Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1914-01-02
mvsrsR,Esor ANTIQUITY.
wh.r. !. tn. Ark Of tn. Covenant

What became of the Ark OF the
Covenant and the Seven-ershne
Candlestick? Opinions have eesa
very much divided as 70 sner
disposition when the temple was earn'
ed. Some writer's declare that the
ark was taken to Babylonia. While se'
cording to others 1t was not taken fnee
captivity, but was hidden away IA the
temple, in the apartment where the
wood for fuel was kept and II - ~
lated that a certain priest waive ~
ing his work in that apartment ne
ticed that some of the stones n me
paved floor projected above the esAsss'
He no sooner began to tell tse ssssS
to a fellow.priest than he eSFATs@
That was regarded as a sure sign s>ss
the ark had been buried in that Ea%sSN
Another tradition records tAAs II
was King Joshua who hid the ARK sHd
other sacred vessels for fear that Il
they were taken to Babylon they
would never be brought back In the
letter of the Hebrews of Jerusalem TO
them that were in Egypt the follow
ing details regarding the Ark OF the
Covenant are given as copied from
a writing of Jeremiah;
THE prophet, being warned by God,
commanded that the tabernacle and
the ark should accompany him, till he
came forth to the mountain where
Moses went up and saw the inherit
ance of God. And when jeremiah
came thither he found hollow cave
and he carried in thither the taber-
nacle and the ark and the altar of
incense and so stopped the door.
Then some OF them that followed
him came up to mark the place; but
they could not find It. And when
jeremiah perceived 1t, he blamed
them, saying: The place shall be un.
known till God gathers together the
congregation Of the people and receive
them to mercy"
Another tradition Is to the effect
that the Ark OF the Covenant was
taken by the victorious army that ran.
sacked Jerusalem after having taken
It. This is certainly most possible, so
much the more that we learn from
Nv Kings that the Babylonian troops
carried away from the temple what
ever brass, silver and gold they could
lay their hands upon.
At any rate, either of these tradi
tons is certainly more reliable than
that adopted by the redactors of the
Talmud, who tell us that the ark was
hidden by King Joshua in a most Sc
cret place prepared by Solomon In
case the temple might be taken and
set ON fire.
IL was common belief of the rabbits
OF old that the ark would be found
at the coming of the Messiah. Be this
as 1t may, this much is unquestion
able: That the ark is never mention
ed among the appurtenances OF the
second temple. Had it been preserved
there, 1t would most likely have beer
every now and then alluded to. at leo q,
on occasions of such ceremonies q.
tne conservation of the new temple a,
tue re-establishment of the worship.
A couple of years ago a story wa.
given wide circulation to the effec
tnat an English expedition had exca
waited upon the site of Solomon's Tenn
pie and had discovered the Ark of tn,
Covenant and the seven.b branch can
dlestick. They never discovered
either, however. That there wal
such an expedition was probably true
but that they made or discovered an!
articles of value Is not true. Will
the publication, however, of this story
a discussion was revived as to wha
became Of those most precious an,
most sacred possessions OF the ancien
Hebrews, but 1t called out no furthe
light.
A writer on the subject says: "A
the destruction OF Solomon's Tempt
the Ark seems to have been burned
at least the second temple had al
empty holy OF holies." A critica
writer In the Jewish Encyclopedias
however. notes that I'm the historical
books the ark plays no part after tn
time Of Solomon. when 1t was place
In the temple. Couard believes tina
It was carried from Jerusalem in tn
days of Rehoboam by the Egyptia
king, Shishak. That would adequateI
explain its disappearance from hi.
tory.
While the ark figured in Deuteront
my and in the priestly Legislation
there is, as Couard points out, no ev
dence that 1t was actually in exis
ence as an object in the cult at tn
time that these codes we're combined