Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant,[a] also known as the Ark of the Testimony[b] or the Ark of God,[c][1][2] is believed to have been the most sacred religious relic of the Israelites. It is described as a wooden chest coated in pure gold and topped off by an elaborate golden lid known as the mercy seat. According to the Book of Exodus[3] and First Book of Kings[4] in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, the Ark contained the Tablets of the Law, by which God delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai. According to the Book of Exodus,[5] the Book of Numbers,[6] and the Epistle to the Hebrews[7] in the New Testament, it also contained Aaron's rod and a pot of manna.[8]
The biblical account relates that approximately one year after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, the Ark was created according to the pattern that God gave to Moses when the Israelites were encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai. Thereafter, the gold-plated acacia chest's staves were lifted and carried by the Levites approximately 2,000 cubits (800 meters or 2,600 feet) in advance of the people while they marched.[9] God spoke with Moses "from between the two cherubim" on the Ark's cover.[10]
Contemporary archeologists disagree about the history of the Ark's movements around the ancient near east and the history and dating of the Ark narratives in the Bible.[11][12][13] There is additional scholarly debate over possible historical influences that led to the creation of the Ark: Thomas Romer, for example, sees possible Bedouin influence while Scott Noegel regards Egyptian influence as more likely.[14][15]
Biblical account
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Construction and description
According to the
The Book of Exodus gives detailed instructions on how the Ark is to be constructed.[22] It is to be 2+1⁄2 cubits in length, 1+1⁄2 cubits breadth, and 1+1⁄2 cubits height (approximately 131×79×79 cm or 52×31×31 in) of acacia wood. Then it is to be gilded entirely with gold, and a crown or molding of gold is to be put around it. Four rings of gold are to be attached to its four corners, two on each side—and through these rings staves of shittim wood overlaid with gold for carrying the Ark are to be inserted; and these are not to be removed.[23]
Mobile vanguard
The biblical account continues that, after its creation by Moses, the Ark was carried by the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Whenever the Israelites camped, the Ark was placed in a separate room in a sacred tent, called the Tabernacle.
When the Israelites, led by
During the Battle of Jericho, the Ark was carried around the city once a day for six days, preceded by the armed men and seven priests sounding seven trumpets of rams' horns.[31] On the seventh day, the seven priests sounding the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Ark compassed the city seven times, and, with a great shout, Jericho's wall fell down flat and the people took the city.[32]
After the defeat at
Capture by the Philistines
According to the biblical narrative, a few years later the elders of Israel decided to take the Ark onto the battlefield to assist them against the Philistines, having recently been defeated at the battle of Eben-Ezer.[38] They were again heavily defeated, with the loss of 30,000 men. The Ark was captured by the Philistines and Hophni and Phinehas were killed. The news of its capture was at once taken to Shiloh by a messenger "with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head". The old priest, Eli, fell dead when he heard it; and his daughter-in-law, bearing a son at the time the news of the Ark's capture was received, named him Ichabod—explained as "The glory has departed Israel" in reference to the loss of the Ark.[39] Ichabod's mother died at his birth.[40]
The Philistines took the Ark to several places in their country, and at each place misfortune befell them.[41] At Ashdod it was placed in the temple of Dagon. The next morning Dagon was found prostrate, bowed down, before it; and on being restored to his place, he was on the following morning again found prostrate and broken. The people of Ashdod were smitten with tumors; a plague of rodents was sent over the land. This may have been the bubonic plague.[42][43][44] The affliction of tumours was also visited upon the people of Gath and of Ekron, whither the Ark was successively removed.[45]
Return of the Ark to the Israelites
After the Ark had been among them for seven months, the Philistines, on the advice of their diviners, returned it to the Israelites, accompanying its return with an offering consisting of golden images of the tumors and mice wherewith they had been afflicted. The Ark was set up in the field of Joshua the
In the days of King David
In the biblical narrative, at the beginning of his reign over the
On hearing that God had blessed Obed-edom because of the presence of the Ark in his house, David had the Ark brought to Zion by the Levites, while he himself, "girded with a linen ephod [...] danced before the Lord with all his might" and in the sight of all the public gathered in Jerusalem, a performance which caused him to be scornfully rebuked by his first wife, Saul's daughter Michal.[54][55][56] In Zion, David put the Ark in the tent he had prepared for it, offered sacrifices, distributed food, and blessed the people and his own household.[57][58][59] David used the tent as a personal place of prayer.[60][61]
The Levites were appointed to minister before the Ark.
