Unearthing the Mysteries of the Ark - Forbidden History - S03 EP1 - History Documentary

the Ark of the Covenant is described in the book of Exodus as a golden chest containing the tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed it was kept at the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem until 587 BC when it disappeared but where did it go the hunt for the Ark of the Covenant is probably one of the greatest treasure hunts of of all time together the Covenant really is the ultimate treasure Quest and people are still fascinated with that where are we going to find it I think the Ark of the Covenant is still there in Ethiopia New York had three basic uses one that's where you kept the word of God two it's where God lives so as you go into battle it's quite intimidating to be taking god with you three I quote that the Great Line in Indiana Jones it's a telephone to God if this Ark was ever actually seen and could be proved to be the Ark of the Covenant this would be the biggest archaeological find ever it's highly probable but the ark of the covenant could still be around somewhere if only its Hiding Place could be found foreign [Music] [Music] the Ark of the Covenant is a golden chest described in the Bible as containing the tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed as well as Aaron's Rod a jar of manner and the first Torah scroll Moses was given very specific instructions by God on how to build it as he and the Israelites were camped at the foot of Mount Sinai it was to be made of [ __ ] in Wood plated entirely with gold with a solid golden lid bearing two cherubim which were to be placed on top and then two wooden poles were used to carry it [Music] for me one of the the biggest stories about the Ark of the Covenant is how specific the instructions are that Moses was given by God not only for the Tabernacle of where the ark was going to sit but for the ark itself so the Bible is just full of allegory and archetypes broad sweeping stories but here's one that has really specific dimensions the instructions that God gave Moses a particularly detailed both in a dimension and in shape and they go down to the the very nearest centimeter so that following those instructions as we have them in the Bible it would be possible to reconstruct a copy of the Ark which would be indistinguishable from the original there's a very good description of it in the Bible it tells you the size is 150 by 80 by 80. it's covered in Gold it's got four loops on the bottom with poles that are also covered in Gold going through it and some cherubs on the top so we've got a good description of what it looks like now from an archaeological point of view it's the greatest treasure we could ever ever find there was a functional object the idea was he'd come down from Mount Sinai with these these tablets the laws The Ten Commandments on them and they needed to carry them around what do you do and you want to carry something around you make a box so it has the box to put the things in and put in air and staff and they carry it with them very very sensible so I'm quite certain that the story of the Ark of the Covenant does have meaning the question is was it really the magical object that they claim it was and has it survived to the present day [Music] when Solomon's Temple was built in Jerusalem around 800 BC a special Inner Room named the holy of holies was constructed to house the ark and the Ten Commandments which were placed inside [Music] but in 587 BC when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple there's no record of what became of the Ark of the Covenant [Music] as the ark survived to this day and I think it's possible if it was being looked after if it was being left in buried underground perhaps under Jerusalem in one of the flooded tunnels well I think it's very unlikely the wood would have rotted away the gold might still be there to be fed it might still be the angels I have Stones inside it might still be there gold is really resilient now there's no reason why that couldn't have survived to this day granted the wood would have been a bit you know 3 000 year old wood is going to erode but there's still a strong possibility and look what you see in the Cairo museum with all these wood chest coated in Gold it's the same sort of thing and they look damn good today [Music] the Ark of the Covenant really existed as a real historical item we definitely see this from ancient Egypt of boxes that exactly fit the description that we see described in the Bible the actual Arc of the covenant could possibly have survived partly because it's the whole thing is covered in gold and if you want to preserve something the best way to do it cover it in Gold the gold will not degrade in any way so if anything's going to survive from Biblical times it's going to be the Ark of the Covenant [Music] it's one of the greatest mysteries of all time the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant but where is it well perhaps one of the strongest claims is that two and a half thousand years ago it was brought to this country Ethiopia that it remains here today [Music] it's supposed to be everywhere it's supposed to be in Roslyn Chapel it's supposed to be at Rena Le Chateau it was in Egypt all these famous places the amazing thing is that there's every possibility that it could could be in little old Ethiopia all right [Music] foreign [Applause] s claim that Babylon was in fact abyssinia the kingdom of the Queen of Sheba today's Ethiopia and that when they sacked Jerusalem they brought the Ark of the Covenant there for centuries