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Monday, July 16, 2007
The Ark of the Covenant was designed as a chest - vessel - box - or container.
It was allegedly the chest in which Moses placed the Ten Commandments.
There is only a brief mention of the Ark of the Covenant in the Qur'an
"The sign of his kingship is that the Ark of the Covenant will be restored to you, bringing assurances from your Lord, and relics left by the people of Moses and the people of Aaron. It will be carried by the angels. This should be a convincing sign for you, if you are really believers."- Al Baqara Verse 248
According to some Muslim scholars, the Ark of the Covenant does not have a religious basis in Islam and Islam does not give it any special significance.When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and plundered the temple, the Ark enters the domain of legend. Historians suppose the ark was probably taken away by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed. Variant traditions include
1. The intentional concealment of the Ark under the Temple Mount at the Al Aqsa Mosque
2. The removal of the Ark from Jerusalem in advance of the Babylonians (this variant usually ends up with the Ark in Ethiopia ),
3. The removal ofthe Ark by the Ethiopian prince Menelik I (purported son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
4. Rremoval by Jewish priests during the reign of Manasseh
5. The miraculous removal of the Ark by divine intervention
Today, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Axum, Ethiopia claims to still possess the Ark of the Covenant. Local tradition maintains that it was brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I following a visit to his father King Solomon.
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