In Solomon's Temple
According to the Biblical narrative, when
During the construction of
When Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, he caused her to dwell in a house outside Zion, as Zion was consecrated because it contained the Ark.[76] King Josiah also had the Ark returned to the Temple,[77] from which it appears to have been removed by one of his predecessors (cf. 2 Chronicles 33–34 and 2 Kings 21–23).
In the days of King Hezekiah
Prior to king
In a noncanonical text known as the Treatise of the Vessels, Hezekiah is identified as one of the kings who had the Ark and the other treasures of Solomon's Temple hidden during a time of crisis. This text lists the following hiding places, which it says were recorded on a bronze tablet: (1) a spring named Kohel or Kahal with pure water in a valley with a stopped-up gate; (2) a spring named Kotel (or "wall" in Hebrew); (3) a spring named Zedekiah; (4) an unidentified cistern; (5) Mount Carmel; and (6) locations in Babylon.[81]
To many scholars, Hezekiah is also credited as having written all or some of the Book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes in the Christian tradition), in particular the famously enigmatic epilogue.[82] Notably, the epilogue appears to refer to the Ark story with references to almond blossoms (i.e., Aaron's rod), locusts, silver, and gold. The epilogue then cryptically refers to a pitcher broken at a fountain and a wheel broken at a cistern.[83]
Although scholars disagree on whether the Pool of Siloam's pure spring waters were used by pilgrims for ritual purification, many scholars agree that a stepped pilgrimage road between the pool and the Temple had been built in the first century CE.[84] This roadway has been partially excavated, but the west side of the Pool of Siloam remains unexcavated.[85]
The Babylonian conquest and aftermath
In 587 BC, when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, an ancient Greek version of the biblical third Book of Ezra, 1 Esdras, suggests that Babylonians took away the vessels of the ark of God, but does not mention taking away the Ark:
And they took all the holy vessels of the Lord, both great and small, with the vessels of the ark of God, and the king's treasures, and carried them away into Babylon[86]
In Rabbinic literature, the final disposition of the Ark is disputed. Some rabbis hold that it must have been carried off to Babylon, while others hold that it must have been hidden lest it be carried off into Babylon and never brought back.[87] A late 2nd-century rabbinic work known as the Tosefta states the opinions of these rabbis that Josiah, the king of Judah, stored away the Ark, along with the jar of manna, and a jar containing the holy anointing oil, the rod of Aaron which budded and a chest given to Israel by the Philistines.[88]
Service of the Kohathites
The
Jewish tradition on location today
The
Another perspective proposes that
Alternatively, it's suggested that the Ark remained hidden in the Holy of Holies, underground. Some of
A final opinion, found in the
Archaeology
Archaeological evidence shows strong cultic activity at
Some scholars believe the story of the Ark was written independently around the
Römer also suggests that the ark may have originally carried sacred stones "of the kind found in the chests of pre-Islamic Bedouins" and speculates that these may have been either a statue of
Noegel suggests that the ancient Egyptian bark is a more plausible model for the Israelite ark, since Egyptian barks had all the features just mentioned. Noegel adds that the Egyptians also were known to place written covenants beneath the feet of statues, proving a further parallel to the placement of the covenantal tablets inside the ark.[15]
References in Abrahamic religions
Tanakh
The Ark is first mentioned in the
.In the
And it shall be that when you multiply and become fruitful in the land, in those days—the word of the LORD—they will no longer say, 'The Ark of the Covenant of the LORD' and it will not come to mind; they will not mention it, and will not recall it, and it will not be used any more.
Rashi comments on this verse that "The entire people will be so imbued with the spirit of sanctity that God's Presence will rest upon them collectively, as if the congregation itself was the Ark of the Covenant."[97]
Second Book of Maccabees
According to
The records show that it was the prophet Jeremiah who [...] prompted by a divine message [...] gave orders that the Tent of Meeting and the ark should go with him. Then he went away to the mountain from the top of which Moses saw God's promised land. When he reached the mountain, Jeremiah found a cave-dwelling; he carried the tent, the ark, and the incense-altar into it, then blocked up the entrance. Some of his companions came to mark out the way, but were unable to find it. When Jeremiah learnt of this he reprimanded them. "The place shall remain unknown", he said, "until God finally gathers his people together and shows mercy to them. The Lord will bring these things to light again, and the glory of the Lord will appear with the cloud, as it was seen both in the time of Moses and when Solomon prayed that the shrine might be worthily consecrated."
