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Chapter 14 The fourth weird device-1

You shall make a chest of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.It shall be overlaid with pure gold inside and out, and set with a gold fringe all around.You also cast four rings and put them on the four corners of the ark, two rings on this side and two rings on that side.You shall make the two poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.Put the poles through the rings on the side of the ark so that it can be carried.The poles must remain in the rings of the ark and must not be taken out. . . . the mercy seat shall be of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.Two cherubim are to be hammered out of gold, and they shall be placed at the ends of the mercy seat. ... I will meet you there, and from between the two cherubim on the mercy seat of the testimony, I will tell you everything I will command you to communicate to the Israelites.

——"Old Testament Exodus" Chapter 26 During 1989 and 1990, I got deeper into the mystery of the missing Ark than ever before.I am not only interested in the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant, but also in what the Ark of the Covenant is. Naturally, I first went to study the Bible. The earliest mention of the Ark in the Bible was during the "wilderness wandering" period after the prophet Moses led the descendants of Israel out of Egypt (according to the Jerusalem version of the Bible, this was about 1250 BC).Chapter 25 states that the dimensions and materials of this sacred object were told to Moses by God himself on Mount Sinai:

You are to make a chest of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. The dimension converted according to the ancient Egyptian cubit is consistent with the relevant footnote in the Jerusalem version of the Bible—the author's original note).It shall be overlaid with pure gold inside and out, and set with a gold fringe all around.You shall also cast four rings of gold, and put them on the four feet of the ark, two on one side and two on that side.You shall make the two poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.Put the poles through the rings on the side of the ark so that it can be carried.The poles must remain in the rings of the ark and must not be taken out. . . . the mercy seat shall be of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.Two cherubim are to be hammered out of gold, and they shall be placed at the ends of the mercy seat.Make one cherub at one end, and one cherub at the other end.The two cherubim shall be placed one after the other at the two ends of the mercy seat.The cherubim shall spread their wings high and cover the mercy seat.The cherubim are to face each other, toward the mercy seat.You shall set the mercy seat on top of the ark... I will meet you there, and from between the two cherubim on the mercy seat of the ark of the testimonials, I will tell you everything I will command you to pass on to the children of Israel . (See "Old Testament Exodus" Chapter 25, verses 10-22, the "mercy seat" in the text, throne of mercy, refers to the pure gold cabinet cover; "cherubim", cherubim, refers to the winged angel gold Like——Translator’s Note)

This "blueprint of oracle" is undoubtedly one of the most peculiar passages in the Bible.After Moses got it, he conveyed it verbatim to a craftsman named Bezalel. The Spirit of God filled Bezalel, "making him wise, intelligent, and knowledgeable, able to do all kinds of work, to think up skillful work, and to make everything with gold, silver, and copper." Bezalel strictly followed The pattern indicated made the ark. After the ark was completed, Moses put in two commandment boards, which were also given to him by God on Mount Sinai, and on them were the "Ten Commandments" written by God himself.The sacred Ark of the Covenant, now containing the precious commandment tablets, was placed behind the altar in front of the inner temple of the Tabernacle—a structure much like a tent, a mobile sanctuary used by the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings.

horror and wonder It wasn't long before something horrible happened.The first happened to Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron the high priest.Aaron was the older brother of Moses and had four sons.Nadab and Abihu were members of the priestly family and had access to the inner sanctum.One day, they entered the inner sanctum with metal censers. The book of Leviticus states that they "offered strange fire before the LORD," with devastating results, and a flame spewed from the ark "consumed them up." Aaron's two sons approached the LORD and died.After he died, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell Aaron your brother that you must not go to the mercy seat on the ark at any time in the sanctuary, lest he die, for I will appear on the mercy seat from the cloud. Go up." (Leviticus 16:1-2)

The "throne of mercy" (translated as mercy seat in some versions) is a pure gold plate, which was used as the cover of the ark of the covenant.The reader may recall that it has two golden figures of winged angels at each end, facing each other.Therefore, "the cloud over the mercy seat" that threatened Aaron's life must have appeared between the two golden statues of winged angels.The cloud doesn't always appear, only when it does occur in what Israel calls "the work of the devil."Therefore, Moses did not dare to approach it later. Between the two golden statues of winged angels facing each other on the golden cover of the Ark of the Covenant, there are other phenomena that are believed to be supernatural.For example, a few days after Aaron's two sons were tragically killed by the ark, Moses entered the inner sanctum of the Tabernacle, which was then pitched at the foot of Mount Sinai.After Moses entered, the prophet "heard a voice speaking to him from the mercy seat of the ark of the testimony, between the two cherubim."

Some very old Jewish legends say that the voice came down from heaven "like a pillar of fire."These two golden figures of winged angels seem to be often associated with fire, either disguised in one way or another, or accompanied by deadly fumes.For example, a long-standing folklore states that "from the image of the winged angel that covered the Ark of the Covenant shot two sparks (or pillars of fire)," which sometimes burned nearby objects. The time has finally come for the Israelites to bid farewell to their camp at the foot of the Sinai.Mount Sinai is also (after God's name) called "Mountain of Yahweh":

Israel left the mountain of the LORD and traveled three days.The ark of the LORD walked ahead for three days, looking for a resting place for them... As the ark moved forward, Moses said, "Arise, O LORD! Let your enemies be scattered, let your hatred Your people flee before you." When the ark stopped, he said, "O Lord, please return to the thousands of Israel!" ("Numbers of the Old Testament" Chapter 10 33, 35, 36) This holy relic went ahead of the procession of the Israelites, carried by the Konhath.The Kohathites were a tribe of the Levites, to which both Moses and Aaron belonged.According to some legends and Jewish rabbis' commentary on the "Old Testament", these people who carried the ark of the covenant were sometimes killed by the "sparks" it shot; The cabinet can not only walk automatically, but also drive the people who carry the cabinet to walk together."

The ark sometimes emits a mysterious force that can overcome gravity, and this statement is not only found in Jewish legends.Some erudite Jewish rabbis commented on the "Old Testament", also mentioned that the ark can sometimes lift the ark bearers from the ground, thus making them temporarily relieved of the burden of carrying the ark ("Encyclopedia of Judaism" volume 2, page 105). Likewise, a particularly astonishing Jewish legend recounts a situation in which the priests were about to lift the ark when they were "suddenly thrown into the sky by an invisible force, and fell to the ground again, and so on." repeatedly".Another legend says, "Once, the Ark of the Covenant jumped into the air automatically." (L. Ginsberg's "Legends of the Jews" Volume 3, p. 395)

The ark was filled with this strange energy, so it is no surprise that the Israelites were able to use it as a weapon during their wilderness wanderings.This weapon was so powerful that it enabled the Israelites to win even when they were outnumbered.One record says: On the battlefield, the ark first made a "whistling sound", then leaped from the ground and flew towards the enemy (Encyclopedia of Judaism, Vol. 2, p. 106).Needless to say, the enemy was naturally routed and was killed immediately. In another battle, however, the Israelites were defeated, as if to prove a rule. The Bible says that this failure was because the Israelites did not carry the ark to the battlefield.Moses, before the battle, exhorted the Israelites not to kill in the area where the battle was fought, and then took the ark from them:

They dared to go up to the top of the mountain; but the ark of the LORD and Moses did not go out of the camp.Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived on that mountain came down and struck them and drove them back. ("Old Testament Numbers" Chapter 14, Sections 44 and 45) The "Bible" says that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, during which they understood that it would be beneficial to them to follow Moses' word for word.Therefore, under the leadership of Moses and with the help of the Ark, the Israelites conquered the savage tribes on the Sinai Peninsula, captured the Trans-Jordan region, defeated the Midianites, and finally defeated all those who stood in their way. tribe.At the end of their 40-year wandering, they finally encamped "in the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan, opposite Jericho" (Numbers 2:1). The Israelites now saw that God's promised land was just across the Jordan River.By this time, Moses' elder brother Aaron had died, and his high priesthood had been replaced by Elaezar.Jehovah had warned Moses in advance that Moses was destined not to enter the land of Canaan.So Moses appointed "Joshua son of Nun" as his successor (Numbers 27:12-23). Soon after, Moses also died.He had already taught Joshua the secret of the Ark before his death.Thus, the new commander of the Israeli army had a fearsome weapon in his hands.He would use it to crush the stubborn resistance of the enemy, for before him was the fortified city of Jericho. It appears that Joshua understood that the Ark was a double-edged sword: if used incorrectly, it could harm both the enemy and the Israelites.At the beginning of the battle, when he planned to cross the Jordan River and attack the city of Jericho, he ordered the officers of the whole camp to convey the following words to the Israelites: When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests and Levites carrying it, leave your place and follow the ark.But keep your distance from the ark of the covenant at two thousand cubits, and do not come near the ark... ("Old Testament Joshua" Chapter 3, Verses 3 and 4) Then, when everything is ready— Joshua also commanded the priests, "Take up the ark and pass over before the people."... When the people left their tents to cross the Jordan River, the priest who carried the ark was ahead of the people.When they came to the Jordan River, when their feet were in the water...the water that was flowing from above...was raised up...and the water that went down was completely cut off. ...The priests who carried the ark of the Lord came up from the Jordan River, and as soon as the soles of their feet touched the dry land, the water of the Jordan River flowed to the same place, and it still rose over both banks... (Joshua) said: "...the Lord your God is You have dried up the waters of the Jordan River ahead of you, waiting for you to come over." ("Joshua" chapter 3, verses 6, 14-17 and chapter 4, verses 18, 21, 23) Those who grew up in the Jewish and Christian traditions are familiar with the details of the Israeli army storming the city of Jericho after successfully crossing the Jordan River.The vast majority of the Israelites followed Joshua's instructions and stood two thousand cubits (more than half a mile) away. Some selected priests blew their horns, carried the ark of the covenant, and walked around the city of Jericho.So for six days.Then-- On the seventh day they got up early at dawn, and went around the city seven times; but on this day they went around the city seven times.At the seventh time, when the priest blew the trumpet, Joshua told the people, "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city..." Then the people shouted, and the priest blew the trumpet.When the people heard the sound of the horn, they shouted aloud, and the walls fell down, and the people went up and entered the city...and took it.And killed all the ... in the city with a knife. ("Joshua" chapter 6 verses 15, 16, 20, 21) During the time when the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, the newly made ark was almost invincible. The "Bible" also shows that when Joshua fought in the land promised by God, long after the capture of Jericho, the Ark of the Covenant still played a decisive military role. However, some 150 years after Joshua's death, things have changed.A careful study of the relevant passages of the Old Testament reveals that the Ark of the Covenant was usually no longer carried to the battlefield at this time, and it (together with the Tabernacle) was permanently placed in an important sanctuary, that Named "Shiloh" (Shiloh). The cause of this change was the increasing military strength and self-confidence of the Israelites.By the gate century BC, they had conquered most of the Promised Land, settled there, and controlled those places.Under these circumstances, they thought, it was no longer necessary to bring out their secret weapon in battle. However, a major battle later proved that this confidence of the Israelites was groundless.That was the Battle of Ebenezer, in which the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines, and about 4,000 people were killed ("Old Testament - 1 Samuel" Chapter 4, Sections 1 and 2).After this debacle— When the people returned to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "...Let us bring the ark of the Lord to us from Shiloh, that it may be among us and deliver us from the hand of our enemies." (1 Samuel, ch. Chapter 4, Section 3) The proposal was immediately accepted: So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there the ark of the LORD of hosts, which sat on the two cherubim, was brought up... When the ark of the LORD came into the camp, the Israelites shouted for joy, and the earth shook. ("1 Samuel" chapter 4, verses 4 and 5) The Philistines heard the shouts and exclaimed: "What was the reason for the loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?" Then it became known that the ark of the Lord had arrived in the camp.Then the Philistines were afraid, and said, "Gods have come to their camp." And they said, "Woe to us! Nothing like this has ever happened. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from these mighty gods hand of the Note 1, Chapter 4, Section 69) The two sides clashed again, but the result that shocked both sides was: The Israelites were defeated, and each fled to his own house.Many were killed, and thirty thousand of the infantry of Israel fell.The ark of the covenant of God was taken captive... (1 Samuel Chapter 4 Verses 9 and 10) This is indeed a catastrophe.In the past, the Israelites had never been defeated as long as they carried the ark of the covenant to the battlefield, and the ark of the covenant had never been captured by the enemy.The thing in front of me was simply unexpected and unimaginable, but it happened after all. The Philistines returned triumphantly with this holy relic.An Israelite gallops to deliver the bad news to Eli, the high priest who remains at Shiloh: Eli was sitting on his seat by the road and watching... Eli was ninety-eight years old at that time, and his eyes were so blind that he couldn't see.The man said to Eli, "I came from the battle, and I fled from the battle today." Eli said, "My son, what is the matter?" fled, and many of the people were slain! . . . The ark of the covenant of God was taken captive." As soon as he lifted the ark of God, Eli fell back from his seat, and died by the door, breaking his neck, for he was old and heavy. Eli's daughter-in-law...was about to give birth when she heard that the ark of God had been taken captive. She felt a sudden pain and bent over to give birth. (1 Samuel Chapter 4 Verses 13, 15-19) Therefore, the child she gave birth to was named "Iehabod" (Iehabod), which means "Where is the glory?" When the ark of the covenant was taken into captivity, there was a cry: "Glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of the covenant of God has been carried away". (1 Samuel Chapter 4 Verse 22) What happened later was even stranger and more chilling: The Philistines carried the ark of God from Ebenezer to Ashdod.The Philistines carried the Ark of God into the temple of (their god) Dagon and placed it next to Dagon (the statue).Early the next morning, the people of Ashdod got up and saw Dagon prostrated before the ark of the LORD with his face on the ground, so they stood Dagon where he was.He got up early the next morning and saw Dagon prostrated in front of the ark of the LORD with his face on the ground, and Dagon's head and hands were broken off on the threshold, leaving only Dagon's remnant body.Therefore, the priests of Daai and everyone who entered the Dagon Temple in Ashdod did not step on the threshold of the Dagon Temple until today. The hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and they corrupted them, and gave them hemorrhoids.This is true of Ashdod and the four regions of Ashdod.When the people of Ashkob saw this, they said, "The ark of the covenant of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god." So they sent for all the Philistines. The leaders came together and asked them, "What should we do with Jorgen, the God of Israel?" They replied, "You can take the ark of the covenant of the God of Israel to Gath." The cabinet is shipped there.After they were transported, the hand of the LORD attacked the city, causing great panic among the people in the city, and hemorrhoids arose, both big and small.They sent the ark of God to Ekron.When the ark of God arrived, the Ekronites shouted, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us to harm us and our people." So they sent for the leaders of the Philistines. , and said, "May you return the ark of the God of Israel to its original place, so that we and our people will not be harmed." It turned out that the hand of God struck the city heavily, and some people in the city died of panic, but they did not die. people have hemorrhoids.The call sign of the city, the sound reaches the sky. (1 Samuel Chapter 5) The Philistines, terrified by the horrors of the ark's devastation, finally decided after seven months to "return the ark to its place" (1 Samuel 6:2).For this purpose they put the ark on "a new cart," "had two unyoked cows with milk," and drove the cart to Bethshemesh, where The closest place to the Philistines in the Israeli-controlled area ("1 Samuel" chapter 6, verses 7 and 12, King James King James Version of the Bible). Soon another plague came, but this time the victims were not Philistines: The men of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the plain, and when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced.When the chariot came to the field of Joshua the Beth-shemeshite, it stopped.There was a great rock there, and they split the chariot, and offered two heifers to the LORD as a burnt offering. ... (But) Yahweh made the people of Beth-Shemesh look at the ark of his covenant, and he killed seventy of them. At that time, fifty thousand people were there, and they were all killed.The people wept because the LORD had smitten them terribly. ("1 Samuel" Chapter 6 Verses 13, 14, 19, The King James King James Version Strange Scripture) The scriptures quoted above are from the King James Version of the Bible written in the early 1900s.Some more recent translations also mention that the Ark "killed" the Beth-shemesh, but the number of people killed was "70" instead of "50070".Modern scholars agree that the correct number is 70. Therefore, after the ark arrived in the field of the Beth-shemesh people, 70 people watched the ark without authorization, and all of them were killed. How they died is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible, but there is no doubt that they were all killed by the ark.The results were so horrific that the survivors came to the conclusion: "Who shall stand before the Lord, a holy God? From us to whom shall this ark of the covenant be sent?" (1 Samuel Chapter 6, Section 20) At this moment, a group of Levite priests suddenly and mysteriously appeared, "took down the ark", and took it away-not to Shiloh, where it was stored before, but to a place called " Kiriath-Jearim" (Kiriath-Jearim).There, the Ark of the Covenant was placed in "the house of Abinadab on the hill". For about 50 years thereafter, the Ark of the Covenant has been placed on that mountain, isolated from the world, and strictly guarded.It wasn't until David became king of Israel that the ark was brought down the mountain.King David was extremely mighty and self-willed, and he had just captured the city of Jerusalem.He intends to transport the most worshiped holy objects of the Israelites to the new capital, Jerusalem, to strengthen his authority. This date is roughly somewhere between 1000 BC and 900 BC.The situation at that time was: They carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on the net and put it on a new cart.The two sons of Abinadab, Massa and Ahio, drove the new chariot.Uzzah was walking by the ark, and Ahio was walking by the ark... When they arrived at the threshing floor of Narian, Uzzah stretched out his hand to hold the ark of God because the ox stumbled.God the LORD was angry with Noussa, and struck him down for this mistake.He died beside the ark of God. (See verses 3, 4, 6, 7 of chapter 6 of 2 Samuel) very natural: David was afraid of the Lord and said, "How can the ark of the Lord be brought to me?" So David refused to bring the ark of the Lord into David's city... (2 Samuel Chapter 6 Chapter 9 Festival) He carried the ark "to the house of Obed-edom the Saudi" (v. 10).David wanted to see if the ark would kill anyone, so the ark stayed in Obed-edom's house for three months.However, no calamity occurred; on the contrary, "the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his house" (v. 11). The Bible does not say what this blessing is.However, according to some old folklore, "it gave Obed-edom many children.... The woman in his house was only two months pregnant, and gave birth to six children at once." (L. Kingsberg Ge "Jewish Legends" Volume 6, p. 275) The Bible continues the story: It was told King David, "The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belong to him because of the ark." So David went and carried the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the David's city. (2 Samuel Chapter 6 Verse 12) On the way to carry the ark of the covenant, the sons of Levi carried the ark of the covenant of God on poles and on their shoulders, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses. ("Old Testament 1 Chronicles", Chapter 15, Section 15) Amidst "the cheers and the sound of the trumpets," and the music played "with all kinds of musical instruments made of pine wood, and lyres, harps, drums, cymbals, and gongs," David at last led the joyous guard of honor bearing the ark of the covenant. The city of Jerusalem was introduced. David had planned to build a temple in Jerusalem to house the Ark of the Covenant.But in fact, he failed to fulfill this ambition, but just placed the ark in a simple tent, the same shape as the ones used by the Israelites during their wanderings in the wilderness. So the honor (or was it a whimsy?) of building the temple was left to someone else.As David said before his death: In my heart I wanted to build a temple, to house the ark of the Lord... I have prepared the materials for the building.It's just that God said to me: "You shall not build a house for my name...your son Solomon will build my house and my courts." ) This prophecy will then be fulfilled.In 966 BC, Solomon ordered the construction of the Temple to begin.The work was completed more than a decade later in 955 BC.After the temple was built, the inner hall (Holy of Holies) where the Ark of the Covenant was placed was also built inside - God had commanded that the inner hall be completely dark: At that time, Solomon gathered the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, and the heads of the families of Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David, which is Zion... When the elders of Israel came, the priests carried The ark of the covenant was taken up...and the ark of the LORD was brought up...King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who had assembled with him sacrificed cattle and sheep before the ark, innumerable numbers.The priests carried the ark of the LORD into the inner sanctuary, which is the Holy of Holies... (Shuaio 1 Kings 8:1, 3, 4, 5, 6) From then on, the Ark of the Covenant remained in the "dark" cella until it mysteriously disappeared sometime between the 10th and 6th centuries BC. As I pointed out in the first chapter of this book, the Bible does not provide any explanation for the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant, which is regarded by scholars as one of the great mysteries of the Bible.Almost as puzzling, however, are the terrible powers of the ark in its golden age, which the Old Testament ascribes directly to God. hypothetical hypothesis In trying to understand the Ark of the Covenant, I found myself faced again and again with the dilemma of how to explain these powers of the Ark.Where do they come from?I think there are three possible answers: 1. What the Old Testament says is true.The Ark of the Covenant is indeed the repository of the divine energies that are the source of all the "miracles" it performs. 2. What the Old Testament says is wrong.The Ark of the Covenant was just a luxurious chest, and the Sons of Israel were the victims of a collective mass illusion that persisted for centuries. 3. What the Old Testament says is both true and false.The Ark did have real powers, but those powers were neither "supernatural" nor divine.Instead, they are man-made might. I have carefully studied all three answers and concluded that: I certainly can't accept the first answer, unless I'm prepared to accept the idea that Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, is a psychopathic murderer, or some kind of demon that lives in a box. I also cannot agree with the second answer, firstly because: Although the "Old Testament" is a compilation of many scriptures written in different periods, when it comes to the issue of the ark, these scriptures are surprisingly consistent.In all the passages of the Bible, the ark is the only man-made artifact that is clearly and unmistakably described as being filled with supernatural energy, while all other man-made artifacts are described as such.In fact, even those exceptionally holy utensils are clearly described only as important religious ceremonial objects, such as the seven-tech gold candlestick called "Minola", the so-called "table for offering sacrificial bread" and The altar where Pan's offerings are held, etc. The case of the Ark, therefore, is unique: the writers of the Bible held it in special esteem, and there is a long period in the biblical story during which the Ark performed all sorts of awesome deeds and completely dominated The content of the story.What's more, the power of the Ark of the Covenant described in it is rarely decorated with imaginary literary decoration; on the contrary, from the time it was made at the foot of Mount Sinai until it disappeared suddenly and unexplained hundreds of years later, the Ark of the Covenant has always displayed the same wonders, while There are not many types of those wonders. The ark of the covenant often raised itself from the ground, and raised its bearers and those near it; it gave off light; time"; it has always been able to cause ailments, like "leprosy" and "lump"; it has always been able to kill those who accidentally touch it or open it.Importantly, though, it did not display some of its other miraculous features.And if it was affected by group hallucinations, or if there were a lot of fictional elements in the records of the Ark, then people could have expected the Ark to create other more astonishing miracles.For example, the Ark of the Covenant couldn't make it rain, turn water into wine, raise the dead, cast out demons, and it wasn't invincible when it was carried into battle (although it was at one point). . In other words, throughout its history, the Ark of the Covenant has behaved like a powerful machine, designed to do some very specific work, and it just performed the full function it was designed to do.Like all machines, though, it has its moments of failure, because of structural flaws, because it can also fail due to human error, because it too wears out and ages. Therefore, I will propose a hypothesis, which is consistent with the third answer above. What the Old Testament says is both true and false.The Ark did have real powers, but those powers were neither "supernatural" nor divine.Rather, they are the product of human skill and ingenuity. Of course, this is only a theory, a conjecture intended to guide my research.This theory has been met with a great deal of legitimate skepticism.And most importantly, how was it possible for people more than 3,000 years ago to create such a powerful device?We generally believe that technology and civilization at that time were still in a very early stage. I feel that this question is at the heart of the Ark of the Covenant mystery.To answer this question, I find myself first considering the cultural context of the Ark, which is almost exclusively Egyptian.After all, the Ark of the Covenant was built in the Sinai wilderness within a few months of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt.The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for more than 400 years. Therefore, it is most likely to find clues about the true nature of the Ark in Egypt. Tutankhamun's relic After visiting the Cairo Museum, I am even more convinced that my thinking is correct.The Cairo Museum is located in the heart of the Egyptian capital, near the east bank of the Nile.This majestic building is a unique collection of artifacts from the Pharaonic era dating back to 4000 BC.On one floor of the museum is a permanent exhibition featuring excavated burials from the tomb of pharaoh Tutankhamun. Tutankhamun was a young king who reigned from 1352 BC to 1343 BC, about a century before the time of Moses.I was fascinated by the exhibit and spent hours browsing the cabinets, admiring the beauty, variety and richness of the artefacts before my eyes.No wonder it took the famous British archaeologist Howard Carter six years to complete the excavation of this huge tomb he discovered in the "Valley of the Kings" in 1922.However, what interests me most among the treasures he unearthed is that they also include more than a dozen chests or boxes in the shape of the Ark of the Covenant, some with poles for carrying the ark, and some without, but they are all similar in design concept Like the ark, By far the most striking items from these unearthed burials are the four outer stops of Tutankhamun's coffin pivot.I observed them carefully. These large rectangular boxes were all nested together at first, but now they are put on display separately in the showcase.These boxes are all made of wood, and all of them are "wrapped with pure gold inside and outside" (from "Old Testament Exodus", Chapter 25, Section 11).Therefore, it is difficult for me not to conclude that the designers of the Ark must have been familiar with items like these chests. This view was further supported by a circumstance: on the door and on the back wall of each outer chamber were two mysterious statues, tall and fearsome winged women, all hideous in stature and features, like stern Furies.These mighty and condescending creatures, whose usual role was to guard the precious tombs in the mausoleum, were regarded by the Egyptians as the goddesses Isis and Nephthys.These identities have no special meaning to me, but I still can't help noticing that these goddesses have "wings that spread upwards", just like the two winged angels on the Ark of the Covenant described in the Bible.The two goddess statues are also facing each other, which is also like the two winged angels mentioned in the Bible.They are all in high relief (rather than in the round) on the flat door panels, but they are also covered in "gold leaf", which is also very similar to the biblical winged angels. I know of no scholar who has ever argued what those winged angels really looked like.The scholarly consensus is that they are in no way likely to resemble the round "cherubs" of much later Western art, which at best illustrate a really ancient pagan idea from a Christian perspective. My mind was racing in the Cairo museum.Even so, I think, in my findings, that the monstrous winged guards on these coffins of Tutankhamun are the most likely models for the winged angels on the Ark of the Covenant.The winged angels on the Ark are indeed the two standing sentinels of the Ark, and often serve as conduits for the release of its deadly mighty energies. Talbot at the "Apeite Festival" I later discovered that the Egyptian setting of the Ark was broader and deeper than that.There is also a legend about Tutankhamun that helped me fully understand the meaning of this background. In April 1990, I visited the huge Luxor Temple in Upper Egypt.I walk past the elegant colonnade of the temple, which extends eastward from the courtyard of Ramses II.Suddenly, I saw a story engraved in stone - carvings that permanently record the important "Apat festival" in rich detail.In the 14th century BC, Tutankhamun himself ordered the carving of this group of reliefs. The reliefs on the east and west walls of the colonnade are now badly peeled off over the millennia, but they are still clear enough for me to capture the general scene of the festival.In Tutankhamun's time, the Apat festival marked the arrival of the Nile River's annual flood peak, and Egypt's agriculture was almost entirely dependent on the Nile River's flood period. I already knew that this continuous flood (which today has been blocked by the Aswan Dam, with extremely adverse ecological consequences) was almost the only consequence of the long rainy season in the Ethiopian plateau.Every year, Lake Tana has a major flood roaring down the Blue Nile, sending tens of thousands of tons of fertile silt to the farmland in the Nile Delta, and it constitutes about 6/7 of the total flow of the Nile River system. 这表明,阿派特节的庆典仪式有可能和我的考察有关——人们毕竟是在庆祝一个节日,它把古埃及人的生活与在遥远的埃塞俄比亚发生的事件清晰地连在了一起。这种联系很可能只是气候和地理上的巧合,尽管如此,我还是认为——从表面看,它至少是一个引人兴趣的巧合。 事实证明,它远不止是个巧合。 我先研究了柱廊西墙,那上面有一些表现图坦卡蒙的浮雕。我突然看到了一个类似柜子的东西,一群年轻祭司用杠子把它抬在肩上。我凑上去观看,发现它的确是个箱子,但有个突出特点:这个被运送的东西,其外形像条船而不像箱子。 我眼前的场景很像忠实地图解了《旧约·历代志上》的一段经文。那段经文说,古代以色列的利未祭司们"用杠、肩抬神的约柜,是照耶和华藉摩西所吩咐的"(第15章第15节)。 我后退了几步,观看整个西墙,发现那里的浮雕都和最先引起我注意的那块相似。我看见,西墙上是一组似乎表现群众欢快游行场面的浮雕,上面有几个不同形状的船形柜子,被几群祭司抬在肩上。祭司们前面是一些乐手,正在演奏塞斯特拉铃和各种其他的乐器;此外还有杂技表演者。众人载歌载舞,兴奋地鼓掌。 My heart beats faster.我坐在一个半截柱基的阴影下,思索着刚刚看到的浮雕给我的震动意味着什么。当时是我于199o年1月18日和19日参观贡德尔城主显节以后仅仅三个月。因此,我对那两天目睹的宗教狂热以及仪式上的细节还记忆犹新。这记忆异常新鲜,使我不能不注意到,那些仪式很像这座古埃及神庙浮雕上刻画的狂喜游行。 我已经明白,这两个事件的焦点都是某种"柜子崇拜"——一群祭司高抬着柜子,而歇斯底里的群众都无比崇拜它。还不止如此,主显节的特点是在那些柜子前狂热地舞蹈和乐器表演。现在已经清楚,这种活动也是阿派特节不可分割的组成部分,甚至使用的乐器也同属一类,浮雕上的乐器和我在贡德尔见过的毫无二致。 当然,今天的埃塞俄比亚神甫们头顶的塔波特板,其外形和古埃及祭司们肩扛的船形柜子截然不同。然而,根据我以前的考察(见本书第六章的详细叙述),我却几乎无法忘记一点:一些著名的辞源学家认为,"塔波特"(tabot)这个字的本来意义就是"船形容器"。 我清楚地知道,"tabot"这个埃塞俄比亚语单字来源于古希伯来语的"tebah",而《圣经》里用它特指船形的柜子,例如挪亚方舟和装着婴儿摩西在尼罗河上漂流的蒲草箱,就是如此。现在我还认识到,《国王的光荣》中曾有一处把约柜说成是装着"上帝亲书的十诫诫板"的"船腹",这也可能并不是巧合。 我定了定神,站了起来,从那半截柱基的阴影里走到强烈的日光底下,阳光照亮了整个柱廊区。 我继续研究阿派特节的损蚀浮雕。西墙的组雕表现的是把那些柜子从凯尔奈克神庙抬到卢克索的神庙(其间的实际距离是三英里左右)。东墙的组雕表现的是游行队伍从卢克索神庙沿着尼罗河返回凯尔奈克神庙。在凯尔奈克神庙举行庄严的仪式,把那些神圣的容器重新放在原来的安放处。 这些浮雕场面复杂,做工精美,都使我不禁联想起贡德尔城的主显节,后者同样有往返的游行,即把那些塔波特从教堂里抬到那座古堡边的"施洗礼的"湖,再抬回它们各自所来的教堂。 不仅如此,现在我还能清楚地理解到一点:我1月19日清晨在湖边目睹的那些奇特仪式本身,其实就是阿派特节仪式的翻版,而后者的每个阶段都似乎与对水的特殊崇敬有关(实际上,这组浮雕表现仪式前半部分的场面表明,人们把这些柜子从神庙直接抬到尼罗河畔,并在那里举行了一些精心设计的仪式)。 学者的论证 1990年4月,我结束了埃及之旅以后,便找机会深入研究在那里偶然发现的那个证据。 我发现,专家们对我提出的种种猜测毫无争执。例如:在一次会议上,利物浦大学的埃及学教授肯尼斯·奇辛证实,我在开罗博物馆见到的图坦卡蒙墓中的那些箱子,的确有可能是制作约柜所依据的原型。他用浓重的约克郡方言颇为肯定地说:"退一万步说,它们也证明包金木箱是那个时期标准的宗教用品,所以摩西可能具备了制作约柜的技术能力。他当时可能采用的制作方法,他为宗教目的而使用的这种有先例可循的结构,这些都有埃及一段漫长历史时期的实际文物、绘画和经文作为丰富的证明。" 我还发现,学者们也赞同我的一个猜测,即以约柜为核心的阿派特节与早期犹太教仪式之间可能存在着联系。我翻阅不列颠图书馆的许多参考资料时,偶然发现了一本1884年在伦敦出版的书,其出版者是宗教宣传手册协会,书名是《古代纪念碑的新启迪》。 如果我没注意到它的作者是个名叫A·H·塞斯的人,我本来也许会完全忽略了这本立论公允的小书。塞斯当时是牛津大学哲学系的副教授。我想到,研究埃及宗教的重要权威之一,E·A·瓦利斯·布奇最推崇塞斯,说他是一位"杰出的学者"。我翻开这本书的一章,题目是《逃出埃及》。塞斯在其中写道,"以色列人的律法和宗教仪式"有许多种来源,其中包括"各种节日和斋戒日"。在这些日子里, 人们在游行中将众神放在"船只"里抬着。根据雕刻,我们已经知道,这种"船只"的外形很像希伯来人的柜子,人们用杠子把它们扛在肩上, 这段话支持了我的猜测。这位19世纪的著名教授的话鼓舞了我。于是,我又仔细翻阅手头的参考书,从而证明了一点:阿派特节仪式上的那些船形柜子里确实装着众神,确切地说,装着埃及神谱中各种神明的小型雕像。这些雕像是石头做的,因此我认为,在观念上,它们和做"约书诫板"的石头相去不远。据说,那些诫板被装在约柜里,以色列人把它们看作是他们上帝的化身。一位希伯来学者曾在他20年代的一篇论文里指出: 关于约柜里的两块神圣的石头诫板的传说,将有力地把我们引向一个结论:约柜里最初装的东西必定是一块神圣的石头……(这块石头)或者是被想象为神本身,或者被看作一件圣物,人们认为神永久地存在其中。(朱利安·摩根斯坦:《约书》,第121页) 我可以证明,约柜和阿派特节上的船形柜子之间的关联还不止这一点。 读者还会记得,那些仪式是在上埃及的一个城镇举行的,那个城镇现在叫作卢克索(Luxor),这个相当晚近的名字来自阿拉伯语的"LOuqsor"(意思是"宫殿")。在更早以前的埃及希腊化时期(自约公元前5世纪开始),整个卢克索地区,包括附近的凯尔奈克神庙,都曾被称为"Thebai"。因此,现代欧洲人就把这个地名变成了更为人熟悉的"底比斯"(Thebes,又译作"忒拜"——译者注)。 不过,欧洲人在把这个地名变形的过程中,却模糊了一个引人入胜的辞源:"Thebai"这个字其实来源于"Tapet",而后者在图坦卡蒙及摩西时代正是卢克索一凯尔奈克宗教建筑群的名称。同样,"Tapet"这个字只是"Apet"这个字的阴性形式。换句话说,卢克索神庙和凯尔奈克神庙最初是以在那里举行的那个重大节日命名的。那个节日也使它们遐迩闻名。在其作为核心仪式的游行中,人们抬着那些柜子往返于这两座神庙之间。 当然,使我极感兴趣的是:"Tapet"和"Tabot"这两个字的发音相似。当我从一位渊博的知情者那里了解到一个情况以后,这种发音上的相似更显得不是巧合了。那位知情者告诉我,"Tapet"柜子的形状是在以往几个世纪里逐渐形成的,它渐渐不再酷似船只,而变得"越来越像一只箱子"。 前面已经提到,我早已证实埃塞俄比亚语的"塔波特"(Tabet)来自希伯来语的"tebah",意思是"船形容器"。现在我想弄清的是,"tebah"这个字本身是否完全有可能来自古埃及语的"Tapet"?为约柜设计的那些仪式,其实是在模仿古埃及阿派特节的仪式,由此人们才从"apet"这个字当中引申出"tebah",会不会是这样呢? 这些联系和巧合虽然不能作为确凿的证据,却加深了我的一个信念:只有把约柜置于其埃塞俄比亚背景的关联中,才能正确地理解它的意义。正如奇辛教授指出的那样,这个背景表明了许多情况,其中包括表明摩西可能具备了完成上帝命令的技术和能力,而上帝要他制作一只"皂荚木的柜子","里外包上精金"。 然而,与此同时,这件圣物却绝不仅仅是只包金的木箱。所以,我想知道能否在埃及找到一个解释,以说明约柜可怕的毁灭性威力的来源。 为找到这样的解释,我到埃及去了好几次,采访神学家、研究《圣经》的学者以及考古学家。我还研读了许多罕见的书籍、宗教文本、民间故事和神话传说,想看看这些更大胆的想象中是否隐藏着一些事实的线索。 在研究过程中,我越来越被摩西的人格深深吸引。这位希伯来人的先知和立法者曾挑战埃及法老,带领以色列的子孙来到上帝的恩许之地。据说他从上帝那里得到了约柜的设计"蓝图"以后,便下令制作了约柜。我越是仰望这位顶天立地的英雄,就越是坚信:在关于摩西生平业绩的记载中,我一定能发现一些信息,它们对我理解约柜具有至关重要的意义。 "最高级的魔法师……" 当今,每个活在世上的基督徒、穆斯林和犹太教徒,在其内心的某个角落,很可能都埋藏着先知摩西的朦胧形象。在开始认真考虑摩西及其在约柜之谜里的作用时,我当然也不例外。不过,我的问题却是:必须使我在主日学校知道的那个被歪曲的摩西变得有血有肉,必须逐步获得对他的真知,因为学者们一致认为,摩西是"犹太人宗教形成和奠基时期的一个杰出人物"。 在完成这个任务的过程中,给了我极大帮助的是弗拉维斯·约瑟弗斯的历史学著作,它们数量很多,并受到高度评价。弗拉维斯·约瑟弗斯是位学者,公元1世纪时生活在被罗马人占领的耶路撒冷。他的著作《犹太的古迹》,汇集了今天已经无法得到的许多传说和参考资料。 在这部著作里,这位勤勉的学者列出了希伯来人在埃及为奴400年的年表。这个时期大约是从公元前1650年起,到公元前1230年结束,而这大概就是《旧约·出埃及记》记载的那段时期。约瑟弗斯指出,这个时期的关键事件就是摩西的诞生。摩西诞生应验了埃及人一个"神圣智者"的预言,据说那人"具有非凡才能,能准确预言未来"。他告诉法老,以色列民族将要出现一个人—— 他长大成人后将会使埃及的君主相形见绌,其美德将超过所有的人,并将获得不朽的名声。国王对这个智者的忠告感到非常不安,便下令将在以色列人中出生的所有男婴都扔进河里淹死。(约瑟弗斯:《犹太的古迹》,1930年英译本,卷4第l-4部,第253页) 听到国王的这道命令,一个名叫亚兰(Amram)的人(摩西未来的父亲)便陷入了"悲哀的进退两难",因为"他的妻子当时正在怀孕"。然而,上帝却出现在亚兰梦中,告诉他说: 这个孩子的降生将使埃及人极为恐惧,因此他们必定要消灭以色列人的所有子孙。这个孩子将会躲过那些准备杀掉他的人,并将习得大智慧。他将把希伯来民族从在埃及为奴的境况中解救出来。只要宇宙存在一天,人们就会永远记住他,不仅是希伯来人会记住他,连外邦的民族也会记住他。(同前书,第257-259页) 以上两段话对我很有帮助,因为它们大大扩充了《圣经》的开头几章对摩西诞生的叙述。我满怀兴趣地注意到,"连外邦的民族"也永远记住了犹太人这位伟大的立法者。但到目前为止,更引人入胜的却是那个"神圣的智者"的预言所强调出来的东西,因为他预言摩西具有预言未来的能力,因而只能是法老宫廷的一个星象家。 为了强调这一点,约瑟弗斯似乎从一开始就做出暗示,说摩西具有某种几乎堪称魔法师的本领。按照"好汉惜好汉"这个久经时间考验的传统,我们在这里看到的,其实是一位魔法师预言了另一位魔法师的降生。 婴儿摩西降生后的基本经历已经为人熟知,因此这里无需作冗长的重复:在他只有三个月时,父母就把他放进了一只涂了沥青和柏油的蒲草箱里,扔到尼罗河上漂流。法老的女儿正在下游洗浴,看见了漂来的蒲草箱,听见了婴儿的哭声,便吩咐使女救起了这个正在啜泣的婴儿。 此后,摩西便在法老宫廷里被抚养长大,《圣经》上说,"摩西学了埃及人一切的学问。"(《新约·使徒行传》第7章第22节)对此,约瑟弗斯没有做多少补充,但另外一位古代经典权威却相当详细地叙述了摩西究竟学会了什么:"渊博的埃及人向他灌输了数学、几何学以及节奏、韵律与和谐的学问"。
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