1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. M Hello, 4 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: welcome back to the show. My name is Matt Noel 5 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:33,160 Speaker 1: is on an adventure somewhere. That's true. They called me Ben. 6 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:37,159 Speaker 1: We are joined as always with our super producer Paul Decant. 7 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: Most importantly, you are you, and you are here, and 8 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: that makes this stuff they don't want you to know. 9 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: Let's get right into it. You want to, Yeah, Paul, 10 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: could we get some some sweeping Spielberg esque music? Yeah, 11 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: for a certain you know character that likes to go 12 00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: spilunking sometimes and other other forms of treasure. Yeah, I 13 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: guess we should, Uh, for legal reasons, call him Illinois Smith. 14 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: That weka, it's we're We're obviously huge fans of the 15 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: Indiana Jones series, which has a bunch of problems. You know, 16 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: the thuggy cult in Temple of Doom is vastly misrepresented. Uh. 17 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: You know, I feel like you could listen to that 18 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 1: music and watch someone search for their keys in a 19 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: couch or something, and it would feel just as epic. Yes, 20 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: searching for treasure. Do you ever do that, Matt when 21 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: when you're doing a mundane task, do you ever put 22 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: on sweeping cinematic music? No? I just to myself, I'm like, 23 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: where did I put writer's water bottle? Oh? Don't see. 24 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: Oh that's that's a great idea. I I am guilty 25 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: of playing soundtracks when I am on a mundane task 26 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: to make it feel more like a mission, something righteous, 27 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: you know. And today's episode concerns one of the biggest 28 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: religious questions in modern history, the fate of something called 29 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: the Ark of the Covenant, relic and artifact, highly important fixture, 30 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: physical fixture within the Christian and several other faiths. Yes, 31 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:38,799 Speaker 1: and older obviously than Christianity, but older than we initially suspected. 32 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: And a long time ago, you and I did a 33 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: video together, a video episode on this. It was part 34 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,839 Speaker 1: of a series called Secret Places, where wherein we explored 35 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: North Sentinel Island, which was a good one. Yeah, I 36 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: stand by that one, which we have an update on 37 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: that will save for the end of the show, and 38 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 1: wherein we explore the fate or the current location of 39 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 1: the Ark of the Covenant. But maybe we're getting ahead 40 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: of ourselves. Let's let's start at the beginning. Here are 41 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: the facts, right, the facts about the Ark of the Covenant. 42 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 1: We've mentioned that it is ancient, and I'm sure it's 43 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: familiar to all of us right now, conspiracy realists listening 44 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: to this. Regardless of what your spiritual or religious orientation is, 45 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: you are familiar with the concept of the Ark of 46 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: the Covenant due to the circumstances of my early days. 47 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: I learned about the Ark of the Covenant through the 48 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: Spielberg film Indiana Jones Raiders Have Lost Art. That's how 49 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: you learned about it. That's how I learned about it. 50 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: You know, I bet that's true for a lot of people, 51 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: because it it hidden away kind of not really but 52 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: a little bit within popular culture until that movie comes out. 53 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: There are a couple of things that you could maybe 54 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: point to. And it's also not a major part of 55 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 1: this one book of the Bible Exodus. Yes, and I 56 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: defer to your knowledge of biblical text. You and Joe 57 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: McCormick from Stuff to Blow Your Mind are my favorite 58 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 1: people to to quiz about this literature. So, what exactly 59 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: is the Arc of the Covenant the actual thing, not 60 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: the not the Spielberg thing. Well, the the Arc of 61 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,280 Speaker 1: the Covenant is it's a couple of things. The first 62 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:46,039 Speaker 1: thing is is a container, this gilded or kind of golden, 63 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: not kind of golden container that has a couple of 64 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 1: attributes to it, that holds within it something very very precious. 65 00:04:55,880 --> 00:05:00,559 Speaker 1: And that that is stone tablets that Moses old fourth 66 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,160 Speaker 1: that you might remember from some film or television series 67 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: where he's standing on top amount sinai and he's proclaiming 68 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:09,840 Speaker 1: that these this is the word of God. These are 69 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: the commandments that we must follow. Right. Thou shalt not 70 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:19,359 Speaker 1: kill that's a big one, right, the sins, the dues, 71 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: and don't of how to be a righteous person? Correct? 72 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: The real thing, Yeah, not not a metaphor not a 73 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: some sort of strange analogy. This is a physical container 74 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:39,279 Speaker 1: that holds within it the tables of the law, the 75 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:46,279 Speaker 1: stone tablets that bear the word of God, some of 76 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: the oldest maintained word of God. Right, and you can 77 00:05:54,080 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 1: read various translations of these tablets and their construction in 78 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: Exodus thirty four one. Correct, So a year after Israelites 79 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: leave Egypt after the Exodus. Yes, Uh, the arc is 80 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: created according to the legend uh, following the guidelines of 81 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: a pattern that God gives to Moses when the Israelites 82 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: are living at the foot of Mountain Sinai and thereafter 83 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: this this chest it is it is gilded, as you said, Matt, 84 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: it is gold plated, but it is a wooden chest, 85 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:42,719 Speaker 1: which is the kind of wood it's made out of 86 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: is typically translated as acacia wood. And it is carried 87 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: like a palanquin like staves like exactly. There there are 88 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,159 Speaker 1: two staves, staffs, whatever you want to call him. Staves 89 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 1: is probably the correct word, but there wooden sticks essentially 90 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: um and they're they're very long, and so you can 91 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: have at least two people on either side of it 92 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:07,720 Speaker 1: on their shoulders carrying the thing. And it's usually portrayed 93 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 1: as having cherubs on top of it or some kind 94 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 1: of small winged angel creature that looks like a young 95 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: child care of them. Yeah, exactly. And there there's you know, 96 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: there are so many depictions of it, of what it 97 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: possibly could look look like. We can't really give you 98 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: an exact picture, but if you you know, if you 99 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: go online, you can see some of the circular stuff 100 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: that a lot of times is depicted as being on 101 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: the sides of it, and just it's basically it would 102 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 1: basically be um gold finishing work. Yes. Yeah, And these 103 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 1: these two figures, which we will examine in detail later 104 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: in today's episode. They have their wings reaching out toward 105 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: one another such that the wings form a seat of sorts, 106 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: and this is called the Mercy seat. And the belief 107 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: is that God Yahweh itself sits at this seat. And 108 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: the arc is sort of functioning as a footstool. And 109 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: after its construction, when the Israelites are moving or when 110 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: there is a war occurring, this chest is carried two 111 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: thousand cubits, which today translates to about two thousand, six 112 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: hundred feet or eight for the entire rest of the world, 113 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: in advance of the population with a mass Uh. I 114 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: don't want to use the word excess. When there when 115 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: there's mass migration with this group of people, this thing 116 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,199 Speaker 1: goes at the front. So it's almost like it's the 117 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: word of God carrying them and taking them on the path. Yes, 118 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 1: and it is a powerful artifact, and it's not a 119 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 1: passive thing. In the stories. The arc is so powerful 120 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,320 Speaker 1: in fact, that it is always carried under a veil 121 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: of skins and cloth. It can never touch the ground 122 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 1: pretty much. No one can ever look at it, and 123 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: God speaks directly to Moses in that space created by 124 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: the two cherubim or angels that we mentioned earlier. It's 125 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: like a portal basically, kind of. I don't mean to, 126 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: you know, secular arise it too much, but that's what 127 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: it kind of functions as God's little portal. And you're 128 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: I don't think you're being dismissive at all, because a 129 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: lot of the things that we see today in secular 130 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: fiction descend from these ancient religious traditions. And we're probably 131 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:51,960 Speaker 1: going to ruin several sci fi films for you along 132 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: the way here, because many of the depictions of artifacts 133 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: in science fiction are essentially just retellings of this original story. 134 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 1: So no one can look at it. God speaks to 135 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: Moses directly through it. It can never touch the ground, 136 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 1: and it is incredibly important. It is credited with parting 137 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: the sea right Moses uses it to part the Red Sea. 138 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: It it creates other miracles for the tribe, for the 139 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:31,079 Speaker 1: Israelite community. It also brings woe and misfortune upon those 140 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 1: who do not treat it respectfully, or who wronged it 141 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 1: or attempt to use it definitely don't try to use 142 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: it for ungodly purposes. And according to the written tradition, 143 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,680 Speaker 1: the arc is lost in a terrible, terrible battle with 144 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,559 Speaker 1: the Philistines, and the Philistines take it from the Israelites, 145 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: and God punishes the Philistines with plagues, with sickness, illness, terrible, terrible, 146 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 1: terrible stuff. And you know, you're looking for a reason, 147 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: why is this happening. Maybe it's that thing you went 148 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: and putting the treasure room. Maybe the Israelites were correct, 149 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: they say so. Eventually they return the arc to its 150 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:16,480 Speaker 1: original owners, and the Israelites keep it at a place 151 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: called Kuria Jerem for about twenty years, and then King David, again, 152 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: according to the story, takes the Ark to Jerusalem. At 153 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: first it is housed in a tent, and then later 154 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: it is housed in King Solomon's temple. Solomon's temple, that's 155 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: the big one. That's the one that Freemasonry ad models 156 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: all of its buildings after, and it is one of 157 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: the most important buildings in history. Absolutely from that point 158 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:55,439 Speaker 1: until Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians, the Arc disappears from 159 00:11:55,480 --> 00:12:00,040 Speaker 1: the story. Yeah, from from the Bible. Yeah, poof that 160 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: is gone. Yeah, it says here in the notes Kaiser 161 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 1: sociay style. Yeah, we were. We were talking about that 162 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 1: off air a little bit. So that's a spoiler for 163 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:17,199 Speaker 1: Usual Suspects, which is a great film. I don't I 164 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 1: don't think we spoiled that. I think we have in 165 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: the past. Unfortunately, Ah, It's worth a rewatch. The hint 166 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 1: is he's no longer employed by Netflix. Shots fired, Matt. 167 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:36,720 Speaker 1: It's it's true on all these accounts, this mystery person 168 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:40,479 Speaker 1: is no longer employed by Netflix, and the arc vanishes 169 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: from the narrative, and it's it's a strange it's a 170 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: strange absence because it plays such an important role, this 171 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 1: heart effect in the story of the people of Israel. 172 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: So like many physical things, things, places and artifacts and 173 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: people even described in ancient text, experts today are still 174 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 1: debating over whether or not it's real. And this is 175 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: a this is a thing that pops up pretty often. 176 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: Is King Arthur real? Tell us about ex Caliber, what 177 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: happened to Noah's arc? Is it really in Turkey? You 178 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: know what I mean? And one of the things that 179 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 1: we find is we look into subjects such as this 180 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:35,320 Speaker 1: is that there usually is something genuine there. Perhaps the 181 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: stories around it have been embellished and you know, grown 182 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:43,080 Speaker 1: beyond well beyond themselves over time. But usually there is 183 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:46,560 Speaker 1: something there if it's recorded in at least two or 184 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:53,199 Speaker 1: three places true true, and especially if they are independently written, 185 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: by which by which we mean those two or three 186 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 1: sources are not reef raisings of the original source. And 187 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: now we get to the question with the Ark of 188 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:12,560 Speaker 1: the Covenant. This is fascinating because unlike some other ancient artifacts, 189 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: there does appear to be a genuine physical thing. And 190 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 1: ah man I I can't wait until we get into 191 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 1: the really cool stuff. We have to do the background first. 192 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: But let's talk about what could be proven about the 193 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: arc as a physical artifact. So we'll put to the 194 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 1: side the claims of the extraordinary power of the arc 195 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 1: just as a physical artifact. Is there an actual thing? 196 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: According to Baruk Halpern, who is a professor of ancient history, 197 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: classics and Ancient Mediterranean studies of Penn State as well 198 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: as religious studies. According to him, there is a thing, 199 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: because from his perspective is a very well read expert. 200 00:14:55,120 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 1: The references to the arc throughout the religious text are 201 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: consistent and do not change or very over translation. And 202 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 1: this means that whatever the original purpose of this artifact was, 203 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,920 Speaker 1: whatever it's actual origin story is, he believes there is 204 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: a genuine, real, physical thing, not a metaphor not some 205 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: sort of symbol that people talk about. You can't look 206 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 1: inside yourself and find your own arc of the covenant. 