What was in the Ark of the Covenant?

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Augustine3

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“There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.” - 1 Kings 8:9

“The ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.” - Hebrews 9:4

Kings tells us there was only the two tablets of stone whereas Hebrews tells us there was also the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod. A website tried to harmonise it by saying the extra items were there at one time when the ark was captured until the additional items were stolen. Unless I’m mistaken the context of Hebrews is describing the temple that Solemn built which directs us to 1 Kings chapter 8 context.

Can anyone reconcile this?
 
Augustine3 said:
“There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.” - 1 Kings 8:9

“The ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.” - Hebrews 9:4

Kings tells us there was only the two tablets of stone whereas Hebrews tells us there was also the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod. A website tried to harmonise it by saying the extra items were there at one time when the ark was captured until the additional items were stolen. Unless I’m mistaken the context of Hebrews is describing the temple that Solemn built which directs us to 1 Kings chapter 8 context.

Can anyone reconcile this?
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AFAIK, the consensus opinion in Judaism is that the Ark of the Covenant contains two sets of tablets of the Ten Commandments, both the broken ones and the restored pair. There is also a minority view that there are actually two Arks, one containing the broken tablets and the other the intact tablets. I don’t think Jews believe the Ark contains the other items: the golden pot of manna and Aaron’s rod; but I could be wrong about that.

Just as interesting is the controversy surrounding the physical presence of the Ark of the Covenant, not only the question of its power, but also its purpose as a holy relic of worship, which is so frowned upon in Judaism. Much has been written about why this was allowed.
 
The Ark was a giant battery.

Warriors would line up to touch it and get a “shock” from God before the battle. Very inspirational.
 
steve53 said:
The Ark was a giant battery.

Warriors would line up to touch it and get a “shock” from God before the battle. Very inspirational.
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Greetings Steve53,

Is this an attempt at humor, becuase it if it, it made me smile? IF not, then may I ask what source you are drawing from?

God bless.
Anathama Sit
 
Along with the stone tablets, to the Ark the Israelites added the following two items:

A jar full of manna, bread from heaven which God gave the Israelites as food for 40 years when they wandered in the desert.

Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded. Keep a full omer of it for your future generations, so that they may see the food I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Moses then told Aaron, "Take a jar and put a full omer of manna in it. Then place it before the LORD to keep it for your future generations.” As the LORD had commanded Moses, Aaron placed it in front of the covenant to keep it. (Exodus 16:32-34) *

Aaron’s staff which budded, bloossomed and produced almonds overnight.

The next day, when Moses entered the tent, Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth not only shoots, but blossoms as well, and even bore ripe almonds! Moses thereupon brought out all the staffs from the LORD’S presence to the Israelites. After each prince identified his own staff and took it, the LORD said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the commandments, to be kept there as a warning to the rebellious, so that their grumbling may cease before me; if it does not, they will die.” (Numbers 17:3-25)

-Tim-
 
Exodus 16:32-34
Exodus 30:1-6
Numbers 17:8-10

The best explanation I’m seeing is that these other items may not have been in the ark itself but were kept with it. The tablets themselves weren’t even necessarily supposed to be kept in the ark.
 
Nate13 said:
Exodus 16:32-34
Exodus 30:1-6
Numbers 17:8-10

The best explanation I’m seeing is that these other items may not have been in the ark itself but were kept with it. The tablets themselves weren’t even necessarily supposed to be kept in the ark.
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The Ark being primarily, well, a box, something has to be kept inside it. 😉

The fact that the Tablets of the Law were kept within the Ark is interesting because, in Ancient Near Eastern covenant treaties it was common for the parties involved to each have a copy of the agreement, which each party would keep (usually in a temple under the feet of the gods). Because there is a covenant between God and Israel, it was apparently natural that the each party’s respective copy of the Covenant (the two Tablets of the Law) be kept within the Ark, God’s portable throne/footstool/processional litter, under the Lord’s Presence.



The above is an ivory plaque found in Megiddo (13th-12th century BC) depicting a king seated on a throne flanked by winged sphinxes. The Ark’s cover, usually paraphrased as the ‘mercy seat’, is similar in concept to this: the two cherubim (analogous to the winged creatures above) act as God’s chairvehicle. “He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.”
 
steve53 said:
The Ark was a giant battery.

Warriors would line up to touch it and get a “shock” from God before the battle. Very inspirational.
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Ah, the ol’ “Ark is a battery” theory. The problem with the interpretation you posit is, only the priests are allowed to handle it - and the Ark is usually veiled carefully to hide it from view when it is brought out in public, even from the priests that carry it (who obviously would not fight). Not to mention that the Ark is borne out at some distance - around 2000 cubits - away from the army. And that the recorded instances of people mishandling it - Uzzah and the Bethshemites being the most notable cases - end up with them being dead (I mean, seriously, if the Israelites were using the Ark as a receptacle for electricity and an instant stimulant, they’d gotta be careful not to touch it for too long! :rolleyes:).

I think it more likely that the Ark was considered in many ways (aside from its functions as a box and a symbolic empty throne/litter for God) a palladium, something that is believed to be a safeguard for Israel.
 
