45 - November 4 thru November 10, 2002,
Vol XII

Writer
believes it is
Is the Ark of the Covenant in
Yemen?
BY GARY VEY
GARYVEY@EARTHLINK.NET
WWW.VIEWZONE.COM
With all the unsettled world events, it is easy to become distracted
from the small discoveries that may, someday, comfort mankind and rescue
nations like Yemen from poverty and domination by her neighbors, both near
and far.
Prior to the most recent global crises, I had been working on several
inscriptions that were translated from the Mareb region and the various
museums in Sana'a, using a method of interpretation that proved to be a
breakthrough in translating similar writing in other parts of the world,
yes, even in America.
The same alphabet that is inscribed on the walls of Saba's archaeological
site has been found on virtually every continent. It is very old, much
older even than the Sabaean empire, and I spent most of 2001 visiting sites
and documenting these petroglyphs, from Colorado to Yemen to the outback
of Australia. While this special language is not to be confused with the
more recent Himyaritic, that utilizes many of the same symbols, it does
reveal a place in history for Yemen that should, someday, reward the good
Yemeni people for their adherence to Allah and their unique respect for
other people.
Without becoming too academic or scientific in this article, I would
like to share the message obtained from my expedition to Yemen in 2001.
I think you will find great comfort in these translations, which have been
summarized below:
Menelik (spelled M-N-L-C-C), the only son of Queen Saba (Queen Sheba)
and Solomon, was depressed when he learned that his father's kingdom had
been overcome and the temple in Jerusalem was sacked. His grief was deep
("The happiness of the Son was poisoned...") and this worried his
mother.
Shortly after this invasion of Jerusalem, Menelik received word that
the Ark of the Covenant (the "cell of the Lord" AT-EL), formerly
housed in Solomon's Temple, was relocated to what is now Yemen and was
in the protection of Menelik. The text refers to an "oath" that
was taken by Menelik to protect the ark, perhaps agreed upon when he visited
Solomon several years earlier.
Menelik also received a warning from Nathan, Menelik's half-brother,
that the ark could be harmful to his health and that it had caused vision
problems and "trembling" (seizures?) when Nathan had attempted to
interact with it. Menelik, however, had none of these adverse reactions
and eagerly interacted with this object, constructing a special chamber
underground in which he stored the ark and conversed through it with the
Lord.
As the danger of invading neighbors became real for the kingdom of
Saba, Menelik announced that the ark had instructed him to enter the underground
chamber with the ark, and to have the entire construction covered with
sand to conceal it and protect it from hostile forces. Menelik informed
his mother, Queen Saba, that he would remain buried with the ark for a
long period of time.
Following her only son's instructions, Menelik was buried with the
ark. However, his mother had a chamber constructed adjacent to the ark
chamber and had a secret peephole installed so that she could monitor his
condition while he was buried. She secretly planned to open the chamber
and rescue her son should he be in peril. On many occasions, Queen Saba
viewed her son inside the chamber and, on one occasion, noted that he was
receiving a revelation of the future from the ark, which made a sound like
thunder. As she watched Menelik interact with the ark, she noted that he
trembled and shook from the visions that were being shown to him.
As time passed, the thundering noise and movement of her son ceased.
On one occasion the queen noted that a worm crawled out from the peephole.
This suggested that Menelik had died. The queen was determined to open
the chamber and rescue her son but she recalled her promise to him and
remembered his words, stating that he would be buried for "a long time."
She wept ("...cried an ocean of tears...") that his vision of
the future also included the realization that she had doubted his word
and she prayed that he would forgive her for her doubts.
Determined to honor her son's wishes, Queen Saba had the chamber reinforced
with stone and consulted with the builders and masons to design an enclosure
that would protect the buried chamber from future earthquakes, floods,
and other natural phenomenon. The chamber was thus made more sturdy, and
a large dam was constructed around the buried chamber to protect it from
water and floods.
In the Yemen museum there is another stone which dictates the conditions
that should exist prior to any attempt at opening the chamber. These include
the occupation of the land by a "friendly" nation and the warning
that the ark must not be moved and should not be used for any national
or personal benefit. The ark is to be used for the benefit of mankind and
petitions to the Lord are to be made by collective prayer in the area of
the buried chamber and through the "priest" of the ark (Menelik?).
Following the burial of the chamber and the surrounding temple, Queen
Saba "dimmed her kingdom" and moved to Ethiopia with the prohibition
that the area where the ark and Menelik were buried should be forgotten,
lest future hostile nations and "blind prophets" should seek it
out.
Giving
up on life
Don't ignore the suicidal
BY SA'AD SHARIF TAHER
FOR THE YEMEN TIMES
Committing
suicide has been great human problem historically that philosophers and
scholars have discussed for centuries. Greek philosophers, mainly Aristotle,
considered it "an immoral action that harms family and society."
Still, it exists nowadays and will continue to be a social problem.
Some studies suggest at least half million people die every year around
the world due to suicide. That's one suicide death a minute. Studies also
note it's an increasing problem among young people.
Psychologists declare that committing suicide is a kind of aggression
on one's self because one cannot direct his aggression towards society
or somebody else. Dorkaim, an anthropologist, defined committing suicide
as "death that results directly or indirectly from an action the person
(victim) does to himself."
Reasons
Committing suicide is when a person himself without the urging of others,
or any kind of redeeming social value. Therefore, it is difficult to point
out reasons for it. But there are known psychological, social and medical
factors that lead to committing suicide.
Psychological diseases and troubles are the main ones. But Freud, the
famous psychologist, said, "it is directing inside aggression to oneself."
So there frustration between one's ideal world and realty.
Home, sometimes people commit suicide as a result of disappointing
relationships, such as with one's family. Studies suggest men are more
successful at suicide, although women make more attempts. Suicide among
women is most common in the 20-29 year-old range.
Most suicides take place in spring and autumn.
It's also known that about one in five young boys and one in four young
girls tend to suffer from depression.
In Arab society there are additional reasons like financial disasters,
poverty, unsuccessful love and struggles between generations.
The weakness of religious discipline, psychological stressors, or social
and family problems including break-ups, low spirits and feelings sin and
guilt, can all be factors.
Methods
Suicide can take various forms, including:
1 - Dual suicide, when two people agree to commit suicide together,
like lovers.
2 - Mass suicide, when one suicide leads to others to their death without
their desire. A mother, for example, commits suicide by gas, which causes
her husband and kids' death.
3 - Assisted suicide, to shorten pain of the sick, when there is no
hope to recover. The debate over this type of death is increasing, and
it is becoming more socially accepted, particularly in countries where
people are living longer lives.
4 - Murder-suicide: when a man kills his wife and kids then kills himself.
Such kind was known among depressed men who felt that life was meaningless.
Help
Youth should be helped to overcome thoughts of suicide, which can be
done by:
1 - protecting sick people by sending them to hospitals.
2 - building quiet relations between a sick person and a helper.
3 - kind observations without blaming people directly.
4 - continual treatment through anti-depressant drugs.
5 - social and psychological treatment, and convincing the patient
to be active in society.
6 - giving help to strengthen the patients' psyche.
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