Riddle of mysterious 'Jewish relic' solved on Facebook

Riddle of mysterious 'Jewish relic' solved: Golden sceptre covered in grooves revealed to be a New Age 'energy healing' device

Israeli antiquities experts were baffled by 19lb (8.5kg) gold plated sceptre

It was discovered hidden in a cemetery in Jerusalem six months ago

Experts put out a public appeal on Facebook to help them identify it

It was found to be a 'mystical energy' device called a Weber Isis Beamer

By Richard Gray for MailOnline

Published:

18:51 BST, 22 December 2015

Updated:

12:38 BST, 23 December 2015

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It caused understandable excitement when a mysterious golden object was discovered by a maintenance worker in an ancient cemetery in Jerusalem.

For several months, experts analysed the strange gold-plated, grooved sceptre, which was thought to be some kind of ancient Jewish relic.

But now, with the help of Facebook users, they have discovered the grooved metal object is actually a New Age energy healing device made in Germany.

A mysterious gilded sceptre featuring eight grooves (pictured) was discovered hidden in a cemetery in Jerusalem, leading to theories that it may be an ancient Jewish relic. Experts were left stumped as to what it was and put out an appeal for help from the public on Facebook, which has finally led to it being identified

Weighing nearly 19lbs (8.5kg), the instrument is known as a Weber Isis Beamer, and is marketed as creating a 'mystical energy field'. The device sells for around €1,115 (£819).

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Sold on the website of German based New Age firm Weber Bio-energy Systeme, it is named after the Egyptian goddess Isis, who was the goddess of healing, magic and nature.

WHAT IS AN WEBER ISIS BEAMER?

Accordnig to Weber Bio-energy Systeme, the German website that sells the Isis Beamer, it is an instrument to provide 'universal energetic protection around the clock'.

Made from gold-plated brass, the device comes in five different sizes, including one that can be worn as a pendant and others that can be hung from doorways.

It is claimed to be based on designs seen in the head-dresses worn by ancient Egyptian pharaohs and is named after the Eyptian goddess Isis, who was the goddess of healing, magic and nature.

The German creator of the Isis Beamer claims it create a protective field similar to those generated by 'spirit energies or meditation'.

The eight grooves along its length are said to represent 'sacred geometry'.

However, they admit there is no scientific proof that the devices work.

The Israel Antiquities Authority posted pictures of the item on Facebook several months ago to appeal to the public for help after being left stumped by what the object could be.

X-rays and metal analysis had failed to throw up any clues as to its origin and potential importance.

A spokesman for the Israel Antiquities Authority said they received more than 300 responses with suggestions of what the gilded object could be.

'Among the proposals we've received here in talkbacks and telephone conversations are a cattle insemination instrument, an implement for rolling dough, pieces of industrial machinery, watches, an object used for massage and cultic objects used in the Temple,' the spokesman said.

The object's true identity, however, was eventually spotted by Micah Barak from Italy, who said it was a device supposed to provide 'energetic protection'.

'It is designed for use by naturopaths and those involved in New Age energy healing,' the spokesman continued.

'The object, manufactured by a German company, is called an Isis Beamer, named after the Egyptian goddess Isis, which according to Egyptian mythology was the goddess of healing, magic and nature.'

Among the suggestions put forward for what the mysterious object (pictured) were a device for cattle insemination, an implement for rolling dough, pieces of industrial machinery, an object used for massage and cultic objects used in the Temple. However it has now been identified as a New Age instrument

The object, which is made from brass and plated in gold (pictured), was found to be a device called a Weber Isis Beamer, used by followers of New Age spiritualism to create 'protective field' like those generated by 'spirit energies or meditation'. It is sold by a website in Germany

The object was first discovered six months ago buried in an old building in a cemetery in Jerusalem after a maintenance worker uncovered a suspicious package.

He alerted the police, who carried out a controlled explosion to reveal a gold coloured metal object with eight grooves along its length.

The police then alerted Amir Ganor, director of theft prevention at the Israel Antiquities Authority, who has been trying to unravel its mystery ever since.

It now appears it was hidden in the cemetery by a follower of New Age spiritualism who wanted to provide 'protection' to someone buried there.