Years ago when gold was cheaper, a Baptist group tried to build an Ark according to the OT, but had to stop because they found they had a powerful battery on their hands. Don’t have the source-sorry.

simonelic.com/kensr/
 
Nate13 said:
Exodus 16:32-34
Exodus 30:1-6
Numbers 17:8-10

The best explanation I’m seeing is that these other items may not have been in the ark itself but were kept with it. The tablets themselves weren’t even necessarily supposed to be kept in the ark.
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Hebrews 9:3-5: “Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, in which were the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant entirely covered with gold. In it were the gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of expiation. Now is not the time to speak of these in detail.”

It’s a later work, but possibly an earlier tradition:

Mishnah Avos 5:6: “Ten things were created at dusk. The mouth of the earth; and
the mouth of the well; and the mouth of the ***; and the rainbow
and the manna; and the rod; and the shamir-worm and
the writing; and that which was written, and the tablets. And
some say, the spirits; and the sepulcher of Moses and the ram
of Avaham our father. And some say, [the first] tongs to make
tongs.”

The three items were, according to Jewish tradition, some of the ten things created in the beginning. This lends support to the fact that St. Paul didn’t pull this out of thin air.
 
St. Paul appears to be following a Jewish tradition outside of the Bible, but known to Jews of the time. His comment in Hebrews 9:5 alludes to the fact that he doesn’t want to tarry long on the details just mentioned because he wants to stay on point.

An admittedly later compilation in the Mishnah records what is possibly a much ealier tradition:

Mishnah Avos 5:6: “Ten things were created at dusk. The mouth of the earth; and
the mouth of the well; and the mouth of the ***; and the rainbow
and the manna; and the rod; and the shamir-worm and
the writing; and that which was written, and the tablets. And
some say, the spirits; and the sepulcher of Moses and the ram
of Avaham our father. And some say, [the first] tongs to make
tongs.”

The three items were, according to Jewish tradition, some of the ten things created in the beginning. This lends support to the fact that St. Paul didn’t pull this out of thin air. One could also speculate that this was particularly for the Day of Atonement liturgy, since normally the incense was in the Holy Place, and not the Holy of Holies.
 
steve53 said:
Years ago when gold was cheaper, a Baptist group tried to build an Ark according to the OT, but had to stop because they found they had a powerful battery on their hands. Don’t have the source-sorry.

simonelic.com/kensr/
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To be frank, sorry, I’m not buying it because admittedly I feel that some of the evidence presented in that page (such as recoursing to the purported Bible Code for supposed clues within Exodus) are not too convincing.
 
The Catholic Church could easily come up with enough money to build an Ark according to Numbers.

Surely, someone has done this at some point in history.
 
steve53 said:
The Catholic Church could easily come up with enough money to build an Ark according to Numbers.

Surely, someone has done this at some point in history.
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Greetings Steve53,

Why would the Church wish to do that. The Ark of the Covenant was a type of Mary, who is the Ark of the New Covenant. Nothing that can be built by human hands can excel our Blessed Lady, the Holy Mother of God.

God bless.
Anathama Sit
 
Ethiopian churches of that denomination all have replica Arks. It’s a nice tie-in with the Tabernacle and with their traditions.

However, 2 Maccabees says different, and an inspired book of the Bible trumps Graham Hancock.
 
Mintaka said:
Ethiopian churches of that denomination all have replica Arks. It’s a nice tie-in with the Tabernacle and with their traditions.

However, 2 Maccabees says different, and an inspired book of the Bible trumps Graham Hancock.
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I admit that I kind of have some doubts about the veracity of the tradition recorded in 2 Maccabees as well, since it occurs in a second-hand reference dating a few centuries after Jeremiah lived (a private letter tacked on to the main body of the work), where it is attributed ambiguously to “the records”. Not to mention that the story has an agenda: it so openly addresses a point which so concerned people at the time the letter was penned - that the new Temple is somehow less holy compared to the old one or probably even illegitimate in the absence of sacred furnishings such as the Ark, the Tabernacle, and the Altar.
 
steve53 said:
The Catholic Church could easily come up with enough money to build an Ark according to Numbers.

Surely, someone has done this at some point in history.
Click to expand...
Well, I doubt the Church will seriously spend time and resources on Ark-building projects and whatnot: besides, there are already a lot of people who are trying to replicate on their own the various furnishings of the Tabernacle for whatever reason nowadays.

Besides, there’s no longer a need for an Ark anyway.
 
Could be a simple case of the golden pot that had manna and Aaron’s rod were placed in the ark after 1 Kings 8:9 was written? What do you guys think?

God bless,
 
Augustine3 said:
Could be a simple case of the golden pot that had manna and Aaron’s rod were placed in the ark after 1 Kings 8:9 was written? What do you guys think?

God bless,
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Possible. Alternatively, they could have been in the Ark BEFORE it was placed in Solomon’s Temple, but somehow got lost or were removed from the Ark at some point. Or that the writer of Hebrews was basing his statement on a later tradition or even (I know some folks wouldn’t like this suggestion) that he slightly jumbled up the Biblical references. So far, that’s the range of ideas I’ve read about.

In the Old Testament, the pot of manna and Aaron’s staff are merely recorded as being kept “before the Testimony” (Exodus 16:34; Numbers 17:10). Just my personal speculation, but perhaps it could be possible that the two items were regularly placed inside the box during transport.
 
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