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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Jerusalem syndrome in Zedekiah's Cave?

OH DEAR: US 'treasure hunter' arrested in Jerusalem cave. Tourist apparently suffering 'Jerusalem syndrome' found after illegally spending a night in Zedekiah's Cave to dig for ancient treasure (Arutz Sheva).
A US tourist has been arrested after spending a night in a cave below Jerusalem's Old City in what may have been a search for ancient buried treasure, police and media reports said Tuesday.

The tourist was found on Friday after spending the night in Zedekiah's Cave, also known as Solomon's Quarries, a 20,000-square-meter area beneath what has come to be known as the Muslim quarter of the Old City.

[...]
There is a cycle of legends around Zedekiah's Cave, and some involve treasure. This is not the first time, even in recent history, that someone has gone poking around there looking for treasure. But, people, don't do that! It's just a story.

More on "Jerusalem syndrome" is here and links. Background on Zedekiah's Cave is here, here, and here. Zedekiah is also associated with the hiding of Temple treasures in The Treatise of the Vessels but, although this text refers to "the Spring of Zedekiah" as a hiding place (IX), it does not mention Zedekiah's Cave.