Weber Bio-energy Systeme, the German website that sells the Isis Beamers, claims to have created the device. The site offers five different sizes of the device, which supposedly help produce beneficial energy fields. The one discovered in the cemetery was the largest size and can cost up to €1,115 (pictured)

Weber Bio-energy Systeme offers miniature versions of its Isis Beamers as pendants, while larger ones come encased in a wooden stand.

It states they are used to create a 'protective field' like those generated by 'spirit energies or meditation'.

Made from gold-plated brass, they can come in five different sizes from around three inches (7cm) long to more than 14 inches (36cm).

Eckhard Weber, who claims to have created the Isis Beamer, said: 'The pharaos used to wear one half of an Isis Beamer as a crown, so to speak, and it enabled them to receive supreme inspiration.

Riddle of mysterious 'Jewish relic' solved on Facebook

While some may be disappointed the object (left) is not a new kind of ancient Jewish relic, experts at the Israeli Antiquities Authority are relieved to have solved the mystery of its identity. They now hope to find out why someone wanted to give the cemetery 'positive energy' with the Isis Beamer (pendent version pictured right)

'I started out by distributing some prototypes of the Isis Beamer to various people, and the feedback I received was consistently positive.

'People reported that the Isis Beamer strengthened the body's own energy field and opened the mind for new insights.

'Nevertheless, I am unable to provide any "hard" scientific proof for its functioning.'

The company claims to have sold more than 50,000 Isis Beamers, which they began producing in the 1990s.

A statement released by the company said they had no idea how their device ended up in the cemetery and has requested that it be sent back to them if it is not claimed.

They said: 'We cannot say who has placed this device in Jerusalem. But in 20 years of experience with these devices, we can assure that there are no negative effects to be expected.

'The person who had buried the Weber Isis-Beamer there, probably had the intention that the positive effects of the Beamer should contribute and support the peace process in Israel.'

However, experts at the Israel Antiquities Authority are still baffled as to why the object had been hidden within a building in the cemetery and have appealed for those who did so to contact them.

The spokesman added: 'We hope that those responsible for hiding the object in the cemetery will contact us, tell us why it was buried in the ancient structure and to whom amongst the dead and buried they wanted to give positive energy.'

MYSTERIOUS JEWISH SPELL FOUND INSIDE ANCIENT AMULET

A silver scroll discovered hidden in an ancient amulet has revealed what appears to be a magical spell that has remained a secret for 1,300 years.

The mysterious inscription is thought to have been made by a Jewish 'magician' living in the Muslim town of Jerash in Jordan in around 750AD.

Although the silver scroll is too delicate to unfurl, CT scans of the relic have revealed 17 lines of text in an unknown language, alongside what the researchers call 'magical symbols.'

The outside lead casing was cracked and corroded, but experts managed to extract the fragile rolled silver scroll from inside it.

It was common in antiquity for spells to be written on thin sheets of metal such as lead, silver and gold.

They were often used as a way of coping with the uncertainties of daily life such as illness, and for protection against evil.

A silver scroll (top) discovered hidden in an ancient amulet (bottom) has revealed what appears to be a magical spell that has remained a secret for 1,300 years. The mysterious inscription is thought to have been made by a Jewish 'sorcerer' living in the Muslim town of Jerash in Jordan in around 750AD

However, such inscriptions on metal were not intended to be read because they let people speak directly to a medium.

As a result, relatively few have been deciphered because the metal sheets are too fragile to be unfolded.

To solve this problem, archaeologists led by Rubina Raja at Aarhus University, Denmark, used CT scanning and 3D modelling to digitally unfold the Jerash scroll. A total of 17 lines of text were revealed.

The first line is said to consist of magical spells written in a form of Greek, while the text is written in a so-far indecipherable form of Arabic.

According to the researchers, ancient 'magicians' were known to have made up their own languages and as many people couldn't read or write, they could get away with creating nonsensical messages.

The text also contains signs which clearly are not Arabic or imitate Arabic letters.

Most of these occur in line one, but a few further signs are found in some of the following lines.

Weber-Isis-Beamer 1:3 Messing poliert - Entstörgeräte

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