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orthodox Jews these were deficiencies in their Juda- occupation of Jerusalem by the Crusaders -- this
ism, for Hancock these distinctives are clear evidence wealthy and militarily powerful Christian ruler was
of their separation from the homeland before the thought to control a vast stretch of "India." Marco Polo
Babylonian exile -- even before King Josiah's reform (1254-1324) wrote that Abbysinia (of South Arabian
(ca. 620 BC). He would seem to have a point there. derivation) was a large province called middle or sec-
ond India. In his day all lands bordering the Indian
The estimate of surviving Falasha Jews at about 28,000 Ocean were "Indies." Two centuries later, the Portu-
after the famine in 1984 represents as alarming de- guese Fr. Francisco Alverez titled his report of a six-
crease in their population. At the end of the first quar- year venture in Ethiopia (starting April, 1520) "Infor-
ter of this century their number was double that, with a mation About the Countries of the Prester John of the
count of some 150,000 at the turn of the century. Indies."
Prior to the 20 year pogrom of Emperor Susneyos,
which began in 1607, butchering and enslaving them How Hancock says this European awareness of Ethio-
(to Sudan and Arabia) by the thousands, the Falasha pia's emperor(s) fits into his total case is complex. For
population in the Semein ("Northern") Mountain region now, let it suffice to say that from the fourth century
was perhaps half a million. AD onward this was the only Christian region in Af-
rica, south of the Sahara, and that it was of special in-
The Tabot terest to certain parties in Europe.

Shifting to Orthodox (called "Coptic," due to historic Elephantine Evidence
ties to the Egyptian church) Christan Ethiopia, Graham
Hancock calls our attention to the distinctive attach- Of greater significance is the island of Elephantine, in
ment of that church to an Old Testament symbol. He the Nile River at Aswan, near the first of several Nile
asks, Why should an ark be the central and essential cataracts. The ancient Egyptian name for the island was
object in every church sanctuary of the land? This is yeb ("elephant") and for the east bank town swn ("mar-
the second major strong point in his case, I would say. ket"), in hieroglyphs. Because this also marked the en-
trance to the Upper Nile region called Nubia (modern
Requirement of a tabot in every church certainly Sudan), the prince of the district was "Keeper of the
points to a powerful attachment to and reverence for Gate of the South." Important for Hancock, is that a
the Ark of the Covenant and must have some long- collection of papyri, written in Aramaic, describes the
standing reason behind it, be it legendary or truly his- presence of a sizable Jewish community on the island
torical. Even if the former, what's behind that? We in the fifth century BC. It was by the Elephantine Pa-
don't really know. Maybe one thing, maybe another. pyri that Biblical scholars were able to settle the exact
And that's about the way much of Hancock's "evidence" date for Nehemiah's first visit to Jerusalem, 444 BC,
runs, throughout his case. He seizes upon a maybe, as they contain personal names corresponding to those
adds a few perhaps, or a why not? First thing we know, in his book.
he's assumed that much to be proven fact, and moves
on. Of particular note with respect to the Ark of the Cove-
nant is evidence that the exiled Jews there had a tem-
But let us consider two more pluses in Hancock's sup- ple. The Persian occupiers of Egypt were using these
port system, of at least secondary validity. These are, Jews as military mercenaries. Out of resentment, the
in order, some historical evidence for a great medieval local Egyptians destroyed this temple of Yahu ("Jeho-
monarchy in East Africa, the "Prester John" records, vah") about 410 BC, but it was rebuilt. A reconstruc-
and the archaeological information available about Ele- tion of the size of the temple based on references in
phantine Island in the Nile near Aswan. The former is the papyri reveals that it measured the same as Solo-
the less clear, but both must be reckoned with. mon's Temple! Papyrus #12, dated December, 402 BC,
declares that Yahu now dwells in His sanctuary in "yeb,
Prester John Records the fortress." Hancock seizes upon this assertion to
mean the Ark, "sign and seal" of God's presence, was
there in that temple at that time. When the Egyptians
Hancock calls the sketchy information we have about a
king (or series of rulers) "Prester (elder) John" a "mo- again had strength to do so, they drove the Jews off the
mentous clue." First mentioned in a European source island. And where else might they migrate, with the
in AD 1145 -- halfway through the 80-some year precious Ark, but up one of the two tributaries flowing

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