On September 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden and his so-called religious warriors convinced me that it was time for me to finish this book and get it published.

The book, 10 years in the writing, is the result of my interpretation of archeological discoveries made some 20 years ago; discoveries that revealed events that happened 3,300 years before that. The passage of time - 10, 20, or even 3,300 years - in no way diminishes the potential impact of my story.

In 1981, a series of chance encounters led me to participate in the excavation of an archeological site in Israel. Early on, our excavation revealed that the site had been the scene of a remarkable series of events that we could tie to specific biblical texts. Working with those biblical and other texts, I have been driven to examine related archaeological, anthropological, topological, geographical, and historical evidence. Subjecting the combined weight of that evidence to logical evaluation, I've come to what I believe is an inescapable conclusion. And I warn you that the consequences of what I have to say may very well rock your world and the world of your fathers:

The site I helped excavate is the actual site of the first Temple of the people of Israel in the land of Israel.

Contrary to universally accepted religious and scientific doctrine, the site to which I refer is not at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The origins of this excavation, the discoveries that emerged, and most important of all, how I put the pieces together, are the subjects of this book.

If I am right, then I submit that Jerusalem has little theological relevance. The implications of that revelation shed harsh light on the history of Western civilization. How do we understand the Crusades? A 400-year-long episode of barking up the wrong tree? Can it be that the current Israeli-Palestinian argument over Jerusalem is founded on a monumental misconception? What is the relevance of Western religion if it relies on an inaccurate memory of the First Temple of Israel?

Over the years, I have told this story to people with all levels of biblical, archeological, and historical knowledge: from those who have no background to top experts in these fields. Once they have heard my conclusions, rather than ask for further details, most people want to dismiss them. Where, they ask me, do I get the authority to make such claims? But everyone who has had the patience to listen to the details of my research withdraws that question and subjects me to extensive interrogation. And not even the greatest experts have been able to offer reasonable alternatives to my answers.

I suggest that once you understand my conclusions, you will have to recognize the insanity of fighting religious wars over Jerusalem or, if you really think about it, religious wars of any kind over any place. Furthermore, on the basis of my findings, I feel confident asserting that no religion has a true understanding of the Bible.