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The Ark of the Covenant
At the heart of the city of Aksum in Ethiopia stands a small chapel, whose entrance is constantly guarded. Ethiopians believe that this chapel contains the Ark of the Covenant; their religious epic "The Glory of Kings" gives an account of how Makeda, the Queen of Sheba had a son by Solomon and how it was this son who removed the Ark from Jerusalem because of the disobedience of the people of Israel. Stuart Munro-Hay began excavating at Aksum in 1974, but his work was interrupted by the revolution. He did, however, make many valuable friendships in the city and learnt to speak the language of the guards, a combination that has led him to become recognised as the premier Aksumite historian. Together with Roderick Grierson, a semiotic philologist, he investigated the ancient mystery to try and determine what the Ark was, if it could have been carried to Ethiopia, and, if it was not at Aksum, what is being guarded in the chapel.
383 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 16, 2025
The tag line for this book is "The True Story of the Greatest Relic of Antiquity" But this idea of there being one unique Ark is continually undermined.
First of all there's the controversy of what exactly is the Ark. Is it the dwelling of the Almighty that will kill anyone who approach it the wrong way? Is it a weapon of conquest that the Children of Israel carried with them causing their enemies to flee before them? Or is it the reliquary for the Tablets of the Law that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai? The bible supports all three views.
Also the nomenclature isn't consistent. The Bible speaks of the Ark, the Temple and the Tabernacle and some times it seems like they are talking about the same thing, some times not.
And then there's the problem of provenance - this is the real bogey for me.
The Ark was built by Moses according to a design received from God in the book of Exodus. This is the Ark. I will accept no substitutes.
This same object traveled around but was eventually retrieved by David and placed in the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon. However the Temple was sacked by the Babylonians and after that the Bible is silent about the location of the Ark. So where do we look now?
The authors have no shortage of places. They switch to Islamic holy sites, i.e. Mecca, Medina and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, trace the history of the architecture of these places and find similarities to the Ark. They also unearth the accounts of various "Indiana Jones" types characters (you knew that name had to come up) like Carl Raswan, Johann Burkhardt and Charles Doughty who went on Muslim pilgrimages and saw various Ark-like structures all with different names (again the nomenclature issue) being hauled on the backs of camels. The authors admit that there now may be several Arks, but can any of them be cleared linked to the original one of Exodus? Again, this is the problem of provenance.
And where is the Ark today? The authors seem to come to rest on the Ark in the Church of Mary of Zion in Aksum, Ethiopia but by the time they reached that conclusion I had lost the plot.
The authors seem to have done a lot of research but in the end I get the feeling that, in their search for the True Ark, they are grasping at straws. Also it strikes me as strange that they quote from the Bible extensively but never state the chapter and verse. And another thing : you don't help yourself by mentioning Pseudo-Archaeologist Graham Hancock in the introduction.
First of all there's the controversy of what exactly is the Ark. Is it the dwelling of the Almighty that will kill anyone who approach it the wrong way? Is it a weapon of conquest that the Children of Israel carried with them causing their enemies to flee before them? Or is it the reliquary for the Tablets of the Law that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai? The bible supports all three views.
Also the nomenclature isn't consistent. The Bible speaks of the Ark, the Temple and the Tabernacle and some times it seems like they are talking about the same thing, some times not.
And then there's the problem of provenance - this is the real bogey for me.
The Ark was built by Moses according to a design received from God in the book of Exodus. This is the Ark. I will accept no substitutes.
This same object traveled around but was eventually retrieved by David and placed in the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon. However the Temple was sacked by the Babylonians and after that the Bible is silent about the location of the Ark. So where do we look now?
The authors have no shortage of places. They switch to Islamic holy sites, i.e. Mecca, Medina and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, trace the history of the architecture of these places and find similarities to the Ark. They also unearth the accounts of various "Indiana Jones" types characters (you knew that name had to come up) like Carl Raswan, Johann Burkhardt and Charles Doughty who went on Muslim pilgrimages and saw various Ark-like structures all with different names (again the nomenclature issue) being hauled on the backs of camels. The authors admit that there now may be several Arks, but can any of them be cleared linked to the original one of Exodus? Again, this is the problem of provenance.
And where is the Ark today? The authors seem to come to rest on the Ark in the Church of Mary of Zion in Aksum, Ethiopia but by the time they reached that conclusion I had lost the plot.
The authors seem to have done a lot of research but in the end I get the feeling that, in their search for the True Ark, they are grasping at straws. Also it strikes me as strange that they quote from the Bible extensively but never state the chapter and verse. And another thing : you don't help yourself by mentioning Pseudo-Archaeologist Graham Hancock in the introduction.
September 13, 2022
Like how ties in biblical passages with history, and discussing ark...to discussing a tablet in New Testament passages, and if they're one-in-same.
I've just been interested since seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark, so this was satisfying read on mythological object that is possibly real...hidden somewhere.
I've just been interested since seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark, so this was satisfying read on mythological object that is possibly real...hidden somewhere.
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February 15, 2021The Ark Of The Covenant
Video Length: 59 seconds
https://youtu.be/UoAVfkgU1HY
Video Length: 59 seconds
https://youtu.be/UoAVfkgU1HY
September 19, 2011
If you don't mind a little Biblical scholarship, this book provides a fascinating insight into the facts and myths surrounding the object that inspired Spielberg's first Indiana Jones film. The authors also examine sources other than the Christian Bible, including Hebrew religious writings, sacred Ethiopian texts, and even the Koran. A well-written, well-researched book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews