The Ark of the Covenant was described in The Bible as the box containing the Ten Commandments.
It's since made its way into pop culture, to the point where just seeing this title
probably evoked the face-melting images seen in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
But what exactly happened to this important religious artifact?
Let's explore.
If you want more videos like this, check out our "Biggest Debated Topics" playlist
on the channel.
Now get ready, it's time to ask the question: What Happened to the Ark of the Covenant?
Of course, it should be pointed out that most of the claims about the Ark of the Covenent
were made in the Bible.
While many view it as a reliable source, others do not.
This video won't be discussing the actual accuracy of the Bible, however for the purposes
of this video, we'll assume that its reports on the Ark are true.
So, with that in mind, what happened to it?
Today, Life's biggest questions asks, what happened to the ark of the covenant.
Hello and welcome back to life's biggest questions, I'm charlotte dobre.
If this is your first time here, welcome, and if you're a returning viewer, thanks
for checking out another video.
Be sure to stick around until the end of the video where we will be responding to some
of your comments.
The Ark of the Covenant is a wooden chest, covered in gold, said to contain the two stone
tablets bearing the Ten Commandments.
It was venerated by the Israelites, as the word of God was highly valued, with some sources
claiming the Israelites worshipped it as the embodiment of God himself, consulting it before
making important decisions.
It was transported with the Israelites during their 40 years wandering in the desert.
It's said to have parted the waters of the Jordan River, and to have taken down the wall
of Jericho.
Unfortunately, the luck didn't keep up, with the Israelites eventually being defeated by
the Philistines (eens), and the Ark being taken.
The Philistines then took the Ark on a trip across the country, but misfortune seemed
to follow them.
Statues seemingly bowed before it, tumours and boils abounded; it was not a pretty situation.
So the Ark was eventually returned to the Israelites.
Soon after, the inspiration for the famous Indiana Jones scene is said to have occurred,
when the Beth-shemites gazed at the Ark, and were smitten by God.
It was then kept in Kirjath-jearim (keer-yath jeer-im) for 20 years, before being removed
at the beginning of King David's reign.
It was later taken to Jerusalem, also known as Zion, where it was eventually placed in
the newly built Solomon's Temple.
However, when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple in 587 BC, the Ark was
lost to history.
Unfortunately, it's unclear what happened to the Ark following the account in the old
testament, but there are a number of differing claims as to its current location.
Some believe that it was taken to Mount Nebo, based on the account in the second book of
Maccabees, written around 100 BC.
It's said that the prophet Jeremiah was warned by God of the Babylonian invasion, and buried
the Ark inside a cave on Mount Nebo.
He reportedly told his followers that the location should remain unknown "Until the
time that God should gather His people again together, and receive them unto mercy".
However, no evidence of the Ark has been found in the area, although Tom Crotser, the leader
of a religious sect in Kansas, claims to have seen the ark in the Mt. Nebo region.
But since he provided no proof, and has a good deal of motivation to lie, this is not
a reliable claim.
Others believe the Ark to be in Ethiopia, in the care of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
(like it looks) Church.
The Church claims that the Ark is held in a treasury near the Church of our Lady Mary
of Zion.
The Kebra Nagast (Kebra NAG-ust), translating to The Glory of the Kings, was even written
in the 14th century in part to explain how the Ark came to Ethiopia with Menelik the
first.
This account has been supported by Graham Hancock, a controversial British writer known
for questioning mainstream historical beliefs.
He claims that the ark spent many years in Egypt, before going down the Nile River to
Ethiopia.
However it should be noted that this idea has, like many of Hancock's ideas, been
heavily criticized by the historical community.
Furthermore, the church refuses to let anyone actually see the Ark.
To quote The Book of Mormon musical, you have to believe it just, cuz.
But that isn't exactly enough proof for most people.
Finally, the Lemba people of South Africa and Zimbabwe make a claim to the Ark as well.
They state that the Ark was carried south by their ancestors, and was hidden in a cave
in the Dumghe mountains.
Further research into this subject has found that this object does seem to resemble the
Ark.
It was of similar size, and was cared for like an object of great religious significance.
As with any of these theories, however, there is no conclusive evidence supporting the claim
that this item was, in fact, the Ark of the Covenant.
Of course, it's also possible that the Ark was simply destroyed at some point, possibly
during the Babylonian invasion.
This would explain its sudden disappearance, as well as the lack of success in locating
it.
Of course, if this is true, it will be damn near impossible to prove conclusively, but
that's something historians are rather used to, particularly when studying ancient times.
All we can do is keep looking, keep learning, and keep hoping for the best.
Thank you for watching Life's Biggest Questions, I hope this was interesting and informative,
and maybe even inspired you to look into it further on your own.
Of course, until the location of the Ark is actually discovered, we won't know for sure
what happened to it.
But hopefully this video has given you some ideas, and perhaps filled in some holes in
your knowledge on the subject.
If it has, please thumbs up and subscribe to the channel down below.
While you're down there, let me know if you think the Ark is out there, and if so,
where it might be.
Until next time, I'm Charlotte Dobre with Life's Biggest Questions, wishing you the
best of luck, on your quest for answers.
Of course, it should be reiterated that some scholars are sceptical of the Ark.
Some believe that it has since been destroyed, while others doubt that it ever existed in
the first place.
It's true that various accounts in the Bible do seem to add up to it being real, but the
lack of compelling evidence for its existence has many sceptical.
However, due to the difficulty of proving the negative, this in an uncertain matter.
That is all for this episode of lifes biggest questions, but before we go, I'm going to
take a few minutes to respond to some of your comments from my video, what if you woke up
during surgery.
Grimm Hades – I would have nightmares forever.
I mean, I think that's pretty much a given.
Wonisk – if only this video came out before I had my surgery.
Well, hopefully you don't have more surgeries, but if you do, next time you'll be prepared.
Fortnite gamer pro – this video made me very uncomfortable.
Hey, at least you had a reaction, even if it was discomfort.
Anthony – what if snakes could fly.
I would probably not leave my house.
Ucant Catch Me – what if LBW stopped asking what if and started asking why.
I think we have asked some whys but to be quite frank, why's are a lot more difficult
to get answers for.
Its easy to imagine, its not so easy to have all the answers to every life's biggest
question.
We've come to the end of the video, if you want to keep watching, check out the playlist
that's clickable on your screen.
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of life's biggest questions.
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