Prologue of The Eden Tree

In 1992, in Jaffa, two brothers made a remarkable discovery, one that treasure seekers around the world would envy if they ever found out. The discovery was a box.

Joseph and Simeon Latchman were property developers, specialising in house clearance. Owning several houses in other parts of Israel, the brothers had bought a property in Jaffa overlooking the sea.

"What do you think of it?" Simeon asked as he surveyed the dilapidated white building. "We can't rent it, that's for sure." He inserted his hand in a crumbling wall.

"It looks old and we bid beyond our price, so let's hope we can recoup our investment," Joseph replied. "We've done well so far with our portfolio. Let's take a look inside."

The door creaked as Simeon pulled the door handle. Grey clouds of dust swirled and spiders' webs quivered in the breeze. The sun warmed their backs as they left daylight behind and entered a cold, dark room.

"Look at this." Simeon's torch beam illuminated a wooden sign sparkling on the whitened wall. The sign of the fish appeared to point to a thick blanket curtain.

"It's the early Christian sign, probably made smooth by many hands stroking it," Joseph stated, "they used it to announce a gathering. There might be a cellar."

Simeon nodded, confident in his younger brother's knowledge. "So...the followers of the carpenter met here. Come on, let's see what's down there." Simeon pushed through a blanket curtain and clattered down the wooden stairs.

"Be careful, brother," Joseph said, as he followed, testing each wooden slat.

Yellowed circles of light from hand-held torches came into view on the walls and dusty floor. Joseph coughed and placed a white handkerchief over his mouth. His fingers touched the icy cold wall and he used his torch to check his bearings.

"There might be more history down here," Simeon rubbed his hands. "We might have got a bargain." Amidst the thick musty darkness, a torch beam fell upon drag marks on the floor.

"It looks like something heavy has been moved from the corner recently." Joseph stroked his beard. "The owner mentioned they had cleared some furniture."

Simeon shrugged his shoulders. "This is weird though. Look at that mound, it looks like someone was either hiding it or unaware of it."
Joseph's eyes followed the beam. "It might just be a pet's grave," he said. "But I'll fetch the trowel." His steps echoed on the stairs.

Kneeling down in the dirt, Simeon carefully excavated under the mound, clawing at the sand laboriously with his bare hands, sweat stinging his eyes. Joseph knelt beside him, placed a cloth to kneel on the pressed sand, and dug with the trowel, then he passed the trowel to Simeon. They lay their torches on the ground and a matrix of light illuminated their excavation. They both clawed and scraped until the hole was about twelve inches deep.

"There's something here," Simeon whispered, his voice trembling as he felt the trowel touch a hard object.

"Shush...careful," Joseph looked over his shoulder.

A circle of sand grew at their knees. Like two children at the beach, they dug eagerly.

"By all that's holy!" Joseph scratched his head, paused, and rested.

Both brothers' foreheads glistened. Dark stains appeared on the neck of Joseph's starched white shirt. In unison, they gasped in bewilderment and finally uncovered an old wooden box: an antique. An intricate pattern of green leaves and golden angels was engraved on the lid. Moisture dripped across their bearded cheeks and fell onto the sand.

"What on earth is this?" asked Simeon. "It appears to be a lid," he said expectantly.

"Be careful, Simeon," Joseph cautioned, "we don't know how old it is or what's in it. We don't know what it's worth." Both brothers looked over their shoulders and listened.
Simeon lifted the box out of its nest, like a nursing mother with a newborn baby, and placed aside the lid. The brothers peered into the box.

"Oi vey, be still my heart," Simeon gasped in astonishment as he knelt on the cellar floor inspecting their treasure trove. On top of some very ancient scrolls, manuscripts and parchments there was a white cloth bag with drawstrings. Simeon gently pulled the drawstrings and opened the bag. With a mystified look, he showed Joseph the few ounces of dark brown powder inside.

"It can't be hashish," Joseph pronounced, "not lying here all this time." He sniffed carefully. "It smells like pine or some herbs, but an unusual smell."

He rolled the powder with his fingers. Both brothers looked right and left and were silent. Putting the pouch to one side, Simeon took out the documents one by one; the torch beam gave the manuscripts a translucent appearance. Joseph joined him, eerie haloes reflecting on the cellar walls as the beams shone through the ancient parchments. Simeon deftly rolled them open revealing drawings, detailed maps and ancient script, some with hieroglyphics.

"I recognise some of this," Joseph took the first scroll in his hand, "it's like text in our synagogue's archives."

Joseph rolled open the scroll and attempted to decipher the heading, slowly tracing the text with a nervous finger. Following the first-century Aramaic with deep breaths, Joseph read, "The last will and testament of Simon Peter...yes, the last will and testament of Simon Peter." His face was contemplative as he breathed deeply.

