What and where is the Ark of the Covenant?

Essay by shockenberryCollege, UndergraduateA+, November 2003

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The Ark of the Covenant is a container that was constructed by a man named Bezalel. It was created out of a form of wood that is interminable and covered with gold. Four gold rings were placed on the Ark, in which two rods of wood covered in gold were placed, to carry the item with. On the top of the Ark, there were two gold angels facing each other. It has been said that amid the two angels is where God talked to Moses.

It is said that God commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle and to place the two sets of the Ten Commandments inside of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was part of the Tabernacle, which was a temple that could be moved around the desert. The center of the Tabernacle is called the Holy of Holies and is where the Ark was to be placed.

The only person allowed to enter the Holy of Holies was the high priest on the Day of Atonement. He would enter with the sacrificial blood of a goat and repent for the sins of the people of Israel.

King David brought the Ark to Jerusalem where his son, Solomon, built the first Temple. The Babylonians destroyed the temple during their conquest and the Ark has not been seen since.

For centuries people have been searching for the lost Ark. There have been claims that the Ark is in Utah, Ireland, or perhaps in a cave near the Dead Sea.

Many believe the Ark is in Axum, Ethiopia. There is a small church named Saint Mary of Zion, which for centuries has fiercely guarded an unknown religious relic inside. A monk known as the 'Keeper of the Ark' is the only person allowed to view the Ark...