What Happened To The Ark Of The Covenant?
Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty ImagesKing David bearing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem in an oil painting from the early 16th century.
Another Biblical mystery also served as the fodder for the first Indiana Jones film: the fate of the Ark of the Covenant.
Much like the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant has been the subject of many valiant, yet fruitless, crusades throughout history. As identified by National Geographic, the Ark is supposedly a gilded case that’s roughly 3,000 years old. The Israelites built it to store the stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were engraved.
It moved around a good deal in the Old Testament, carried on long poles by devout followers, and it ultimately found its way to a temple in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, that’s where the trail goes cold.
When the Babylonians conquered the Israelites in the late sixth century B.C.E., the fate of the Ark vanished from historical record. It is unknown if it was simply destroyed along with the First Temple of Jerusalem or if it had been hidden away or moved.
One story claims that the Ark found its way to Ethiopia well before the Babylonian invasion. It was sent to the town of Aksum, where it remains today, allegedly in the St. Mary of Zion cathedral.
But per Church law, only one man, the guardian of the Ark, is allowed to see it. No one else has ever been permitted inside to confirm the Ark’s presence.
Bettmann/Getty ImagesSir Percival and the Holy Grail, 1286. The Holy Grail is another one of the biggest religious ancient mysteries.
Another claim suggests the Ark had been hidden away beneath the First Temple when the Babylonians destroyed it in 586 B.C.E.
The Ark should allegedly still be below ground at the site, but nobody will ever know because it is now the location of the sacred Islamic Dome of the Rock, which can’t simply be dug up to check if there is an ancient, gilded box beneath it.
In the end, though, any attempts at finding the Ark — and other holy relics — are bound to be in vain. Perhaps there is a very ornate, golden box inside the St. Mary of Zion cathedral, but could anyone genuinely prove that it is the Ark of the Covenant?
Likewise, who’s to say any old goblet from 2,000 years ago isn’t the Holy Grail?
These questions are, unfortunately, near impossible to answer — and will likely forever remain ancient mysteries.
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