Joseph, or Imhotep?

May 23, 2023

In recent times some historians, Bible scholars, and even a few Egyptologists have proposed the theory that the character of Joseph as found in the Old Testament is in fact the ancient Egyptian architect and polymath Imhotep. Just as Joseph rose to second in command over all the land of Egypt, so too was Imhotep elevated to such an honor. Though there are elements to this comparison that may not hold water, it is still a fascinating parallel that deserves further study. That being said, may we gaze with a discerning eye and an open mind as we compare Joseph with Imhotep.

As every modern day Egyptologist will tell you, Imhotep’s mummy has never been found. And as every modern day Bible scholar will tell you, the bones of Joseph left Egypt along with the children of Israel during the time of the Exodus. For it is written: “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.” (Exodus 13:19). So, according to the Bible the mummy of Joseph did not remain in Egypt, but was taken into the promised land through the efforts of the prophet Moses during the Exodus. So, since Joseph’s mummy was taken out of Egypt and the fact that Imhotep’s mummy has never been found, then this could be evidence that the Biblical Joseph and the Egyptian Imhotep are one and the same person.

Most Bible scholars place the date of the Exodus at around 1,200 BC, during the reign of Ramses II. However, according to the Bible the date of the Exodus is pointed out to have happened around 1,440 BC. For in I Kings 6:1 we are told that, “…It came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the forth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.” The conventional dates of Solomon’s reign are roughly 970 to 930 BC. So if the fourth year of Solomon’s reign was in 966 BC, then according to the time frame given in I Kings 6:1, the date of the Exodus would be approximately 1,446 years before the birth of Christ.

The Bible also tells us how long the children of Israel stayed in Egypt, after the seventy souls came down from Canaan land and settled in the land of Egypt during the time of Joseph. “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.” (Exodus 12:40). When adding the date of when the children of Israel left the land of Egypt, to the date of when the children of Israel settled in Egypt, we come to the year 1,876 BC as the date when Joseph and his family settled on the banks of the Nile. However, according to historians and other scholars Imhotep lived nearly a thousand years before Joseph in the late 27th century BC, or around the years 2,686 BC and 2,648 BC, during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser.

The Egyptian priest and historian Manetho, who lived in the third century BC during the Hellenistic period, wrote thus of Imhotep, “During Djoser’s reign, there lived a man named Imhotep who had the reputation of the Greek god of medicine and who influenced the art of building with hewn stone.” So here we see that Imhotep was a man of many talents, what we would call today a Renaissance Man. By scanning the scriptures it would seem that Joseph too was multi-talented. According to the Bible Joseph was very responsible, could interpret dreams, and was a master in business administration, very much the same as Imhotep.

The many legends concerning Imhotep and all of his grand abilities, led many to believe that the man Imhotep was simply a mythical character. However, in the 20th century archaeologists excavating at Pharaoh Djoser’s pyramid complex discovered the base of a statue with the name Djoser on it as well as the name Imhotep. Along with Imhotep’s name the inscription included a long list of titles. One such title read thus: “Imhotep, chief after the king.” This title of vizier first appears in Egypt with Imhotep and was also the title bestowed upon Joseph. Imhotep was also the architect of Pharaoh Djoser’s step pyramid and it’s surrounding complex. Built on the plateau of Saqqara, this step pyramid designed by Imhotep is believed to be the first Egyptian pyramid ever built.

Standing side by side, Joseph and Imhotep do indeed share similarities, but chronologically speaking they are separated by centuries. Interestingly, in Upper Egypt there stands what is known as the Famine Stela, which dates back to the Ptolemaic period (305 – 30 BC). The stela bears the inscription of a famine which lasted for seven years during the reign of Djoser. Imhotep is also credited with having been instrumental in ending the famine, just as the Biblical Joseph saved Egypt from a famine that lasted for seven years. Though it may be difficult to confirm with certainty that Joseph and Imhotep are the same person, the parallels between the two are truly interesting to say the least. However, the argument to support the theory that Joseph and Imhotep are the same person is a cold case. But what is fair to say is that the life of Joseph is a mystery of the Bible, and the life of Imhotep is a mystery of history.

 

References:

Osman, A. The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt. (Rochester, Vermont: Bear & Company, 2003).

Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).

