Ark of the covenant
In the scriptures of Jewish and Christian belief, the Ark of the Covenant was a wooden box bathed in gold, it had a particular lid adorned with figures that show two angels or cherubs kneeling and praying.
They called this box the Sacred Chest and it was found in the Holy of Holies called Tabernacle and after a certain time it was transferred to Solomon's Jerusalem, a site that according to sacred history, was built in compliance with the divine and according to his edification.
So that you can delve into the meaning of the Tabernacle, we invite you to visit the following article where you can find more information about this Sacred place.
Inside this object were stone tablets where God asked Moses to inscribe the Ten Commandments, which he later taught to the entire people on Mount Sinai. Other scriptures indicate that, in addition to all the above, a Torah scroll (a text containing the law and heritage that identifies the Jewish people) was also kept.
Possible design of the Ark of the Covenant
Names given to the Ark of the Covenant
Many Bible writers have given various names or terms in reference to the Ark of the Covenant, the most common are:
- Ark of the covenant. In Hebrew it is called aron hahabrit and in greek Koine
- of the testimony
- Of the Convention
- of Yahweh
It should be noted that these expressions are not exclusive to these authors or to any writer, therefore, they can be used interchangeably.
Ark of the Covenant Design
According to the texts of the Bible, they point out that the structure of the Ark of the Covenant was thanks to Yahweh (God in the Judeo-Christian tradition), who used Moses for the creation of the Tabernacle and who carried out the design of the ark, because it would be the object most important of the Tabernacle and the camp of Israel.
As we have mentioned in previous paragraphs, the Ark of the Covenant is a gold-plated acacia wood box, which had the following measurements: 2,5 cubits long by 1,5 wide and 1,5 high, which is the same, taking it to the metric system of today for greater understanding, 111cm long by 67cm wide and 67cm high.
In its upper part or lid, a gold border was made in the form of a garland around it. Its lower part was solid gold and had the same length and width as the chest.
On this lid or cover, there were two gold cherubs created with a hammer, meeting individually on each side of it with their figures visualizing towards each other, heads on the side and open wings pointing up so that they cover the lid in the form safe. The lid or cover bears the name of Mercy Seat.
In order to be able to transport the ark from one side to the other, the design allows for a kind of very long and resistant "sticks" to be placed on each side of it, also made of acacia wood and plated with gold. These rods were supported by two pairs of gold rings, located on each side of the ark, and were designed to prevent the monks or anyone else moving it from touching it.
Four legs are placed in each corner to support it on the ground, but this does not have information on its length. Possibly the rings were above the legs or on them.
Opening ceremony
After Moses would have complied with God's mandate by building the Ark of the Covenant, he began to place two tables of the Law inside it, where the 10 Commandments were written.
Then Moses placed the two gold-covered wooden poles through the rings of the ark, located the mercy seat and moved it to the Tabernacle, which was also built by God's command in the hands of Moses.
Later, he placed a veil to separate the Holy from the Most Holy, then to begin the inaugural ceremony, he anointed the ark and everything in it with oil.
From that moment on, this would be the ritual that the priests had to carry out when dismantling the Tabernacle and taking it to the camp, they had to use the dividing veil as well as a covering of skins plus a blue cloth that would cover the ark to prevent people from the town from seeing it. They would observe, because that was one of the creator's requests, that no one could see her because the punishment would be her early death.
The Ark was used as a single deposit where elements such as testimonies were kept. For example, the two stone tablets where the 10 commandments were written were protected in the ark, among other items such as a gold jar which had the Manna (bread from heaven according to the Bible book of Exodus) and Aaron's rod.
The Ark and its Meaning
According to some biblical traditions, they take the Ark of the Covenant as a form of God's stay in the town, giving it security and prosperity. Whoever intends to harm the people of Israel will not succeed because the presence of God is in the Ark and gives protection to his people.
For this reason, it was always believed that since the Ark was outside of Israel, the people would be defeated in the face of any adversity.
When the Ark arrives in Zion (city of David or city of God), it is received and protected in the temple in a place called Holy of Holies or Most Holy. The High Priest can only enter his abode once a year, always keeping in mind that he is in the presence of God.
Thanks to this belief in God's presence in the Ark, the enemies of David's people respected and feared him. It was even said that when Elizabeth, David's wife, stood before the Blessed One (the Ark), John rejoiced within Elizabeth, just as David rejoiced before the Ark.
