![]() ![]() However, as one member of the ragtag archaeology team noted, Juvelius thought that “his rendering of the Hebrew text denoted that the Ark of the Covenant could be found by working up the hill through underground passages,” according to Lawler. Naturally, archaeological digs under what Muslims call the “Noble Sanctuary” are completely forbidden. Ancient city of David located where team excavated It is the oldest extant Islamic monument of all in the world. Of course, the area eventually passed into the custody of Muslims, who erected theĭome of the Rock shrine in the late 7th century on that very spot where they believe Mohammed ascended into heaven. The Ark itself may indeed have been desecrated and destroyed at that time with the treasures around it carted off-or not.Īccording to some long-held Jewish traditions, priests secreted the Ark and its accompanying treasures under or near the Temple Mount, where they somehow survived the destruction of the great Temple and the entire city by the Romans in the year 70 AD. The Book of Chronicles states that the invading army “carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials.” Ark mentioned in Books of Exodus, ChroniclesĪs Exodus 25:22 states: “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the Ark of the Covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites,” God tells Moses.Īfter being taken out just once a year during Yom Kippur, the Ark was tragically lost at some point, perhaps when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC, sending the Hebrews into exile for many years. It also appealed to the greed that is in all of us if we dig deep enough. Worth approximately $5.7 billion today, this made the whole venture much more than a spiritual or archaeological quest. Parker gave estimates that the Ark, accompanied by along with the wealth of gold and silver platters, bowls and other treasures related in the Old Testament, would be worth $200 million on the open art market, which at that time would have had few scruples in dealing in such historical objects. Ogden Armour and the duchess of Marlborough, who gave Parker the equivalent of $2.4 million in today’s money for the expenses the men would need. He used his natural charm to attract a slew of supporters, including Chicago meatpacking king J. Parker was intrigued, signing on to serve as the leader of the quest for the Ark and even setting up a syndicate to sell 60,000 one-pound shares to investors who he no doubt believed would profit handsomely if the treasures of Solomon were indeed found. Nothing that Juvelius left behind shows any such thing, of course, but he insisted that the treasure was located in a tunnel under Jerusalem.īy some stroke of luck, the Finnish scholar obtained an introduction to Captain Montagu (Monty) Brownlow Parker, the heir to an earldom. Incredibly, the saga began with a Finnish scholar, Valter Juvelius, who had published his doctoral thesis a “New Chronology of the Jews,” hinted that he had come upon a secret code that showed the way toward where the Ark had been buried. Credit: Unknown/Public Domain Finnish scholar and poet teams up with aristocrat, assorted amateur archaeologists to find Ark, treasure Valter Juvelius and Monagu Parker in one of the tunnels they excavated from 1909-1911. Sadly enough, the anger and mistrust engendered by their thoughtless ransacking of the Temple Mount has echoed down to this day with periodic skirmishes taking place there periodically even now when tempers flare between Jews and Palestinians.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |