The Moses Legacy (24 page)

‘
The Book of the Wars of the Lord
,' Daniel translated.

‘It is actually quoted in the Bible,' Tsedaka continued. ‘Numbers 21:14. The quotation contains a reference to the miracles at the Reed Sea and occurs just after the description of Moses and the fiery serpents.'

Daniel remembered his discussion with Carmichael, but said nothing.

‘But why is it lost?' asked Gabrielle.

‘It was entrusted to the tribe of Menasha,' Tsedaka explained. ‘And the tribe of Menasha had land on both sides of the River Jordan. It was to the eastern half of the tribe that the book was entrusted. But you have to understand that over the centuries we have lost many members, not only to wars and massacres but also to enforced conversion. Many of us converted to Islam and many of those converts inter-married. So
The Book of the Wars of the Lord
is now in the hands of the Bedul tribe.'

‘Bedul?' Gabrielle echoed.

‘A Bedouin tribe living in the Petra area. But we believe that the book has probably been lost or destroyed or buried.'

‘You said there was another book,' said Daniel.

‘Yes. It is called
Sefer HaYashar
.'

‘
The Book of the Straight
,' Daniel translated.

‘It is mentioned in the book of Joshua 10:13 and in fact is believed by some to have been written by Joshua himself.'

‘And where is this
Book of the Straight
now?' asked Daniel.

‘It is kept in the tomb of Joseph in the nearby valley.'

‘Is there any chance of us being able to see the manuscript?' asked Daniel. ‘So that I can have a go at translating it?'

Tsedaka looked nervous. ‘It would involve some delicate negotiation. Just getting access to the site will prove difficult. Religious Jews venerate it and militant Muslims claim that it is actually the tomb of a Muslim scholar called Yusuf.'

‘I could try and use my status as an academic to get permission.'

‘Yes but there is more, Professor Klein. If
The Book of the Straight
is disinterred, there may then arise some argument as to its ownership. Our high priest might prefer to leave it buried there rather than open up a whole can of worms as to whom it truly belongs.'

Daniel thought about this for almost a minute. ‘Okay, well, I won't try to force the issue. What you've told me was in confidence and in any case only you or your priests know exactly where it is. But if you could talk to your high priest I'd be grateful. Tell him that if this document is written in the old script then I can translate and quite possibly validate your claim to be true Israelites.'

‘So you're a veteran?' Goliath said to the brash fifty-something American woman he had got talking to as they hovered around the self-service breakfast tables in the hotel in Taba.

‘I wouldn't exactly say a veteran. I mean, three visits doesn't exactly make me a veteran. But I know what to look out for. You have to be careful of some of the men here.'

Goliath didn't think
he
had to be careful of any of the men there, and he suspected that this American woman didn't either. Whilst her ample girth would not necessarily be off-putting to local masculine taste, her age probably would. And if that wasn't enough to put them off, then her loud manner probably would be.

Goliath suspected that what kept this woman coming back was not the sunshine – which she could have got just as easily in Florida – but the prospect of a fling with a local toy boy.

‘So what did you think of that Bonnie and Clyde couple?'

He tried various other lines as he mingled with people at other hotels, but the Bonnie and Clyde reference appeared to work best for getting people to open up, even if he hadn't got any useful information yet.

‘You mean that British couple who stole that speedboat and went to Israel?'

‘Oh, were they British?'

‘The man was. I think the woman was German or Swedish or something.'

‘Does anyone know why they did it?'

‘I think they were just a pair of thrill-seekers.'

Goliath nodded, no longer interested now that it was clear that this woman didn't have any useful information about them.

‘Although I did hear a rumour that they were Israeli spies.'

Goliath was still not interested, and was looking for a way to escape from her so that he could pump someone else for information.

‘You do know that the Jews run the world, don't you? I mean, no one talks about it, but they run the banks and they were even responsible for 9/11.'

Goliath agreed with her but he didn't have time for a discussion about the evils of the Jewish people.

‘You don't believe me, do you?'

‘I was just wondering how you knew.'

‘I saw something about it on the Internet.'

Goliath suppressed a smile and then adroitly stepped aside to let a couple get between him and the woman. He took the opportunity to get away from her and open a conversation with one of the waiters who were manning the serving tables.

‘What do you recommend – the poached eggs or the scrambled eggs?'

‘They're both good,' said the young waiter, who couldn't have been more than about eighteen. ‘I like the poached myself but…' He trailed off.

‘Were you here on the day that couple stole that speedboat?'

The young waiter smiled. ‘They didn't actually steal it. I think they hired it and then went off to Israeli waters.
The Israelis thought they were terrorists and nearly killed them.'

‘You actually saw it?'

Again the waiter smiled. ‘Oh no, I didn't see it. I was on duty that day. But my friend Mas'ud came down from Cairo with them. And he overheard them talking.'

Paydirt!

‘Oh… and where is your friend Mas'ud now?'

‘He's working in the kitchen.'

‘I wonder if I could speak to him.' Goliath handed over some money and the waiter went to fetch his friend.

Mas'ud was maybe a couple of years younger than the waiter, who seemed curious to listen to their conversation. Goliath gave him a look that told him to get lost. He shrugged and walked off, leaving Goliath to talk to Mas'ud.

‘I understand you came down here with that couple who stole that speedboat and went to Israel.'

‘Yes. We came down here by camel.'

‘And I understand that you overheard them talking?'

