The Kebra Negast is an interesting text relaying the story of the Queen of Sheba and her son Menyelak. It tells the story of how the Ark of the Covenant was stolen from King Solomon’s Temple and taken to Ethiopia with Menyelek. It follows the Bible’s version of events until it leaves King Solomon’s Temple. According to the Bible the Ark was discovered missing and never found again. How can this story claim to explain where this missing piece of history is located? How could we be sure the Kebra Negast is telling the truth?
I do not think the Kebra Negast is telling the truth. I think the Ark is lost forever, never to be found again. The fact that so many places claim to have the Ark makes me think that it is impossible for it to be in any of these places. Another thing that makes me think it is not in Ethiopia is the fact that no one has seen it there. Sure, the members of the church that claim to possess it believe that it is there, but no one else has seen the Ark.
The Ark is an important symbol in Christianity. In relation to Religious Studies this is something that is a focal point of Christianity in Ethiopia. Through what we have read and what we have discussed in class, the Ark seems to be a central staple to the strength of their religious culture.
When I think about the ark of the covenant I think of it kind of like the origin of hamburgers, bare with me. So, hamburgers originated in America BUT there is a huge discrepancy of where hamburgers were first created. Multiple restaurants claim to be the place where hamburgers were first created, it's pretty hard to prove where exactly they first came in existence and this is kind of like the ark. The ark residing in one certain place holds a lot of value to that certain place, it isn't so much about where it truly resides but how those feel its significance and appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said in the post. I kind of feel like them claiming to have the Ark goes along with what we have discussed many times, people creating stories that fit their religion.
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