The "mountain from the top of which Moses saw God's promised land" would be Mount Nebo, located in what is now Jordan.
Samaritan tradition
Samaritan tradition claims that the Ark of the Covenant had been kept at a sanctuary on Mt. Gerizim.[99]
New Testament
Literal Old Testament ark
In the
Mary as the new ark
In the Gospel of Luke, the author's accounts of the Annunciation and Visitation are constructed using eight points of literary parallelism to compare Mary to the Ark.[101][102]
The contents of the ark are seen by theologians such as the
Quran
The Ark is referred to in the Quran (Surah Al-Baqara: 248):[108]
Their prophet further told them, “The sign of Saul’s kingship is that the Ark will come to you—containing reassurance from your Lord and relics of the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, which will be carried by the angels. Surely in this is a sign for you, if you ˹truly˺ believe."
The Ark in other faiths
According to
Whereabouts
Since its disappearance from the Biblical narrative, there have been a number of claims of having discovered or of having possession of the Ark, and several possible places have been suggested for its location.
Maccabees
2 Maccabees 2:4–10, written around 100 BC, says that the prophet Jeremiah, "being warned by God" before the Babylonian invasion, took the Ark, the Tabernacle, and the Altar of Incense, and buried them in a cave, informing those of his followers who wished to find the place that it should remain unknown "until the time that God should gather His people again together, and receive them unto mercy."[110]
Ethiopia
The
The Kebra Nagast is often said to have been composed to legitimise the Solomonic dynasty, which ruled the Ethiopian Empire following its establishment in 1270, but this is not the case. It was originally composed in some other language (Coptic or Greek), then translated into Arabic, and translated into Geʽez in 1321.[113] It narrates how the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I with divine assistance, while a forgery was left in the Temple in Jerusalem. Although the Kebra Nagast is the best-known account of this belief, the belief predates the document. Abu al-Makarim, writing in the last quarter of the twelfth century, makes one early reference to this belief that they possessed the Ark. "The Abyssinians possess also the Ark of the Covenant", he wrote, and, after a description of the object, describes how the liturgy is celebrated upon the Ark four times a year, "on the feast of the great nativity, on the feast of the glorious Baptism, on the feast of the holy Resurrection, and on the feast of the illuminating Cross."[114]
In his controversial 1992 book The Sign and the Seal, British writer Graham Hancock reports on the Ethiopian belief that the ark spent several years in Egypt before it came to Ethiopia via the Nile River, where it was kept on the islands of Lake Tana for about four hundred years and finally taken to Axum.[115] Archaeologist John Holladay of the University of Toronto called Hancock's theory "garbage and hogwash"; Edward Ullendorff, a former professor of Ethiopian Studies at the University of London, said he "wasted a lot of time reading it." In a 1992 interview, Ullendorff says that he personally examined the ark held within the church in Axum in 1941 while an officer in the British Army. Describing the ark there, he says, "They have a wooden box, but it's empty. Middle- to late-medieval construction, when these were fabricated ad hoc."[116][117]
On 25 June 2009, the patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia, Abune Paulos, said he would announce to the world the next day the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant, which he said had been kept safe and secure in a church in Axum.[118] The following day, he announced that he would not unveil the Ark after all, but that instead he could attest to its current status.[119]
Southern Africa
The
On 14 April 2008, in a UK Channel 4 documentary, Tudor Parfitt, taking a literalist approach to the Biblical story, described his research into this claim. He says that the object described by the Lemba has attributes similar to the Ark. It was of similar size, was carried on poles by priests, was not allowed to touch the ground, was revered as a voice of their God, and was used as a weapon of great power, sweeping enemies aside.[122]
In his book The Lost Ark of the Covenant (2008), Parfitt also suggests that the Ark was taken to Arabia following the events depicted in the
Europe
Rome
The Ark of the Covenant was said to have been kept in the
"Rabbi
Ireland
Between 1899 and 1902, the
The British Israelites believed that the Ark was located at the grave of the Egyptian princess
In literature and the arts
Philip Kaufman conceived of the Ark of the Covenant as the main plot device of Steven Spielberg's 1981 adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark,[132][133] where it is found by Indiana Jones in the Egyptian city of Tanis in 1936.[134][e] In early 2020, a prop version made for the film (which does not actually appear onscreen) was featured on television series Antiques Roadshow.[135]
In the Danish family film The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar from 2006, the main part of the treasure found in the end is the Ark of the Covenant. The power of the Ark comes from static electricity stored in separated metal plates like a giant Leyden jar.[136]
In Harry Turtledove's novel Alpha and Omega (2019) the ark is found by archeologists, and the characters have to deal with the proven existence of God.[137]
The Ark has been depicted many times in art for two thousand years, some examples are in the article above, a few more are here.
