The ark of the covenant

The burning question about one of the most revered religious relics in all the world is still a mystery. The ark of the covenant, the box reported to have held the ten commandments from god given to Moses on Mt Sinai is one of the worlds greatest mysteries.

In this time of increasing strife and suffering, the ark remains as a beacon of hope for those seeking validation for the word of god. Historians and treasure seekers alike have sought religious treasures since the time of King David. The knights templar were one of the groups with intense interest in all religious artifacts from the holyland. Rumors of smuggled treasures that helped make the Knights templar very rich abound in that time period. No one knows for sure exactly what the Templars discovered, but it was known they have excavated below the temple mount and other areas in Jerusalem. I think the ark still exists and one day will show itself again. What would be the significance of finding the ark, or is the ark never to be found, but instead a symbol of god's message to the Hebrews giving them his laws and guidlines so the world could become a better place for all.

During the turbulent time when the ark resested in Solomon's temple, there was danger all around from invading armies trying to sack Jerusalem, The distruction of the 1st temple. I believe that wiser heads prevailed and found a way to either hide or smuggle the ark out of Jerusalem in order to protect it. After some of the invaders had no interest in the ark and would rather see it destroyed. Rumors of it's existance have been around for centuries. I think an item as important as the ark that has profound meaning to anyone believing in the story of Moses and the plight from bondage from the Egytians would know how important and valuable the ark is.

I'm sure with many experts on the subject, if the ark were that easy to find it would have been found by now. If the ancients did a good job of hiding it, it may never be found.

Then there was the copper scroll included with the dead sea scrolls detailing the location of the most important religious treasures in the holy land. Unfortunately the scroll has been damaged by time and some of the critical information that might have revealed concrete clues are missing.

What do you think? Is the ark still around and will it be found?

If the ark were ever found who would lay claim to it. The ark is a religious relic to all three of the world's major religions, so maybe the reason the ark hasn't been revealed is for that exact reason. The three major religions would claim ownership and the possibility of war could occur.

So maybe the resting place of the ark is already known and that is why it still remains there today.

It was a well known fact that during the Knights templar occupation of Jerusalum, that they excavated behind the holy temple, but what treasure did they find? No one really knows what they were able to carry away from the site, but they became a very wealthy organization sometime after which leads theorist to speculate that they did find priceless treasures and either sold them to the church or some other buyers. Maybe some day the mystery will be solved as to exactly what they gained during their stay.

There are those who believe that more than one ark did exist, maybe as a way to protect the original. The small chapel in Axum conducts a festival every year to celebrate the ark itself, why would such a tradition exist if not based on some type of fact?

It is also possible that the ark was destroyed when the 1st temple in Jerusalem was burn't and pillaged. Archeology has uncovered many exciting artifacts and maybe some clues to the existance of the ark will be uncovered as time goes on.