Constantinople, The Third World War, And The Sleeping King

April 11, 2024

For all of us living in the modern world I believe it is safe to say that we are indeed living in an era of wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6). The twentieth century alone brought us World Wars One and Two, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and numerous other bloody battles scattered throughout the planet. And no sooner did we enter the twenty-first century when the events of September 11, 2001 prompted the United States to invade Afghanistan soon afterwards. Then we saw the United States government continue to expand their war on terror by invading Iraq in 2003. Since the early 2000’s we have been overwhelmed by wars and rumors of wars in the worldwide geopolitical landscape. It would seem as if all of these minor and sometimes major conflicts have been building up to a war that would dwarf any known confrontation the world has ever witnessed. And this mother of all wars would be none other than World War Three. The purpose of this work is an attempt to shed light on an Orthodox Christian prophecy concerning the third world war and the events leading up to, and following this global catastrophe.

Over the centuries there has come down to the Greek Orthodox Christians a series of prophecies concerning the Turkish people and the future liberation of Greeks from the yoke of Turkish oppression. For the people who make up the ethnic majority in the country that we know today as the Republic of Turkey are not the original inhabitants of this land. For beginning in the 11th century AD, the Seljuk Turks of Central Asia made there way through the Steppes and started conquering the territories of the Middle East and eventually made there way into the borders of the Christian Byzantine Empire. With the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453 AD, the territories of the Byzantine Empire would be absorbed into what would be known as the Ottoman Empire. In the years that followed many Orthodox Saints prophesied that God would one day deliver the Christian Greeks from the Turkish Muslims. One such sign to herald the Lord’s deliverance would be the resurrection of a former emperor of Byzantium known as “The Sleeping King” who would not only liberate the Greeks, but would rule the entire world and usher in a period of world peace and ignite a global renaissance giving all nations a chance to hear the Orthodox Gospel prior to the coming of the Anti-Christ.

In addition to the Greek Orthodox prophecies concerning the Sleeping King, the prophecies also reveal that the third world war will be initiated by a Turkish invasion into Greek territory. However, though the Turkish aim will be focused on an assault against the whole of Greece, only a few of the Greek islands will be annexed, leaving the rest of the mainland unmolested. Greece will be protected from the fighting, but God will allow the Greeks to suffer with hunger and starvation. Also, after Turkey invades Greece, Russia will come to the aid of the Greek nation and will fight the Turks heavily by bombarding Turkey with the majority of Russia’s arsenals and her military power. In the aftermath of this great conflict the prophecy states that one third of the Turks will perish in the war, one third of the Turks will retreat into the depths of Asia, and that one third of the Turks will become Orthodox Christians.

Although these prophecies are found written within the corpus of Orthodox Christian theology, some Greek Fathers (as well as laity) are not fully convinced as to the validity of such claims. Weather we should hold to these prophecies as the Word of God is debatable, considering how many of the events described may not line up with scripture. Amazingly there is also a Muslim prophecy which foretells the conquest of Constantinople, but by a Muslim army and of an event much like world war three, or as it is called in Arabic, the “Malhama.” Going further it has been recently suggested, by at least one Muslim scholar, that even though the name Constantinople is not found written in the Qur’an, the Islamic holy book does indeed describe a town that in many ways resembles the city of Constantine.

In verse 163 in the seventh chapter of the Qur’an a certain town is mentioned and is described as being a city by the sea, but the name of this city is unidentified. However, what the Qur’an does say is that the people of this town violated the Sabbath, which eventually kindled the wrath of God. For during the Sabbath day an abundance of fish would be clearly visible to the town’s inhabitants, but on other days the fish were not seen. In this way God tested the people in order to prove their faithfulness to Him and to His commandments. Though the whereabouts of this town and it’s people are not clearly presented in the Qur’an, there is at least some Islamic scholarship out there that attempts to clarify this ambiguity. For according to the research done by Skeikh Imran Husein, a Muslim scholar and an expert in Islamic eschatology, this unnamed town described in the Qur’an as a city by the sea is none other than the ancient Byzantine Christian city of Constantinople.

In Islamic eschatology a major sign of the end of the world would be the conquest of Constantinople by a Muslim army. According to Skeikh Imran Husein, the Turks believed that the prophecy was fulfilled in 1453 AD when the Ottomans conquered the great city. That is why the Turks changed the name to Istanbul – nullifying any Muslim prophecy concerning a city named Constantinople. For in the scriptures of Islam which are separate from the Qur’an and are known as the Hadiths, Mohammad is attributed with making the prophecy concerning Constantinople. However, in Islam it is forbidden to change or deny a Sunnah by Mohammad. So, for the Muslim Turks to deny the use of a name spoken by Mohammad, or to replace it with another name would be in direct violation to the teachings of Mohammad.