History and Symbol of the Presence of God
The Ark has been a symbol of protection by the presence of God in it, since it promised: "There I will certainly appear to you and speak with you from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that is on the ark of the testimony" This is why they have a lot of respect for the presence of the Ark.
The stay of the Ark of the Covenant allowed other fortunes for the population of Israel. They always had a tradition of carrying the Ark forward when the population moved camp.
When crossing the Jordan River, Yahweh made a path in the middle of the river so that the priests could pass the Ark through it.
In the Jericho march, the military led the way, after 7 priests using the horn, followed by the Ark and the forces (rear zone), this in commemoration of the success achieved in Jericho for the occupation of the Promised Land. And so, there was the presence of the protection and blessing of the Ark towards the people of Israel.
However, the Ark was far from magical, but Yahweh's blessings made the faithful obedient to his requests regarding the Ark. For example, despite the presence of the ark in the camp, the Israelites suffered defeat at Ai due to their unfaithfulness to it.
Today, despite the fact that the presence, belief and cult of the Ark of the Covenant appears in the biblical scriptures, its historical existence is still being debated, various historiographical debates have been carried out to find out what the purpose of this Ark really was. cult object.
Some minimalist historians categorically reject the existence of the relic, denying a good part of the facts narrated in the Bible. On the other hand, sensationalist authors support the belief of biblical scholars, interpreting the Old Testament literally.
And finally, they find themselves in a middle position of some historians who do not deny the historical existence of the Ark after checking the existing archaeological record.
Transfer of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem
Transfer of the Ark
Firstly, David wanted to move the Ark to Jerusalem, but making the first attempt caused a real disaster in the city, because the known requests were not followed.
Instead of moving the ark on foot loaded by poles on his shoulders, he allowed his transfer to be on a cart, pulled by cattle, which almost caused it to turn over and when touched by Uzah, Yahweh immediately granted him death, since that action was totally prohibited and it was a very explicit divine law.
When it was finally carried to Jerusalem by the Levites on their shoulders as it should have been, it was kept in a tent until David finished his term. Then the priests wanted to take her away when they fled because of Absalom's rebellion, but David did not let this happen, insisting that she remain in Jerusalem, so that with her presence she would help him return all unscathed.
David's main desire was to create a home to have the Ark there, but God allowed it during the reign of Solomon. It was there, when the Temple was built, that the ark was moved from the place where it was in Zion to the place of the Holy Temple, built on Mount Moriah, it was there that the two cherubim were placed on top of the cover.
Of course, the Ark was the only piece located in the Tabernacle of Solomon's Temple, taking care not to err in the care, according to the request of its creator.
Disappearance of the Ark
At present it is not known when the Ark disappeared, according to many scriptures it disappeared in the XNUMXth century BC, a little before the "Babylonian captivity". But it is not known for sure when he disappeared or why.
There is always the question why God allowed the disappearance of the Ark? Not only did he allow it to disappear from the Temple, but his people were also displaced from the Promised Land and not satisfied with that, the disaster of the Temple.
There is a reference to around 642 BC where, according to King Josiah, there is an order for the ark to return to the Temple, but it was never known how it could be outside of it. Possibly, when Josiah was ascended to the throne, one of the apostate kings had placed a carved image in the Temple, removing the ark from its place.
Another conjecture is that Josías had ordered to carry out reforms to the Temple and possibly they have removed the ark to prevent it from suffering any damage during these reforms.
Even so, it is not mentioned in any of the scriptures that the ark was transferred to Babylon, a city near the Temple. Nor is it said that it was placed in the rebuilt Temple by Zerubbabel. Therefore, his disappearance has been a mystery.
Location of the Ark of the Covenant
According to more than forty million Ethiopian believers, they assure that the object is located in the city of Aksum, center of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, because their belief is based on the fact that the descendants of King Solomon chose to move it to that metropolis some 3000 years before. . For this reason the metropolis of Aksum is considered as the Jerusalem of Ethiopia.
Many also assure that it is preserved in the Church of Santa María de Sión in this same city, so that until today it is guarded by Orthodox monks around it, but only one of them is watching it very closely. This watchman is allowed only two hours to sleep, while the remaining 22 hours are spent in constant prayer in front of the chest.
