Vendyl Jones Biography

Almost everyone is familiar with Steven Spielberg's famous movie, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," in which Indiana Jones searches for the Ark of the Covenant.

That was a fiction movie, but in fact, the movie was based on the life of Vendyl Jones.

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Vendyl has been involved for a long time, in a very serious search, for the Ark of the Covenant.

Vendyl Jones is not only looking for the Ark, but has already found some of the important holy items, associated with it.

Jones has received the support and blessings, of a number of prominent figures, in the international Jewish community.

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Jones' multi-faceted activities include, his monumental work, as a principal founder and active director, of the B'nai Noach ("Sons of Noah") movement.

(The Seven Mitzvahs from the Torah, that all peoples are to follow.)

This is an international movement, under Rabbinical sponsorship, designed to bring the nations of the world, to an understanding of Torah, as it relates to the grand design, that G-d has for Jews and non-Jews, alike.

Many synagogues throughout the U.S., have weekly B'nai Noach meetings, where non-Jewish participants focus on the Seven Noahide Laws, and their expansion under the laws of the Torah.

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Rabbi Shlomo Goren, formerly Israel's Chief Rabbi, was a supporter of Jones' work in Israel. He visited Jones' excavations at the Cave of the Column, in 1982 and 1983, long before Jones' successful finds.

Rabbi Goren later told Jones, that if he found the Ashes of the Red Heifer, the result would be, that there would no longer be Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews or Reform Jews; but only Am Yisroel, the Jewish People!

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Vendyl has spent his whole life, in preparation for this moment in history, that will set into motion the wheels, that will result in the fulfillment of Amos 9:11-12, which reads:

"On that day, I will raise up the fallen booth of David; I will repair the breaches and raise up its ruins; and I will build it up, as in the days of old;

so that they, upon whom My Name is called, may inherit the remnant of Edom, and all the nations--the word of Hashem, Who shall do this." (The Stone Edition)

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Jones cites many references in the Old Testament (Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, Haggai, Isaiah; as well as Jeremiah's quote in Maccabees II), that foretell and follow, the return of the children of Israel to their own land.

Jones believes, that when these Holy Treasures are found, it will mark a unique period in Jewish history; leading eventually to the building of the Third Temple, the Messianic Age, and profound implications for world peace.

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Jones speaks frequently, of a three-fold blessing he received, from the Rebbe Menachem Shneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, at their brief meeting on July 1, 1990.

Jones cites with some emotion, that the Rebbe said to him: "You are doing the most important work in the world. Many people will try to make you stop what you are doing. Many people will try to make you change what you are doing.

Don't stop, and don't change, what you are doing; and G-d will bless you, G-d bless you, G-d bless you!"

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The Talmud, in Huriot 12A describes, that the Prophet Jeremiah foresaw, that the Exile was imminent, and that certain vessels had to be protected and hidden away for future generations.

Jeremiah ordered King Josiah, to hide the Ark of the Covenant, along with other items including the bottle of Anointing Oil, Aaron's Staff; and the Chest sent by the Pelishtim (Phillistines), as "a gift to the God of Israel."

And indeed, as Jeremiah foresaw, Nebukanezar sent an army into Jerusalem afterwards, and destroyed the Temple, sacked the city, destroyed the city walls, and carried the population to exile in Babylonia.

A passage in the Babylonian Talmud, (Tractate Yoma 72a) states, that although the Mishkan and its contents were hidden away, they will one day be found again.

(Note: The Mishkan was the portable Temple, in which the Ark of the Covenant was carried and housed, during the forty years in the desert; and until King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem almost five centuries later.

"This house of worship ("Mishkan") contained the altar for the daily and seasonal sacrifices, the elaborate Menorah (candelabra) of solid gold, the Qalal (copper urn) containing the Ashes of the Red Heifer; and the numerous other vessels, utilized for the detailed services of the Kohanim (priests).

Within the Mishkan's inner chamber, the Holy of Holies, could be found the magnificent Ark of the Covenant; containing among other sacred items, the Tablets of the Ten Commandments brought down by Moses at Sinai.)

Because of these sacred contents, and the level of holiness attained by the Prophet Moses, only the Mishkan reached a pure enough state, to warrant that the Shechina (Divine Presence of G-d), come to rest within it for all eternity.

When the First Temple was built in Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant was placed inside; while the rest of the Mishkan was buried beneath, in a secret vault."

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Jones was born in Sudan, Texas in 1930. When his mother learned she was pregnant in her second month, she came home from the doctor's house, got out the family Bible - rolled up a newspaper like a megaphone, and started reading into her stomach; beginning with Genesis, and continuing through the Apocrypha.

As a young boy, Jones' imagination was stirred, by the stories of Biblical heroes, and holy warriors, from the Old Testament.

At the age of nine, he became greatly fascinated with a selection from the Book of Maccabees II; an Apocryphal (excluded) book of the Old Testament, but the book from which our holiday of Chanukah is taken.

Chapter two mentions "records", that told about the Prophet Jeremiah, having hidden the Mishkan, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Altar of Incense, in a cave which he then sealed up.

And Jeremiah declared: "This place shall remain unknown, until God gathers his people together again, and shows his mercy." Through the years, Jones wondered again and again, what had happened to those records.
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Another of Jones' early interests was archeology; and he spent much of his childhood, hunting Indian relics, and excavating the many burial sites, in that part of the Texas Panhandle.

By the age of 16, Jones knew that his life was to be dedicated to doing G-d's work.

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After completing high school, young Jones attended Southwestern Theological Seminary for a short time, receiving his Baccalaureate of Divinity, and a Masters Degree in Theology from the Bible Baptist Seminary.

He later did advanced studies at the Bowen Biblical Museum under Dr. & Mrs. William Bowen and Biblical Archaeologist, W.F. Albright.

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Between 1955 and 1956, Jones was pastor of the Dungan Chapel Baptist Church, located on the border of Virginia and North Carolina.

It was here, that Vendyl began to realize, that many anti-Jewish statements in the gospels were, as some marginal notes stated, "Omitted in more ancient manuscripts."

This prompted Jones to call the nearest Rabbi, Henry Gutman, located in Bristol, Virginia; which resulted in a change in perspective, due to many thought provoking facts about the Scriptures.

In October of 1956, Vendyl resigned the pastorate, and moved to Greenville, SC., where he began his studies in the Talmud Torah (a children's elementary religious school), under Rabbi Henry Barneis.

This education was augmented, by learning with the late, Rabbi Max Stauber of Spartanburg.

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As his knowledge increased, so did the realization, that all of his earlier studies had been very incomplete.

He resolved to learn, to know and to understand, the Bible objectively, without any prejudices; to know what Jesus actually said, in the language he spoke, and what it literally meant, to the people who heard him.

Continuing his studies, Vendyl lectured for the Biblical Research Society, from 1964 to 1967.

Within the framework of that Society, he established the Judaic-Christian Research Foundation; which later gave birth to the Institute of Judaic-Christian Research (IJCR).

Which has now become: VENDYL JONES RESEARCH INSTITUTES. Which is dedicated, to correcting misinformation about Judaism, the Jewish people, and the State of Israel.

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In 1964, the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, reported the 1952 discovery of the Marble Tablets in Beirut, Lebanon.

That same year, the Copper Scroll was found in Cave #3 at Qumran, Israel. Among those fascinated by the news accounts of this unique find, was Vendyl Jones.

He read with great interest, how the Copper Scroll listed the hiding places of Sixty-four sacred articles, which included the Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant. This catalyzed a personal quest, that was to change his life.

In April of 1967, he moved his family to Israel, to continue his studies in the Department of Judaica at Hebrew University. Here, Vendyl became involved in the archaeological aspects of Israel.

Beginning immediately after the Six Day War, he was on the Stechool/Haas excavation team at Qumran, authorized by the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, before the June war.

Shortly thereafter, Vendyl's excavations were continued under Israeli authority, through the Status Quo Law.

In the years following, Vendyl continued to work in the Judean wilderness, with his friend and mentor, the late Pasach Bar-Adon.