207 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 1: You you can't have that young adult novel moment where 208 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: you're like, ah, it was me the whole time. No, 209 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: this is a real thing, the real thing you can hold, 210 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: and you shouldn't look at it. So whatever it is, 211 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: it was genuinely taken by the Philistines and then genuinely 212 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: given back, and it was it genuinely had something in 213 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:51,320 Speaker 1: it probably and it's it exists, it exists head And 214 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: yet here's one of the biggest problems. Ben it is 215 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: so stink and old, and it was made of would 216 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: well gold plated? Would right? Right? Yes, that's a question 217 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 1: that incorporates some hard science. How long does a wooden 218 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 1: construct last. It's that's dependent upon numerous environmental factors. Exactly 219 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:21,200 Speaker 1: where right and where is it now? If it's still around? 220 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: And how old is it? Actually? Because according to various scholars, 221 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: this physical thing. Again, this very real container. This artifact 222 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 1: is so ancient that it may predate Judaism entirely, which 223 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 1: sounds crazy, older than Abraham himself. Right, that's that's that's 224 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 1: the idea. Because the various biblical stories of the Arc 225 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: may all contain echoes of pre judaic religious practices. You 226 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: will see some people calling them ancient cults. And it's 227 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:04,440 Speaker 1: very difficult to untangle the layers of history and myth 228 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:08,800 Speaker 1: that have been added to this story in the great 229 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 1: millennia old game of telephone that has written in oral tradition. 230 00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: But we we don't want to let anybody feel as 231 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: if it is impossible to find the arc. We hunted 232 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:30,119 Speaker 1: down some rumored locations, places where, according to various people, 233 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:35,880 Speaker 1: you can find the arc today in again, don't look 234 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: at it. Yeah, and don't look at it when we 235 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: come right back from a word for our sponsors and 236 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 1: we're back, Matt. You found a number of places where 237 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 1: people claim the arc exists. Yeah. This, I got some 238 00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:59,359 Speaker 1: information from I O nine that had an article that 239 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:01,679 Speaker 1: just kind of a list is a list article. But 240 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:03,600 Speaker 1: then there are a couple of other places that have 241 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,280 Speaker 1: been mentioned just throughout time and rumors that have existed. 242 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:09,639 Speaker 1: So let's just go through a couple of these really quickly, 243 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,680 Speaker 1: and then later on we can expound a lot further 244 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: on these. The one I'm excited about, oh I do 245 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:18,679 Speaker 1: so one of the first places, and this one's a 246 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: bit of a softball. It's a Catholic church. It's the 247 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: Cathedral of Our Lady of Shot in France, and that's 248 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:28,919 Speaker 1: in Shocked, France. C H A R T R S. 249 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: It's a really interesting place. It's a World Heritage site. Um. 250 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,439 Speaker 1: It's it's a very Gothic church, like a in this 251 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:40,040 Speaker 1: case French Gothic church. So it's got those jagged lines 252 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:43,880 Speaker 1: with the steeples heading up into the sky. Um. It's 253 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: it's got you know, it's the things that you would 254 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: see if you're looking at a very old cathedral. It's 255 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:53,480 Speaker 1: got the flying buttresses and it's really I don't know, 256 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:56,000 Speaker 1: it's it's very cool. Is built in like eleven hundred 257 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:59,120 Speaker 1: eleven night No. Eleven ninety four is when it was constructed. 258 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:03,399 Speaker 1: That's when it begins in um. So, you know, perhaps 259 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 1: this is one of the places where the arc ended 260 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:10,840 Speaker 1: up due to the cathedral's association with the Knights Templar 261 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:15,200 Speaker 1: correct another group that we have we done in Knights 262 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: of Templar episode. We are far overdue for that. Okay, 263 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 1: absolutely should that's happening. It's another chance to reference Indiana 264 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 1: Jones to be completely candid. So, the one of the 265 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:34,720 Speaker 1: reasons that people historically believed that the actual arc could 266 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 1: be located this cathedral is because of the Knights Templar 267 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:45,919 Speaker 1: involvement and a carving at the cathedral depicting the arc itself. 268 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: But you know, that's kind of shaky ground to go on. Yeah, 269 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: the story here comes from a twenty century French author 270 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:57,680 Speaker 1: that said the original nine members of the Night Templar 271 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:02,000 Speaker 1: discovered the arc early on in the Templars history while 272 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:06,439 Speaker 1: they were digging under the Temple mount in search of 273 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,920 Speaker 1: treasure and secret things. Yeah. This is during the Crusades 274 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: to where there's lots of slaughter and lots of plundering. Yes, yeah, absolutely, 275 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:21,360 Speaker 1: and that's not the only place. There's also a pretty 276 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: strong tradition or folkloric narrative that argues the Arc of 277 00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: the Covenant or an Arc of the Covenant will explain 278 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:37,919 Speaker 1: that later exists with the Lemba tribe in Southern Africa. 279 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:42,720 Speaker 1: In Zimbabwe. The Limba tribe may sound familiar to some 280 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: of us because this tribe has Jewish roots. Genetic testing 281 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:57,479 Speaker 1: confirms the traditional beliefs of this community. They have They 282 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:00,959 Speaker 1: have always said that they have these roots, that they 283 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:05,640 Speaker 1: are of the people of Israel. And for a long 284 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 1: time there were various other forces and institutions that felt 285 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:15,960 Speaker 1: this was entirely a legend. Yeah, but but it's really 286 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 1: interesting because there is an arc of the Covenant that 287 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,119 Speaker 1: exists that the Limit tribe has and they're just a 288 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:24,359 Speaker 1: place called the Museum of Human Science and Zimbabwe, and 289 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 1: the group claims that this this arc that they have 290 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 1: is a replica, like it's not the actual arc, except 291 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:36,800 Speaker 1: that it's built from the remnants of what the arc 292 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: became after all of these thousands of years and the 293 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:43,959 Speaker 1: forces of decay upon the wood. And the argument is 294 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:48,880 Speaker 1: that this arc does contain again those physical stone tablets, 295 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:53,840 Speaker 1: it's just the wooden part as a recreation essentially. And 296 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:59,359 Speaker 1: then people say, no, you fools, of course it is 297 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:04,000 Speaker 1: located did in modern day Israel. Oh yeah, that's the thing. 