Ethiopian Christians have claimed that the ark does rest in a small Chapel in the northern town of Aksum they say it was brought there thousands of years ago and has been guarded by a succession of monks who once anointed are forbidden to set foot outside the chapel grounds until they die Ethiopian texts the cabrinagas the Queen of Sheba had a son with King Solomon that son was called menelik now when menlick was old enough he went to Jerusalem to visit his father and according to the Cabernet guest whilst he was there he swapped the original Ark of the Covenant with a replica and bought the original here to Ethiopia now it sounds like the script for the Hollywood movie but is it true foreign of the story of Queen Makita the Queen of Sheba who visited Solomon and that they were romantically involved as a result of which Makita found herself pregnant the son that she bore when she had returned to Ethiopia was named menelik which means the son of the wise man and that he when he grew up went to Jerusalem at his father's invitation and was given a replica of the Ark to take home with him however on the way back he discovered from one of his companions that the replica had been left in Jerusalem and that what they were carrying to Ethiopia was the real Arc of the government from Solomon's Temple when the Babylonians were sacking Jerusalem and of course they destroyed Solomon's Temple I think if it was there in the first place that menelik could well have taken it rescued it and taken it first to Egypt and then to Ethiopia I went to meet Ethiopian historian Daniel kibret who's an expert on the ark's history we met in a cafe in the capital Addis Ababa the Covenant is here in Ethiopia so I believe that it's an Ethiopia basically because of a historical document that was written in the 13th century and that was a book called in ethiopic the Cabernet The Glory of Kings so that book says that the Ark of the Covenant was removed from Jerusalem by the son of King Salomon who later became an Ethiopian King and then he brought the ark to Ethiopia and first he placed it in the left hand area in one of the islands then eventually it was taken to Aksum thank you but as far as I'm aware there are replicas of the Ark of the Covenant in all Ethiopian churches yeah there are replicas but what kind of replicas they are not replicas in shape size and materials their replicas symbolically so in forms they differ because the ark that is found in war Church differs in size in shape in material from another church but the arcs that are found in several Church they are believed to perform the same kind of you know activity Miracle whatever that the original Arc of the Covenant performs okay so so these replicas of the Ark they're absolutely vitally important that as important as the actual Arc of the Covenant for the Ethiopian Christians [Music] [Applause] [Music] so there's a very strong belief in the Ark of the Covenant with Christians here definitely all Christians you know since time immemorial you know I believe the Ark of the Covenant is kept in Oxford uh but nobody has said it you know but the even in the absence of a person who has seen it a person who has observed it people believe in it strongly Ethiopian Church possesses one or more symbolic replicas of the Ark of the Covenant they're called tabots and they're paraded on the heads of the priests on special holy days in fact they're just ancient wooden boxes which contain replicas of the Ten Commandments in stone [Music] the British writer Graham Hancock suggests that the ark spent several years in Egypt before being brought down the Nile to Ethiopia where it arrived here on this island in Lake Tana now it spent several hundred years here before finally being moved to Aksum live on Tana kirkhos hasn't changed much for centuries there are a number of priests holy men and other religious figures on the island about 30 men in total and they live completely cut off from modern society no electricity no phones and very little contact with the outside world but when I explained my quest to them they gave me permission to visit the high priest known as Gabriel agreed to show me around [Music] there are a number of houses and other buildings dotted around the small island as well as the main Church which is said to date back several centuries hello and so is the church through here five minutes right okay and this is where the Ark of the Covenant was kept right yeah at one end before Jesus crisis live in this island 800 above 800 gifts for 800 years yeah it was here yeah wow so there were sacrifices here on this island yeah what kind of sacrifices sacrifice ship and the gods sheep and goat sacrifice yeah [ __ ] did good [ __ ] secretaries okay so this is a very holy place here a holy of holy holy of holy the holiest of holy yeah yes really yeah and how long has there been a monastery here wow uh this Monastery in Ethiopia August Monastery the oldest yeah oldest Monastery because this Monastery before Jesus crisis 800 800 years [Music] okay [Laughter] [Laughter] okay you must have some fun times uh this way is this way okay foreign agreed to show me the exact spot where the art was placed and sacrifices were made to it thousands of years ago [Music] okay Mr is this place before Jesus Christ from Jerusalem Israel came from this highland and Lee and put in this area yeah Arc of a covenant this was this was where the Ark of the Covenant was kept yes and right here yeah like is this it one three four five yes so they attached it yes yes so the Ark of the Covenant sat here yes and it was a box what like this big yeah