‘Yes. But my father said I wasn't supposed to talk to anyone else.'

‘Why?'

‘He said it might be spies. Not the couple, I mean, but people who ask about them.'

Goliath faked a laugh. ‘Spies? I think he just doesn't want you talking to journalists.'

‘Journalists?'

‘Reporters. You know – the press.'

‘Oh, yes.'

‘But that isn't really fair to you, is it? I mean if you want to talk to a reporter, why shouldn't you?'

He took out some money and held it low, making it obvious to Mas'ud but not to anyone else.

‘What do you want to know?'

‘Everything you can remember. What were they talking about?'

‘Well, they didn't say anything about going to Israel. I mean, I didn't realize that's what they were talking about. But they said something about talking to the Samaritan priests. And they said something about Holon. I didn't think about it at the time, but I think that's in Israel.'

Goliath smiled as he handed over the money. He had everything he needed now.

‘I, Joshua, son of Noon, of the tribe of Neferayim, son of Joseph, give this as my testament.'

Daniel looked at Gabrielle, surprised.

They were sitting in an office in the Conservation Department of the National Library in Jerusalem, together with the Samaritan high priest and two of his colleagues. Outside the office sat an armed guard whose main duty was to lock up when they were finished.

After some robust discussions with the Israeli Antiquities Authority, they had obtained permission to get
The Book of the Straight
from its bolt-hole in Joseph's tomb and bring it to this department where they specialized in restoring manuscripts. It was carefully opened by experts and placed between glass. The process had proceeded smoothly except for one brief hair-raising moment in the tomb when Gabrielle had picked up the clay urn which contained the scroll, in breach of protocol. But she had handed it back immediately and apologized for her over-enthusiasm.

The ‘book' was in fact a papyrus scroll. This surprised Daniel somewhat as he had been expecting it to be parchment, in accordance with Jewish law. But then again, that law may well have come later. And the fact that it was papyrus
suggested that the document might have some Egyptian provenance. Indeed, the very first line prompted Daniel to ask a question of Gabrielle, drawing on her expert knowledge of ancient Egypt.

‘
Neferayim
? Could that be a variant of Ay?'

‘I've never heard of him being called Neferayim.'

‘Okay, but could it have been
Nefer
-Ay? And then become Neferayim before becoming Ephraim?'

‘The word
Nefer
means “beautiful” and is a characteristic of female names in Egypt like Nefertiti and Nefertari.'

‘So you're saying it's
only
used for female names?' asked Daniel.

‘Well no, there were a few men with “Nefer” in the name, like Neferhotep and Neferkheprure. And of course in those ancient times, they sometimes had several names.'

‘So maybe Ay could have had the alternative name of Nefer-Ay, which could then have become Neferayim?'

‘It's possible,' she conceded. ‘But like I said, in Egyptian writings he's never been referred to as Nefer-Ay, let alone Neferayim.'

The priests sat there in silence throughout this exchange. They, at least, were perfectly happy to be patient. But now, the high priest leaned forward.

‘It's consistent with what we know. Joshua
was
of the tribe of Ephraim, so Neferayim could be an alternative name for Ephraim.'

‘Okay, well let's put that aside for now and see what else we can find here. You must understand that because I had to leave my notes behind when I made my escape from Egypt, I'm having to rely on my memory for this translation. You'll have to be patient with me.'

He continued to read:

He broke off and looked at Gabrielle.

‘I'm Anglicizing the name. But just tell me one thing, does that fit the historical record?'

‘It could be true of several pharaohs. I think I have an idea which one it was, but I don't want to say just yet. Carry on.'

Daniel looked down and continued translating, the words coming not in a flow, but almost in a burst of energy.

Gabrielle was nodding enthusiastically at this. ‘A coat of many colours was a sign of leadership. It started with a people called the Hyksos who invaded Egypt 4,000 years ago and were driven out 500 years later.'

‘According to the Bible,' said Daniel, ‘Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colours, showing that he was the favoured son.'

‘And that made his brothers jealous,' added one of the Samaritan priests.

Daniel carried on reading.

Daniel broke off, not because he couldn't read any further but because Gabrielle was gripping his arm.

‘What is it?' he asked.

‘The Dream stele,' she choked.

‘What's that?'

‘Thutmose the Fourth, the grandfather of Akhenaten, is believed to have visited Syria after conquering it… or reconquering it. He had an older brother, but somehow managed to gain power for himself. He then did some restoration work on the Sphinx and had this event commemorated in a small inscribed stone placed between the paws of the Sphinx. On the stone it described how he was out on a hunting trip when he fell asleep and had a dream. And in the dream the Sphinx spoke to him and told him that if he swept the sand away from its feet he would be made king. The stone is called the Dream stele and this passage fits in neatly with it.'

‘And I guess it also links up neatly with the idea that Joseph was an interpreter of dreams.'

‘Except that according to this account, he wasn't so much the interpreter of dreams as the
inventor
.'

Daniel looked up at the priests to see how they were responding. This was presumably not what they wanted to hear. They were seeking confirmation of the Bible, not a rewriting of it – especially not one that cast their ancestor Joseph in a somewhat more cynical light. They did not look happy, but only one of them looked angry.

Daniel returned his attention to the manuscript before him.

Daniel looked up at the priests. They seemed a lot happier at this. He carried on reading:

Daniel looked up again to see the looks on the faces of the Samaritan priests: a mixture of joy and stunned surprise.