298 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:08,280 Speaker 1: Um that's been a rumor for a long time, and 299 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: it's essentially, well, there are a couple of places where 300 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:13,639 Speaker 1: it might be. One of them is deep within tunnels, 301 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:19,800 Speaker 1: the underground basically of Jerusalem, that there's some secret chambers 302 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: that exist where where artifacts such as the Ark of 303 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 1: the Covenant are kept, right, And I believe you were 304 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:31,120 Speaker 1: telling me off air that one of the locations is 305 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:35,320 Speaker 1: beneath a lake. Yeah, this one is. It's a slightly 306 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 1: different version of this because it's it's very close. Um, 307 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: it's it's Israel's largest freshwater lake, Lake Tiberius, and it's 308 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 1: it's supposedly just at the bottom of this lake, and 309 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,120 Speaker 1: it's inaccessible at this point, right, which we see as 310 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 1: a common theme for a lot of these rumored locations. 311 00:22:53,320 --> 00:23:01,880 Speaker 1: There's another rumored location, subterranean location rather modern day Jordan's 312 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:07,679 Speaker 1: secret cave or mountain known to a select few, right people, 313 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 1: people who are tasked to guard the arc. That's another 314 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:16,760 Speaker 1: thing we see. It's a very consistent thing throughout the narratives, 315 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: from the first mention of the Ark to the modern 316 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: day mentions. It always has an elite guard of some sort. 317 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,440 Speaker 1: And you know, speaking of an elite guard, sometimes it's 318 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: not a physical elite guard. It's a curse of some 319 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 1: sort because for a long time it was thought that 320 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 1: perhaps King Tut's tomb, for some reason, not sure why, 321 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: contained in one of these secret chambers that was purported 322 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 1: to exist the Ark of the Covenant. Yeah, yeah, that 323 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 1: is up until around this year, I think May of 324 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 1: this year or a little before that, there was some 325 00:23:55,960 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 1: extensive scientific testing of King Tutton Common's tomb that essentially 326 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 1: proved no, there are no super secret, hidden, awesome treasure 327 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 1: chambers in that particular too. Yes, I'm gonna I'm gonna agree. 328 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:15,640 Speaker 1: I agree. It's interesting because the stories about the tomb 329 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:20,440 Speaker 1: and the legends of the curse and the idea that 330 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 1: it is a repository for our cane, secret valuable things. 331 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 1: A lot a lot of these legends spring up when 332 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:35,120 Speaker 1: Egyptology is experiencing its Western Renaissance, you know, and there 333 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:39,640 Speaker 1: are a ton of British people saying, ah, yeah it's there, 334 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,360 Speaker 1: whatever it is. What did you did you say? You say, 335 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: the Ark of the Covenant. Yeah, yeah, totally that yeah, 336 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: King tut Man, Oh, King tutt where it is? Yeah, alright, boy, King, 337 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 1: he's got all the stuff. And that has been our 338 00:24:54,680 --> 00:25:01,160 Speaker 1: completely accurate reenactment of Egyptology in Britain. So that one 339 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:08,680 Speaker 1: has been disproven primarily through the use of modern technology. Yes, 340 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:11,760 Speaker 1: at least as you're saying, in that particular King Tut's too. 341 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 1: If there maybe King Tutt had multiple tumbs. You know, 342 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 1: he was an enterprising guy. You never know. Well, the 343 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:20,479 Speaker 1: value of the Kings is home to many mysteries still, 344 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: and it would be wonderful to visit one day, can we? 345 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,880 Speaker 1: I think you know what, if Paul is in, I'm 346 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:33,520 Speaker 1: gonna go okay, Oh he said no, he said no, Yeah, 347 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,160 Speaker 1: he said no. Hang on, let me. I just got 348 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: daggers a little better. All right, Well, right to us 349 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: and let us know if you have explored this area 350 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: of Egypt. Who wants to hear your experiences. And while 351 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:51,919 Speaker 1: we're waiting to hear from you, we're getting to the 352 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 1: crux of today's question. We've done a very high level 353 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: look at the history of the Ark of the Covenant, 354 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:04,720 Speaker 1: the various claims by differing experts about what it actually was, 355 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:08,919 Speaker 1: and the various claims about where it might be. And 356 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,959 Speaker 1: that leads us to the question where is the Ark 357 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,440 Speaker 1: of the Covenant today? And we'll take a different trip, 358 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: this time to Ethiopia. After a word from our sponsor. 359 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:29,360 Speaker 1: Here's where it gets crazy. That's the stuff. Oh, watching 360 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,159 Speaker 1: the watching the video has really brought it back. We 361 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:36,920 Speaker 1: are traveling to northern Ethiopia. Come with us on this 362 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,679 Speaker 1: journey of the mind. We are going to Acxim. Some 363 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 1: of some of us who have researched ancient African history 364 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,359 Speaker 1: in the past will be familiar with his name spelled 365 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:53,200 Speaker 1: a x u m. It's something that was written out 366 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:56,280 Speaker 1: of a lot of Western history books. But Acum was 367 00:26:56,359 --> 00:27:00,240 Speaker 1: a very powerful kingdom that was founded around four rid 368 00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:05,200 Speaker 1: b c. E. And the city in modern day Ethiopia 369 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:10,359 Speaker 1: Axim is the former capital of this ancient kingdom and 370 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:16,400 Speaker 1: it is replete with cultural and architectural history and along 371 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:20,680 Speaker 1: with that come legends. One legend is that the Queen 372 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:26,760 Speaker 1: of Sheba herself lived in this city. And while you 373 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:31,240 Speaker 1: can go back and forth about the historosity or that's 374 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:36,640 Speaker 1: the that's the fancy word for the accuracy of these claims, 375 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:41,800 Speaker 1: we can say that in the modern day UNESCO recognizes 376 00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 1: these locations, these sites, these constructs and buildings as World 377 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:53,119 Speaker 1: Heritage Sites. So whether or not all the legends are true, 378 00:27:54,160 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: everyone can agree that this is eldridge stuff. And there 379 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:07,879 Speaker 1: are some incredible ruins that you can find in an 380 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 1: Oxom and modern day Oxom. And it's just, I mean, 381 00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: it's so cool, everything from obelisks to entire just I 382 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 1: don't know if you would call it just a lot 383 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 1: of standing stones, a lot of places where there are 384 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:26,919 Speaker 1: large parts of stone walls and buildings that are that remain, 385 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:31,479 Speaker 1: but it's just it is ruins, but it is just 386 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:34,400 Speaker 1: so cool to see. I have used so many pictures 387 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 1: of this place over the course of stuff they don't 388 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 1: want you to know, as as like stock footage, um, 389 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 1: just because it is fascinating looking. It's it's very very cool. 390 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:52,720 Speaker 1: And in this city there is a church. It's called 391 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:56,640 Speaker 1: the Chapel of the Tablet. It's part of the Church 392 00:28:56,720 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: of Our Lady Mary of Zion. The Chapel of the Tablet, 393 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: just if you're a casual passer by, looks like an 394 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:11,600 Speaker 1: old building. It's not huge, and it's clearly clearly ancient, 395 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 1: but it's something that you might not look at twice 396 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 1: as as you're strolling through this city that is filled 397 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 1: to the brim with ancient wonders. But this church has 398 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 1: a particular