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00:03For centuries, adventurers and archaeologists, the devout and the determined, even Indiana
00:10Jones, have all searched for the Bible's most sacred treasure, the Ark of the Covenant.
00:17Yet despite all its fame, it mysteriously disappeared from the pages of history.
00:22How could something so powerful and so holy simply vanish?
00:27This is where they claim the Ark sat.
00:30I'll follow the trail of the Ark from the peak of Mount Sinai to the heart of Jerusalem,
00:37to the most ancient monasteries of Ethiopia.
00:41But how close can I get to this mighty and mysterious treasure?
00:46We're digging for the truth, and we're going to extremes to do it.
01:03It's one of the most famous stories in the Bible, the Israelites' 40-year exodus from Egypt
01:09to the Promised Land.
01:12This was the harsh and dangerous terrain that may have tested their religion and their resolve.
01:18Here, there were no temples for worship or prayer.
01:21So, how did their faith survive?
01:25The Bible tells of an extraordinary gift from God, a sacred treasure designed to journey with them.
01:34It was perhaps the most powerful religious artifact ever imagined, the Ark of the Covenant.
01:48Hi, I'm Josh Bernstein.
01:50The Ark of the Covenant was much more than a storage vessel for the Ten Commandments.
01:54According to the Bible, it was a powerful weapon of war and the earthly seat of God himself.
02:01To the Israelites, the Ark and the tablets inside it were nothing less than a direct link to God.
02:07So, how could the most precious religious object in the ancient world simply disappear?
02:13Where did it go?
02:15How did it get there?
02:17And can it still be found today?
02:21Fortunately, I have the ideal guide for my quest.
02:24A book which combines both history and faith.
02:28The Holy Bible.
02:32According to the Bible, the Ark's story begins at Mount Sinai.
02:36That's where the Bible says the Ark was made.
02:39And where Moses received the Ten Commandments to place inside it.
02:48I'm at the base of Mount Sinai in Egypt.
02:51This is a place that is among the most revered sites in this holy land.
02:55A place that holds special meaning for Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
03:00A place where the Bible, quite literally, comes to life.
03:04It was here, the Bible says, that the Ten Commandments and the Ark came into being.
03:09It's my goal to follow the biblical path of Moses up the mountain to see if any archaeological evidence remains.
03:17But first, I'm going to make a quick stop at St. Catherine's Monastery here at the foot of the mountain.
03:22It's claimed that the original burning bush, where God first revealed himself to Moses, still grows here.
03:42My guide is Father Justin, who's an expert on Moses and the Ark.
03:48He says this monastery was built to mark the very place where God first appeared to Moses.
03:54And the east is a holy place.
03:56This is the place where Moses came, the burning bush.
04:00This is also the world's oldest orthodox monastery, with a history going back 17th century.
04:06Father Justin is taking me to see the burning bush.
04:09Could this actually be the same bush where Moses heard God speak 3,000 years ago?
04:15So, Father Justin, is this the burning bush, or is this just the same genus and species as the burning
04:21bush?
04:22The bush is constantly renewing itself on its rootstock, so it is physically possible for a bush to live that
04:28long.
04:29So that means that this is the burning bush, the same bush that Moses saw?
04:34Yes.
04:35Many people believe that this is the exact spot where God told Moses,
04:40The ground wherein you stand is holy ground.
04:44It was here that God revealed himself.
04:47I am the God of Isaac.
04:48I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.
04:51But then the revelation of the law came at the peak of Sinai.
04:55It's a three-hour climb from here.
04:58As high as the peaks are above us here, the peak of Sinai is above that.
05:03Justin tells me that the path to the top of Mount Sinai is not for the faint of heart.
05:08That's because the mountain sits in one of the hottest deserts in the world.
05:11Daytime temperatures, 120 degrees.
05:14And the peak is 7,500 feet above sea level.
05:20I've decided to make the ascent at night.
05:23It's cooler.
05:25And to give me a head start, I'll go by camel.
05:30Riding up Mount Sinai on the back of a camel is definitely not the way Moses is said to have
05:35done it.
05:37But for me, it's a fun way to explore the high desert at night.
05:42I also learned to appreciate the sure-footedness of my four-legged friend
05:46as we climb higher and higher up the steep and narrow path.
05:53Oh, look.
05:54It's a camel parking lot.
05:56It's, I think, maybe 5 a.m. right now.
05:59And we'll make the rest of the journey to the top on foot.
06:05This is the first step of 750.
06:10749.
06:12These 750 steps are called the Path of Moses.
06:15With each step, I'm that much closer to what's said to have been
06:18one of the greatest encounters of all time,
06:21a meeting between Moses and the God of Israel.
06:29Two hours by camel, another 45 by foot,
06:32and I've made it to the top of Mount Sinai for the sunrise.
06:36If you can just imagine, when Moses was up here,
06:39that this whole peak was covered in smoke and fire,
06:43and you heard this deafening roar of the shofar,
06:47the ram's horn blowing, the thunder of God,
06:50it truly must have been a sight to see.