how high yeah big is the fetus in this one big and his feet sat in these grooves oh yes this one this entity is amazing yeah and sacrifice and this is yeah yeah so they The Arc of the camera was here yes and then they sacrificed animals foreign the priest showed me where on the stones the sheep and goats were ritually sacrificed thousands of years ago in front of the Ark [Music] I've read the books I've seen the films but it's pretty amazing to think that I'm standing here where the Ark of the Covenant once was an amazing position with the lake and in front of one of the oldest churches in Africa it is a fascinating story but is it true according to the Bible the ark could be a powerful weapon when it was carried into the River Jordan it said that the waters parted and when the art was paraded around the walls of the city of Jericho they were shaken to the ground the history of the Ark into battle situations or an inadvertent touching of it when it was being carried across the river by a man who meant no harm but was struck dead I think that some of the descriptions might lead us to believe that there were plates of metal rather like a very high powered battery so perhaps if the unlock was technology rather than magic but technology from the Lord alone knows where then it might have been able to give out electric shocks I could imagine if you were carrying an ark out in the sunlight bright sunlight you know in the Middle East you're going to get a high charge on that that Arc and if someone comes out who's who's earthed and touches it he's going to get one hell of an electric shock which could kill him could possibly stop his heart so there could be some truth in that story the priest said that they still had relics from the time that the ark was here on the island which he said had been left by the high priests when it was taken up to Aksum over 2000 years ago today they're locked away in a heavily padlocked storeroom so these items in here came with the ark yeah over 2 000 years ago yes yes there appears to be archaeological evidence to support the oral tradition at the Ark of the Covenant went to Ethiopia to the island at Tana kirkos but in recent times the priests have have shown that they have a breastplate that they claim came with the Ark of the Covenant so they have Jewish artifacts and Relics which if nothing else indicates that relics from Antiquity from the Jewish Community made their way to this remote island in Ethiopia is the first priest sacrifice like built like built this one in the shoulder this one is this is like a like a breast yeah so the priest would have won won this during the during the ceremonies yes yeah and this came with the Ark of the Covenant same time So This is How old uh before Jesus Christ ate above 800 years 800 Years BC BCS wow okay it's very old and this one plants is a bit exactly face so this dish would have been used during the during the ceremony yeah yeah so this collected blood yeah blood in here in here in 18. right and this is made of is it iron bronze yes bronze this this actual Bowl came with The Arc of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Ethiopia yeah so when they are here for Aksum why were these items Left Behind uh there uh without without not uh sacrifice in Christianity okay so no sacrifices because Christianity had already started so this way they weren't needed no part of the story coming from Turner curcos is that the ark was brought there from elephantine and it rested there for centuries before being taken on to Exum now the fact that the other relics are still there it's rather as if an important visitor had come had taken off his hat and coat and had then gone away again leaving the hat and coat behind [Music] so is this the same age as the Ark of the Covenant yes same time yeah and it came with the ark here to the island yes that's incredible wow I thought he'd finish showing me the relics when he disappeared into the back of the Hut and started rummaging around and what he produced was truly unexpected about 18 times wow so this is like a like a trumpet yeah a trumpet and the priest would have the priest would have blown these now I've seen depictions of these the priests yes I would have blown these uh when the ark when the ark arrived that is extraordinary and so this would have come with the Ark of the Covenant from Drew from Jerusalem yeah so this is proper Jewish history right here can I try you can that's not bad it's good huh yeah better than you [Laughter] [Applause] they also had these ancient trumpets and the trumpets that were used of course to to bring down the walls of Jericho so they have the sort of artifacts you would expect to come along from Solomon's Temple into Egypt and back into Ethiopia so it's quite curious indeed and when you're in their presence it is rather convincing [Music] yeah well it wasn't quite sure what to expect coming here but um talking to the priest he was absolutely passionate about it and seeing the sacrificial stones and the relics here and the and the place in the rock where the Ark of the Covenant was kept it's not evident obviously but a fantastic story [Music] the next morning I set off for axon in Ethiopia's Northern Highlands 2 000 years ago this journey would have taken months going up the Nile today it's just a 45 minute flight [Music] thank you Ethiopian Christians claim that the Ark of the Covenant or the tabot as they call it rests in this church of our Lady Mary of Zion here in the small town of Aksum now they claim that the ark arrived here nearly 3 000 years ago and is now guarded by a succession of priests