All this that we are showing you may be a simple legend or myth, but since none of this information has yet been confirmed with certainty, it will always remain a mystery. But whether the story of this chest is true or not, the only thing certain is that the search to determine the truth has been constant and we will show you the 6 best-known locations where the ark may be.
Mount Nebo
Some texts in the Second Book of Maccabees refer to the prophet Jeremiah, where he was warned by God of the Babylonian invasion, so he took the ark out of the Temple and ordered it to be buried in a cave on Mount Nebo for its protection. But this is an unproven story, because it was never found in that place, so it is presumed that it was taken somewhere else.
Zimbabue
An alleged Israelite African tribe called the Lemba, affirm their ancestral traditions when they settled in southern Africa and carried attached a sacred relic which they called "the voice of God", finding it hidden in a deep cave in one of the Dumghe mountains, until which was taken to a museum.
Therefore, a researcher with a literalist view of biblical history indicates that this sacred relic with the name of "the voice of God" had similar gifts to the ark, had similar dimensions and was carried only by priests, venerated by the voice of God and It was used for its great power.
Due to this conjecture, radio-carbon tests were carried out to find a date, which dated to the year 1350, coinciding with the extinction of Great Zimbabwe. Therefore, it is presumed that the African sacred object called Ngoma lungundu found is related to the ark of the covenant and that it was rebuilt over the years.
But as all this history is not completely verifiable, this hypothesis is rejected by archaeologists and historians, thus leaving the mystery of their comparison.
Ethiopia
The journalist Graham Hancock in 1989, presented an investigation where he assures that the lost ark was not lost, but that it was protected in a temple in Ethiopia.
After this, other archaeological evidence appeared to support this investigation, because stories were found by the Coptic Christian Church in Ethiopia, where they claim that the ark had been secretly moved in the year 650 BC
The sacred book of Ethiopia called Kebra Nagast, tells that during the reign of Solomon, the Queen of Sheba visited Jerusalem to meet him and soon a very strong attraction of Solomon towards the Queen arose, where he could not make her fall in love despite his riches and great intelligence. .
When the day of the queen's departure approached, Solomon did his best to make her stay, having to keep a promise, which he had to keep and that made them form a union, where Menelik I, the future ruler of Ethiopia, was born.
The stories say that his father asked Menelik to receive instruction in Jerusalem, then the boy decided to return to Ethiopia taking the ark with him. But possibly to achieve his mission he had to leave a possible replica, so that they would not realize the loss of him.
According to data from these stories, possibly the relic was in a place on the island of Elegantina in the Nile River, then it was found in a room similar to a Tabernacle on the island of Tana Cherkos in Lake Tana, where according to, it lasted there about 800 years.
After the years, it is presumed that King Ezana of the region ordered the ark to be moved to Axum and kept in the church of Our Lady of Sion, where according to the people of Ethiopia, the ark is cared for there by a man. descendant of the Levites, people who help to move the ark on their shoulders in its numerous displacements.
This man would be in charge of the care and consequently have access to the Ark of the Covenant located in the aforementioned church, according to Jewish tradition.
Upon realizing what had happened, King Solomon wanted to send his forces to recover the ark, but he believed that it was God's plan and kept the ark's disappearance a secret.
Money Pit on Oak Island
There is another theory, of course unproven, which ensures that after the Third Crusade, the Templars could have taken the Ark to Scotland and it was given to the noble family called Sinclair, to take it to a more remote place and be able to protect it.
Skull Mount
Biblical archaeologist Ron Wyatt (1933-1999), says that the ark found in the Garden of the Tomb located on the Mount of the Skull in Jerusalem, but has been denied because he never presented any reliable evidence, in addition to the fact that his testimony is very similar to that exhibited by the book of Exodus.
Beneath the Jerusalem Temple
Some rabbis after the fall of Jerusalem claim that the ark was buried on Mount Moriah after the looting of the First Temple by the Babylonians.
As this sacred chest is not mentioned among the relics and treasures that were returned by the Persians, it is still believed that it may have survived being buried by the Levites.
But this theory cannot be verified because that site is covered by the Dome of the Rock and the ark would be buried in some underground caves a few kilometers below the Dome.
Powers of the Ark of the Covenant
Many writings in the Bible tell us that the Ark of the Covenant had great powers. Among them we can mention: changing the mobility of a stream, ending enemy forces, finishing mountains, among others.