06:53The book of Exodus says it was here that the Lord gave Moses
06:57the two tablets of the testimony,
07:00the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
07:05Today, the biblical account is all we have
07:08to document this amazing event.
07:10And the story continues,
07:12leading directly to the moment the ark is created.
07:16It tells us that Moses climbed down the mountain
07:19carrying the Ten Commandments,
07:21according to local tradition,
07:22on the same route I'm walking now.
07:25Then, at the foot of Mount Sinai,
07:28Moses ordered his people to build a spectacular treasure chest.
07:33The instructions were precise.
07:35It was to be a box of acacia wood,
07:37almost four feet long,
07:39and just over two feet wide and two feet high,
07:42all overlaid in pure gold.
07:45But it was the treasure inside the chest
07:47that was the greatest prize of all,
07:50the Israelites' most sacred and powerful possession,
07:53the Ten Commandments.
07:57Only the Levite priests were holy enough to carry the ark,
08:00no one else dared touch it.
08:04When it wasn't being carried,
08:06the ark was placed inside a portable shrine
08:08called the Tabernacle.
08:11It held the Israelites' most precious possessions.
08:15But the most sacred of them all was the ark.
08:19Hidden deep inside the Tabernacle's Holy of Holies,
08:24none but the highest priest could see it.
08:31According to the Bible,
08:33the Israelites carried the ark
08:34all the way from the foot of Mount Sinai
08:36to the Promised Land,
08:37where it came to rest in Jerusalem.
08:40After so many years of wandering in the wilderness,
08:43Jerusalem offered the Israelites
08:45an opportunity to establish a home.
08:49The Bible tells us the ark was brought here
08:52by King David,
08:53the ruler who made Jerusalem
08:54the Israelites' capital city.
08:56But then its fate becomes unclear.
09:00All we know is that soon after his reign,
09:02this most holy and revered possession
09:05disappeared from both Jerusalem
09:07and the pages of the Bible.
09:10According to most biblical scholars,
09:12the ark of the covenant
09:13made its first appearance in Jerusalem
09:14around 1,000 B.C.
09:16during the reign of King David.
09:17Hi, Josh.
09:18Hi.
09:18Good to meet you.
09:19Nice to meet you.
09:20Dr. Gabriel Barkay,
09:21an expert in biblical archaeology,
09:23is here to help me understand
09:24what happened next.
09:26So the Bible says that eventually
09:27the ark makes its way
09:29to Jerusalem with David.
09:31And then David's son, King Solomon,
09:34built a new royal compound
09:37which housed the ark of the covenant within it.
09:42That compound was the first temple of Israel,
09:45built around 960 B.C.
09:49The design of Solomon's temple
09:51was faithful to the appearance
09:52and orientation of the tabernacle
09:54which held the ark
09:55when the Israelites wandered the desert.
09:58As in the tabernacle,
10:00the temple's innermost shrine
10:01was where the ark was kept.
10:05The last time the ark is mentioned in the Bible
10:08is just a few years before the Babylonians
10:10invaded Jerusalem
10:11and destroyed Solomon's temple.
10:13Was the ark among the objects they looted?
10:16We know that the holy objects from the temple
10:20were taken in captivity to Babylon
10:23and they were given back in 538.
10:27Among them, there was no ark of the covenant.
10:32But I've heard another theory
10:34that when the Israelites learned
10:36and the Babylonians were coming,
10:38they hid the ark underground for safekeeping.
10:41Gabriel is now taking me deep beneath Jerusalem's streets
10:44to find out more.
10:45In Jerusalem, we have burial caves, cavities, conduits.
10:50Most well-known among them
10:52is the Siloam tunnel or Hezekiah's tunnel.
10:57We're actually wading through Hezekiah's tunnel,
11:00dug by the Israelites around the time the ark disappeared.
11:07We have semi-legendary stories
11:11about hiding of the holy ark
11:15in some subterranean cavity.
11:20Could tunnels like this have been used to conceal the ark?
11:23This is here, channel 3, which is an offshoot of...
11:29Gabriel says these were built solely to carry water.
11:32There's no archaeological evidence
11:33to suggest they were ever used for storing treasure.
11:40But he tells me there's a much more compelling theory
11:42for what may have happened to the ark.
11:47Gabriel directs me to a place where he says
11:49they actually have the very object I've been searching for.
11:53And it's about the last place I'd expect to find it,
11:58within Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
12:01the home of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church.
12:05What could possibly be the connection
12:07between an ancient Hebrew artifact and an African church?
12:12This church has the Ark of the Covenant.
12:15It turns out every Ethiopian church
12:18has the Ark of the Covenant, but they're replicas.
12:20The question is, why would over 30,000 Ethiopian churches
12:24all have a replica of the Ark of the Covenant?
12:29I may be about to find out
12:31from the bishop himself.