-
The legendary Emperor Menelik I of Ethiopia (traditionally fl. tenth century BCE) carries the Ark (shown here as small) into Axum.
-
Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant. 1800, oil on wood, Benjamin West. Held at Art Gallery of New South Wales.
-
The Philistines Place the Ark of the Covenant in a Temple of their god Dagon. c. 1450, Battista Franco Veneziano. Held at Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
-
Ark of the Covenant. Painted between 1865 and 1880, Erastus Salisbury Field. Held at American National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Yom HaAliyah
Yom HaAliyah (Aliyah Day) (Hebrew: יום העלייה) is an Israeli national holiday celebrated annually on the tenth of the Hebrew month of Nisan to commemorate the Israelites crossing the Jordan River into the Land of Israel while carrying the Ark of the Covenant.[138][139]
See also
- Copper Scroll
- List of artifacts in biblical archaeology
- The Exodus Decoded (2006 television documentary)
- History of ancient Israel and Judah
- Jewish symbolism
- Mikoshi, a portable Shinto shrine
- Gihon Spring
- Josephus
- Mount Gerizim
- Temple menorah
- Pool of Siloam
- Samaritans
- Siloam Tunnel
- Solomon's Temple
Footnotes
- Standard Arabic: التابوت, romanized: Al-Tābūt;
- ^ אֲרוֹן הָעֵדוּת, ʾĂrōn hāʿĒdūṯ
- ^ אֲרוֹן־יְהוָה, ʾĂrōn-YHWH or אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים, ʾĂrōn hāʾĔlōhīm
- ^ 'Bethel' is translated as 'the House of God' in the King James Version.
- ^ The Ark is mentioned in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and briefly appears in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).
References
- ^ "Bible Gateway passage: 1 Chronicles 16–18 – New Living Translation". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
- ^ "Bible Gateway passage: 1 Samuel 3:3 – New International Version". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
- ^ Exodus 40:20.
- ^ 1 Kings 8:9.
- ^ Exodus 16:33.
- ^ Numbers 17:6–11.
- ^ Hebrews 9:4.
- ISBN 978-90-5356-503-2.
- ^ Joshua 3:4.
- ^ Exodus 25:22.
- ^ a b David, Ariel (30 Aug 2017). "The Real Ark of the Covenant may have Housed Pagan Gods". Haaretz.
- ^ JSTOR 27100296.
- ^ a b K. L. Sparks, "Ark of the Covenant" in Bill T. Arnold and H. G. M. Williamson (eds.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (InterVarsity Press, 2005), p. 91.
- ^ a b Thomas Römer, The Invention of God (Harvard University Press, 2015), p. 92.
- ^ a b Scott Noegel, "The Egyptian Origin of the Ark of the Covenant" in Thomas E. Levy, Thomas Schneider, and William H. C. Propp (eds.), Israel's Exodus in Transdisciplinary Perspective (Springer, 2015), pp. 223–242.
- ^ Exodus 19:20.
- ^ Exodus 24:18.
- ^ a b Exodus 25:10.
- ^ Exodus 31.
- ^ Sigurd Grindheim, Introducing Biblical Theology, Bloomsbury Publishing, United Kingdom, 2013, p. 59.
- ISBN 978-1-931018-45-6.
- ^ Exodus 25.
- ^ ""Four feet"; see Exodus 25:12, majority of translations. "Four corners" in King James Version". Biblestudytools.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ^ Joshua 3:3.
- ^ Joshua 6.
- ^ Joshua 3:15–17.
- ^ Joshua 4:10.
- ^ Joshua 11.
- ^ Joshua 18.
- ^ Joshua 4:1–9.
- ^ Joshua 6:4–15.
- ^ Joshua 6:16–20.
- ^ Josh 7:6–9.
- ^ "Joshua 18:1".
- ^ Judges 20:6f.
- ^ 1 Samuel 3:3.
- ^ 1 Samuel 4:3f.
- ^ 1 Samuel 4:3–11.
- ^ 1 Samuel 4:12–22.
- ^ 1 Samuel 4:20.
- ^ 1 Samuel 5:1–6.
- PMC 5749463.
