The Ark of the Covenant

#1

QUOTE(25:10 - 25:21) †™ ¢‚¬„¢¢‚¬Å¡‚¢†™‚¢‚¢¢¢‚¬Å¡‚¬¦‚¡¢‚¬Å¡‚¬†™¢¢¬‚¦‚¢¢¢‚¬Å¡‚¬¦¢‚¬Å“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its breadth a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.

25:11 You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold molding around it.
25:12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four feet. Two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.
25:13 You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
25:14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.
25:15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark. They shall not be taken from it.
25:16 You shall put the testimony which I shall give you into the ark.
25:17 You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two and a half cubits shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.
25:18 You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
25:19 Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim on its two ends of one piece with the mercy seat.
25:20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
25:21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I will give you. 25:22 There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, all that I command you for the children of Israel.

What really confuses me about the bible, is that several of the people and things in it aren't really discussed deeply...Its just kinda like, "Oh, Enoch..? Yeah, he didn't die, he just walked with God..." Anyone who has ever read his story in the bible, is just like, "What..?" This guy went to heaven, came down and wrote a book about it, and then nothing..?

So naturally, I was not amazed or in shock when the Ark, yes - the same ark Indiana Jones looked for, just kind of disappeared into the bible pages of history, never to be heard from again...

So, a couple of years ago, I bought a book in which the author set out to find this mythical piece of get it on hardware...Every amazing story I've ever heard about the Ark simulataneously gives me reason to want to see in, and every reason not to see it...

I'm not sure how much any of you know or care about it, but its always nice to open the floodgates to discussion...Any thoughts..?

#2

tbh ba-bryt - Tebah ba-Bereeth = "Ark" "of-Covenant." Bereeth also means is translated in and out of the Torah as "Confederacy"

the word Ark, or Tebah is significant, because it is the same word for "basket" (another translation for Tebah) that Moses was sent down the Nile in.

so, he was commanded to create a deliverance for people in the wilderness, just as had been provided for him.

the bible has a great deal of detail on the subject of the ark of the covenant, just not all in the same place.

tag, you're it.

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raum

#3

I have also discovered that Ark could translate into "Coffin" which adds yet another interesting dimension to it...The things I've read about it have been comprehensive, and I believe the last mention of it in the bible is around when Neb came through and conquered Jerusalemen in 538? and the Ark was never heard from again...

Some points about the Ark, at a glace

A cubit is roughly 18 inches...TATC = 62.5" x 37.5" x 37.5"

Whatever the Ark did, it did it very well...It was not to be touched, as Uzza found out the hard way...

It was inlaid with Gold, and lets go right ahead and make this Gold an Alchemical one...Gold is also known for its excellent ability to conduct electricity...I hope to maybe cover that a little later, and why that might be important...

The Ark was the main attraction of Solomon's Temple, a beautiful structure of cedar and gold itself...The Ark was in a room called the holiest of holies, and was only allowed to be approached by the high priest once a year...That priest did so, however, after offering blood upon the mercy seat of the Ark, and filling the room with smoke and incense...

I am also looking into carefully the idea that the Ark was very connected to the Great Pyramid in Egypt...

#4

the ark itself is influeced by egyptian culture.

Moses, raised by Egyptians in their mysteries, made it.

the practices arranged around it are completely from phonecians.

Joshua, raised by caananites in their mysteries, developed these explicitly.

The Jehubites had no such practice or use for such religious trappings.

The syntax and word roots indicate most of this information is written in the redaction, during David's kingdom, so you can can guess that the calculations were figured in by priests exposed to Samothracian thought, and the work of pythagoras. Their reasoning would be that "if it serves this purpose, its proportions would reflect that" thus it holds significance. It may have had these measurements (very likely based on moses's history as an Architect), but we can only hold conjecture.

Also, I would like to add that the word "Tebah" NEVER means coffin - as there is no such thing as a coffin in ancient Hebrew, but the word it as translated into Latin (arca) just means "large box, chest," and could be used for "coffin" in vulgate Latin.

the word coffin in Hebrew is the phrase "Arun-Mathim" - "Cabinet for the Dead."

Some incorrect Torah have "Arun" (cabinet) for "Tebah", but this is a convention after the third redaction, which made the hebrew Torah version that is the basis for the English Old Testament, and has almost as many errors.