12:34This is Abu Nakostos, the Archbishop
12:36of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem.
12:39He tells me an amazing story,
12:43one that's been passed down for generations.
12:50The Queen of Sheba heard about the wisdom of King Solomon
12:54and came all the way to Jerusalem
12:57to witness that wisdom.
13:02While Sheba was in Jerusalem, the story goes,
13:05she and Solomon conceived a child, Prince Menelik,
13:08who lived in Ethiopia with his mother.
13:11Then, when Menelik came of age,
13:14he returned to Jerusalem to see his father.
13:19While Menelik was here,
13:21he managed to gain custody of the Ark
13:23and bring it back with him to Ethiopia.
13:26And the bishop says that's where it remains today.
13:29So, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
13:32believes that they have the real Ark of the Covenant
13:34in Ethiopia.
13:36They venerate the Ark,
13:37and that's why there's a replica in all their churches.
13:41It also turns out,
13:43northern Ethiopia is the ancient biblical land of Ophir.
13:46It's an area with strong historical ties to Judaism.
13:55I'm on a treasure hunt
13:56for one of the most precious religious artifacts
13:58in the world,
13:59the Ark of the Covenant.
14:02According to the Bible,
14:03this prized and powerful object
14:05disappeared about 2,500 years ago.
14:08My search for it has taken me from Mount Sinai,
14:11where the Bible says the Ark was made,
14:13to Jerusalem,
14:14where it was kept for about 500 years.
14:18Now, I'm off to Ethiopia,
14:20where an ancient monastery
14:21may hold clues to the Ark's whereabouts today.
14:26Many Ethiopians believe
14:28the Ark was brought to their country
14:29from Jerusalem around 950 B.C.
14:32I'm on the trail of the Ark of the Covenant,
14:34and it's brought me here to Ethiopia.
14:36I've arranged to meet Miscana.
14:38Miscana?
14:39No, it's nice to meet you.
14:40Miscana is my guide and interpreter.
14:43He's taking me to one of the oldest monasteries in Ethiopia,
14:46called Debra Dama.
14:47To get there,
14:48we're traveling through the ancient biblical land of Ophir.
14:52Ethiopia is one of the oldest Christian nations in Africa,
14:55with strong historic ties to the Middle East.
14:58Could the Ark be the link between Israel
15:01and this African nation?
15:03I'm told the place we're heading for
15:05is the home of some monks
15:06who could answer that question,
15:08and many more.
15:12Debra Dama is the largest repository
15:14of ancient Christian manuscripts in Africa.
15:17It's the perfect place to learn more
15:19about whether the Ark was really brought here
15:21from Jerusalem,
15:21and maybe where it is today.
15:26Which one's Debra Dama?
15:27Debra Dama is there in front of us,
15:29on the top of the hill.
15:30The mesa?
15:31In the mesa, yeah.
15:33That looks kind of hard to get to.
15:35We have to drive there,
15:36and then we climb by the rope,
15:38but it's very tough to reach there.
15:43A rope?
15:44What kind of monastery
15:45would make you climb a rope to reach it?
15:47This could be a whole lot of fun.
15:51Debra Dama is about 10 miles
15:53off the main road
15:54at the end of an unpaved track.
15:57On the way,
15:58we have to cross this stream bed,
16:00which is not always possible
16:01during the rainy season.
16:03And, of course,
16:04this is the rainy season.
16:09On top of that,
16:10come nightfall,
16:11the whole area
16:11will become a bandit zone.
16:18Oh, yes.
16:20It's a long drive.
16:21Finally.
16:24Welcome to the monastery
16:25of Debra Dama.
16:27Amazingly,
16:28it's built at the top
16:29of this sheer rock face.
16:35Here we are, arrived.
16:38Now we have to take the rope
16:39to climb up.
16:40Yes.
16:42I give it my best shot,
16:43but cowboy boots
16:44aren't made for toe holds
16:46like these.
16:47There we go.
16:48That first bit,
16:49it's a little bit tough.
16:50Few people risk the climb,
16:52maybe because it's just
16:53so embarrassing.
16:56Okay, round two.
16:58Barefoot is definitely
16:59the way to go.
17:03For added safety,
17:05the monks are giving me
17:06a harness.
17:07That, plus the leather rope,
17:09are all I've got
17:09to pull myself up with.
17:15I begin the climb.
17:17I just can't help wondering
17:18how it is that these monks,
17:20from the very young
17:20to the very old,
17:22do this climb
17:23on a regular basis.
17:24This is nuts.
17:29Piece of cake.
17:31Oh, I'd love something.
17:32The bar.
17:33I'm just kidding.
17:35Wow, wow, wow.
17:38Here we are.
17:40Mama mia.
17:44But we're not there yet.
17:46There's still more
17:47climbing to do.
17:50Miss Ghana explains
17:51the monastery
17:52is truly a men's club.
17:54Even the animals up here
17:56are exclusively male.
