Ark of the Covenant: Scam or the real deal?

[Bntleeman]

I must clarify a posting above that pointed out I had identified errors in Graham Hancock's book The Sign and the Seal. My booklet (10 pages, 30 pages of references) Ark of the Covenant: evidence supporting the Ethiopian traditions" (free download from www.scribd.com) agrees that the Ark is in Aksum. I found Graham Hancock's book very entertaining but he was in my opinion incorrect in tracing its path from Palestine to Egypt and down the Nile.

My conclusions are based mostly on the Sheba-Menelik Cycle of the Kebra Nagast which indicates it was written either in between Solomon's reign (ca.925 B.C.) or sometime between then and 640 B.C. because its Torah lacks the Laws of Deuteronomy and the word for the Ark, according to Theodore Noldeke and Chaim Rabin, dates from a word used in Solomon's time. In addition there are Sheban/Sabaean inscriptions in Ethiopia at Adi Kaweh, Wukro, (I am returning there for my sixth visit tomorrow) testifying to the presence there 125 years after Solomon of three queens of Sheba who ruled over a mixed population of "red" Shebans and "black" Hebrew (sic). It is also the alleged gravesite of Queen Yodit of D'MT (died ca.970 A.D.), a pagan-Hebraic or possibly First Temple Israelite monarch.These inscriptions are on incense burners taken from two separate Sheban temples and lend support to the Kebara Nagast claim that a son of Solomon established a successor Israelite state in Ethiopia.

The Sheba Menelik Cycle also has a seemingly nonsensical account of the route taken my Menelik, Solomon’s son, with the stolen Ark, such as “crossing into Ethiopia opposite Mt Sinai. This certainly gives enhances the theory that Ancient Israel and Judah were, until the 586 B.C. Babylonian conquest, in West Arabia not Palestine and had prospered during David’s and Solomon’s reign because Imperial Egypt and Assyria had temporarily withdraw from the area to deal respectively with the Sea Peoples and Aramaean population movements. This allowed a local opportunistic people, probably the Israelites, to grow rich and powerful from taxing the Sheban gold, incense and luxury good caravans. The Falasha (Beta Israel) of Ethiopia appear to have been formed by a mixture of an indigenous Hebrew population augmented by refugees (The Sheban/Sabaean word is Falasha and their holy place is also a Sheban word) most notably from Ancient Israel after the Assyrian conquest of 722 B.C. This explains why the Falasha only knew of the first Temple. Interestingly the Hebrew word for Samaritan, the religion of Ancient Israel, and black person is the same – Kushi. The Sheba-Menelik Cycle is the only document to give a detailed explanation of how the Ark and the high priesthood of Judah disappeared. I was at the Ark sanctuary last week and they are building a new one alongside the old one, which has a leaking roof. Next week I will be giving talk on the Ark to the Orthodox. Seminary in Addis Ababa.

Dr Bernard Leeman
Mekele
Ethiopia

[Porknpie]

Originally Posted by Bntleeman

I must clarify a posting above that pointed out I had identified errors in Graham Hancock's book The Sign and the Seal. My booklet (10 pages, 30 pages of references) Ark of the Covenant: evidence supporting the Ethiopian traditions" (free download from www.scribd.com) agrees that the Ark is in Aksum. I found Graham Hancock's book very entertaining but he was in my opinion incorrect in tracing its path from Palestine to Egypt and down the Nile.

My conclusions are based mostly on the Sheba-Menelik Cycle of the Kebra Nagast which indicates it was written either in between Solomon's reign (ca.925 B.C.) or sometime between then and 640 B.C. because its Torah lacks the Laws of Deuteronomy and the word for the Ark, according to Theodore Noldeke and Chaim Rabin, dates from a word used in Solomon's time. In addition there are Sheban/Sabaean inscriptions in Ethiopia at Adi Kaweh, Wukro, (I am returning there for my sixth visit tomorrow) testifying to the presence there 125 years after Solomon of three queens of Sheba who ruled over a mixed population of "red" Shebans and "black" Hebrew (sic). It is also the alleged gravesite of Queen Yodit of D'MT (died ca.970 A.D.), a pagan-Hebraic or possibly First Temple Israelite monarch.These inscriptions are on incense burners taken from two separate Sheban temples and lend support to the Kebara Nagast claim that a son of Solomon established a successor Israelite state in Ethiopia.

The Sheba Menelik Cycle also has a seemingly nonsensical account of the route taken my Menelik, Solomon’s son, with the stolen Ark, such as “crossing into Ethiopia opposite Mt Sinai. This certainly gives enhances the theory that Ancient Israel and Judah were, until the 586 B.C. Babylonian conquest, in West Arabia not Palestine and had prospered during David’s and Solomon’s reign because Imperial Egypt and Assyria had temporarily withdraw from the area to deal respectively with the Sea Peoples and Aramaean population movements. This allowed a local opportunistic people, probably the Israelites, to grow rich and powerful from taxing the Sheban gold, incense and luxury good caravans. The Falasha (Beta Israel) of Ethiopia appear to have been formed by a mixture of an indigenous Hebrew population augmented by refugees (The Sheban/Sabaean word is Falasha and their holy place is also a Sheban word) most notably from Ancient Israel after the Assyrian conquest of 722 B.C. This explains why the Falasha only knew of the first Temple. Interestingly the Hebrew word for Samaritan, the religion of Ancient Israel, and black person is the same – Kushi. The Sheba-Menelik Cycle is the only document to give a detailed explanation of how the Ark and the high priesthood of Judah disappeared. I was at the Ark sanctuary last week and they are building a new one alongside the old one, which has a leaking roof. Next week I will be giving talk on the Ark to the Orthodox. Seminary in Addis Ababa.