claim to fame and importance in Ethiopia, in 399 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 1: the world at large and across the Abramaic religions. It 400 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: is the home of the actual Arc of the Covenant, 401 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:46,280 Speaker 1: or so they claim. Well, here's the deal. There is 402 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:49,560 Speaker 1: only one human being that can see this, and it's 403 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:53,400 Speaker 1: not you, unfortunately, Well it might be. It might be 404 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,959 Speaker 1: one of us if you happen to be listening, If 405 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:00,520 Speaker 1: you're this one person and you're happen to be a stuff, 406 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 1: they don't want you to know. You lonely, one person 407 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: with such a burden to bear. Thank you for listening 408 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 1: to the show and for taking care of the Ark 409 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: of the Covenant. That's right. There is a single guardian 410 00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:19,000 Speaker 1: appointed for life to protect the Ark of the Covenant, 411 00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:23,920 Speaker 1: and they are not allowed to leave the bounds of 412 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:28,479 Speaker 1: the temple. They're also always mail. They are the only 413 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:33,640 Speaker 1: person allowed to view this artifact. And it's a lineal 414 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: thing too. There's a lineage to it because you, as 415 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 1: the guardian, you continue protecting and protecting and staying in 416 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:45,760 Speaker 1: this place and protecting and protecting, and then you eventually 417 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:48,560 Speaker 1: start to die. And when you're on your deathbed and 418 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: you're laying there taking your last breaths, you have to 419 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 1: choose somebody or maybe not in that moment, but you 420 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: have to choose the next guardian and then that person 421 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:02,400 Speaker 1: has to stay in that place forever, yes, but until 422 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 1: their death. They have to stay. So according to the story, 423 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: this is where the Ark of the Covenant ends up 424 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 1: due to the actions of an Ethiopian prince. According to 425 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:21,400 Speaker 1: the Axomite Christians, the Ark of the Covenant is first 426 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 1: brought to Ethiopia during the reign of King Solomon, and 427 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,320 Speaker 1: the Queen of Sheba travels to meet Solomon and has 428 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:33,640 Speaker 1: a child with him named men Lick, and this is 429 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:39,120 Speaker 1: the guy who reputedly takes the ark. So that's according 430 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 1: to this version of events, that's how it ends up here. 431 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:48,240 Speaker 1: And it's still around. It hasn't decayed. Yeah. The story 432 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: is essentially that because they had this child, at some point, 433 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:57,320 Speaker 1: the Queen of Sheba travels to meet or for travels 434 00:31:57,360 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: to see Solomon with the child so that they can 435 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,560 Speaker 1: actually meet the father and the son, and then when 436 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:06,320 Speaker 1: they return back to to Um where they are in Ethiopia, 437 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:10,360 Speaker 1: they take it with them. I see, which is an 438 00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:13,600 Speaker 1: interesting story plot wise, because this is one of the 439 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: most powerful artifacts that Solomon possesses, right and perhaps it's 440 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: keep it hidden, keep it safe kind of thing. Maybe 441 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:24,240 Speaker 1: it is. Maybe it is. It's just strange that he 442 00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 1: would give this away. If he consentually gave it away, 443 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: it's a gift to his son. There we go. Maybe maybe. 444 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:37,760 Speaker 1: Despite the official stance that only the guardian of the 445 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: arc may gaze upon this artifact, over the years, several 446 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: other people have claimed that they also happened to see it, 447 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:49,680 Speaker 1: one of whom was a former administrator of the church. 448 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:55,000 Speaker 1: Here's the thing, though, So it's it's one person typically 449 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 1: looking at it, and a couple of other people, for 450 00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:59,600 Speaker 1: one reason or another, have been able to gaze upon 451 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:03,960 Speaker 1: it or lance at it. Their descriptions all match, just 452 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:11,400 Speaker 1: like the descriptions in ancient Judaic text. Everyone is looking 453 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 1: at the same physical thing, and the description furthermore, of 454 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: this arc based in Ethiopia, largely gibe with the descriptions 455 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 1: of the container mentioned in Exodus Exodus versus ten through 456 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 1: twenty two. Do you mind if I just go through 457 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 1: here and read the NIV version? Yeah? Please do, please do? 458 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 1: And could we bring back the music? Okay, oh that 459 00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:40,640 Speaker 1: sounds on all right? Here we go. So this is 460 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:46,960 Speaker 1: Exodus two New International Version of the Bible. Have them 461 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,840 Speaker 1: make an arc of acacia would two and a half 462 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,600 Speaker 1: cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a 463 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:55,959 Speaker 1: cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, 464 00:33:56,320 --> 00:33:59,520 Speaker 1: both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 465 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 1: Past four gold rings for it and fasten them to 466 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:06,560 Speaker 1: its four ft with two rings on one side and 467 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:09,480 Speaker 1: two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia 468 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:13,200 Speaker 1: wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into 469 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 1: the rings on the sides of the arc to carry it. 470 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:20,320 Speaker 1: Feels very um um putting together a piece of furniture 471 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: kind of thing. I guess that's kind of what it is. 472 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 1: The poles are to remain in the rings of this arc. 473 00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:28,000 Speaker 1: They are not to be removed. Then put in the 474 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:30,919 Speaker 1: ark the tablets of the Covenant Law, which I will 475 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:33,680 Speaker 1: give you Ben. Do you want to continue, well, thank 476 00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:36,879 Speaker 1: you that I would love to make an atonement cover 477 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,239 Speaker 1: of pure gold two and a half cubits long and 478 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 1: a cubit and a half wide, and make two cherubim 479 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:45,880 Speaker 1: out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 480 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:48,840 Speaker 1: Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub 481 00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:51,759 Speaker 1: on the other. Make the cherubim of one piece with 482 00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:54,680 Speaker 1: the cover at the two ends. The cherubim are to 483 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:58,719 Speaker 1: have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. 484 00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:02,200 Speaker 1: The cherubim are too face each other looking towards the cover. 485 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:04,919 Speaker 1: Placed the cover on top of the arc, and put 486 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:07,480 Speaker 1: in the ark the tablets of the Covenant Law that 487 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:10,799 Speaker 1: I will give you. They're above the cover, between the 488 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:13,000 Speaker 1: two chair of them that are over the ark of 489 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:15,719 Speaker 1: the Covenant Law. I will meet with you and give 490 00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:20,680 Speaker 1: you all my commands for the Israelites. Ah. You know, 491 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:26,400 Speaker 1: it's very specific, so specific. It reads like assembly instruction, 492 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:31,800 Speaker 1: which it is. Yeah, it is. And twice it's said, hey, look, seriously, 493 00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:34,040 Speaker 1: put the put the tablets in there. Okay, we got that, 494 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:36,839 Speaker 1: or I'm gonna keep going, okay, put the tablets in there. 495 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:39,359 Speaker 1: You got this. But then that last bit of I 496 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:41,799 Speaker 1: will meet you and give you all my commands for 497 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:46,000 Speaker 1: the Israelites at the end. Yeah, in between those wings 498 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:53,080 Speaker 1: and the specificity here is crucial to this story because 499 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: it gives us in the modern day a very very 500 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:02,480 Speaker 1: good profile of what to look for what is the ark. 501 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:06,440 Speaker 1: But it also gives anyone who is anyone instructions on 502 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:09,879 Speaker 1: how to make an arc. Yes, so if you want 503 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:12,440 Speaker 1: to make a recreation, you could make it to a 504 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:17,000 Speaker 1: t like seriously, at any point in history, you could 505 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 1: age it. Let's say you made it in the six hundreds. 506 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 1: You could make an arc then, and then it would 507 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:25,759 Speaker 1: look so aged at this point. Unless you had someone 508 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:27,840 Speaker 1: come in and actually do testing on the wood, it 509 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:30,440 Speaker 1: would be difficult to prove you know, that it's some 510 00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:36,759 Speaker 1: not some miraculous ancient thing. That's that's a really good point. 511 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:43,200 Speaker 1: He got me. It's got your man hands up on 512 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:46,480 Speaker 1: that one, because it is it is true. The specificity 513 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 1: is a sword that swings both ways cognitively and makes 514 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:53,439 Speaker 1: it difficult for people who are attempting to track down 515 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:56,480 Speaker 1: the actual location of the physical arc. This is the 516 00:36:56,480 --> 00:36:58,680 Speaker 1: stuff they don't want you to know about it. Which 517 00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:03,879 Speaker 1: which of the claimed arts is replica? Which is the 518 00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:10,120 Speaker 1: real deal? And the most important aspect of the arc 519 00:37:10,239 --> 00:37:13,520 Speaker 1: that would separate it from a replica is going to 520 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:17,759 Speaker 1: be that it can the true art contains these two tablets, 521 00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:27,919 Speaker 1: two tablets made of stone. Yeah, that our stone if 522 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:31,520 Speaker 1: you really want to Oh man, yeah, you're on fire today. 523 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:34,160 Speaker 1: That's just it's a really good point. It's a really 524 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:39,080 Speaker 1: good point. So then if that doesn't work as the 525 00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:42,080 Speaker 1: indicator of the true arc, the last thing we are 526 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:47,120 Speaker 1: left with is God or the ability of the arc 527 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:53,279 Speaker 1: to do extraordinary supernatural things. Miraculous things would probably be 528 00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:58,560 Speaker 1: a better word in this context. So, except no substitutions, 529 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:02,920 Speaker 1: the true arc of the Covenant is occupied by God 530 00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:06,719 Speaker 1: right sitting there on the mercy seat. The arc is 531 00:38:06,719 --> 00:38:11,560 Speaker 1: a footstool talking to Moses, or in this case, talking 532 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:15,400 Speaker 1: to the single guardian there at that church in Axim. 533 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 1: And you get to ask yourself, what is this guardian 534 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:21,719 Speaker 1: doing with all the information that he's getting, right? Is 535 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:24,480 Speaker 1: he like one of the most powerful men on earth 536 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 1: or perhaps of the most or does the guardian only 537 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:33,719 Speaker 1: guard it and never really upon it. See, this is 538 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:36,480 Speaker 1: what we need. We need to have a team of 539 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:38,960 Speaker 1: people who are willing to look into the arc and 540 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:41,760 Speaker 1: try and use it to see whether or not faces 541 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:45,560 Speaker 1: melt uh. And you know, anything bad happens to those people. 542 00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:48,480 Speaker 1: That's how we begin testing all of these various arcs. 543 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:51,799 Speaker 1: And we haven't we have yet to talk about the 544 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:55,600 Speaker 1: idea that the arc is a piece of anachronistic lee 545 00:38:55,600 --> 00:39:02,000 Speaker 1: sophisticated technology. Oh man, that's almost a different episode is 546 00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:05,640 Speaker 1: maybe we should do that for a different episode, but 547 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:08,400 Speaker 1: we let you just tell you right now. My favorite one, 548 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:12,959 Speaker 1: personally is that it was some form of radioactive either 549 00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:17,479 Speaker 1: material or weapon or something that was very, very bad 550 00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:21,480 Speaker 1: that you should not ever open because there's nuclear or 551 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:26,239 Speaker 1: radioactive energy in there right, which sounds as if it 552 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:30,520 Speaker 1: would be something straight out of science fiction. However, I 553 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:32,960 Speaker 1: believe a few years ago you and I were both 554 00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 1: startled to discover that ancient nuclear reactors did exist. In 555 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:44,200 Speaker 1: a technical just let me have this, You got it. 556 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:46,839 Speaker 1: It's okay. They're not as far as we know, they're 557 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:50,880 Speaker 1: not man made, but there are on the African continent. 558 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,799 Speaker 1: In modern day Gabon. I want to say, there are 559 00:39:54,719 --> 00:39:59,360 Speaker 1: clear indications that there were three naturally occurring nuclear reactors. 560 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:03,520 Speaker 1: But if you look at ancient Indian texts, perhaps you 561 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:07,120 Speaker 1: may believe that there was an ancient war of some 562 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:11,680 Speaker 1: kind with flying machines and weapons that could light up 563 00:40:11,719 --> 00:40:17,120 Speaker 1: the sky and turn deserts to glass, and maybe it's 564 00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:23,759 Speaker 1: a remnant of that war. Right And furthermore, as insane 565 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:26,839 Speaker 1: as some of this sounds, we're going down a rabbit hole. 566 00:40:27,239 --> 00:40:30,960 Speaker 1: Please come with this or send help as insane as 567 00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:33,600 Speaker 1: this stuff sounds, the fact of the matter is that 568 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:38,880 Speaker 1: human beings are extraordinarily bad at holding onto stuff. Over time, 569 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:41,839 Speaker 1: We've lost people and thought they were fictional to find 570 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:44,359 Speaker 1: out they were real. We've lost cities and thought they 571 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:48,080 Speaker 1: were legends or pure acts of symbolism, only tile or 572 00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:51,520 Speaker 1: find out they're real, and we have lost entire civilizations. 573 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:56,480 Speaker 1: We have done that humans. Now is it is it's 574 00:40:56,880 --> 00:41:01,279 Speaker 1: probable that there is ancient, sophistic hated technology that was 575 00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:07,400 Speaker 1: somehow lost. Yeah, it's only probably because we have found 576 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:12,279 Speaker 1: or rediscovered ancient technologies, but we haven't found anything like 577 00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:16,600 Speaker 1: a spaceship there. They're usually going to be something like 578 00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:21,120 Speaker 1: Greek fire or Damascus steel, you know what I mean. 579 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:27,920 Speaker 1: They're they're more techniques and and unique mixes of chemicals. 580 00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:30,680 Speaker 1: But it would be really cool to find an ancient 581 00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:38,800 Speaker 1: aircraft please please see. And one of the arguments against 582 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:42,480 Speaker 1: that is that if something like that. First off, the 583 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:46,920 Speaker 1: argument is no, you're crazy, that would never happen because 584 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:49,080 Speaker 1: we would have heard more about it. And then the 585 00:41:49,080 --> 00:41:53,880 Speaker 1: second argument is, oh, even if someone somehow did something 586 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:58,760 Speaker 1: like that, it would have decayed due to the vast 587 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:01,880 Speaker 1: span of time. Time and the chasm between the ancient 588 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:06,680 Speaker 1: world and the modern day. But that brings us back 589 00:42:06,719 --> 00:42:10,160 Speaker 1: to your original point, which I love about a gilded 590 00:42:10,239 --> 00:42:14,080 Speaker 1: wooden artifact. How could it be intact for so long? 591 00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:19,080 Speaker 1: This question leads many scholars to assume that the object 592 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:27,040 Speaker 1: within the church in Ethiopia is itself a replica. Call 593 00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:30,440 Speaker 1: it a forgery, and called a replica, I think forgery 594 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:34,440 Speaker 1: has some negative connotations, so let's just say replica. But 595 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:39,040 Speaker 1: they think the arc or the artifact in that church, 596 00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:42,920 Speaker 1: while being a replica, is a very old one. It 597 00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:48,200 Speaker 1: wasn't made in vent or something. Right, And this is 598 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:56,640 Speaker 1: a believable claim because the forgery of holy objects, relics 599 00:42:56,680 --> 00:42:59,319 Speaker 1: of saints, pieces of the True Cross and so on 600 00:42:59,640 --> 00:43:04,160 Speaker 1: are his historically quite common. Yeah there, I cannot remember 601 00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:08,240 Speaker 1: who said it, but there is a great quotation wherein 602 00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:11,440 Speaker 1: someone says they're they're shown a piece of the quote 603 00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:15,279 Speaker 1: unquote true cross, the one that held Jesus right upon 604 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:18,960 Speaker 1: which Jesus Christ was crucified, And they say, you know, 605 00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:21,480 Speaker 1: I've seen so many of these, there are enough to 606 00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:25,959 Speaker 1: make a forest. How big is this cross? Right? And 607 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:33,480 Speaker 1: while that is true, while counterfeits, relics and artifacts are 608 00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:39,839 Speaker 1: ubiquitous in the ancient world. That doesn't prove or disprove 609 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:43,879 Speaker 1: the Church's claims. It's just something that's important for us 610 00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:48,040 Speaker 1: to know. And of course, not everyone agrees spoiler alert 611 00:43:48,120 --> 00:43:51,239 Speaker 1: that this is the actual arc. There are people like 612 00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:55,560 Speaker 1: Ron Wyatt who claimed to have discovered the ark for themselves. 613 00:43:57,360 --> 00:44:02,520 Speaker 1: Wyatt specifically claims that he discovered it in Jerusalem. And 614 00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:05,120 Speaker 1: now we get to the case of Zimbabwe, where the 615 00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:09,600 Speaker 1: Limba people who we mentioned earlier, claimed to have once 616 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:14,319 Speaker 1: in the past possessed the original arc and reconstructed it. 617 00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:18,880 Speaker 1: According to their traditions. The original container was destroyed and 618 00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:23,000 Speaker 1: so the Limba, following the word of God, created a 619 00:44:23,080 --> 00:44:29,000 Speaker 1: new container called them Lundu for these holy stone tablets. 620 00:44:30,280 --> 00:44:35,239 Speaker 1: That translates Goma Lungundu translates to the drum that thunders. 621 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:41,080 Speaker 1: I know what an amazing name, right, And this container 622 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:46,480 Speaker 1: fits our criteria for the true arc in that it 623 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:56,280 Speaker 1: contains those stone tablets and reputedly has extraordinary powers or capabilities. However, 624 00:44:56,760 --> 00:45:01,000 Speaker 1: as you mentioned earlier in the show, mat big problem 625 00:45:01,040 --> 00:45:04,239 Speaker 1: is people can look at this, you look directly at it, 626 00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:09,480 Speaker 1: no no consequence whatsoever. Maybe it's I mean, we're being 627 00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:12,520 Speaker 1: a big lip with this. According to the legends, you're 628 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:15,240 Speaker 1: not supposed to look at the container out of respect. 629 00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:21,319 Speaker 1: It's opening it that presents the problem. Right. So our 630 00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:25,440 Speaker 1: big buzz kill for this is that other people claim 631 00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:29,960 Speaker 1: the arc was real, did exist, and it's not around today, 632 00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:34,719 Speaker 1: is not extant because the Babylonians destroyed it. So these 633 00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:41,040 Speaker 1: are options. The arc does exist, was destroyed, or was 634 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:47,000 Speaker 1: destroyed and then recreated to contain these these tablets, or 635 00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:53,400 Speaker 1: it exists in any number of coincidentally inaccessible places like 636 00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:57,719 Speaker 1: the Vatican Archives. I'm so glad you brought this up. Now, 637 00:45:57,760 --> 00:46:00,920 Speaker 1: this is just I I did not read this anywhere. 638 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:03,120 Speaker 1: This just is just something that came to mind. If 639 00:46:03,160 --> 00:46:07,719 Speaker 1: you were going to safely store an ancient artifact such 640 00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:09,600 Speaker 1: as this arelic, you might want to do it at 641 00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:12,680 Speaker 1: the Vatican Archives because they've got some technology going on 642 00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:16,800 Speaker 1: there to really protect things like this. And it would 643 00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:18,759 Speaker 1: make a whole lot of sense if this is where 644 00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:21,680 Speaker 1: it ended up. Um like, think about it. It It could. 645 00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:24,600 Speaker 1: I don't know, it would be safe for it to 646 00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:27,160 Speaker 1: be there, and it would be relatively unknown because there 647 00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:30,000 Speaker 1: the Vatican Archives are very difficult to gain access too. 648 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:32,640 Speaker 1: And if you do gain access. You don't get to 649 00:46:32,640 --> 00:46:36,280 Speaker 1: see everything, and it's so oh man. The whole process 650 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:40,719 Speaker 1: of accessing the Vatican Archives is strange. So there are 651 00:46:40,760 --> 00:46:45,319 Speaker 1: parts of there are parts of the archives wherein you 652 00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:50,640 Speaker 1: have to go there in person and you are allowed 653 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:56,160 Speaker 1: to read a restricted work or view a sacred object, 654 00:46:57,600 --> 00:47:01,360 Speaker 1: but you're you're not allowed to say, hey, what stuff 655 00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:04,160 Speaker 1: do you have here? What's the where's the directory? You 656 00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:06,800 Speaker 1: have to you have to know exactly what you're looking for, 657 00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:11,799 Speaker 1: which is such an effective way to prevent the curious 658 00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:18,800 Speaker 1: from casually investigating things. Ah, hi, excuse me, I'm looking 659 00:47:18,800 --> 00:47:21,200 Speaker 1: for the ark of the Covenant. Oh yes, it's a 660 00:47:21,239 --> 00:47:27,040 Speaker 1: common right, this way, I'll show you. Yes, sorry, they're perfect. No, 661 00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:29,879 Speaker 1: that's perfect, that's perfect. And that was the Pope right, 662 00:47:30,280 --> 00:47:37,800 Speaker 1: Oh yes, he's yeah, that's true. From nine thirty a m. 663 00:47:37,880 --> 00:47:41,200 Speaker 1: To about four thirty pm Vatican time, you can just 664 00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:47,040 Speaker 1: swing by and speak to His Holiness himself. It's it's 665 00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:51,800 Speaker 1: kind of like a bookstore. We are absolutely kidding. That 666 00:47:52,239 --> 00:47:55,960 Speaker 1: is not meant to so. I think I think the 667 00:47:56,000 --> 00:47:58,920 Speaker 1: Pope himself would find it funny. I think at any 668 00:47:58,960 --> 00:48:01,120 Speaker 1: time you have to be to poke fund a little bit. 669 00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:03,839 Speaker 1: At very very powerful people, just a tiny bit just 670 00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:06,960 Speaker 1: to make everything else feel okay. No matter what your 671 00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:09,440 Speaker 1: beliefs are. If it's super powerful, you just kind of go, 672 00:48:10,000 --> 00:48:13,160 Speaker 1: you know what, it's okay, right, we can be silly. Well, 673 00:48:14,320 --> 00:48:18,800 Speaker 1: the question holds though, the recreation that that you depicted, Matt, 674 00:48:20,120 --> 00:48:23,120 Speaker 1: it still holds up because it leads us to another question. 