In the folklore of Greek Orthodox Christianity it has been said that when the Ottoman army was approaching Constantinople the Turkish Sultan looked up and saw hovering over the city what appeared to be a man’s hand with all five fingers clearly visible. Though barbaric, the Turks did have respect for the supernatural which prompted the Turkish leader to ask a Christian priest what this sign in the heavens meant. The priest responded by saying that if there were but five true Orthodox Christians dwelling in Constantinople God would preserve the city and prevent the Turks from taking it. As we know the Muslim Turks did take the Christian city, meaning that just like Sodom and Gomorrah there were none righteous abiding in Constantinople prior to it’s Turkish assault.

Even though the Church is the body of Christ and the apple of His eye, the Lord still sends forth judgments unto His people when they begin to drift away from His statutes and digress into apostasy. Just as the God of Israel permitted the destruction of the Temple in the Old Testament due to the sins of the people, so also does the risen Jesus correct His followers in the era of the New Testament when they transgress His law. For as the Lord hath spoken in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” Just because the Christians of Constantinople where members of the one true faith, which was first preached by the Apostles and then handed down unto the Fathers, their baptism into the Orthodox Church was not enough to exempt them from God’s vengeance, especially since they in turn did not preserve their baptism by living an active spiritual life in obedience to Christ’s commandments.

In conclusion, whether or not the Greek or Islamic prophecies concerning the future of Constantinople and the events of world war three are genuine prophecies, I do believe that the most infallible writings concerning the end times are found written in the Bible. The book of Revelation unfolds the passages of history, both past and future events, but in a cryptic fashion. Also, Revelation warns us about adding to or taking away from the words of the prophecy, for by doing so we bring upon ourselves utter destruction (Revelation 22:19). So when studying eschatology we must be very careful about not falling into delusion and from coming up with our own interpretations of prophecy, which in fact may be uninspired.

 

References:

Hosein, I.N. Constantinople in the Qur’an. (San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago: INH Publications, 2018).

Kinross, L. The Ottoman Centuries. (New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 1977).

Maulana Muhammad Ali. The Holy Qur’an with English Translation and Commentary.(Dublin, Ohio: Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha’at Islam Lahore Inc., 2002).

Norwich, J.J. A Short History of Byzantium. (New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1999).

Valavanis, G.D. The Marble Emperor: Saint Ioannis Vatatzis. (Larissa, Greece: Koutoulas K. Nikolaos, 2008).

Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).

The Twelve Princes of Ishmael

May 23, 2023

As it is commonly known, there were twelve tribes of Israel as outlined in the Bible. These tribes were begotten of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was Abraham’s second son, who was also the child of promise. But what is not as commonly known is that there were also twelve tribes of Ishmael, Abraham’s first son who was birthed by Hagar, who was the handmaid of Abraham’s wife Sarah. Though a rift would come between Sarah and Hagar over Ishmael, the Lord God did indeed bless Ishmael and promised to make him into a great nation. For God spoke unto Hagar and said, “And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.” (Genesis 17:20). Let us turn now and venture farther into these passages concerning Ishmael and his twelve sons, whom were also known as princes according to their nations.

“Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham: And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.” (Genesis 25:12-16). These twelve tribes or nations of Ishmael would go on to populate what we know today as the territories of the Middle East, and these nations of Ishmael are believed to be the Arabs. Additionally, the Bible states that the descendants of Ishmael would be princes, signifying royalty. For a great nation which Ishmael birthed, and to whom God blessed, would need a king or kings to rule over them. Hence the twelve tribes of Ishmael were of a royal stock, making the Arabs a kingly people.

The character of Ishmael as stated in the Bible is that of a fighter and of an unruly personality. For as the angel of the Lord spoke unto Hagar concerning her son said, “…he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” (Genesis 16:12). This description of Ishmael, and his descendants the Arab peoples, may sound derogatory and biased, but further along the children of Israel would be called a stiff necked people by God himself. For it is written: “And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people.” (Exodus 32:9). For even though the children of Israel were the descendants of Isaac the child of promise, they too had their issues and the Lord dealt with them harshly and chastised them. For as the Bible says, God is without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:17).

St. Paul, when comparing the law of Moses to the grace which is in Christ Jesus, mentions the two sons of Abraham; Isaac and Ishmael. The Apostle signifies the Mosaic law as representing Ishmael, who was the son of a bondwoman and reveals that Christians are heirs of Isaac, who was the child of promise. Paul then explains that Christians have been set free from the bondage of sin and are not under the law, but are under the grace of God. St. Paul speaks: For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise…Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. (Galatians 4:22,23,30,31).