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#5

Raum, what are your thoughts about where the ark is today?

#6

Everything that I've read about it says that it is in a small church in Africa...The Ark is apparently still very celebrated in other parts of the world, and the practices that surround it are replicated still....

#7

the ark is the perpetuation of the merkhaba (merkava - second declension beth sounds like a soft "v") tradition... it is a chariot which is sat in, as the aspirant is shown the Deus Ex Machina in the tabernacle, just like Enoch and Ezekiel. The Ophanim supported by the Cherubim on top are the perpetuation of the Throne of Elu ("The Shining One" - the Caananite root of el, and the word for God in Hebrew).

The Merkhaba tradition was carried throughout the entire world, the difference is the Holy Ark, which was the very same "the seat of the Lord" was only sat upon in religious rites of the priesthood. Thus, a powerful taboo was built up against sitting in the chair, and when the person was finally forced into the chair, they often resisted. So they were blindfolded and bound into it. Then they were awakened, (in the tabernacle (this is when the world would all appear red-lit, because of the badger skin windows) - and the priests attending in the role of Metatron would say stuff like "the world is covered in blood and shame, for you have defaced the seat of the lord!!!!" (called the Throne of the Most worshipful Master in the Masons) the resounding horror would be too much, and then they would be blinded again, the prayers of obesience would be recited, they would renounce their humanity, and thus NOW be fit for the chair. Then they would be unblinded and and the command of the new priest, the rollback roof would shed forth the golden light of the sun, in the Berashit when god says "ihi Aur" (Let there be Light!)

The word Merkhaba comes from the root Rakab (Rakav) meaning "to ride", and hence M-R-K-B, or Merkhab means a "chariot" or "riding vehicle". In general, the concept of riding involves travelling and leaving one's natural place. This is the basis of apollo in Greece, and even the root of the rune Hagalaz in the Norse Havamal legend of Odin.

When the Bible says that God "rides", it means that He leaves His natural state where He is absolutely unknowable and inconceivable, and allows Himself to be visualised by the prophets, and to dwell among men. He greants us with an understanding of one of his facets. Those facets are called Malik (Angels) or even Beni Elohim (Sons of the Elohim). One who "sees" God in this manner is said to experience a Merkhaba vision, which is the foundation of the Aaronic Priesthood. The term Maaseh Merkhaba or "workings of the Merkhaba" refers to the intentional ritualizing of a Merkhaba vision. The key to this is attaining a state where a Merkaba vision can be attained. From the context in which this term is used in the Kabbalah texts, it is obvious that Maaseh Merkhaba refers to the meditative techniques involved in attaining this mystical experience. These are outlined in the Sepher Yetzirah.

So, when you ask me where the Ark is, I simply must point to the world and beyond to everypoint that glitters or fades in all space and time, and say, that too shall pass. I point at my chest, to some indeterminable speck of nothing-ness that is so infinitely bright that it would sear the eyes from the sockets of any rational man, even beyond the atoms of the blood that fuels my body... and that is where the True Ark is, within.,.. the infinite core of Humanity.

I care not for the trappings of Gopher-wood, acacia, even the gold gilt edges,.. I would melt them down to feed the howling children of the world. For I have long understood what Jeshua said unto the masses: "Atoh Melekiel Wateshbukta"

"The Kingdom of God resides within you."

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#8

This thread has been a really cool read!

Thanks!

#9

the thought of the ark as an ancient capacitor is one that fascinates me. the layering of conductor-insulator-conductor (gold-wood-gold) is simple but it apparently works. the biblical descriptions of the elaborate clothing the priesthood had to wear around the ark, and the consequences of touching the device (death by thunderbolt!) are certainly consistant with the idea of electrical storage. i guess the question then arrises as to what purpose this early electricity was used for. a weapon? a power source for early lightbulbs? a holy instrument of terror? it's a question which interests me greatly, as do stories about it's eventual fate.

btw i think i may have read the same book as ayhja about this subject some time back. if memory serves the african country fingered was etheopia.

#10

I agree with the statement that people are sometimes not discussed in any kind of depth. It's like this was all a feel good story that got carried away and none of the characters in it were really developed too deeply.