Aapeli Saarisalo (1896-1986), the renowned Finnish orientalist and archaeologist, was one of the early supporters of Pastor
Per Faye Hansen and his Nordic Christian-Zionist movement. Being a keen advocate of the
KARMEL vision, Prof. Saarisalo gladly contributed his articles in Finnish for the
KARMEL magazine published in Finland, a sister of the Norwegian periodical by the same name.
For many years Saarisalo himself was an ardent Christian Zionist. He wrote more than 40 books about Israel and was instrumental in the translation of the
KALEVALA, the Finnish national epic, into Hebrew. As a strict vegetarian he enjoyed garlic cloves and often expressed great confidence in its therapeutic powers. Ideologically, Saarisalo closely identified with the plans of
KARMEL vision among Christians in Scandinavian nations, Pastor
Per Faye Hansen also directed his Zionist-Christian activities towards Christians in German speaking countries: Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Also in these lands, as it was among the Nordic peoples, numerous Bible believers expressed their thirst for updated information about Israel – past, present and future – from a Scriptural perspective.
The Cross in the Menorah
In addition to the symbol of the Cross in the Star of David, Faye-Hansen often published in German-speaking countries another new graphic symbol – the Cross within the seven branch Menorah. In this new telling image, the cross was attached as a natural extension.