Thursday, June 12, 2025

It is the 12th of June 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

The topics on this show are based on the accidents of history, on calendars and daily events that we can peg people and ideas to discuss in short form… You know the drill. Today’s topic is based on that, but in a roundabout way- and when you make something over 2,000 times, well… let’s just say sometimes I get “creative”.

It was on this, the 12th of June in 1981 that a new wave of interest came about for an ancient biblical artifact- and it was the snake-hating, “that belongs in a museum”, fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones who was introduced on this day with release of the first of the films that bear his name- the “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. And yes, we might laugh at the dated special effects of the ark that melts nazi faces- but there is something of a biblical precedent for this kind of supernatural power and the “lostness” of the ark of the covenant.

There are a few “arks” in the Old Testament- at least in our English Bibles following the Latin Vulgate- the “arcae” could refer to that of Noah, or to the smaller one that Moses was placed in as a baby (both “teba” in Hebrew) or that Ark of the Covenant (that word is “Aron” or “box”). The Ark of the Covenant shows up first in Exodus as the “box” for the Ten Commandments- made to specification (acacia wood and gold with the cherubim on top). It travels with the People of God throughout the period, crossing the Jordan, into Bethel and Shiloh, eventually making its way in a tent in Jerusalem under David, and then placed in the Temple during the reign of Solomon. It was “lost” with the sacking of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587, but not recorded in the extensive list of items looted by them, nor was it available for the creation of the second temple.

So… where did it go? All the History Channel documentaries in the world can’t give a very satisfactory answer, but here are some of the favorite destinations:

One theory is that it is somewhere hidden in the vast underground tunnels and caves in Jerusalem- perhaps it was King Josiah who knew to protect it and buried it somewhere under the Temple Mount. Because of the precarious nature of the Temple Mount, there can be no archaeological digs there, leading to speculation- albeit… it seems just that.

In Second Maccabees, we read about it being hidden by Jeremiah near Mt. Nebo, where it will be revealed in the last days (some Christian apocalyptic traditions read this in conjunction with Revelation 11). There is, however, the matter of Jeremiah 3:16, when we read that at one point it won’t be necessary anymore because God will dwell with his people.

There is a tradition that it was held at St. John’s Lateran in Rome- this seems to be a little bit of retconning from the 12th century to help legitimize Rome as the new center of the church.

Another tradition has it that it was taken from the Temple Mt during the Crusades by none other than the Knights Templar and then hidden by the Cathars at Montsegur in the South of France. This seems to be a bit muddled up with the story of the  Holy Grail. Heinrich Himmler and the NAZI’s did search for esoterica in this region (like the Grail as well as Thor’s hammer, for what it’s worth) but their search for the Ark is more Indiana Jones than history.

BUT, there was another fascist baddie from the time that is sometimes associated with the quest for the Ark, this was Mussolini whose troops did take the ancient city of Axum in Ethiopia where the Ethiopian church has claimed to have the Ark since Menelik- the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is said to have brought it for safekeeping (this story comes from their national epic ‘The Glory of Kings’). It is said to be guarded by one person appointed for life, and it has been thus kept away from any kind of verification.

A very literal reading of Revelation does have it “reappearing” in the last days- but others have read John 1 and the “tabernacling” of God in Jesus amongst his people as the the ark- the presence and power of God no longer in the box long since lost, but in the person of Jesus.

As for the Temple of Doom, the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and the Dial of Destiny…well,  for both aesthetic and historical reasons, I still stick with the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Ephesians 1:

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 12th of June 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man fairly certain that a nuclear blast cannot be survived by hiding in an old refrigerator- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who shares his fear of snakes with both Indy and the Macho Man- I’m  Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.