who once sworn in are forbidden to ever leave this compound it really is a fantastic story but is it true I think that there's every possibility that although this Arc of the Covenant is is certainly well over 3000 years old um the fact that it was made of rather hardwood uh gold and all manner of other things wouldn't have rotted away gold wouldn't the Ethiopians claim that they have the real Ark as interesting I mean basically they take it to Aksum in the northern Highlands and build a special purpose church for it it's a nice story there's some archeology that might support it but will we ever know no one's allowed to see it [Music] and it is guarded by a guardian monk one monk that that stays there for life he um is not allowed out of the place he is not allowed to see it himself he he prays to it he's fed in the building and he is the soul the soul guardian of that that amazing Relic [Music] the chief high priest in Aksum agreed to meet with me and tell me why they believed that the real original Arc of the Covenant was here in this sanctuary foreign [Music] [Music] foreign foreign [Music] you have to wonder if the ark is truly an axum because when you look at it what are they guarding they're guarding a tradition they're guarding national pride if they're regarding the greatest Relic on Earth don't you think they'd have more than one bloke standing there looking proud I mean I could storm the Church of Zion and take the Ark of the Covenant I'm sure of it so it's not well protected Westminster Abbey that's protected Church of Zion and axum I think it's they're celebrating a tradition I don't really think they believe they have the Ark in Ethiopia we are told that the the ark now resides in the Church of our Mary of Zion in Aksum and that the guardian who never leaves the church he there he is in front of the church in front of the holy of holies guarding this and nobody else is allowed to see it now maybe nobody else is allowed to see it because it's simply too holy and nobody else is worthy apart from the guardian or maybe nobody else is allowed to see it because it doesn't exist [Music] maybe they actually had a replica of the Ark and maybe they kept replica tablets of stone in it and I can imagine that when the Jews have become you know some kind of persecution going on which happens periodically you know in Egypt they could easily decide they've got to go south head down you know through Sudan and end up in Ethiopia bringing their Ark with them I personally think it's very doubtful that that is the same Arc that Moses had made you know more than a thousand years earlier and put his stones in um but then they should be brought down all the way down to Ethiopia I think that's very unlikely not impossible but very unlikely but I do think they may well have a relic that is old and it looks like an ark and has stones in it with the laws written on them but I think it's a replica [Music] we have the ark housed in this treasury building in this remote area and you know people that have gone and visited have said you know it's not particularly extraordinary if we had an extraordinary box kept in the middle of nowhere wouldn't it be in a more secure or or a grandized place instead of the of just you know guarded by monks in the middle of nowhere so really I find it not very plausible perhaps it was a copy perhaps what they have is an actual artifact that's a copy of the original Ark of the Covenant but the likelihood that it's the original Arc I really find problematic it is still the most holiest and respected object as it is it is the most precious object in history something that has been used by God for the communication of the people between his people and himself the manifestation of God always occurred around the Ark on the 25th of June 2009 the patriarch of the Orthodox Christian Church here in Ethiopia abune paolos announced that he was to reveal the Ark of the Covenant of the outside world however it seems the next day he had changed his mind and said he wasn't going to show it but confirmed that it was to be kept safe and secure here in Aksum [Music] foreign is so strong because every Church in Ethiopia has what's called a tablet which is actually a replica over the Ark of the Covenant or at least the the slabs The Ten Commandments were written on in in every they believe it such an extent that that they parade the through the streets for every religious Festival that they have faith is an amazing thing [Music] is still the most problem and I would not be in the least surprised if at some future date uh those with the expert scientific knowledge to say yay or nay would find that the Ark in Aksum is the one from Solomon's Temple [Music] in order to uncover the real truth behind the mystery of the Ethiopian Ark I tracked down one of the priests in Aksum Michael kabade to ask him a few questions Michael I've spent a long time trying to find the Ark of the Covenant tell me where is the ark the Ark of the Covenant is in here in the blue window right here yes right here and have you seen it huh now only one Monk okay the Arc of the cabinet so only one man is allowed to see it yes can I see it now the fact that in Ethiopia they have probably one of the most famous relics on the planet uh you go to Lincoln Cathedral or you go to Westminster Abbey and you are surrounded by officials by by guides by volunteers you're not allowed to stand there you mustn't touch that and yet they're in Ethiopia there is one guy who probably is very old by now all alone guarding the most sacred Relic on the planet do you really think so I'm not so sure it's