Ark of the Covenant

From RationalWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
One of many articles on

Judaism

Icon judaism.svg
topics of interest

The Ark of the Covenant was a holy relic for the Israelites which contained the tablets upon which the Ten Commandments had been written.

The Ark was built per instructions given by (apparently) God to Moses when the Israelites wandered the desert. It measured 2.5 cubits (around 45 inches) in length, 1.5 cubits (around 27 inches) in both height and width. It should have been constructed out of acacia wood and gold plated on both the inside and the outside, and the lid was adorned with twin cherub statues.

Contents

[edit] Contents

Doesn't matter whether it is single or a set, it looks great in any living room

The exact contents of the Ark vary depending on whether one is gleaning its contents from the Old or New Testament. According to the Old Testament, the contents are said to be the original stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. However, it has been debated whether both tablets are contained within one Ark, or for that matter, if they even exist. Yet according to the New Testament, the inventory sheet has grown to include Aaron's staff and a golden jar of manna in addition to God's Top 10 List of Don'ts.

The Ark is perhaps most well known for its capabilities as "a radio for speaking to God", as well as the fates for those who misuse it. The Ark served as God's only material connection to the world[1]. According to the Bible, when God wanted to speak to Moses, he would do so out of the twin cherubs with a cloud becoming visible.

The Ark also supposedly killed those who would misuse it through holy fire and other such phenomena. However, given the conditions of the desert, as well as gold's ability as a conductor, some scholars believe that these deaths could be attributed to a severe static shock.

[edit] Current location

The whereabouts of the Ark are currently unknown. It was lost when the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonian empire. Some believe it was hidden prior to the attack, in a cave near the Dead Sea, or in possession by the United States in some classified location. Christians in Ethiopia claim they have it at the Church of Saint Mary of Zion, where it is guarded by the "Keeper of the Ark".[2]

[edit] Ancient nuclear reactor theory

George Sassoon and Rodney Dale proposed that the arc of the covenant contained a nuclear reactor. The Ancient of Days described in Exodus was a device that stored algae; the manna that the Israelites ate to survive. The arc ran for 6 days but required the seventh day to rest; proposed to be the origin of the Sabbath. [3]

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. Jesus, as God with a material body, obviously does not count for some really odd reasons.
  2. Jewish Virtual Library: The Lost Ark of the Covenant by David Shyovitz
  3. George Sassoon, Rodney Dale, The Manna Machine
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Community
Tools
support