Raiders of The Lost Ark is one of the most iconic films of all time. Released on June 12, 1981, the Movie features Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones competing with the Nazis to find the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest described in the Bible as a powerful religious artifact in ancient Israelite culture.
This Steven Spielberg classic brought back the mystery of this sacred artifact to the mainstream, but the legend behind it is filled with mysticism. Legend has it that it was designed according to divine instructions given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Despite the movie centering over the Ark of the Covenant, in the film, it is nothing more than a McGuffin, a plot device meant to drive the story forward. The Ark does not contain the power to melt people’s faces, it most likely wasn’t hidden in Egypt, and there has never been definitive physical evidence proving its existence.
And despite the Nazi obsession with occult artifacts, like Thor’s hammer, and the Holy Grail, there is no evidence that the Nazis ever searched specifically for the Ark of the Covenant.
It is also said that the Ark of the Covenant contained the Tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod, which budded as a sign of his priestly authority, and a golden jar containing manna. This food was miraculously provided to the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt.
Where was the Ark of the Covenant last seen?
Moses led the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, detailed in the Bible in Exodus 25-40. At its construction, the Israelites were in the midst of their 40-year journey through the wilderness. Thus when it was first constructed, the Ark of the Covenant was kept inside the portable Tabernacle in the Holy of Holies.
However, once the Israelites settled in Canaan, the Ark and the Tabernacle were established at Shiloh. They remained there for many years and became a crucial worship location, around the early 12th century BCE.
Notre Dame before the fire. The Ark of the Covenant is carried across the Jordan. #NotreDameDeParis pic.twitter.com/hEZ4W69AYu
— Mark Werling (@MarkWerling5) December 7, 2024
The Ark of the Covenant remained there until Shiloh was captured by the Philistines, in a battle at Ebenezer. Around 1000 BCE, King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem, where the Ark was placed in the temple’s Holy of Holies. However, the Ark of the Covenant’s last mention in the Bible was in the dedication of Solomon’s temple, and its disappearance remains a mystery to this day.
How did the Ark disappear?
The disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant remains one of history’s most well-known mysteries. Despite no one knowing where the Ark is, several theories might explain its disappearance.
The most widely accepted of these theories is that the Ark of the Covenant was lost during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. The Babylonians destroyed the First Temple, which was built by King Solomon, and where the Ark was placed. The sacred texts don’t explicitly explain what happened to the Ark, but it is widely believed it was destroyed, or captured by the Babylonians.
Although conclusive evidence has never been found to determine the Ark’s whereabouts, many theories have been sparked about the Ark’s location. For instance, some believe the Ark of the Covenant was hidden in Jerusalem before the Babylonian siege, meaning the Ark still remains hidden somewhere there.
Another far less exciting theory suggests that the Ark was taken to Babylon but the Babylonians wouldn’t have given it much value to it.
The most interesting theory, however, is that the Ark of the Covenant is hidden in Ethiopia. This theory states that the Ark was brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I, son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. In fact, according to Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia, the Ark of the Covenant is currently at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum.
What makes Ethiopian Christianity unique is the belief that #Ethiopia is the New #Zion. The Ark of the Covenant was removed by the son of Zadok the High Priest of Israel, & brought to Ethiopia by Menelik the son of King Solomon; as told in the literary epic, the Glory of Kings. pic.twitter.com/Ugu8XCP7Lu
— Eyob Derillo (@DerilloEyob) May 29, 2020
The final somewhat credible theory is that priests at the First Temple hid the Ark in a secret location. Its real location is only known by a select few, and will not be revealed until the end of time.
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