18:00The monastery itself
18:02is amazing,
18:03and its ancient books
18:05may tell me
18:05where in Ethiopia
18:06the Ark arrived
18:08on its journey from Israel.
18:09And that's what I need
18:11to continue my quest.
18:14Here's the monastery.
18:16Here we arrive at the church
18:17by the crossing.
18:19The monastery
18:20is dedicated to
18:21St. Aragawi,
18:22one of the first saints
18:23to bring Christianity
18:24to Ethiopia
18:25back in the 4th century.
18:28Since the 6th century,
18:29its monks have safeguarded
18:31some of the most
18:31precious religious manuscripts
18:33in the nation.
18:37So it is close.
18:39We have to wait
18:39until the priest comes.
18:40Take off our shoes.
18:41Yes, take off your shoes.
18:44Just put them back on.
18:45Yeah.
18:48Access to the library
18:50is strictly controlled.
18:51It takes the personal blessing
18:53of one of the senior priests
18:54to sanction our presence here.
19:03Stepping into this room
19:04is like stepping back in time.
19:08I'm hoping this library
19:09can take me all the way back
19:11to the days of King Solomon
19:12and the Ark.
19:14So, Miss Ghana,
19:16if you could ask the mother,
19:18does he have any ancient manuscripts
19:19that might tell us
19:20about the Ark of the Covenant?
19:21Yes, sir.
19:29Our host tells us
19:31this book was written long ago
19:32by the head monk at the time.
19:38The one who stayed in this monastery,
19:40he wrote this book,
19:42which is around the 5th century.
19:455th century.
19:46So, this is 1500 years old.
19:50It's a combination
19:52of the Holy Bibles
19:53and the legends
19:54of the Ethiopian Christian church.
19:57The book contains
19:58the same story
19:59I heard in Jerusalem
20:00of how the Ark came to Ethiopia.
20:08So, the beginning of the story
20:10is in the manuscript.
20:12But what about the ending?
20:14If the Ark really came to Ethiopia,
20:16then surely this ancient place
20:18must hold the secret of where?
20:23And just as this monastery
20:25houses Ethiopia's written history,
20:28I'll bet the monks here
20:29know its oral traditions, too.
20:31So, Miss Ghana,
20:31can you ask him,
20:32where can I go from here
20:34to find out where the Ark
20:35may have gone?
20:37Maybe the monks
20:38know the next stop
20:39on the Ark's journey.
20:55The monks tell us
20:56the Ark was taken
20:57to Tana Kircos,
20:58a holy island
20:59to the southwest of here.
21:01In fact,
21:02they say the Ark
21:03was kept there
21:03for centuries
21:04after it arrived in Ethiopia.
21:06That's exactly
21:07what we need to know
21:08and it's where
21:09we're going next.
21:12But there's trouble
21:13on the horizon.
21:15Remember,
21:15this is the rainy season.
21:18So, you see,
21:19we've got this storm
21:20coming in behind us
21:21so we've got to make
21:22a mad dash
21:22back down the leather rope
21:24so we can get down safely
21:25across the river
21:26before it floods
21:27and then over to Tana Kircos.
21:36slow going up
21:37real quick.
21:41But the climb is dangerous
21:42and we can only go so fast.
21:45We're racing against time.
21:46With each passing second,
21:48the leather rope
21:49and the cliff face
21:50get slicker
21:50and more treacherous.
21:53Back in the vehicle,
21:55but we're still in trouble.
21:56The stream bed
21:57we crossed easily before
21:58is now a raging river.
22:00A flash flood like this
22:02can be lethal.
22:08We have to wait
22:09until the river
22:10lays the water.
22:11How long do you think
22:11we'll be here?
22:12We'll stay the whole night here.
22:15It's getting dark
22:16and now,
22:17Misqana is worried
22:18about the bandits.
22:20We search for any kind
22:22of crossing point,
22:23but even with Misqana's
22:24knowledge of the terrain,
22:25we can't find one.
22:27The river is rising,
22:29the sun is setting,
22:31and now the bandits
22:32will be coming out.
22:37I'm on the trail
22:38of one of the world's
22:39greatest religious objects,
22:40the lost Ark of the Covenant.
22:45My search has taken me
22:47from the Middle East,
22:48where the Bible says
22:49the Ark first appeared,
22:50to the East African nation
22:51of Ethiopia.
22:53Some learned Ethiopian monks
22:55told me about Lake Tana,
22:57where they believe
22:58the Ark was kept
22:59for centuries.
23:00But we've been stopped
23:02by a flash flood.
23:03With night
23:04and the very real threat
23:05of bandits now upon us,
23:08Misqana and I decide
23:09to risk driving
23:10across the flooded river,
23:11hopefully without stalling
23:13or floating away.
23:18We make it.
23:19Our support vehicle
23:21goes next,
23:22driving full speed
23:23over the unseen rocks.
23:25Do not try that at home.