675 00:48:23,920 --> 00:48:29,400 Speaker 1: If this were in the archives, wouldn't someone have talked 676 00:48:29,440 --> 00:48:33,840 Speaker 1: about it at some point? Yeah? Oh yeah, And wouldn't 677 00:48:33,880 --> 00:48:37,160 Speaker 1: it wouldn't Okay, If you're a major institution like that, 678 00:48:37,640 --> 00:48:40,239 Speaker 1: rather than just protected, why wouldn't you have it in 679 00:48:40,400 --> 00:48:44,360 Speaker 1: a protected place? Um, you know, where it can be 680 00:48:44,360 --> 00:48:47,200 Speaker 1: displayed for tourists. Can you imagine the tourism dollars you 681 00:48:47,200 --> 00:48:49,840 Speaker 1: could get out of that Vatican Church, in the Vatican Bank, 682 00:48:50,239 --> 00:48:53,919 Speaker 1: or you know, probably more importantly for that institution. Can 683 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:58,840 Speaker 1: you imagine the validity it gives to adherents, to believers, 684 00:48:58,920 --> 00:49:03,320 Speaker 1: to practitioners. People would come from across the world version 685 00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:05,759 Speaker 1: ratio for that, Yeah, just for a chance to view it. 686 00:49:06,239 --> 00:49:09,960 Speaker 1: Why would it be a secret. A poor example of 687 00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:14,040 Speaker 1: this would be the constitutions of various countries, many of 688 00:49:14,080 --> 00:49:18,480 Speaker 1: which are on display, and they in a secular sense, 689 00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:22,480 Speaker 1: are sacred objects, right, the foundation of various nations. But 690 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:29,120 Speaker 1: the states that function under these constitutions and these declarations 691 00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:32,400 Speaker 1: and so on, they want people to see them. They 692 00:49:32,840 --> 00:49:35,720 Speaker 1: have lines out the door for people to go look 693 00:49:36,360 --> 00:49:40,560 Speaker 1: at these things. So it's it's an interesting conundrum because 694 00:49:40,560 --> 00:49:43,160 Speaker 1: if the arc is stored somewhere and someone knows about it, 695 00:49:43,200 --> 00:49:45,960 Speaker 1: then why is it a secret. It's a great question. 696 00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:50,359 Speaker 1: In two thousand and nine, the patriarch of the Ethiopian 697 00:49:50,440 --> 00:49:55,719 Speaker 1: Church had planned to publicly display it display the Ark 698 00:49:55,760 --> 00:49:58,520 Speaker 1: of the Covenant that is based there in Axim. However, 699 00:49:59,239 --> 00:50:01,120 Speaker 1: this may have been a rumor. The claim was quickly 700 00:50:01,160 --> 00:50:05,920 Speaker 1: withdrawn and the church said the original reports were disinformation, 701 00:50:06,360 --> 00:50:12,040 Speaker 1: attempting it was implied to pressure the church two allow 702 00:50:12,239 --> 00:50:16,239 Speaker 1: at least photographs of the ark to be disseminated. There's 703 00:50:16,280 --> 00:50:19,600 Speaker 1: another question that you may have been wandering about as 704 00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:24,120 Speaker 1: we were exploring this story. Could there be multiple arcs? 705 00:50:25,280 --> 00:50:27,400 Speaker 1: At this point we can say they are at least two, right, 706 00:50:27,640 --> 00:50:31,719 Speaker 1: yet the Limba arc right, and the Drum that thunders, 707 00:50:32,440 --> 00:50:36,799 Speaker 1: and then this original arc at least two at least two. 708 00:50:36,840 --> 00:50:40,200 Speaker 1: And that's of all the stories. That's that's if the 709 00:50:40,360 --> 00:50:45,920 Speaker 1: Lemba narrative and the ancient Dai narrative are both correct. 710 00:50:47,160 --> 00:50:50,400 Speaker 1: But it turns out there are references in other ancient 711 00:50:50,440 --> 00:50:56,919 Speaker 1: texts of similar containers used to transport sacred relics. There's 712 00:50:56,920 --> 00:51:01,120 Speaker 1: an author named Thomas Rumor who created a book called 713 00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:04,680 Speaker 1: The Invention of God, and Rumor writes that throughout the Lavats, 714 00:51:04,880 --> 00:51:09,759 Speaker 1: it was common for pre Islamic Bedouins and Arab communities 715 00:51:09,960 --> 00:51:14,239 Speaker 1: to carry holy chest that contained two sacred stones or 716 00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:18,560 Speaker 1: the statues of two gods, and that later after the 717 00:51:18,640 --> 00:51:23,719 Speaker 1: rise of Islam, these statues were replaced by copies of 718 00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:28,840 Speaker 1: the Kuran. No Wow and even Stranger. This is something 719 00:51:29,520 --> 00:51:31,600 Speaker 1: that I don't think either of us expected to find 720 00:51:31,640 --> 00:51:37,239 Speaker 1: Matt even stranger. The arc may have originally contained two statues, 721 00:51:37,680 --> 00:51:43,359 Speaker 1: one representing Yahweh and one representing a Shira. I don't know. 722 00:51:43,760 --> 00:51:49,720 Speaker 1: I don't know Ashira. A Shira, according to this folkloric research, 723 00:51:50,400 --> 00:51:56,920 Speaker 1: was the divine consort of the god Yahweh. So, if 724 00:51:56,920 --> 00:51:59,440 Speaker 1: we're trying to be buzzfeedy about it and make a 725 00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:06,719 Speaker 1: headline God's wife, pretty strange stuff, Yeah, definitely. So that's 726 00:52:06,719 --> 00:52:09,680 Speaker 1: where we leave it for now. We are going to 727 00:52:09,719 --> 00:52:15,200 Speaker 1: return with an episode on the claims of ancient technology 728 00:52:15,320 --> 00:52:18,240 Speaker 1: perhaps associated with the Arc, to which we can add 729 00:52:18,440 --> 00:52:25,759 Speaker 1: other historical and acronistic objects such as the anti thera mechanism. Dude, 730 00:52:25,800 --> 00:52:29,680 Speaker 1: So it sounds like we need to start just traveling 731 00:52:29,680 --> 00:52:32,640 Speaker 1: the world trying to prove whether or not this thing exists, 732 00:52:32,719 --> 00:52:34,319 Speaker 1: because I don't think we can do it from here. 733 00:52:34,760 --> 00:52:37,120 Speaker 1: We got to actually get in these rooms, tackle the 734 00:52:37,120 --> 00:52:43,319 Speaker 1: guardians and be like, I'm opening this thing and we 735 00:52:43,640 --> 00:52:47,640 Speaker 1: can only do this with your help. Oh no, no, no, wait, 736 00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:50,759 Speaker 1: don't don't tackle any guardians. Don't please, don't do that. 737 00:52:50,760 --> 00:52:53,520 Speaker 1: I'm totally joking, But we do need you to go 738 00:52:53,560 --> 00:52:55,720 Speaker 1: explore the world for us, if that If that's okay, 739 00:52:55,840 --> 00:52:59,439 Speaker 1: and let us know if you have been to one 740 00:52:59,480 --> 00:53:02,200 Speaker 1: of the play is that we mentioned in this episode, 741 00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:06,520 Speaker 1: let us know what your take is on the art. Now, 742 00:53:07,360 --> 00:53:12,200 Speaker 1: we're pretty careful to separate our opinions from our research 743 00:53:12,880 --> 00:53:16,880 Speaker 1: in every episode of every show we do, and in 744 00:53:16,920 --> 00:53:20,560 Speaker 1: this case, I'll put my opinion out there. I believe 745 00:53:20,560 --> 00:53:25,279 Speaker 1: it was a real historical object. Yeah, the descriptions are 746 00:53:25,400 --> 00:53:32,360 Speaker 1: consistent enough. Now what did it do? What was really inside? 747 00:53:33,520 --> 00:53:38,080 Speaker 1: How many instances or iterations or versions of this thing exists. 748 00:53:38,640 --> 00:53:42,800 Speaker 1: Those are questions that I don't have the answers to. However, 749 00:53:44,520 --> 00:53:48,120 Speaker 1: there clearly was a physical thing and may still be 750 00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:52,200 Speaker 1: a physical thing out there. Yeah, I tend to agree 751 00:53:52,239 --> 00:53:55,600 Speaker 1: with you. Yeah, I think the physical thing though, if 752 00:53:55,600 --> 00:53:58,040 Speaker 1: it did exist, it would go the way of the 753 00:53:58,600 --> 00:54:02,440 Speaker 1: limbo one, where it was like broken down into almost 754 00:54:02,520 --> 00:54:05,400 Speaker 1: nothing and then it was recreated into a new version 755 00:54:05,400 --> 00:54:10,240 Speaker 1: of itself. And that also that makes me wonder about 756 00:54:10,280 --> 00:54:15,000 Speaker 1: the old ship of thesis problem, that one ship of thesis. Yeah, 757 00:54:15,080 --> 00:54:18,880 Speaker 1: the ship of thesis. It's a it's a thought experiment, 758 00:54:19,239 --> 00:54:24,160 Speaker 1: and it's baffling. So the idea is the idea is this, 759 00:54:24,840 --> 00:54:28,160 Speaker 1: Let's take a ship and say that over the course 760 00:54:28,200 --> 00:54:31,480 Speaker 1: of the ship's existence, it is repaired and pieces of 761 00:54:31,560 --> 00:54:37,880 Speaker 1: it are replaced, and eventually the ship is made of 762 00:54:38,120 --> 00:54:42,319 Speaker 1: entirely new materials. None of the original ship exists. It's 763 00:54:42,360 --> 00:54:46,319 Speaker 1: just been slowly and completely repaired and replaced. Is it 764 00:54:46,400 --> 00:54:51,400 Speaker 1: the same ship in this case? Is the arc? The 765 00:54:51,480 --> 00:54:55,120 Speaker 1: same arc? Is any human being the same human as 766 00:54:55,160 --> 00:54:59,000 Speaker 1: we constantly lose and replace ourselves. That's true, that's true. 767 00:55:00,080 --> 00:55:02,680 Speaker 1: These are huge questions we want to hear. We want 768 00:55:02,680 --> 00:55:06,000 Speaker 1: to hear your take. We hope that you enjoyed this episode. 769 00:55:06,040 --> 00:55:09,120 Speaker 1: As always, thank you to our super producer Paul Decond. 770 00:55:09,480 --> 00:55:12,799 Speaker 1: Thank you to the guardians of the Arc, whomever they 771 00:55:12,800 --> 00:55:15,680 Speaker 1: may be and wherever they are located. And thank you 772 00:55:15,760 --> 00:55:18,279 Speaker 1: Matt for for hanging out here. I can't believe we 773 00:55:18,440 --> 00:55:21,960 Speaker 1: went the whole episode and only did a few tasteful 774 00:55:22,000 --> 00:55:28,520 Speaker 1: Indiana Jones references. Yeah, well we did some tasteful full references. 775 00:55:28,560 --> 00:55:32,160 Speaker 1: Then we read the Bible Indiana Jones style. Okay, yeah, 776 00:55:32,239 --> 00:55:36,640 Speaker 1: we did do that. All right. Well, that's that's our que. 777 00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:40,759 Speaker 1: That's our cue to call it a day. This concludes 778 00:55:40,840 --> 00:55:43,800 Speaker 1: our episode, but not our show. We will be back 779 00:55:44,320 --> 00:55:47,839 Speaker 1: very soon with more strange and fascinating stuff they don't 780 00:55:47,920 --> 00:55:51,719 Speaker 1: want you to know. In the meantime, you can find Matt, Noel, 781 00:55:51,840 --> 00:55:55,280 Speaker 1: Paul and myself on the internet. We're all over the place. 782 00:55:55,320 --> 00:55:58,319 Speaker 1: We're on Instagram, we're on Facebook, we're on Twitter. We'd 783 00:55:58,320 --> 00:56:01,400 Speaker 1: love to see you over at our community page. Here's 784 00:56:01,400 --> 00:56:03,480 Speaker 1: where it gets crazy, where we're getting a lot of 785 00:56:03,600 --> 00:56:06,600 Speaker 1: stuff and there's actually I don't know if you saw this, Matt, 786 00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:11,440 Speaker 1: there's a guy who I've just decided to never reply 787 00:56:11,600 --> 00:56:15,120 Speaker 1: to with anything other than the phrase and all caps 788 00:56:15,160 --> 00:56:17,680 Speaker 1: all Hail the King of Toast. Oh I saw that. 789 00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:19,640 Speaker 1: I just saw that. It was right before we came 790 00:56:19,640 --> 00:56:22,239 Speaker 1: in here. Yeah, I'm gonna take this. I'm gonna run 791 00:56:22,280 --> 00:56:26,759 Speaker 1: with it. We are active on the page and we 792 00:56:26,800 --> 00:56:29,319 Speaker 1: would like to hear from the most important part of 793 00:56:29,320 --> 00:56:33,120 Speaker 1: every show we do, which is you, specifically you, if 794 00:56:33,120 --> 00:56:36,520 Speaker 1: none of that really haulds your art and you prefer 795 00:56:36,600 --> 00:56:38,640 Speaker 1: to stay off the social media we have all people 796 00:56:38,760 --> 00:56:42,800 Speaker 1: completely get it. You can reach us directly via email. 797 00:56:42,880 --> 00:57:06,520 Speaker 1: We are conspiracy at how stuff works dot com.