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Search for Ark of the Covenant Continues: Ancient Prophecy Offers Clues
For centuries, archaeologists and researchers have been captivated by the quest to locate the famed Ark of the Covenant. A cryptic prophecy found within the Apocalypse of Baruch, a non-canonical biblical text, may hold the key to when this revered artifact will resurface.
The Apocalypse of Baruch: A Source of Ancient Lore
The Apocalypse of Baruch, a text composed in two parts between the late first and early second centuries AD, presents itself as a series of divine visions and revelations received by Baruch. This pseudepigraphal work explores significant themes including the destiny of Israel, eschatology, and the advent of the Messiah.
Within the second book of Baruch, specifically Chapter 6, a significant passage describes an angel’s intervention to remove the Ark from the Second Temple. According to the text, this divine act ensured the Ark was ‘swallowed by the Earth’ prior to the Babylonian invasion, safeguarding it in a concealed location until the restoration of Israel.
Authorship and Canonicity
Traditionally, Baruch ben Neriah, the scribe associated with the prophet Jeremiah, has been attributed as the author of this text. However, scholarly consensus suggests that Baruch could not have penned the book, as his lifetime predates its composition by several centuries.
Due to its pseudepigraphal nature, the Apocalypse of Baruch was not accepted into the canonical scriptures by Jewish and Christian authorities, leading to its exclusion from the Bible.
The Ark of the Covenant: A Sacred Relic
Holy scripture describes the Ark of the Covenant as a sanctified chest, overlaid with gold. Constructed by the Israelites shortly after their exodus from Egypt around the 13th century BC, it was designed to house the tablets bearing Moses’ Ten Commandments.
Renewed Interest in the Ark’s Location
Recent media reports have reignited public curiosity regarding the whereabouts of this biblical relic, with articles detailing alleged CIA interest in potentially locating it in the Middle East. Although no official confirmation from the CIA has been issued, the aforementioned prophecy from the non-canonical book might provide insights into the artifact’s prolonged disappearance, spanning approximately 1,440 years.
Discovery and Context of the Apocalypse of Baruch
The Apocalypse of Baruch came to light in 1886, discovered in Milan. Penned after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, the book delves into theological questions surrounding the righteousness of God’s relationship with humanity, particularly in the face of devastation.
The narrative framework involves Baruch receiving divine visions in the aftermath of Jerusalem’s fall to the Babylonians, offering a perspective on these calamitous events.
The Prophecy in Chapter 6: Ark’s Preservation
The crucial passage concerning the Ark of the Covenant is located in Chapter 6. This section recounts how Temple vessels and other sacred objects, including the Ark itself, were divinely protected before the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
As the Babylonian forces encircled Jerusalem, Baruch, according to the text, sought refuge outside the city walls.
Suddenly, a ‘powerful spirit’ elevated him above the city’s fortifications, where he witnessed four angels positioned at the city’s cardinal points, each holding flaming torches.
A fifth angel then descended, instructing the others to withhold their torches until commanded, stating, ‘For I am first sent to speak a word to the earth, and to place in it what the Lord the Most High has commanded me.’
This angel proceeded into the Holy of Holies, retrieving the Ark and additional sacred items.
The Earth’s Command and the Ark’s Concealment
Upon emerging, the angel issued a resounding command to the Earth: ‘Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the mighty God and receive what I commit to you, and guard them until the last times so that, when you are ordered, you may restore them, so that strangers may not get possession of them.
‘For the time comes when Jerusalem also will be delivered for a time, until it is said that it is again restored for ever.’
Subsequently, the Earth opened and ‘swallowed’ the Ark and the other artifacts entirely.
This narrative foretells that the sacred chest will be rediscovered upon the restoration of Israel. Within a biblical context, this restoration alludes to the return of the Israelites to their ancestral homeland and the establishment of a Messianic kingdom.
However, it is important to note that no historical or archaeological corroboration exists to substantiate these events as factual occurrences, and they are not considered part of recognized biblical history.
Lack of Extrabiblical Evidence and Scholarly Speculation
Furthermore, evidence beyond the Bible itself to confirm the Ark’s very existence remains absent.
Nevertheless, scholars who accept the Ark’s historicity have long contemplated its current location.
Some historians posit that the Ark of the Covenant was initially housed within the Holy of Holies, the innermost sanctuary of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem, before its disappearance during the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
To date, no living person has seen the Ark. Biblical accounts indicate that only the high priest of the Temple of Jerusalem was permitted to view it, and that only once annually on Yom Kippur, the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar.
Ethiopian Legends and the Ark’s Alleged Location
Limited theories circulate regarding the Ark’s fate. One enduring religious tradition in Ethiopia asserts that Menelik, purportedly the son of the Queen of Sheba and Israelite King Solomon, transported it to Ethiopia.
The Queen of Sheba, while associated with Ethiopia, reigned over a kingdom in present-day Yemen. Legend states she gave birth to Menelik in her native land, but he later journeyed to Jerusalem to study with his father.
During his time in Jerusalem, he is said to have secretly taken the Ark and relocated it to Aksum, Ethiopia. Local belief maintains it has remained within the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion ever since.
Conflicting Accounts and Lingering Mystery
British scholar Edward Ullendorff, an expert in Semitic languages and Ethiopian studies, claimed to have observed the Ark inside this church during World War II. However, a confidant of Ullendorff later indicated that the ‘artifact’ he witnessed was merely a replica.
‘What he saw was what you find in any Ethiopian church, which is a model of the Ark of the Covenant,’ Tudor Parfitt, a British historian, author, and former colleague of Ullendorff, stated in a 2018 interview with Live Science.
Reportedly, Ullendorff commented that ‘it didn’t differ in any way from many arks he had seen in other churches in Ethiopia,’ Parfitt explained. ‘It wasn’t ancient and certainly wasn’t the original ark.’
Consequently, the true location of the Ark—and even its very existence—remains an unsolved enigma.