The Moses Riddle (Thomas McAllister 'Treasure Hunter' Adventure Book 1) by Hunt Kingsbury Page B
Authors: Hunt Kingsbury
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Book III and after reading two pages it all came rushing back to him. It was widely thought that slaves had built all of the pyramids and temples in Egypt, and it was true, slaves had performed much of the unskilled labor. However, a large contingent of highly skilled artists and craftsmen, most of whom lived in a village called Deir el-Medina, made the biggest contribution.
Abubaker, the author of the Amenophis Notes , who chronicled the building and restoration of the temples, had been one of these skilled artisans. His job had been to paint temple interiors. When he wasn’t working, or waiting for a project to begin, he wrote in his journal. Book III of the Abubaker journal documented a restoration ordered by the Pharaoh Thutmosis III. It described general repair work on certain deteriorating areas of the Pyramid of Zozer, a pyramid located at the Necropolis. But this was not what caught Thomas’s eye. Pyramids were often repaired; the Zozer pyramid was already a thousand years old in the time of Thutmosis III so its restoration was completely normal. What caught Thomas’s eye was something else.
One day, while Abubaker was making routine observations, he wrote that around twelve o’clock noon, a tall man with a long silver beard arrived at Saqqara, accompanied by twenty guards. They were on foot and, as they walked, the guards surrounded a wagon pulled by oxen. Abubaker couldn’t tell what they were transporting, because it was covered with hide. He assumed that the load was valuable, because the men were heavily armed. He noted that ten warriors walked in front of the wagon and nine warriors walked behind it. One rode atop the wagon. At that time, in Egypt, it constituted a very well-funded group of soldiers. The bearded man walked in front of the short caravan, and was clearly the leader.
Thomas read faster. Abubaker wrote that the bearded man entered the ancient pyramid of Unas, where there were extensive texts written on the walls, and had not come out for two days. He described the man as a tall Egyptian, with a mane of silver hair and a prodigious silver beard. Abubaker called him Son of Reuel, Priest of Midian.
When Thomas read this, his heart skipped a beat. He read the passage a second time and again the translation was the same. This was definitely the passage that had excited him the night before. His pulse quickened, dampening his hangover . Could it be true ? Could this be what it looked like it was ? It must! After all, the Builders Notes was a primary historical document of the best kind: written first hand, from direct observation.
Thomas stood up, then sat down again, unsure what his next move should be. He had to learn more. If what he read were true, then he had stumbled upon one of the most significant pieces of new biblical information since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered! He read it again, and again, arriving at the same conclusion each time. He shook his head, feeling completely bewildered. Amazed. There was only one Son of Reuel, Priest of Midian . . . and that person was . . . Moses !
This was possibly the most incredible piece of evidence Thomas had ever uncovered. Here, in a primary source document, was an original account of a sighting of Moses that had gone completely undiscovered. For that alone it was significant, because after the Exodus, Moses was not known to have ever returned to Egypt. But what mattered to Thomas, what he had to answer was: what did Moses do in the temple of Unas for forty-eight hours? And what was in the heavily guarded box on the ox-drawn wagon?
First, Thomas had to be sure. He would have to scour the Pentateuch— the first five books of the Old Testament—to be sure that Moses’ return to Egypt was, in fact, not documented. He would also have to study every line in the Builders Notes to see if there were any more clues confirming that the man was Moses. If he couldn’t disprove his theory, there would be only one more move to make. He would go to
Abubaker, the author of the Amenophis Notes , who chronicled the building and restoration of the temples, had been one of these skilled artisans. His job had been to paint temple interiors. When he wasn’t working, or waiting for a project to begin, he wrote in his journal. Book III of the Abubaker journal documented a restoration ordered by the Pharaoh Thutmosis III. It described general repair work on certain deteriorating areas of the Pyramid of Zozer, a pyramid located at the Necropolis. But this was not what caught Thomas’s eye. Pyramids were often repaired; the Zozer pyramid was already a thousand years old in the time of Thutmosis III so its restoration was completely normal. What caught Thomas’s eye was something else.
One day, while Abubaker was making routine observations, he wrote that around twelve o’clock noon, a tall man with a long silver beard arrived at Saqqara, accompanied by twenty guards. They were on foot and, as they walked, the guards surrounded a wagon pulled by oxen. Abubaker couldn’t tell what they were transporting, because it was covered with hide. He assumed that the load was valuable, because the men were heavily armed. He noted that ten warriors walked in front of the wagon and nine warriors walked behind it. One rode atop the wagon. At that time, in Egypt, it constituted a very well-funded group of soldiers. The bearded man walked in front of the short caravan, and was clearly the leader.
Thomas read faster. Abubaker wrote that the bearded man entered the ancient pyramid of Unas, where there were extensive texts written on the walls, and had not come out for two days. He described the man as a tall Egyptian, with a mane of silver hair and a prodigious silver beard. Abubaker called him Son of Reuel, Priest of Midian.
When Thomas read this, his heart skipped a beat. He read the passage a second time and again the translation was the same. This was definitely the passage that had excited him the night before. His pulse quickened, dampening his hangover . Could it be true ? Could this be what it looked like it was ? It must! After all, the Builders Notes was a primary historical document of the best kind: written first hand, from direct observation.
Thomas stood up, then sat down again, unsure what his next move should be. He had to learn more. If what he read were true, then he had stumbled upon one of the most significant pieces of new biblical information since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered! He read it again, and again, arriving at the same conclusion each time. He shook his head, feeling completely bewildered. Amazed. There was only one Son of Reuel, Priest of Midian . . . and that person was . . . Moses !
This was possibly the most incredible piece of evidence Thomas had ever uncovered. Here, in a primary source document, was an original account of a sighting of Moses that had gone completely undiscovered. For that alone it was significant, because after the Exodus, Moses was not known to have ever returned to Egypt. But what mattered to Thomas, what he had to answer was: what did Moses do in the temple of Unas for forty-eight hours? And what was in the heavily guarded box on the ox-drawn wagon?
First, Thomas had to be sure. He would have to scour the Pentateuch— the first five books of the Old Testament—to be sure that Moses’ return to Egypt was, in fact, not documented. He would also have to study every line in the Builders Notes to see if there were any more clues confirming that the man was Moses. If he couldn’t disprove his theory, there would be only one more move to make. He would go to
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