An example of when the ark diverted the course of a river was when the people of Israel arrived in the Promised Land, when they took the ark with them, it stopped the waters so they could cross.
It's quite possible that the greatest power came when he destroyed the walls of Jericho. When this happened, the Bible records that the Israelites spent six days carrying the ark around the city. On the seventh day, they made seven circuits, shouting for joy and celebrating with great malice when the walls fell.
When the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, the Ark was protected in the city of Gilgal, where a provisional temple was built. After a few days, she was taken to Shechem, then Bethel, and ended up in Shiloh, where she stayed there for a long time, but was sheltered by a clergyman's family.
Later, when the war against the Philistines took place, they took the ark believing that it was the trophy for having won the war against the Israelites, but the ark revealed itself against them by knocking down the statue of their God Dagon, leaving him headless and without hands. .
When the bubonic plague hit the Asdodees and appeared along with an invasion of rats throughout the territory, it was said that it was the product of a cruel punishment that the ark had done to the Philistines, so they moved it to Gath and Ekron, where They also passed the same punishments.
After going through so much hardship for 7 months, the Philistines followed the advice of priests and diviners, which led them to give up what they called a "trophy" after the war, leaving it free on a cart drawn by cows to reach where I wanted.
But unfortunately the cart arrived alone at Bet Shemesh, a Jewish city where they went out to rescue the sacred chest but, not knowing the ark's requests, they opened it and looked at what it contained. By doing this, all the onlookers dropped dead.
After this sorrow, the inhabitants of Bet Shemesh sent her to Kiryat Yearim, where 20 years later she was rescued by King David and sent back to Zion. But it was there when in a small accident where the chariot almost overturned, a man named Uzzá, who was in the procession to take the ark to his Temple, tried to hold it so that it did not fall to the ground and immediately after touching it, he fell dead.
The Ark arrives in Jerusalem, King David builds a small temple for it as a shelter and converts it into a small sanctuary. But it was his son Solomon who built the Temple in Jerusalem, being for 900 years BC and then disappearing forever.
Holy Temple Church
What forces was hidden in this chest?
A little box that could accomplish all of the above, is very likely to have very secret powers. But what are these powers? What makes it so powerful?
In another time a physicist in 1948, called Maurice Denis-Papin, affirms that the ark had the property of condensing electricity, which produced great discharges of up to 700 volts. Later in 1968, a writer said that it was a kind of radio with which Yahweh and Moses communicated.
While the famous writer JJ Benítez, came to affirm that this object was "a deadly weapon" to serve the people of God.
In conclusion, none of these writers and physicists of our time have determined what made the Ark of the Covenant so powerful, such powers can only be attributed to its creator, God.
What does the Ark of the Covenant teach?
This sacred chest symbolizes the agreement between a Hebrew people and God, where if his rules are followed and his respect fulfilled, he can grant protection and guidance to the Hebrews. For this reason they consider it a sacred symbol.
It also serves as a constant reminder to enforce the rules, these rules are known as the Ten Commandments and that they have agreed to follow to the letter.
Jewish symbology
The ark of the covenant, so called among so many given names, was an object that represented the presence of God. Many Hebrews venerated her and made reverence for her abode in the Tabernacle of the Most Holy.
In this sanctuary, as has been mentioned several times throughout this article, no one could enter to see it, much less touch it, only the High Priest once a year with incense in hand could do that, in addition to having to to be free from sin, anointed with the blood of a lamb so as not to forget that he was in the presence of God.
Some guesses about the Ark of the Covenant
Due to the failures in the search for the true Ark of the Covenant, there are many hypotheses that, having no basis in many cases, are still taken into account for what they are, unresolved conjectures:
- She was buried in the First Temple and then by a Second Temple, where both were buried on Mount Moriah, where the Dome of the Rock is located in our time.
- It may be that it is hidden on Mount Calvary, where Jesus Christ was crucified.
- It was taken from Jerusalem to Jordan due to the threat of destruction by the Babylonians.
- She was possibly taken to a city in southern Africa.
- It was stolen by the Templars during the Crusades and is kept in Scotland.
- It may be in a temple of a church in Ethiopia.
Finally, we invite you to learn more about sacred stories through the following article that we leave you below, Origin of the Bible.