a bit like the Grail Keeper in British mythology there's one guardian of the Grail and when he dies another one takes his place and as long as he's the guardian he's not allowed out of the precincts of that church for the rest of his life it does seem the way that it's apparently just stood there rather like a wheelbarrow in a garden shed rather than having any great air of sanctity about it or a great Cordon of Guardsmen surrounding it or a you know Cordon of priests around it we have this one lonely monk who might just as well be guarding a box of spring bulbs in 2009 the patriarch said he was going to reveal the Ark of the Covenant to the world is that true no no no you know at that time of course 2009 in their meeting in the Holiness Paul in Italy the Italian journalist you know translates from English to Italy oh so it was mistranslated yes translation you know never it was never going to be shown yes okay the translation misses but if it's just there behind that curtain yes we could prove now beyond all doubt that it is definitely in there yes if we just had a little look no you could just maybe show me a little no no I told you the beginning nobody is not alone okay have you seen the Sun have I seen the sun yes yes no no no no to see the sun is you know too difficult because I see so seven times the power of the sun seven times yeah oh the Ark of the Covenant is seven times more powerful than the sun yes the biggest problem with the Ethiopian claim is that nobody has seen the ark they say they've got it so where is it they haven't even shown photographs of it they haven't shown their grand people they haven't shown highly Selassie or Mussolini um basically they stand in front of it and say you can't come and look at it it leads one to suspect that actually it does not exist Ethiopian Orthodox church has so far refused to show it to anyone they say that the story about the ark coming to their country is fact and that this little church in Aksum does house the holiest of holy relics which menelik stole from Jerusalem tinga actually wasn't there would undermine over 2 000 years of History the whatever he brought back is here today I believe whatever is brought here not only the Ark of the Covenant everything is kept secret what makes the Ethiopian Church unique is that everything is always kept a secret from the followers the Christians even from the priests too so it might be here not necessarily in action there are so many different theories about the last resting place of the Ark whether it went to Babylon where the Titus took it to Rome whoever conquered Jerusalem was credited with having taken it but of all the possibilities the one that I find most probable is that it rests in axon the big question is is the ark still in Ethiopia or has it gone um there are two theories number one uh the Knights Templar of course in in the 13th century they definitely went to Ethiopia there are definitely crosses Templar crosses on some of the churches and there is a possibility they were certainly looking for something and they may well have taken it with them and it may be in Scotland the other possibility is in the 1970s the Israelis were actually airlifting a lot of the black Jews for Lashes taking them out of the country and they may well have taken something else with them as long as it's a mystery as long as nobody's actually touching it looking at it measuring it carbon dating it doing all the things that would be done by archaeologists if they'd actually had the Ark in their possession then the mystery lives on [Music] truth is it's too late for the Ethiopian Church to retract and say actually it's not here it's part of their annual procession it's embedded in their national pride that's what they're celebrating the tradition that it once could have been there it's too late for them to Pony up and say actually no it's no longer here we really have four possibilities of where the ark of the covenant could be today the first possibility would be that the Babylonians Sac Jerusalem and took it the second possibility would be that the Romans took it when they sacked Jerusalem the third possibility is that the Ark of the Covenant is still under Jerusalem lost under the rubble and bits underneath the the structures of the tunnels and the fourth possibility would be that it's in Ethiopia if only we could get permission scientists with modern equipment carbon dating items Etc to look at the object in axum I think we would be able to verify at least the age and the constituents of that mysterious box [Music] oh [Music] so is the Ark of the Covenant really here in the highlands of Ethiopia well the religious authorities absolutely claim that it is but I guess that depends on what menelik really brought back from Jerusalem was it the ark or was it a copy or some other religious icon whatever the real story is the fact remains that over 50 million Ethiopian Christians it's the absolute Cornerstone of their belief and who's to judge that I'll see you next time [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Banijay History

Views: 278,092

Keywords: Alternative History, Ancient Mysteries, Conspiracy Theories, Hidden Knowledge, Historical Secrets, Unexplained Phenomena, amazing discoveries, archaeological discoveries, cases of forbidden history, discoveries, forbidden discoveries, forbidden history, forbidden history documentary, forbidden history vatican, most mysterious cases of forbidden history, mysterious discoveries, origins explained

Id: Egm2-7W1jGU

Length: 44min 8sec (2648 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 13 2023