Changes

[[File: Ark one.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The ark from a medieval French manuscript]]

The ark is tied up with the early history of the Jewish people and for many centuries it was the symbol of their nation. At some point in time, no later than 1000 BC, the Hebrews who had been enslaved by the Egyptian Pharaohs escaped their bondage under the leadership of Moses. He led them into the wilderness, according to the Old Testament, Moses was instructed by God to make the ark when he was on Mount Sinai for forty days and nights <ref> Exodus 19:20</ref>. The Jews are believed to have made the tabernacle in the desert of Sinai. Some scholars believe that the ark was based on Egyptian and even Mesopotamian models <ref> Noegel, Scott B. "The Egyptian Origin of the Ark of the Covenant." In Israel's Exodus in Transdisciplinary Perspective, pp. 223-242. Springer, Cham, 2015)</ref>.During the wanderings of the Jews in search of their homeland, the ark was carried before them. The Hebrews believed that the ark contained the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, Aron’s rod and a jar of manna. For them, it was filled with the spirit of Yahweh (God). There are different accounts of what the ark looked like and its characteristics, but most relate that the ark was an ornate, gold-plated wooden chest, that was carried on poles by the Levites (Hebrew priests). It was widely believed that the moveable shrine had special magical power because it was imbued with the spirit of God and it helped the Hebrews to overcome their many enemies during their wanderings <ref> Munro-Hay, Stuart C. The quest for the ark of the covenant: The true history of the tablets of Moses (London: IB Tauris, 2005), p. 11 </ref>. The priests often carried the ark in front of the Israelite army when it went into battle. It was typically hidden under a veil or cloth and anyone who looked inside it, died, as in the finale of the Indiana Jones movie. The ark was carried into battle by Joshua and later by the Judges, such as Saul and typically was believed to have helped them to achieve victory <ref>Joshua 3:3</ref>. The ark was eventually kept at a sacred site in Shiloh. However, the Israelites were defeated by their archenemies’ the Philistines at the Battle of Eben-Ezer (c 9th century BC). The Philistines captured the ark and took it back with them as booty. However, a series of disasters befell them, and they returned it to the Israelites. They placed the moveable shrine in a temple in Beth Shemesh. King David later seized the ark and placed it in his new capital of Jerusalem. He used it to legitimize his new Empire and his title as king. The ark was kept in the First Temple, in Jerusalem which was built by King Solomon. It rested in the Holy of Holies inside the Tabernacle of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem. It was only seen by the High Priests and then only during Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In 587 the Neo-Babylonian Empire invaded Judea and besieged Jerusalem. The Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar, savagely sacked the city and deported the population back to Babylon. The conquerors sacked the Jewish capital and destroyed the First Temple, but what happened to the Ark?

[[File: Ark 2.jpg|200px|thumb|left|A replica of the ark]]

There are two main traditions with regard to what happened to the ark after the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. The first one is that the ark was taken to Babylon by the conquerors, this comes from a Greek version of the Biblical Book of Ezra <ref>1 Esdras 1:54 </ref>. Typically, during a siege, the victorious would loot a vanquished city of all its goods and riches. The ark which was plated with gold would have been regarded as a valuable prize. Moreover, it was a symbol of the Hebrews and by seizing it, Nebuchadnezzar was symbolically demonstrating his ascendency over them. At some point, the ark’s gold may have been stripped away and melted down and the ark destroyed. There is no evidence with regard to the fate of the shrine if it is was taken to the city. Babylon itself was later conquered by Cyrus the Great and his Persian army and the ark could have been destroyed at this time. However, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire was very well disposed to the Jews and he permitted them to return to the Land of Israel. It is likely that if the ark had been found in Babylon that, Cyrus would have bestowed it on the Jews. The other tradition with regard to the fate of the artifact that held the Ten Commandments was that it was hidden during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. There are references to the fate of the ark in the Book of Maccabees. It states that the ark was taken to Mount Nebo twenty miles south of Jerusalem, which was long associated with Moses and was believed to be the location where he died. This was done at the behest of the Prophet Jeremiah who predicted the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. According to one biblical source, the ark would be revealed when the Hebrews returned from exile <ref>2 Maccabees 2:4-10</ref> However, the Bible does not state what happened to the ark after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. It appears that they were no longer aware of its location, or else they would have placed it in the Second Temple that was built in Jerusalem. This has led to centuries of speculation as to the location of the tabernacle.

[[File: Ark 3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The Ethiopian Church which claims to hold the ark]]

== The Ethiopian connection==

Ethiopia is a nation with a long history, and we know that it had much connection with the Christian world, at an early date. Moreover, it was also home to a community of Jews until relatively recently. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest in the world and it has long claimed that the ark of the covenant was in its possession and in 2009, the Patriarch of the Church promised to display the ark, but then changed his mind. There is a copy or model of the tabernacle in every church in the country. The Church in Axum, in north-central Ethiopia, claims to actually possess the precious relic. Axum was once home to the Ethiopian Emperors, who converted to Christianity. The object is believed to be stored in the Church of Our Lady. It is believed that the ark is kept here under close guard. The relic is kept under guard by monks who have dedicated their lives to keeping it safe. It is stated that they are prepared to kill to protect the sacred object. The origin of this story lays in a royal document that was written to legitimize a new Ethiopian dynasty in the Middle Ages. The Solomonic dynasty claimed descent from King Solomon when it was established in the late 13th century. According to the document an Ethiopian Emperor, a son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon spirited the ark away from Jerusalem before the destruction of the city by the Babylonians <ref> Hancock, Graham. Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant. (London, Simon and Schuster, 1993), p. 117</ref>. Another version of how the ark ended up in Ethiopia was that it was spirited away from Jerusalem and taken to Egypt, where it was taken via the Nile into the Ethiopian Highlands. It is believed by historians that the story of the ark being in the possession of Ethiopian kings is one that is very old and predates the medieval document. However, it is very unlikely that the ark is in the possession of the Church in Axum. A British expert in Ethiopian history, Edward Ullendorff, rejects claims that the ark is in Ethiopia. He served as a British officer in WWII, during the campaign to eject the Italians from the country. Allendorf claims that what is called the ark in the church is a medieval forgery.