<p>Despite its Harry Potter-like title, <em>The Book of the Cave of Treasures</em> is actually a rich seam of Jewish and Christian apocryphal lore, by means of which its 5th century author frames the story of Jesus in a truly cosmic context &shy;&ndash; as the inevitable conclusion of God&rsquo;s redemptive plan for humanity, set in train since the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.</p><p>Along the way we are treated to a feast of extra-Biblical details: of the life of the Patriarchs; of the Wind-Flood that overthrew Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham&rsquo;s home; of the mysterious Priest-King Melchizedek; the origin of the Magi; the genealogy of Mary; and Adam&rsquo;s secret burial at the &lsquo;navel of the world&rsquo;, the very spot where Christ was later crucified.</p><p>Translated from the Syriac by Sir E.A.Wallis Budge, former curator of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities at the British Museum, the book is extensively annotated, and contains 21 illustrations.</p>