The Real Ark of the Covenant May Have Housed Pagan Gods

[Jack Ryan]

According to the Bible, the biblical Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandments Tablets, but some Israeli archaeologists have a different view.

Haaretz media site publishes the story:

The Real Ark of the Covenant May Have Housed Pagan Gods

The holy ark was likely kept in Jerusalem for much less time than the Bible tells us. And it may have contained something other than the Ten Commandments.

Quote: "These biblical stories may all contain echoes of the ancient cults connected to the ark. It is difficult to completely untangle the many layers of history and myth contained in this story thousands of years later, but a broader message does emerge.

The Bible appears to describe the ancient Israelites, from Moses onward, as staunch monotheists who sometimes err towards paganism and are punished for their sins by God. But this picture may be the result of mostly self-serving propaganda by the priests and scribes of the late monarchic or post-exilic periods.

The reality emerging today from the combined work of biblical scholars and archeologists is much more complex and diverse. It indicates that Judaism as we know it today evolved slowly and organically, incorporating a variety of influences and religious traditions from the mosaic of cultures that lived side by side in the region."

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/1.809233