- PMID 16140864.
- ^ 1 Samuel 6:5.
- ^ 1 Samuel 5:8–12.
- ^ 1 Samuel 6:1–15.
- ^ 1 Samuel 6:19.
- ^ 1 Samuel 6:21.
- ^ 1 Samuel 7:2.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 13:3.
- ^ 2 Samuel 6:8.
- ^ 2 Samuel 6:1–11.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 13:1–13.
- ^ 2 Samuel 6:12–16.
- ^ 2 Samuel 6:20–22.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 15.
- ^ 2 Samuel 6:17–20.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 16:1–3.
- ^ 2 Chronicles 1:4.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 17:16.
- ^ Barnes, W. E. (1899), Cambridge Bible for Schools on 1 Chronicles 17, accessed 22 February 2020.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 16:4.
- ^ 2 Samuel 7:1–17.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 17:1–15.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 28:2.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 3.
- ^ 2 Samuel 11:11.
- ^ 2 Samuel 15:24–29.
- ^ 1 Kings 2:26.
- ^ 1 Kings 3:15.
- ^ 1 Kings 6:19.
- ^ 1 Kings 8:6–9.
- ^ 1 Kings 8:10·11.
- ^ 2 Chronicles 5:13.
- ^ 2 Chronicles 14.
- ^ 2 Chronicles 8:11.
- ^ 2 Chronicles 35:3.
- ^ Isaiah 37:14–17.
- ^ 2 Kings 19:14–19.
- ^ 2 Chronicles 32:3–5.
- ^ Davila, J., The Treatise of the Vessels (Massekhet Kelim): A New Translation and Introduction, p. 626 (2013).
- ^ Quackenbos, D., Recovering an Ancient Tradition: Toward an Understanding of Hezekiah as the Author of Ecclesiastes, pp. 238–253 (2019).
- ^ Ecclesiastes 12:5–6.
- ^ Tercatin, R. (2021-05-05). "Second Temple period 'lucky lamp' found on Jerusalem's Pilgrimage Road". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ Szanton, N.; Uziel, J. (2016), "Jerusalem, City of David [stepped street dig, July 2013 – end 2014], Preliminary Report (21/08/2016)". Hadashot Arkheologiyot. Israel Antiquities Authority, http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=25046&mag_id=124.
- ^ 1 Esdras 1:54
- ^ "Ark of the Covenant". Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- Babylonian Talmud(Kereithot 5b).
- ^ Numbers 4:5.
- ^ Yoma 52b, 53b-54a.
- ^ Isaiah 39:6.
- ^ Yoma 53b.
- ^ Radak on II Chronicles 35:3.
- ^ Maimonides Mishne Torah Beit HaBechira 4:1.
- ^ 2 Chronicles 35:3.
- ^ Jeremiah 3:16.
- ^ Jeremiah 3:16, Tanach. Brooklyn, New York: ArtScroll. p. 1078.
- ^ 2 Maccabees 2:4–8.
- ISBN 978-0-02-865945-9.
- ^ Hebrews 9:4.
- ^ This Rock. 16 (8). Archived from the originalon 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Holy Queen, Lesson 3.1".
- ^ "Ark of the Covenant". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2020-04-18 – via New Advent.
- ISBN 978-1-945125-74-4.
- ISBN 1-56554-731-4.
- ISBN 0-85244-582-2.
- ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd ed.). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 2019. Paragraph 2676.
- ^ "Surah Al-Baqarah – 248". Quran.com. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ Rubin, Uri (2001). "Traditions in Transformation: The Ark of the Covenant and the Golden Calf in Biblical and Islamic Historiography" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
- ^ Cf. Deuteronomy 34:1–3 and 2 Maccabees 2:4–8.
- ^ Stuart Munro-Hay, 2005, The Quest for the Ark of the Covenant, Tauris (reviewed in Times Literary Supplement 19 August 2005 p. 36).
- ^ Raffaele, Paul. "Keepers of the lost Ark?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Bezold, Carl. 1905. Kebra Nagast, die Kerrlichkeit der Könige: Nach den Handschriften in Berlin, London, Oxford und Paris. München: K.B. Akademie der Wissenschaften.
- ^ B. T. A. Evetts (translator), The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt and Some Neighboring Countries attributed to Abu Salih, the Armenian, with added notes by Alfred J. Butler (Oxford, 1895), p. 287f.
- ISBN 0-517-57813-1.