Again, though Ishmael was born from a bondwoman, the Lord did indeed bestow much mercy towards him. Even before he was born Ishmael received a blessing from God. For after Abraham’s wife Sarah treated Hagar with disdain, she fled from Sarah’s face into the wilderness. It was there that the angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar and said thus, “…I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.” (Genesis 16:10,11). So here we see that even though Ishmael did not receive the covenant that God would establish through his half brother Isaac, Ishmael and his descendants did receive a blessing and a promise from God. Now there was some sibling rivalry between the two brothers Isaac and Ishmael, but these feelings were put aside after their father Abraham died, for both Isaac and Ishmael buried their father Abraham in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 25:9).

In modern times we continue to witness the twelve princes of Ishmael (the Arabs) and the twelve tribes of Israel (the Jews) fighting in this age old struggle which began nearly 4,000 year ago. From the time when Ishmael mocked his infant brother Isaac after he was weaned, to the Israeli victory over the Arabs during the Six-Day War in 1967, to the victory of the Lebanese over the Jews in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, tensions are still as intense as ever. However, these conflicts are not solely between Arabs and Jews, for there is much infighting between the various tribes of Ishmael or Arab peoples. Whatever the differences may be between the brothers, they all have one thing in common and that would be the struggle for power and the use of politics to achieve that goal. As the saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Hostilities build up and then simmer back down, only for tensions to rise once again until another war breaks out. Now after the passage of time and rebuilding, policies are written and the brothers get together in the hopes of deterring another conflict, but the resentment held between each party remains. As it is said in the Middle East, “we forgive, but we don’t forget.”

Dating The Exodus

May 23, 2023

The purpose of this work is to come to a conclusion as to when the Exodus occurred. We may not come to a definitive answer, but searching for the truth may just be the entire point. Both the late and early dates of the Exodus will be examined and backed up with historical records as well as the Bible. So let us begin and discern if we can the mysteries surrounding the date of the Exodus.

The Victory Stele of Merneptah, better known as the Merneptah Stele, is a stone relief commissioned by the Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah who reigned from 1213 – 1203 BC during the era of the 19th dynasty. The stele was discovered by Flinders Petrie in 1896 at Thebes, and is now housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The Merneptah Stele is dated to about the year 1205 BC and among it’s many lines of hieroglyphics, the name Israel is found. The majority of the inscription speaks of Merneptah’s military victories, like those over the Libyans for example, but the last two lines mention a campaign in Canaan where is says that Merneptah defeated Israel. The inscription reads thus, “Israel is laid waste, his seed is no more.” And this inscription is the fist mention of Israel outside of the Bible.

Now even though the late date of the Exodus is placed at about 1270 BC and the Merneptah Stele dates back to around 1205 BC, there could still be a continuity in time for the late date for the Exodus given that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years prior to their settlement in Canaan. So, if we subtract 40 from 1270, then we come to the year 1230 BC for an Israelite conquest of Canaan. Giving Israel the time to settle and to build up their armed forces, then 25 years after the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, Merneptah could very well have come against Israel close to the year 1205 BC, of which time the Merneptah Stele was then engraved.

Now if the Exodus took place around the year 1270 BC, then that would place the identity of the pharaoh who ruled over Egypt at that time to be Ramesses II, also known as “Ramesses the Great” who reigned from 1279 – 1213 BC. Interestingly, in our modern day popular culture Ramesses is the chosen pharaoh for the date of the Exodus, which is seen in such movies as Cecil B. DeMille’s classic The Ten Commandments (1956), and even in the animated film The Prince of Egypt (1998). However, in the Biblical narrative the name of the pharaoh of the Exodus is not given. The Bible simply says, “Pharaoh king of Egypt”, but with no personal name attached to that royal title. Now the name Rameses is mentioned in the book of Exodus, but not after a person. Instead Rameses is mentioned as a city located in the northeastern part of the Egyptian delta, not far from Goshen, the district in which the Hebrews lived. And even though the personal name of the pharaoh of the Exodus is not given, the late date theory of the Exodus paralleled with recorded history would place Ramesses II as that pharaoh. So, now that the late date theory of the Exodus has been explored and a case built up for it’s credibility, let us now examine the possibility for an early date of the Exodus.