Jones also worked at Tel Debir (Kiryat HaSefer), with Professor Moshe Kohavi, and Anson Rainey; the University of Tel Aviv; and the Citadel of Herod in Jerusalem, with Professor Hillel Geva.

Since 1972, Vendyl has conducted eight major excavations at Qumran, involving over 300 volunteers, and an investment of nearly two million dollars; all of which came from individual supporters of VJRI.

There has been no support or funding from the government, foundations or grants.

Vendyl's expertise in the complex problems of cave archaeology, his ability to organize a team of professional experts in each discipline of archaeological technique, and his dedication to the Qumran excavations for the past twenty-five years; have brought him respect in each professional scientific field.

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In April of 1988, his patience and fortitude paid off when the VJRI excavation team found a small juglet of thick oil. Intensive testing by the Pharmaceutical Department of Hebrew University concluded; that the substance inside the juglet, was indeed the HOLY ANOINTING OIL, now believed to be Shemen Mischak.

(The oil that was used as a fragrance, on the oblation for a sweet smelling savor on the sacrifices; and which was also used as the Holy Oil, for anointing the priests and kings, of ancient Israel).

This find was crucial, since it was the first find of an item mentioned in the Copper Scroll!

The Rabbinic community was jubilant over the discovery.

Rabbi Menachem Burstin, (the foremost Jewish authority on the botany and chemistry of the Holy Temple species and artifacts), felt, that it was an early sign, that we were moving towards the restoration of the Holy Temple.

The juglet has been on display at the Israel National Museum in Jerusalem.

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On February 15, 1989, the news of this find was broken to the public, by the New York Times. During the ensuing few weeks, most major news media including ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, carried the story on national and international TV.

In October of 1989, National Geographic Magazine featured the find; followed by Omni Magazine, in December of the same year. Countless other news sources worldwide, carried the story for their publications.

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The Shemen Afarshimon , the Holy Anointing Oil, from the Holy Temple, was found in April, 1988, by the VJRI excavation team.

In the 1992 excavation, the VJRI team discovered, a hidden silo, in the bed rock, that contained a reddish snuff-looking material, that appeared to be organic in nature.

When it was analyzed by the Weitzman Institute, and two departments at Bar-Ilan University. The tests indicated, that the reddish material was a compound of eleven ingredients, in the Holy Incense.

These tests indicated, that the reddish material was a compound of nine specific spices, in a highly refined state.Two additional inorganic ingredients, Karsina Lye and Sodom Salt, were found close by in the same cave.

Obviously ready to be mixed with the spices, to comprise the ingredients of the Holy Incense, the "Qetoret," listed in the Torah and the Talmud.

This was the same compound, burned on the Altar of Incense in the Holy Temple. Over 900 pounds of the spices were removed that year.

This Holy Incense, with the Anointing Oil, are two items listed in the Copper Scroll. Uniquely, they were found in the precise order, that they occur written in the Torah!

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During the 1977 dig, Vendyl told the story of his quests, to a free-lance American journalist, Randy Fillmore; who was working as a volunteer at the caves. The story became a screenplay entitled, "The Search of the Ashes of the Red Heifer."

The script changed hands and form several times, before being lost in the "Hollywood shuffle".

Armed with his knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew languages, his photographic memory of the Scriptures, being one of the most renowned authorities on Qumran, and the Land of Israel; and his expertise in archaeology and geology; have all come together, to make Vendyl uniquely qualified, to find the treasures of the Copper Scroll.

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Jones has five children, two of whom have converted to Judaism and are living in Israel. One of his sons had very serious kidney problems for many years, and finally required a kidney transplant to save his life.

Jones is respected here and abroad, as a credible Torah teacher. He has been featured as a speaker in Synagogues nation-wide; and has represented the Israeli Foreign Ministry, in a two year lecture forum on College campuses.

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Contributions can be sent to:VJRI 2550 Sunnyvale Road Grand Prairie, TX 75050-1626VJRI can be contacted through their website: HYPERLINK http://www.vendyljones.org.i l.