"What?" Simeon shone his beam on Joseph's manuscript. "This belongs to the rabbi's follower?"

"Yes, brother," Joseph said, tapping his brother's head. "It goes on I think to give some background and history, but it clearly states the scroll belongs to Simon Peter, disciple of Jesus Christ of Nazareth."

The brothers knelt in silence. Joseph said, "So we're guessing his followers met here and this box has remained hidden all this time?" His face was deep in thought. "Two thousand years?" They tenderly examined each parchment and replaced them within the small bag.

"It'll be like winning a lottery, brother." Simeon's eyes glowed with excitement. "We've worked so hard over the years, clearing houses of their junk. Now after all these years we've hit the mother-load!" He rubbed his hands together.

"True, brother," Joseph answered. "But the box and its contents need to be assessed. We need an expert to take a look; someone that we can trust."

"Someone who can keep a secret," Simeon said, and then added, "possibly Uncle Caleb?"
Joseph approved with a bow of his head.

With amazing providence, their uncle Caleb in Cairo lectured in mythology and archaic languages at the University of Egypt. They would seek his help.

*

Simeon and Joseph waited apprehensively in the hallway of the University of Cairo's Department of Ancient Languages and Mythology. Simeon held the ancient box bundled under his left arm, a white sheet draped tightly around their possession.

He tapped a ringed finger on the wooden arm of the bench; the sun's rays bounced off the gold. Next to him, Joseph surveyed posters on a wall opposite. His gold-rimmed glasses perched on a substantial nose as he periodically placed his fingers in his shirt collar and pulled. His curly black beard glistened in the light streaming through a window behind him. They had called their uncle and taken the first available flight to Cairo the day after their find. It was midday when they arrived.

A brass nameplate on a dark brown door a few feet away shone in the sunlight: Doctor Caleb Weingart Ph.D. Dipl. Arch. The door swung open and a head appeared. A young man dressed in black cords and a light blue denim shirt stepped into the hallway and beckoned the brothers with his hand, saying, "Dr. Weingart is waiting." He strolled down the corridor with books under his arm, the sound of his sandals slapping against the mezzanine floor.

An aroma of pine polish and musty books filled their nostrils as the brothers entered. "Shalom, are you both well?" Caleb rose from his chair to meet them. The brothers' uncle circled his desk and greeted them, hugging and kissing them on both cheeks. "Please sit."

A black leather couch squelched as they sat and took in their surroundings. Wooden shelves filled with books of all sizes spanned the wall behind their uncle. Papers and magazines were piled precariously high on one end of his mahogany desk. Silence in the room except for the squeaking of Caleb's chair.

The professor's chair rocked on wheels as he moved his generous girth, his hands folded on his stomach. A grey cardigan stretched around his sizeable form, the buttons straining. He seemed a man easy to converse with. On his nose perched rounded bi-focal spectacles. The soft leather couch sucked them in as the brothers shifted uneasily.

"Do you think we should break the ice?" Joseph whispered.

"Yes, I hope this journey is not in vain," Simeon said, and leaning to his brother's ear he added, "surely if anyone can help us, Uncle Caleb can?"

Certificates gleamed in frames and set forth Professor Caleb Weingart's expertise in myths, religious document translation and ancient languages. After a few minutes, Caleb coughed and took the lead.

"It's good to see you, Simeon and Joseph." His eyes were questioning. "Is there a special purpose to your visit? You were quite vague and, if I may say, evasive on the phone?" Caleb's eyebrows rose and he extended his palms.

extracted the parcel from under his arm. The white sheet dropped to the office floor. Like a magician bringing a rabbit out of a box, Simeon placed the treasure down on Caleb's desk. Caleb carefully pushed aside several stacks of papers and examined the box gleaming under the office strip lighting. A stack of magazines toppled and clattered to the floor, the pages opening haphazardly. Caleb didn't appear to notice.

"Mmm, what have we here?" their uncle asked. He twirled his greying beard with his fingers as he held the box in both hands and minutely examined it. He removed his glasses and pulled a magnifying glass from a desk drawer. "The etchings on the lid are exquisite; created by the careful hand of a master craftsman, probably a carpenter." His questioning face looked towards his nephews.

"Please take a look inside, Uncle," Simeon interjected. "Help us if you can".

The professor's expression as he lifted the box lid changed from curiosity to puzzlement and delight. He opened the bag, sniffed the contents and stroked his beard. His fingers sifted the ground leaves and his eyes opened wide.

Magnifying glass in hand, he inspected the manuscripts. Parchment by parchment he unfurled the scrolls, documents and maps, muttering to himself and tracing the script with his finger. He scratched his head and resumed his detailed scrutiny with fascination. His inspection over, after at least 40 minutes, he exhaled and placed all the contents back into the box and then replaced the lid.

He took a breath. "Have you boys understood any of the text or maps and drawings? Do you understand what the pouch claims to be?"

"No, Uncle, most of it's a mystery to us," Joseph said. "The reason we brought it is to discover its truths. We don't understand what the powder in the cloth bag is, or what the maps are for."

Their uncle took a further deep breath and held up one hand, then the other, palms upward, as if weighing something. He leaned forward and replaced his specs. The brothers leaned forward with interest.

The uncle glanced at the box and then focused on the brothers. "OK. Here it is," he said, "I know my summary will be unbelievable and startling. But please listen...try not to interrupt."

The brothers nodded and moved to the very edge of the couch, exchanging excited glances.

Caleb extended his hand, "What I'm about to reveal will sound like mishegas...craziness. I ask not to be judged until I've finished."

Joseph and Simeon nodded their assent again and were quiet, indicating to Caleb to continue.

"The parchment scrolls appear to contain the last will and testament of Simon Peter, disciple of Jesus Christ. Two thousand years ago, Peter was eager to leave persecuted believers a further legacy to his letters: now part of the Christian Bible. I know the story sounds very far-fetched but don't dismiss it as a hoax. We have the obvious age of the box and scrolls, and the location of your find in Jaffa. History confirms that Peter was in ancient Joppa -- now Jaffa -- for a number of years, until his imprisonment in fact. Please let me explain in a nutshell what you have in your possession." The professor took a deep breath.

"Carry on please, Uncle." Joseph leaned forwards, hands on his knees, almost tumbling off the couch.

Caleb continued, "Simon Peter had been one of the confidants of Jesus Christ along with James and John. During their days and nights with Jesus, he apparently gave them this box. A box made by him in his carpenter's shop in Nazareth. He etched an intricate pattern of leaves and angels on the wooden lid. In the box, Jesus placed maps, drawings and text detailing the exact location of the ancient Garden of Eden surrounding the Tree of Life."

"What?" Simeon said, his eyes widening with shock. He brushed his fingers through his hair.

"Please let me continue," said the professor, "it's very important you understand the whole story."

"Of course, Uncle." Joseph placed his finger on his lips.

"Amongst the scrolls," Caleb continued, "the rabbi placed in a bag ground leaves from the Tree of Life. The leaves have special healing powers: the ability to cure diseases. James was beheaded by the Romans and John moved away to Patmos, so Peter was apparently left alone in Joppa with the box. Jesus had given his three closest followers specific instructions not to use the contents of the box for their own use; they were to heal the sick by prayer, but not to use the leaves. The box was to be entrusted to a man with the pattern of the leaves and angels on his hand. He would ask for a cure, and be honest and courageous. Any deviation of these laws would unleash terrible harm to any who disobeyed."

"We need a man with a tattoo then?" Simeon said, with a questioning shrug.

Seemingly annoyed at another interruption, Caleb raised his voice, "In his last years on earth, Peter had waited diligently but fruitlessly for the man who would inherit the box. Knowing that he was about to be arrested by the Romans he carefully buried the box in his cellar: the place where Christians met in Joppa."

"The fish sign, Uncle," Joseph said, his face brightening, "there was the sign in the house."

"There you are then." Caleb looked pleased. He sat back in his chair and exhaled, a heavy load discharged. He mopped his brow and wiped his spectacles with his cardigan sleeve.

"Thank you, Uncle." Joseph eased back into the soft leather. Simeon sat deep in thought, his expression crestfallen.

Caleb's room became a muted shrine. The sun streamed through a window behind him. The ancient find was the most significant event in the brothers' lives, an event with consequences: but not theirs to keep? They spoke in whispers.

"The huge potential for the leaves and maps is obvious," Simeon said. "The world would be our oyster. We must think carefully before we give it to anyone. Even a museum would pay us a fortune!"

"Yes, that's true, but what about the warning?" Joseph replied. "The awesome judgmental power of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is real. Think of our history!"

Caleb seemed to sense the nature of the brothers' hushed reasoning. "You should leave the box and its contents with me," Caleb said, "let me research it."

The brothers weighed up their options for some time until Joseph and Simeon announced they would return to Jaffa. Caleb reasoned strenuously to leave the scrolls with him, but they insisted upon returning to their homes. They assured Caleb they would adhere rigidly to the instructions of the scrolls.

*

For years, they waited for the person with the lid's image on his hand.

Alas, no person appeared with the identifying mark or characteristics. Years after the discovery of the box, Joseph moved to England. Simeon remained in Jaffa with his daughter, to whom he told nothing. He placed the box securely in a safe-deposit box in his bank. Despite enormous temptations over 20 years, the box had remained unopened: a secret.