According to the Bible the Exodus occurred in the mid-15th century BC. For in I Kings 6:1 we read: “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.” So here the Bible tells us that the Exodus took place 480 years prior to king Solomon’s initial construction of the temple. Now Solomon ascended the throne in the year 970 BC, and if we subtract 4 years from his ascension to when he began to build the temple we come to the year 966 BC. Also, when adding 480 years to 966 BC we arrive at the year 1446 BC to be the official date of the Exodus as outlined in the Bible.

In addition to the Bible giving credence to the early date of the Exodus, an ancient Egyptian artifact dating to the mid-14th century BC, may also back up the claim for an early date of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. This artifact is called, “The Israel Berlin Statue Pedestal Relief,” better known as the Berlin Pedestal. What is so significant about this artifact is that on the base of the statue there are three name rings which list the three enemies Pharaoh defeated in the territories of Canaan. One of the name rings is partially broken away, but has been reconstructed and it is the name Israel. So given that the Berlin Pedestal dates to around 1350 BC, then this would help to back up the theory of an early date of the Exodus as stated in the Bible. If the Israelites came out of Egypt in 1446 BC then about one hundred years later the children of Israel would have been well settled in the promised land. If there was no Israelite settlement in Canaan before 1350 BC then Pharaoh would not have had any reason to proclaim a victory over them, because at this time Israel would not have yet existed. But when taking into account of the dating of the Berlin Pedestal at 1350 BC, then we see evidence of an Israelite presence in Canaan well before the late date theory. Now that we have built a case in favor of the early date theory of when the Exodus took place, let us look at one last clue that would also support the Exodus taking place in the mid-15th century BC.

According to an Egyptian text known as the Tulli Papyrus, dating from the reign of Tuthmosis III, the text relates how a disk of fire came down from the sky over the land of Egypt. This “disk of fire” appeared over Egypt during the 22nd year of Tuthmosis III’s reign over Egypt, which brings us to the date of 1486 BC for this epic anomaly. What is even more astounding is that when subtracting 1446 BC (the year of the early date of the Exodus) from 1486 BC we come to a figure of 40 years, the same amount of time that the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness before they entered the promised land. Going further, if the Bible means that the 480 years after the children of Israel came out of Egypt was dated to when they entered the land of promise, then this time-line fits perfectly with both the Biblical and historical narratives.

Returning to the disk of fire that came down over Egypt in 1486 BC, and when comparing this celestial event to the pillar of fire that came down over Egypt during the Exodus as mentioned in the Bible, we see an uncanny parallel. Now to the scientific historical view the disk of fire was most likely a comet, but from a Biblical perspective it was the supernatural pillar of fire as mentioned in Exodus 14:24, where it says that the Lord looked through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians. Now according to the research of the British author Graham Phillips this comet, or disk of fire was very large and had ten tails, and was possibly witnessed by other surrounding nations. Now this may be a stretch, but if this fiery comet with ten tails was really the presence of God on earth then each tail could represent the ten commandments and the ten fingers of God which wrote those ten commandments on tables of stone.

After testing and examining the two possible dates of the Exodus (the late and early date theories) I would personally veer towards the early date theory as being a more accurate date for the Exodus. In my opinion there is much more historical, Biblical, and scientific research to support the Exodus taking place in the mid-15th century BC rather than the mid-13th century BC. Though the early date theory is not completely air tight, I would still say that it indeed holds much more water when compared to the late date theory of the Exodus. From the Berlin Pedestal, to the Tulli Papyrus, and even from within the pages of the Holy Bible itself we see a strong argument for dating the Exodus to the early date of 1446 BC. This work has been a short expose of events and time-frames that demand much more research and testing if we are to possibly come to a conclusion as to when the Exodus took place. That being said let us continue to seek the truth, and in so doing may the Spirit of Truth guide us into all truth.

 

References:

Phillips, G. The End of Eden: The Comet That Changed Civilization. (Rochester, Vermont: Bear & Company, 2007).

Is the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia or Jerusalem?

May 23, 2023

Since its disappearance more than 2,500 years ago, the ark of the covenant could arguably be the most sought after artifact in the history of the world. We know from scripture that it was built during the time of the wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness around 1,440 BC, but after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC it disappears from the Biblical narrative. Was the ark of the covenant spirited away from the temple by prophet Jeremiah during the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, or did the ark really end up in Ethiopia as a result of King Solomon’s relationship with the Queen of Sheba? The origins of these theories are found in the apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees, and also in the Ethiopian holy book the Kebra Nagast. However, though the Kebra Nagast gives an account of the events from Antiquity, it was written nearly 2,000 years later in the 14th– century AD. So too are the books of the Maccabees doubted to be the inspired word of God. That being said may we study with a discerning eye as we go in search of the lost ark of the covenant.

