Elder Qian, a man of vast experience, possessed an acute sense for dating artifacts. He could often form a solid initial judgment without needing direct proof, a reaction akin to intuition, honed by decades of studying antiques and cultural relics.
This unique skill was something Wang Guan and Yu Feibai deeply admired and implicitly trusted. After all, dating an object wasn't the most difficult feat; some grand experts at the Palace Museum could allegedly sniff an item, without looking or touching, and immediately discern its history—that was true magic.
“You mentioned earlier these parchment scraps dated back to the second or third century AD?”
At the same time, Elder Qian chuckled, “If that’s the case, then the metal piece is even older than the parchment, or perhaps both the parchment and the metal piece hail from before the Common Era.”
“Mmm.”
Wang Guan nodded gently, agreeing with Elder Qian’s preliminary assessment.
“What a pity,” Elder Qian said with a wry smile. “Now you should understand the importance of learning a foreign language, shouldn’t you?”
“It’s fine, we can hire a translator if we don’t understand,” Wang Guan dismissed it easily. Not only was it uncertain if learning a language would help him decipher the text now, but whether it would ever prove useful in the future was another question entirely.
As they spoke, the sun outside shifted slightly, catching a ray of light that slanted into the room, striking the metal piece held in Elder Qian’s hand. A faint shimmer could be discerned.
“Huh?”
Elder Qian noticed it immediately, his expression one of curiosity. A thought crossed his mind, and he smoothly moved the metal piece directly into the path of the sunlight. Instantly, tiny pinpricks resembling sparkling starlight emerged across its surface.
Upon closer inspection, the twinkling starlight resolved itself into characters, each one gleaming brilliantly, possessing a certain dazzling quality.
“What’s going on?”
Just then, Yu Feibai, who had been engrossed in his phone call, noticed the anomaly. He stared intently at the metal piece, completely oblivious to the fact that the call hadn’t connected. After the other end called out several times without response, they assumed it was a prank and hung up.
“It seems we have something extraordinary here,” Yu Feibai said, hanging up the phone naturally. He set it down and looked eagerly at Elder Qian, reaching out a hand for the metal piece.
Elder Qian withheld it, instead moving to the window and holding the metal piece high to examine it in the bright sunlight. In that instant, the piece seemed to absorb the sunlight, drawing it in as if to devour it, before feeding that absorbed light back into the inscription. Suddenly, the characters radiated an even more magnificent luminescence.
As time passed, the dull golden sheet seemed to grow transparent, almost vanishing from their sight.
This, of course, was an illusion. In reality, it was because the light emanating from the characters was so brilliant that it completely captured their attention, causing everything else to recede from perception—much like focusing intently on one object makes everything else around it blur.
Regardless of the illusion, the object was undeniably captivating and utterly astonishing.
After a long while, everyone gradually shook off the trance. Yu Feibai couldn't help but press, “Elder Qian, how can these characters glow? Are they inlaid with gold or silver?”
“It’s intaglio carving; I don’t see any gold or silver inlay,” Elder Qian shook his head slightly. “But I feel like some kind of substance was applied to the inscriptions, which causes this effect.”
“Applied with what?”
Yu Feibai speculated, “Phosphorescent powder?”
“Hard to say…” Elder Qian mused, uncertain. “We’d need lab analysis… Also, don’t underestimate the ancient Western world. Remember, China isn't the only cradle of civilization. Every culture must have mastered certain unique skills during its formation.”
“As far as I know, in some Western nations, the method of recording text was determined by the type of writing. Cuneiform was chiseled into stone or written with a stylus onto clay tablets. When papyrus and parchment appeared, writing tools became reed pens and styluses—the knife being used to sharpen the reed pens.”
Elder Qian spoke eloquently. “As for the ink used with the reed pens, it was made from the soot of olive oil lamps, and later, various metal powders. There were also some non-metallic inks whose composition remains difficult to analyze even today, yet their permanence is incredible; even after millennia, the script remains as clear as ever.”
“Compared to that, carving characters onto a metal plate and adding some special substance to make them reflect brilliant light in the sun, while somewhat rare, is not unheard of.”
As he spoke, Elder Qian showed a flicker of excitement and turned back, “Feibai, did you make the call?”
“Uh… Ah!”
Yu Feibai finally snapped back to reality and quickly dialed the number. This time, Elder Qian himself spoke a few words with the person on the line, extending an invitation for them to visit as guests.
Undoubtedly, the person accepted. While Wang Guan and the others continued to scrutinize the metal piece, the expected guest arrived—a university professor specializing in the languages of Western civilization.
