The Legacy of Solomon — John Francis Kinsella

The Temple of Jerusalem was razed to the ground by the Roman Titus in 73AD, not a single stone was left standing, its sacred treasures stolen and paraded in Rome for the conqueror's triumph. The city's people were massacred or carried off into slavery. The Temple Mount was transformed into a Roman garrison and Jews were forbidden entry into the city under pain of instant death. Today the Temple Mount is the Harem esh-Sharif, the second most holy site of Islam, it is where the Temple is believed, by Jews and Christians alike, to have once stood, and is controlled by the Muslim Waqf. To the chagrin of the Jews all archaeological research or excavation is strictly forbidden and the site has become a permanent source of conflict between Jews and Muslims. Pat O'Connelly, an Irish American writer, meets Isaac de Lussac in Paris, an obscure biblical archaeologist, who believes he has discovered the answer to the enigma of the Temple, building his theory on the work carried out by the Palestinian Survey Fund created in the 19th century by Queen Victoria's Royal Engineers. In the search of a publisher for de Lussac's vast work, O'Connelly contacts a Swiss trust dedicated to the reconciliation between Jews and Muslims. He travels to Israel with Laura de la Salle where they explore the archaeologist's theory. O'Connelly discovers the history of Jerusalem and Israel, a land where the word Armageddon was born, the battle between God and Satan, with its three thousand year long history of war and strife. Their investigations lead them to Gaza City where in the Palestinian ghetto they find themselves caught up in the never-ending Israeli-Palestinian war.