The Theory of Nothing

What happened to the Ark of the Covenant?

What happened to the Ark of the Covenant?

For those who don’t know, the Ark of the Covenant is a chest that contains the stone tablets that Moses brought down from the Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments written by Yahweh. The chest is described in the Book of Exodus as being 2.5 cubits (53 in) long, 1.5 cubits (31 in) wide and 1.5 cubits (31 in) high. It’s plated in gold and has gold molding around it and four gold rings, two per side. Wooden rods are run though the rings to carry the Ark. It also has a gold cover over it. The ancient Hebrews hauled this Arc around and carried it into battles. Needless to say, this thing would be worth a fortune, but its true worth is allegedly in its supernatural powers.

Ever since the Ark came up missing, people have desperately tried to find it. When did it disappear? That happened in 537 BC when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple, and it’s whereabouts has been open to speculation ever since.

Second Book of Maccabees says that it’s hidden in the mountain from which Moses saw God’s promised land. That’s Mount Nebo located in Jordan. No one knows where the Ark is located near there.

Muslims believe that Mahdi (the promised redeemer of Islam) will retrieve the Ark at the end of time from Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee).

Remember the Dead Sea Scrolls? Well, they also found a copper scroll in the same location and it contains information about a lot of hidden gold and silver from the destroyed temple, but it doesn’t mention the Ark. Most of the references in the Copper Scroll are obscure. The more significant revelation in it is the lack of reference to the Ark, meaning that it probably isn’t hidden around the Jerusalem area.

The Knight Templars are often linked to the Holy Grail, but they are also connected with the Ark. Supposedly, the Templars found the Ark under the Temple mount in Jerusalem, but there’s no archeological evidence that this is the case. Most of the myths about the Templars are just that, myths.

The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia claims that they have the Ark and they keep it in the Church of Our Lady Mary in Axum. No one is sure of this claim because it’s kept behind a veil and no one is allowed to see it.

The wildest claim is that the Lemba people of South Africa and Zimbabwe are a lost tribe of Israel and that their ancestors carried the Ark from the temple and buried it in Dumghe mountains; although they claim that it self destructed and a copy was made. A supposed replica was dated to the 14th century. There is genetic evidence that the Lemba people have Jewish ancestry.

Of course, we all know about Indiana Jones. He found the Ark in Egypt near the ancient city of Tanis in what’s called the Well of Souls. His job was to get to it before the Nazis did. This movie showed the Ark as having supernatural destructive powers that ultimately destroys the Nazis. Of course the United States military stashed the Ark away to study it. Is it being kept in the same hidden place that the Roswell alien craft is stored?

There have been other references to the Ark being buried in Egypt, which is where Spielberg probably got the idea.

There have been many claims that the Ark is in Europe, having been brought back by the Templars. The possible locations are: Chartres Cathedral; The Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome; and the Hill of Tara in Ireland.

So where is the Ark? That’s a good question that hasn’t been answered yet. Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading.