One of the greatest mysteries for believers of the Judeo-Christian religions is the present location of the Ark of the Covenant, a chest said to contain the two stone tablets of the original Ten Commandments. While age-old lore cautions that gazing upon this hallowed relic exacts tremendous consequences, there are many theories as to its whereabouts. In the 1980s, one man claimed to have not only found the Ark of the Covenant, but to have seen it with his own eyes.
The Bible says that the Commandments were preserved by the Israelites in a wooden chest covered with gold. Known as the Ark of the Covenant, the chest may also contain the rod of Aaron—which famously turned into a snake before the Pharaoh’s eyes—and a pot of manna—believed to be food provided by heaven for the Israelites to survive on while wandering around in the desert.
One of the strongest claims to possessing the Ark of the Covenant was made by the Ethiopian Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, which maintains that the Ark was carried to Axum by the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon for protection. Many other churches put forward claims as well. Possible locations of the Ark of the Covenant include Jordan, Egypt, Israel, South Africa, France, Italy, Ireland and the United States.
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