"God's Gold" charts the fate of the greatest religious treasure in history, the key symbols of the Jewish faith looted from the Temple of Jerusalem. The golden candelabrum, silver trumpets and bejewelled table were ransacked by the Roman emperor Vespasian in AD 70. They were cast adrift in Mediterranean lands, which saw 550 years of turbulent history and the rule of four different civilisations. Now, only an intriguing trail of clues remains as to their whereabouts. The Temple treasure is an immeasurably precious hoard, but it has yet greater significance as a symbol of man's communications with God. The gold is central to Israel's dreams for messianic redemption and it's discovery could signify the return to an age of biblical sacrifice. Using untapped historical texts and new archaeological sources, Sean Kingsley reveals the incredible history of this treasure, its composition and religious, political and financial meaning across the ages.

God's Gold thrillingly pursues a priceless hoard of treasure - snatched from the Temple of Jerusalem in AD 70 - across 550 years of history, five faiths and four civilisations to its dramatic final resting place.

Archaeologist Sean Kingsley sets out on a physical quest to trace the treasure's destinv. From the Vatican to the Vandal palace of Carthage, Constantinople2 hippodrome and the wilderness of Judaea, his remarkable journey exposes facts more astonishing than fiction.

Illustrations

Peface

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Roots

 1.River of Gold

 2.Awakenings

 3.Ghosts of Israel Past

 4.Exodus and Exile

 5.Herod's Treasure Chest

Israel-Land of God

 6.Dark Secrets in the Vatican

 7.Temple Prophecies

 8.Volcano of Hate

 9.Keeping the Faith?

 10.Benjamin of Tudela

 11.The Philosopher's Folly

 12.Dead Sea Treasures

 13.Castles in the Air

Temple Treasure

 14.Divine Light-The Menorah

 15.Hunting Graven Images

 16.The Tree of Life

 17.Bread of Heaven

 18.Trumpeting Messages

Revolution

 19.City of Unbrotherly Love

 20.Turning the Screw

 21.Death of a Temple

 22.Flavian Spin

Imperial Rome

 23.Walking with God

 24.A Word from the Sponsors

 25.Aliens in Rome

 26.Of Circuses and Artichokes

 27.The Triumphal Way

 28.A Day at the Circus Maximus

 29.A Temple for Peace

Vandal Carthage

 30. Jewish Gold, Barbarian Loot

 31.Felix Carthago

 32.Heresy and Holocaust

 33.Keeping the Faith

 34.In a Vandal Palace

Constantinople-New Rome

 35.Treasures Recycled

 36.Hunting Hippodromes

 37.Imperial War Games

The Holy Land

 38.Sanctuary of the Christians

 39.Desert City of Saints

 40.City of God, World of Man

Select Bibliography

Index