April 16, 2000

Holy Cow!

John Paul II recently made the first papal pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 64 years, and a red heifer is being groomed for sacrifice by orthodox Jews - a conjunction of events that could engulf the entire Middle East in holy war.

Some Israeli fanatics have worried for years that the Pope might wish to relocate the Vatican to Jerusalem and "Christianize" the city. To them, John Paul's visit was a scouting expedition.

This notion is a corollary to Israeli resentment of Moslems who control access to the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock is located. This structure shelters the stony tip of Mount Zion where Mohammed on his horse is said to have leaped into heaven one night to talk with God.

The Jewish King Solomon built the first temple on the site in 1000 B.C. to house the Ark of the Covenant. Moses is said to have constructed the Ark (consecrated chest) during the exodus from Egyptian bondage. Its purpose was to transport two stone tablets inscribed by God with the Ten Commandments.

The "Home of God" was leveled by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Surviving Jews were enslaved. However, the Ark already had disappeared by then - why, when and where is another fascinating story perhaps worth exploring in this space sometime. The mystery bears on today's unrest in Jerusalem.

Generations later, Babylon permitted Jews to return to Jerusalem and build a second temple on Mount Zion. This temple, where Jesus scourged the money changers, was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. to end a Jewish revolt. Again, Jews were scattered.

The Muslims came in 636 A.D. and shortly afterward built the golden Dome Of The Rock where Solomon's and Herod's temples once stood. Jews and Christians are allowed to walk on the Mount but not to pray anywhere there.

Palestine Moslems believe Israeli Jews are trying to drive them out of Jerusalem so the Dome of the Rock can be demolished and a new Jewish temple built there. Indeed, there is cause for Palestinian concern.

A tunnel -- built by Herod to flush cleansing water from the altar of animal sacrifices - was discovered and cleared by Israeli archeologists in 1997. During the restoration, the archeologists discovered a side tunnel leading to a sealed door beneath the Dome.

Members of the Third Temple Institute believe the door is the entrance to a chamber containing the "lost" Ark. Moslem guards plugged the side tunnel with six feet of reinforced concrete. Further digging is prohibited for fear of undermining the Dome. However, the ancient, main tunnel is open to visitors.

Institute rabbis say the sealed door cannot be opened, and the supposed Ark brought out, until the sacred objects are sanctified by the sacrificial ashes of an unblemished, red heifer. Also the Ark can only be handled by a full blood-line descendent of the Levi tribe designated by Moses to be the its keepers.  

Orthodox Jews had been looking for a red heifer, and a qualified Levite, ever since the Israeli military captured Jerusalem in the 1967 invasion by Moslem neighbors. Only nine perfect red heifers are recorded in Jewish history. Levi lineage has become vastly muddled after centuries of integration in foreign lands.

A tenth red heifer, and recovery of the Ark, is believed by some Jews and Christians to herald construction of the final Jewish temple. After this, the faithful believe a Messiah will come.

Discovery of Herod's tunnel, and birth of an blemished red heifer, both in 1996, generated great excitement in Israel.

The heifer was born on a religious kibbutz (collective farm) near Haifa. The parents were a black-and-white cow and a dun-colored bull. A delegation of 25 rabbis and genetic experts visited the farm to examine the unusual animal. It was concluded that it is an acceptable red heifer according to Torah requirements.

For sacrificial purposes, the heifer must be at least two years old - a requirement met more than a year ago. The Israeli government has urged patience in the current, tense, political climate.

* * *

The importance of a perfect, red heifer is spelled out meticulously in the Biblical old testament/Torah - Numbers 19.

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, and to Aaron (Moses' brother), saying this is the ordinance of the law which the Lord hath commanded, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke.

"And you shall give her unto Eleazar the priest that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face.

"Eleazar shall take of her blood with his finger and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times.

"And one shall burn the heifer in his sight - her skin, and her flesh, and her blood with her dung shall he burn.

"The priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.. ... . a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation. It is a purification for sin.

"It shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute forever."  

 * * *

To prevent accident or mischief, today's red heifer is kept under 24-hour guard in a secret place. A couple of white hairs have grown in the heifer's tail, but rabbis of the Third Temple Institute say these errant hairs can be plucked out.

Not all Jewish Israelis are caught up in temple fever. Avaham Poraz, a member of the leftist Meretz Party, declared shortly after announcement of the heifer's birth: "That cow represents the risk of a massive religious war. If the fanatics get hold of it and try to take over the Temple Mount, God knows what will happen. It only takes a few crazies to endanger all our lives!"

There was cause for alarm. Several attempts have been made by fanatics in recent years to destroy the Dome and nearby mosque so a third temple can be built to house the Ark and welcome the Messiah.

A plot to blow up the Come of the Rock was discovered by Israeli police in 1982, and a member of the temple movement was convicted of endangerment.

Also in 1982, an Israeli soldier went on a shooting rampage in the Aksa Mosque, killing a Moslem guard and wounding several worshipers.

Israeli security forces in 1983 arrested 45 well-armed Jewish extremists attempting to seize the Temple Mount.

The most ambitious attempt to blow up the Dome of the Rock occurred in 1984. It was foiled when a Moslem guard noted night-time intruders and called Israeli police. The would-be saboteurs fled, leaving behind 250 pounds of explosive.

Arabs rioted when Herod's drain tunnel was opened into the Moslem neighborhood of east Jerusalem.

Few Jews want to return to the ancient practice of animal sacrifice reports the Jerusalem Post newspaper. Most of all, they don't want to be involved in a jihad (holy war) by Hesbollah terrorists throughout the Mideast.

Quiet - very quiet - negotiations are underway to build the third, Jewish temple near the Dome of the Rock. It likely will be many years before this occurs, if ever.  

In the meantime, the yearning to recover the Lost Ark still brews. Historians and archeologists of all faiths study scripture and ancient inscriptions seeking clues about the relic's whereabouts.

Fascination with the Ark mystery is widespread. If it is ever found, it may touch off another international crises. Where will Indiana Jones be when we need him?

Author: Lindsey Williams