“Professor Shen,” Elder Qian greeted him warmly from the doorway. “Welcome, please come in.”
“Pardon the intrusion,” Professor Shen replied with an equally warm smile. He appeared to be around fifty, an age bracket often considered the peak for scholarly achievement. Those younger might lack sufficient foundation, while those a few years older might see their energy wane. Fifty to sixty, however, represented a golden era where one’s status as a leading scholar was often cemented.
Professor Shen was indeed one such scholar; his academic papers had been published in numerous domestic and international specialized journals. In his professional circles, he was considered a master. How Elder Qian knew him was unclear, but their mutual courtesy suggested they were at least familiar acquaintances.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, offering the professor tea and inquiring about his well-being, they finally got to the main topic. Elder Qian didn't immediately present the metal piece; instead, he brought out the stack of parchment for consultation first.
“These are some documents purchased from abroad,” Elder Qian said with a gentle smile. “They are said to be from the Jewish Scriptures, dating to the second or third century AD, written in Hebrew, which we cannot decipher, so we were hoping you could give us your expert opinion.”
“Hebrew…”
Upon hearing this, Professor Shen immediately became interested, quickly picking up a piece of parchment to examine it. After a moment, he nodded decisively. “Yes, this is indeed Hebrew.”
After confirming the script, Professor Shen continued reading and then smiled. “Correct, this is the Pentateuch of the Jewish Bible. The content on this piece of parchment is the Book of Exodus from the Five Books of Moses.”
The Five Books of Moses—the first five canonical works of the Hebrew Bible—are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These texts are not only religious scriptures for Judaism but also comprise the foundational body of Hebrew law.
After the destruction of the Jewish nation, the Jewish people became a wandering people. Perhaps the fundamental reason why they maintained their national cohesion after losing their land and territory is inseparable from these classic texts.
It was a cultural identity; otherwise, it would be inexplicable how the Jewish nation survived for over two thousand years, even managing to re-establish a state and found Israel.
Furthermore, the Hebrew language—which went dormant for two millennia while the Jews dispersed worldwide—was artificially revived after the founding of Israel. Today’s Hebrew remains mutually intelligible with the language spoken two thousand years ago.
If time could rewind to the era of King David in ancient Israel, modern Israelis could understand conversations from two thousand years prior—a miracle in the history of world languages.
The underlying reason is the power of culture. It is similar to China: as long as Chinese civilization endures, even if the nation were reduced to ruins, it could still be rebuilt.
“And this appears to be an older version,” Professor Shen added, showing a hint of elation. “There are some phonetics for the letters that I’ve never encountered before; this is quite valuable for research.”
As he spoke, Professor Shen looked slightly embarrassed. “Would it be possible for me to take a photocopy?”
Everyone understood Professor Shen’s excitement at finding such treasures. Elder Qian naturally wouldn’t refuse, stating that he could borrow not just a copy, but the original for a period of study.
Hearing this, Professor Shen became even more delighted.
Seeing the time was right, Elder Qian brought out the metal piece and smiled. “Professor Shen, perhaps you can examine this inscription and tell us its content?”
“Hmm?”
Professor Shen paused, taking the metal piece to examine it, and immediately exclaimed in surprise, “The Ten Commandments of Moses!”
Since the sun had shifted and was no longer shining into the room, the metal piece appeared completely normal. Professor Shen had not witnessed the anomalous effect within the characters, making identification straightforward.
“The Ten Commandments of Moses?”
Hearing the answer, everyone paused, though the revelation felt somewhat inevitable.
Moses was the national leader of the Jewish people around the 13th century BC, as recorded in the Bible. Not only Judaism but also Christianity and Islam recognize Moses as a great prophet.
According to the Book of Exodus, Moses, under the command of Yahweh, led the enslaved Hebrews out of ancient Egypt toward a fertile promised land—the region of modern-day Jerusalem. Because of this narrative, Jerusalem is regarded as a holy city by followers of the world’s three great Abrahamic faiths.
As for the Ten Commandments, legend states that God personally delivered them to Moses on Mount Sinai as admonitions to the Israelites. God inscribed these words on stone tablets and gave them to Moses. However, Moses later destroyed the tablets in anger upon seeing that his people utterly disregarded these precepts. God then commanded Moses to create a second set of tablets, which, upon completion, were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant.
In summary, the Ten Commandments, as the fundamental code of conduct in the Bible, have been passed down and exert a profound influence. They form the basis of all Israeli legislation and can be considered a core moral compass of Western civilization.
Therefore, a metal piece inscribed with the Ten Commandments of Moses is naturally an exceedingly precious artifact, one that could certainly be called a sacred object of Judaism.