worth mentioning first."  Rummings rustled through his countless notes until he found what he was looking for.  "There was something I came across regarding Solomon.  It's called The Testament of Solomon.  It's a rather lengthy treatise regarding Solomon having been given aid by demons to build the first Jerusalem Temple."

"What the hell?" Nyles quipped.  "Demons?"

"Correct.  The first demon to arrive on the scene was Ornias who was taking half of the pay and food from the master workman's little boy, which were double wages and a double supply of food.  This boy reports to Solomon about this demon taking all of his income and food, so Solomon goes into the main part of the temple to pray that he be given power over this demon.  The archangel Michael comes to him with a ring that has an engraving of a Pentalpha, which is a five-pointed star.  It looked like this."  Rummings revealed a printed copy of the seal.  It was the Israeli Star of David hedged in by a circle with six dots interspersed between the star's points and the circle's perimeter.  "It's a hexagram.  Solomon tells the boy this ring at the demon the next time he comes and tell the demon to go directly to him.  So, the demon, of course, tries to steal from the boy and the boys does as he was told.  Solomon addresses the demon who confesses his name and that he represents the astrological sign Aquarius.  He also says to Solomon that he's the offspring of the archangel Ariel."