- ^ Hiltzik, Michael (9 June 1992). "Documentary : Does Trail to Ark of Covenant End Behind Aksum Curtain?: A British author believes the long-lost religious object may actually be inside a stone chapel in Ethiopia". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Jarus, Owen (7 December 2018). "Sorry Indiana Jones, the Ark of the Covenant Is Not Inside This Ethiopian Church". Live Science. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Fendel, Hillel (2009-06-25). "Holy Ark Announcement Due on Friday", Aruta Sheva (Israel International News). Retrieved on 2009-06-25
- ^ Richard (2009-07-01). "Ho visto l'Arca dell'Alleanza ed è in buone condizioni". Altrogiornale.org (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ Tudor Parfitt, The Lost Ark of the Covenant, HarperCollins, 2008.
- ^ a b Van Biema, David (2008-02-25). "A Lead on the Ark of the Covenant – TIME". Archived from the original on 2008-02-25. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ "Debates & Controversies – Quest for the Lost Ark". Channel4.com. 2008-04-14. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
- PMID 8900243.
- ^ Salmon, J. (1798). A Description of the Works of Art of Ancient and Modern Rome: Particularly in Architecture, Sculpture & Painting. To which is Added, a Tour Through the Cities and Towns in the Environs of that Metropolis. Vol. 1. London, England: J. Sammells. p. 108.
- ISBN 0-85115-771-8.
- ^ Midrash Tanḥuma. p. 33. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ Midrash Tanchuma, Vayakhel 10:2.
- ^ McAvinchey, Ivan. "News 2006 (March 9)". Rsai.ie. Archived from the original on 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
- ^ Tara and the Ark of the Covenant. Royal Irish Academy. 7 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Demolishing the myths at Tara". The Irish Times. 1998.
- ^ Carew (Dr.), Mairead. "British Jewish leaders searched for the Ark of the Covenant at Tara". Irish Central.
- ISBN 978-0-921788-91-1.
- ISBN 978-0-252-09397-5.
- ^ McLoughlin, Tom (2014). A Strange Idea of Entertainment – Conversations with Tom McLoughlin. BearManor Media. p. 66.
- ^ Bullard, Benjamin (February 25, 2020). "Indiana Jones' lost Ark found again...on Antiques Roadshow". SyFy Wire. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ "Tempelriddernes skat". Filmcentralen / streaming af danske kortfilm og dokumentarfilm (in Danish). Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ "Alpha and Omega". Publishers Weekly. July 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- Ynetnews. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- Israel National News. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
Further reading
- Carew, Mairead, Tara and the Ark of the Covenant: A Search for the Ark of the Covenant by British Israelites on the Hill of Tara, 1899–1902. Royal Irish Academy, 2003. ISBN 0-9543855-2-7
- ISBN 978-1-4262-0084-7
- Falk, David A. (2020), The Ark of the Covenant in Its Egyptian Context: An Illustrated Journey, Hendrickson Publishers, ISBN 978-1-68307-267-6
- Foster, Charles, Tracking the Ark of the Covenant. Monarch, 2007.
- Grierson, Roderick & Munro-Hay, Stuart, The Ark of the Covenant. Orion Books Ltd, 2000. ISBN 0-7538-1010-7
- ISBN 0-671-86541-2
- Haran, M., The Disappearance of the Ark, IEJ 13 (1963), pp. 46–58
- Hertz, J. H., The Pentateuch and Haftoras. Deuteronomy. Oxford University Press, 1936.
- Hubbard, David (1956) The Literary Sources of the Kebra Nagast Ph.D. dissertation, St. Andrews University, Scotland
- Munro-Hay, Stuart, The Quest For The Ark of The Covenant: The True History of The Tablets of Moses. L. B. Tauris & Co Ltd., 2006. ISBN 1-84511-248-2
- Ritmeyer, L., The Ark of the Covenant: Where It Stood in Solomon's Temple. Biblical Archaeology Review 22/1: 46–55, 70–73, 1996
- Stolz, Fritz. "Ark of the Covenant." In The Encyclopedia of Christianity, edited by Erwin Fahlbusch and Geoffrey William Bromiley, 125. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999. ISBN 0-8028-2413-7
External links
- Portions of this article have been taken from the Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906. Ark of the Covenant
- The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Ark of the Covenant
- Smith, William Robertson (1878). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. II (9th ed.). p. 539.
- Smithsonian.com "Keepers of the Lost Ark?"'
- Shyovitz, David, The Lost Ark of the Covenant. Jewish Virtual Library