Modern Americans are not altogether unlike the barefoot Patagonians who were psychologically blind to the sight of a superior technology. There are historical records of time travelers among us, but they ate not perceived even by the people who read them. The twenty-fifty chapter of Exodus was written over three thousand years ago. Regardless of the distortions accumulated over the millennia of successive translations, there is not the slightest doubt that the King James Version has been reproduced to the letter for over three centuries; antique copies are still available to anyone determined to establish the date of printing. Now, if you follow the directions the Lord gave to Moses for constructing the Ark of the Covenant, you will build yourself a spark-gap radio transceiver powered by a Leyden-type condenser, almost identical to the models Marconi began his experiments with. Shittimwood is no longer stocked, and the price of gold is a barrel of oil, but pine and aluminum foil can be substituted. The Ark of the Covenant has been recognizable as an electronic device for the past hundred years; finding a modern radio in ancient Judea is as significant as finding a flying saucer in modern America.

# posted by Gerry Canavan @ 5:48 PM  |