Dr Bernard Leeman
Mekele
Ethiopia

Scripture is clear on where the ark is. No need to follow fables. This is one reason you need to have 73 books in your bible and not 66 ...7 removed by a printing company.

2 Maccabees 2

4 The same document also tells how the prophet, in virtue of an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should accompany him, and how he went to the very mountain that Moses climbed to behold God’s inheritance.
5 When Jeremiah arrived there, he found a chamber in a cave in which he put the tent, the ark, and the altar of incense; then he sealed the entrance.
6 Some of those who followed him came up intending to mark the path, but they could not find it.
7 When Jeremiah heard of this, he reproved them: “The place is to remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows them mercy.
8 Then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will be seen, just as they appeared in the time of Moses and of Solomon when he prayed that the place* might be greatly sanctified.”

Pork n Pie
Midwest
USA

[JP Noel]

QUOTE=Bntleeman;9945805]I must clarify a posting above that pointed out I had identified errors in Graham Hancock's book The Sign and the Seal. My booklet (10 pages, 30 pages of references) Ark of the Covenant: evidence supporting the Ethiopian traditions" (free download from www.scribd.com) agrees that the Ark is in Aksum. I found Graham Hancock's book very entertaining but he was in my opinion incorrect in tracing its path from Palestine to Egypt and down the Nile.

My conclusions are based mostly on the Sheba-Menelik Cycle of the Kebra Nagast which indicates it was written either in between Solomon's reign (ca.925 B.C.) or sometime between then and 640 B.C. because its Torah lacks the Laws of Deuteronomy and the word for the Ark, according to Theodore Noldeke and Chaim Rabin, dates from a word used in Solomon's time. In addition there are Sheban/Sabaean inscriptions in Ethiopia at Adi Kaweh, Wukro, (I am returning there for my sixth visit tomorrow) testifying to the presence there 125 years after Solomon of three queens of Sheba who ruled over a mixed population of "red" Shebans and "black" Hebrew (sic). It is also the alleged gravesite of Queen Yodit of D'MT (died ca.970 A.D.), a pagan-Hebraic or possibly First Temple Israelite monarch.These inscriptions are on incense burners taken from two separate Sheban temples and lend support to the Kebara Nagast claim that a son of Solomon established a successor Israelite state in Ethiopia.

The Sheba Menelik Cycle also has a seemingly nonsensical account of the route taken my Menelik, Solomon’s son, with the stolen Ark, such as “crossing into Ethiopia opposite Mt Sinai. This certainly gives enhances the theory that Ancient Israel and Judah were, until the 586 B.C. Babylonian conquest, in West Arabia not Palestine and had prospered during David’s and Solomon’s reign because Imperial Egypt and Assyria had temporarily withdraw from the area to deal respectively with the Sea Peoples and Aramaean population movements. This allowed a local opportunistic people, probably the Israelites, to grow rich and powerful from taxing the Sheban gold, incense and luxury good caravans. The Falasha (Beta Israel) of Ethiopia appear to have been formed by a mixture of an indigenous Hebrew population augmented by refugees (The Sheban/Sabaean word is Falasha and their holy place is also a Sheban word) most notably from Ancient Israel after the Assyrian conquest of 722 B.C. This explains why the Falasha only knew of the first Temple. Interestingly the Hebrew word for Samaritan, the religion of Ancient Israel, and black person is the same – Kushi. The Sheba-Menelik Cycle is the only document to give a detailed explanation of how the Ark and the high priesthood of Judah disappeared. I was at the Ark sanctuary last week and they are building a new one alongside the old one, which has a leaking roof. Next week I will be giving talk on the Ark to the Orthodox. Seminary in Addis Ababa.

Dr Bernard Leeman
Mekele
Ethiopia[/quote]

Greetings Dr. Leeman,

Good to see another religious intellect swimming around in here. Should you get a chance, I would like you to please contact me, I have some research you might find rather unusually interesting regarding the Ark of the Covenant.

Safe travels, look forward to communicating with you.

JP Noel

The St. Croix Ark

As too a previous poster asking me to provide examples of Christian groups who discount the Arks existence - I'll even go one step beyond that - here is a group who not only "questions" the the Ark of the Covenant, but the very Temple it was placed in . . .

My curiosity lies with why many newer Christian groups who are basically shape-shifting the traditional meaning and the historical importance of the Bible (both old and new) with their "new age" interpretation of the old and new testament. Its almost as if the more esoteric and complex these priests make their new age sermons, the more believable they (think) they are. HERE

Someday, I believe the Ark will be found, and more importantly, it's contents. I wonder what impact the discovery will have on the "the Jewish Temple and it's contents is really all about Jesus" crowd?

I guess the good news is; with the way things are going these days, we aren't going to wait very long for the answer to come