According to 2 Maccabees 2:4, “…the prophet [Jeremiah], having received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God.” This mountain where Moses had gone up is identified in Deuteronomy 32:49 as, “…mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho.” Today the acknowledged site of the Biblical mount Nebo is located in the country of Jordan, situated due east from the most northerly tip of the Dead Sea. When comparing the locations of Jerusalem and mount Nebo from a geographical standpoint the distance is quite far, not to mention the rocky terrain which makes travel more difficult and arduous, especially when carrying temple furniture such as the ark of the covenant and other items. So if Jeremiah did indeed take the ark before the Babylonians destroyed the Temple then its location could be much closer to Jerusalem, or even possibly buried somewhere beneath the Holy City.

Another theory as to the whereabouts of the lost ark, relates that the ark has come to rest in the highlands of northern Ethiopia in the holy city of Axum. To this day a single priest guards the ark which is housed in the church of St. Mary of Zion. The duty of guarding the ark lasts for as long as the priest lives, as he is never allowed to ever leave the shrine. The story of how the ark ended up in Ethiopia is found in an ancient Ethiopian religious text known as the Kebra Nagast. The Kebra Nagast goes into great detail of how king Solomon seduced the Queen of Sheba, and how a son was born from their relationship. Eventually Solomon’s son, whose name was Menelik, travels to Jerusalem to visit his father. On Menelik’s return to Ethiopia the ark of the covenant also came with him, along with many of the Levites in order to establish the worship of the One True God in Ethiopia just as the LORD was worshiped in Jerusalem.

In recent years a claim has been made that the ark has indeed been found, hidden in a subterranean chamber located just outside of the walls of Jerusalem. The man who made the claim of discovering the lost ark was the late American archaeologist Ron Wyatt. Ron claimed that in January 1982, while excavating in the tunnels underneath Jerusalem, he broke into a chamber that contained the table of showbread, Goliath’s sword, and a stone box with the ark of the covenant inside of it. For several years after this initial discovery, Ron traveled to Jerusalem repeatedly to work on excavating the Garden Tomb area. On one such visit Ron said that as he entered the chamber that housed the ark, he was met by four angels who spoke to him of things concerning the Ten Commandments and the Mark of the Beast. Over the years many have believed Ron’s claims and many more have been critical of his discoveries. However, in 1999 while on his deathbed Mr. Wyatt continued to proclaim his findings and did not retract any of his claims concerning his work on the lost ark.

From the claims of Ron Wyatt and with what we see concerning the ark in the apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees, a possible solution as to where the ark is located may be found. From 2 Maccabees 2:5 we see that, “Jeremiah came and found a cave-dwelling, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the alter of incense; then he sealed up the entrance.” This verse from 2 Maccabees paints a very similar scenario as to what Ron Wyatt claimed about a sealed chamber that had golden furniture inside, not least of all the ark of the covenant. But the fact that the cave’s location according to 2 Maccabees doesn’t match with Ron’s discoveries could back up why the books of the Maccabees are doubted to be the inspired word of God, and thus labeled as apocrypha. Ron Wyatt’s claims could also be considered as doubtful, since Ron was the only person who entered the chamber, leaving his findings without a witness.

In conclusion we see that the claims as to the whereabouts of the ark are varied, with not much physical evidence to back up these traditions. Whether the ark is in Jerusalem, Ethiopia, or even in a cave somewhere in Jordan, the fact that it has remained hidden for over 2,000 years demonstrates how much the Lord is protecting this most holy object, waiting until the right time to reveal it to the world. And that revelation may not come until the end of this age, with God Himself providing the revelation. For in the book of Revelation the ark is mentioned at the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and rewards given to the prophets, and to the saints. And after these things the Bible says that, “…the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” (Revelation 11:19). So to be exactly sure as to where the ark rests, we will just have to wait until the Kingdom comes.

 

References:

Barker, M. The Gate of Heaven. (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2008).

Bowen, J. The Ark Secret. (Denton, NC: Barnes Printing, 2016).

Brooks, M.F. Kebra Nagast. (Kingston, Jamaica: LMH Publishing Limited, 2001).

Cambridge University Press. The Apocrypha, New Revised Standard Version. (Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1992).