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Saturday 10 September 2011

Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is described in the Bible as a holy container where holy Israelite objects are held. The chest contained, according to various texts contained Aaron’s rod, a pot of manna, and the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.

Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark, painting by James Tissot, c. 1900

Yahweh commanded the ark be built when Moses had a prophetic vision at Sinai (Exodus 25:9-10).

The Bible describes the Ark as a chest made of acacia or shittah-tree wood covered all over with the purest gold. The chest was 2.5 cubits (3 ft 9 in) in length and 1.5 cubits (2 ft 3 in) in breadth and height; it could be carried by poles at the long sides.

The first temple at Jerusalem was built by Solomon around 950 BC. It was dedicated to Yahweh, and housed the Ark of the Covenant. After this Jerusalem became the great sacred city of the Jews.

The Ark of the Covenant was last seen in 586 BC when the Babylonian Empire conquered the Israelites. The Ark, at the time stored in the Temple in Jerusalem, vanished from history.

One time King Lalibela of Ethiopia (reign early 13th century) fell ill and whilst in a coma, he was visited by God in a vision. When he awoke he begun at once to carry out the order he received: to build a spectacular group of churches, hewn out of the rock of this mountainous region. It is speculated that the lost Ark of the Covenant can be found here.

The Ark of the Covenant was the main plot device of Steven Spielberg's 1981 adventure movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film's main character Indiana Jones must find the Ark before the Nazis, who intend to use its power for world domination.


The patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia, Abune Paulos, said on June 25, 2009 he would announce to the world the next day the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant, which he claimed had been kept safe and secure in a church in Axum, Ethiopia. The following day, the patriarch announced that he would not unveil the Ark after all, but that instead he could attest to its current status.

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