23:37With Dawn's arrival,
23:39we continue the journey.
23:41Our goal,
23:42Lake Tana,
23:43possible resting place
23:44of the Ark.
23:52Reaching the shores
23:53of the lake,
23:53I learn more about
23:54this area's ancient ties
23:55to the Middle East.
23:57The lake
23:58and its island monasteries
24:00have long drawn
24:01traders and pilgrims.
24:06We're loading up the boat
24:07to travel to a small island
24:09in the lake
24:09called Tana Kirchus.
24:12Ethiopians claim
24:13the Ark was brought there
24:14from Jerusalem
24:15and that they've got
24:16the archaeological evidence
24:17to prove it.
24:24We'll use these
24:25small reed boats
24:26called Tanquas
24:26once we get closer
24:27to the island.
24:29I've asked explorer Bob
24:31Cornuke
24:31to join me
24:32on my quest
24:32for the Ark.
24:34Bob?
24:35Josh.
24:36Hi.
24:36Nice to meet you.
24:37Nice to meet you.
24:38So this is the boat
24:39that gets us
24:40where we need to be, huh?
24:40Yeah, we're going to go
24:41about three hours
24:42across the lake.
24:43Just north of here,
24:44and it's a holy island
24:45called Tana Kirchus Island,
24:46and they say
24:47they've had the Ark there
24:48for 800 years
24:49at one time,
24:49and so we're going
24:51to get to ask him
24:51some questions about that.
24:59Bob's the president
24:59of the Bible Archaeology
25:01Search and Exploration Institute.
25:03He's been on the trail
25:04of the Lost Ark
25:05for almost a decade.
25:08I share what I've discovered
25:10with Bob.
25:10I tell him about Menelik,
25:12the son of the Hebrew King Solomon
25:13and the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba,
25:15who may have brought
25:16the Ark to Ethiopia.
25:19Bob tells me his research
25:20shows that eventually
25:21the Levites brought the Ark
25:23to Tana Kirchus,
25:24the island we're now
25:25heading for.
25:27He says Tana Kirchus
25:28has been a spiritual refuge
25:30since long before
25:31Christianity was established
25:32in Ethiopia,
25:34maybe because of the Ark's
25:35presence there.
25:37One of the reasons
25:38the Ark may have been
25:38brought here
25:39is that the island
25:40is a natural fortress
25:41surrounded by a lake.
25:43To get a better sense,
25:44Bob and I are going
25:45to go exploring
25:46and we're going to use
25:46tonquas,
25:47the traditional reed raft.
25:50Tonquas resemble
25:51the papyrus boats
25:52of ancient Egypt.
25:54If the Levite priests
25:55ever did come here
25:56with the Ark,
25:57this is probably
25:58how they have traveled.
26:00But you have to watch out
26:01for the hippos
26:02lurking beneath the water.
26:04They're fiercely
26:05territorial animals
26:06and can easily
26:07snap these tonquas
26:09in half.
26:13This would be
26:13the perfect place
26:14to protect the Ark.
26:16You could see
26:16any invaders coming
26:17from any direction
26:19and it's a perfect place
26:20to defend it.
26:21There's really no place
26:22for them to scale up
26:24over here.
26:25There's only a few
26:26access points.
26:27It's a tough place
26:28to get up
26:28and that's probably
26:29why they chose it here.
26:34That's beautiful.
26:36It's a beautiful island.
26:37Very mysterious.
26:38You said that the Ark
26:39of the Covenant
26:39was actually
26:40somewhere right up
26:41on those cliffs?
26:41Right up there.
26:42Here and climb up?
26:45Those rocks
26:46mark the very spot
26:47where the Ark
26:48was said to rest
26:49and Bob's going
26:49to take me up there.
26:53It's a good thing
26:53Bob is familiar
26:54with the island.
26:55The access point
26:56he takes me to
26:57is very well hidden.
27:04Few people come
27:05all the way out
27:06to the island these days.
27:07But Bob has visited
27:08many times
27:09in his own search
27:10for the Ark.
27:13As a result,
27:14Bob has developed
27:15a long and trusting
27:16relationship
27:16with the priests here
27:17whose order claims
27:18to have been
27:19on this island
27:20for over 2,000 years
27:22around the time
27:23they say
27:23the Ark arrived.
27:26They're the protectors
27:27of this island's secrets
27:28and they've been
27:29guarding these trails
27:30for centuries.
27:37As we make our way
27:38across the island monastery,
27:40it's clear the monks
27:41are very receptive
27:42to Bob's being here.
27:47Under the monk's supervision,
27:48Bob and I climb toward
27:50the summit we saw
27:50from the lake.
27:51Come back this way.
27:52One second.
27:54We meet with the Abba,
27:56or head priest,
27:57east of the monastery.
27:58After gaining his blessing,
28:00we are finally allowed
28:01to approach the very place
28:02they say the Ark rested.
28:08Of course,
28:09they consider this
28:09to be a holy lake.
28:11And on this holy lake,
28:13this is the most holy island.
28:14And on that holy island,
28:16this is the most holy spot.
28:18So in all of Ethiopia,
28:20you come down to this
28:21is the most holy spot.
28:24This is where they claim
28:25the Ark sat,
28:27actually right here
28:29in a tent.
28:30I couldn't see how a tent
28:31could stay here on stone
28:33and not be blown off.
28:34But then I went over
28:35and I found years ago
28:36and this hole,
28:38this is a socket hole
28:40that's perfectly around.
28:41It's hand carved,
28:42perfectly around socket hole.
28:43And if you look
28:43at these socket holes
28:44over here,
28:45we think it could be
28:47a socket hole
28:48from one of the tent posts
28:49to keep it from blowing
28:49off the cliff here
28:50when it was a tabernacle.
28:51And those other socket holes...
28:53And Bob found
28:54three other socket holes,
28:55enough to secure the tent.
28:57As the blood was sprinkled
28:58on the tabernacle...
28:59But there was something
28:59even more amazing.
29:02The placement of the socket holes
29:04and the distance between them
29:05meant the tent matched
29:07the orientation and size
29:08of the Israelite tabernacle's
29:10innermost shrine,
29:11about 15 feet by 15 feet.
29:14The orientation,
29:15the exact size,
29:16it's really,
29:18intriguing
29:18that we have
29:19all this evidence
29:20that matches perfectly
29:21with what the Bible
29:22has to say
29:23and also...
29:24The layout of this area
29:25also matches
29:26the inner shrine
29:27of Solomon's Jerusalem temple.
29:29Yeah, I'll follow you.
29:31Bob says he has something else
29:32to show me
29:33that's even more compelling.
29:36Further up this path
29:37is more evidence
29:38that the Ark may have come here
29:39from Jerusalem.
29:44It's a secret burial place.
29:47Bob says there's a body
29:49under the rocks.
29:51These rocks
29:52are filling up
29:54this big crack in the rock.
29:56And these rocks
29:57are actually placed
29:58over a man.
29:59He was considered
30:00a Levitical priest.
30:02From Jerusalem.
30:03From Jerusalem.
30:05They say he is
30:05the actual man
30:07that brought the Ark here
30:08and that chose this spot
30:10for its protective place.
30:13Given the Levites'
30:14biblical role
30:15as the bearers of the Ark,
30:16this could be more evidence
30:17that the Ark really did
30:18come here from Jerusalem.
30:24Bob takes me above the grave
30:25to discuss the significance
30:27of this connection.
30:31Underneath these rocks
30:33I think is a secret
30:34to a huge mystery.
30:37I think if we ever
30:38got some answers
30:39from who is here
30:40it would really lay
30:41a good case out
30:42that the Ark actually came here.
30:44And why else
30:44would an Israeli priest
30:45be here?
30:46Okay.
30:49One day
30:50the body may be exhumed.
30:52DNA testing
30:53could even confirm
30:54this story.
30:57But for now
30:59the rainy season
31:00is putting a damper
31:01on our plans.
31:02Again.
31:05So we'll get some sleep
31:07and pick up our quest
31:08in the morning.
31:11My quest to follow
31:12the trail of the lost
31:14Ark of the Covenant
31:14has taken me
31:15from Mount Sinai
31:16in Egypt
31:17where the Ark story began
31:19to Jerusalem
31:20where the Ark
31:21mysteriously disappeared.
31:23Then here to Ethiopia
31:25where it's said
31:26to be today.
31:28I'm here with explorer
31:29Bob Kornuk
31:30on Tana Kirchos Island.
31:32It's where the Ark
31:33was supposedly kept
31:34after leaving Jerusalem.
31:36Bob knows the Abba,
31:37the head priest here
31:38and that has given us
31:39special access
31:40to the treasures
31:41they keep under lock and key.
31:44So one of the great things
31:45about coming here
31:46with Bob
31:46is that he's not afraid
31:47to ask really personal questions.
31:49Because of his friendship
31:50with the community
31:50the Abba has agreed
31:52to show us
31:52some of their precious relics.
31:54So come over here
31:54and take a look.
31:59Behind these heavy doors
32:00is the temple of treasury
32:02of the island.
32:03So they have
32:05all of these
32:06really old, unique
32:07artifacts in here
32:09that they say
32:09are from Solomon's temple.
32:12Every year I come here
32:13they bring out
32:14a little bit more
32:15and so maybe today
32:16we'll get to see
32:17another little bit
32:18of their treasury.
32:24This is called a gomer
32:27and it's made out of bronze
32:29and it does fit
32:31with the description
32:32of an artifact
32:33from the Bible
32:34and even the temple.
32:36They claim it's
32:37from Solomon's temple.
32:38This gomer
32:38was placed on top of this.
32:39Bob tells me
32:40they placed the gomer
32:41on a stand
32:42and used it
32:43to collect the blood
32:43from a slaughtered animal.
32:45But what's remarkable
32:46about this
32:47is that the Israelites
32:48stopped practicing
32:49animal sacrifice
32:50almost 2,000 years ago.
32:54It's hard to cut the word.
32:55It's a tangible link
32:56with the temple of Solomon
32:58and the Jewish people.
32:59Of course this is quite old.
33:00You can see.
33:00But that's just the beginning.
33:02This is a treasure trove
33:03of religious relics
33:04and each one
33:05seems to take us closer
33:06to the true story
33:07of the ark.
33:09Moses is holding
33:10the two tablets
33:11of the Ten Commandments
33:12on this.
33:14They're pulling
33:15all kinds of stuff.
33:16The monk is now
33:17bringing out
33:18a couple of pretty
33:18interesting objects.
33:20They call them
33:21meat forks.
33:23People were a lot
33:24smaller in ancient times.
33:25But this is very old
33:26and I think
33:27it could possibly
33:28have some kind
33:29of connection
33:29with priestly garments
33:31and the sacrifices
33:32of the animals
33:33by the Levitical priests.
33:36Well, the only,
33:36from what I know
33:39of ancient Judaism,
33:40the only person
33:41who wore the breastplate
33:42was the high priest.
33:43But he would have had
33:45a plate on the front
33:47of this that had
33:48the stones
33:48of the 12 tribes
33:49of Israel.
33:50The high priest
33:51who wore this
33:52was considered
33:53the sole guardian
33:53of the ark.
33:54Was he the man
33:56buried in the rocks
33:57on the island?
33:57Was he the one
33:58said to have brought
33:59the ark here?
34:01So if this is here,
34:03I mean,
34:04all the other stuff
34:04says a lot,
34:05but if this is here,
34:06then it almost requires
34:07that the high priest
34:08was here.
34:09That's compelling.
34:11These items
34:12were used
34:13in Jewish ceremonies.
34:15So did Judaism
34:16survive here
34:17after the Levite priests
34:19were gone?
34:22What did he say?
34:23Did their religion
34:24take hold in Ethiopia?
34:27It's the Old Testament.
34:29Really?
34:35This whole area
34:37was Jewish
34:38and they called
34:40themselves Beta Israel
34:42or House of Israel.
34:43And so the historical
34:45Jewish roots
34:46go back to this area
34:47from about 500 B.C.
34:51So there are Ethiopian
34:53Jews who trace
34:54their religion
34:55to exactly the time
34:56the Levites
34:57would have brought
34:57the ark to this island.
34:58And Bob tells me
35:00the Beit Israel
35:01practiced an ancient
35:02form of Judaism
35:03even today.
35:04Usually when we're
35:05in archaeology,
35:06we're finding
35:06little scraps of pottery,
35:07little scraps of evidence.
35:09But here,
35:10it just keeps mounting
35:12and mounting
35:13and it matches
35:14with their oral traditions
35:16and their ancient
35:16written traditions
35:17that the ark
35:17was on this island.
35:22So we have
35:23all these artifacts
35:24that link this island
35:25to Jerusalem,
35:27Judaism,
35:27and the ark.
35:29But what happened
35:30to the ark itself?
35:33Bob tells me
35:35Ethiopians believe
35:36that when Christianity
35:37swept Ethiopia
35:38in the 4th century A.D.,
35:40a king named Izana
35:41took the ark
35:42to Aksum,
35:43his capital.
35:44And amazingly,
35:45they believe it's still there
35:46with the actual tablets
35:48of the Ten Commandments
35:49still inside.
35:52So Aksum's
35:53the next place to go.
35:55But can we get off
35:55the island before
35:56the rains come?
35:57So it's 340
35:59and the storm
35:59is coming in,
36:00which means we're
36:00going to have
36:00a hell of a boat ride
36:01back to the mainland.
36:05This is the storm
36:06we were trying to avoid.
36:08They've got lightning
36:10almost all around us
36:11right now.
36:13We're three hours out
36:14from our destination,
36:15and we've got only
36:16two hours of daylight left.
36:19Most of these men
36:21are looking out
36:21desperate for trying
36:22to find a marker boy
36:23to get us through
36:24these dangerous rocks,
36:25and there are a lot
36:26of rock outcroppings
36:28right below the surface
36:30that will rip the bottom
36:31right out of this boat.
36:34Bob survived a storm
36:35like this on Lake Tana
36:36before,
36:37and he knows just
36:38how dangerous it can be.
36:41About three years ago,
36:42I had a similar situation
36:44where we had to be
36:45rescued by fishermen
36:46in the middle of the night
36:46in a bad storm,
36:47and this is exactly
36:48the same situation.
36:52This skipper is really
36:53nervous.
36:54You can see on his face.
36:55It's etched on his face,
36:56the situation.
36:58We have no compass
36:59and no radar
37:00to guide us
37:01around the rocks.
37:12I just hope we can
37:13get off this boat alive
37:15and make it to Axum
37:16to see if the Ark
37:17is really there.
37:24In my search
37:25for the true story
37:26of the lost Ark
37:26of the Covenant,
37:27explorer Bob Cornick
37:29and I have just visited
37:30an island monastery
37:31in Ethiopia.
37:32The priest there
37:33showed us
37:34some compelling evidence
37:35that the Ark
37:36once rested on the island.
37:39But three hours
37:40from safety,
37:41with darkness falling,
37:42a violent thunderstorm
37:43has struck
37:44and we're completely lost.
37:46We've been searching
37:47the horizon
37:48looking for any sign
37:50of where we are.
37:54We're not only concerned
37:56about being lost,
37:57but about the rocks
37:58lurking just below the waves.
38:04finally, someone spots the shore.
38:06What a relief.
38:09Every year,
38:10boats sink on Lake Tana
38:11in storms just like this one.
38:24We ran out of light,
38:26but we have radio communication
38:28with the beacon in front of us.
38:30From here,
38:31we just safely coast
38:32into the dock.
38:34We're now on the road
38:35and heading to Axum,
38:37where some Ethiopians believe
38:38they have not only the Ark,
38:40but the tablets
38:41of the Ten Commandments too.
38:48Well, this is the village
38:49of the Ark, Axum.
38:51It's beautiful.
38:52It is.
38:53It's a lot more rustic
38:54than I was expecting.
38:55It's a small little village,
38:57but they claim that they have
38:58the Ark of the Covenant
38:59from the Bible.
39:00Where would it be?
39:01Well, in that cluster
39:02of little churches down there,
39:04there's one very important church.
39:08Ethiopians believe the Ark
39:09was brought here to Axum
39:10from Tanakircos Island
39:12in the 4th century AD
39:13by an Ethiopian king
39:15named Izana.
39:19But Axum has even more
39:21ancient ties to the Ark.
39:22It's the legendary birthplace
39:24of the Queen of Sheba,
39:25the mother of Prince Menelik,
39:27who was said to have
39:28brought the Ark to Ethiopia.
39:30He doesn't stop us.
39:32Just keep going.
39:36And now, we're finally
39:38closing in on the spot
39:39where this elusive treasure
39:40is said to rest today.
39:44In that chapel of St. Mary's
39:46of Zion, they claim to have
39:48the actual Ark of the Covenant.
39:51This is it.
39:52This is the chapel
39:53that houses the Ark, they say.
39:57This is what we've come to see.
40:00I asked Bob how close
40:01we can get to the Ark itself.
40:03He says no one gets past
40:05the keeper or guardian of the Ark.
40:07It's rare to even see him.
40:11The guardian of the Ark lives here
40:13and he never gets beyond these bars.
40:16His entire life is spent
40:19inside this small little
40:21barred-in complex.
40:22He is the keeper of the Ark.
40:24He claims to be
40:26from the line of the Levites
40:27and no one,
40:29no one is allowed
40:30to see the Ark but him.
40:31Wow.
40:35In the Bible, too,
40:37the Levite priests
40:38were the only ones
40:39considered holy enough
40:40to see the Ark.
40:41It's one more piece
40:43of an amazing puzzle.
40:45Tonight, there's a festival here
40:47to celebrate the Ark.
40:49A feeling of reverence
40:50fills the air
40:51as the procession begins.
40:53This is a celebration
40:54of the very object
40:55we've been searching for.
41:09The one day
41:10that we're here in Aksum
41:11is one of two days
41:13during the year
41:13when they do this
41:14massive celebration
41:15and the whole town
41:16has gotten up.
41:28The residents of Aksum
41:30deeply believe
41:31that the Ark of the Covenant
41:32resides in their village
41:34and thousands of pilgrims
41:35have journeyed
41:36to this African nation
41:37to worship
41:38an ancient treasure
41:39once prized above
41:40all others
41:41in the Jewish faith.
41:43Yet tonight,
41:44the Ethiopians invoke
41:45the power of the Ark
41:46to celebrate
41:47a Christian icon,
41:49the Virgin Mary.
41:50This is Mahela day.
41:53Mahela means begging.
41:55We're actually begging God
41:56to avoid pain
41:58and disaster
41:58in the lives
41:59since the beginning
42:00of the rainy season
42:01and praying for rain.
42:03The Ethiopians
42:05are as convinced
42:05they possess the Ark
42:07and Ten Commandments
42:08as the ancient Israelites were.
42:09And like the Israelites,
42:11they also believe
42:12the Ark
42:12is their direct link
42:13to God.
42:14The power of their faith
42:15is so strong
42:16that the people
42:17continue their ceremony
42:18from dusk till dawn,
42:20praying toward the holy object
42:21in front of them.
42:23But this Ark,
42:24or Tabot,
42:25is also a replica,
42:26just like those
42:27in other Ethiopian churches
42:28and like the one
42:29I saw in Jerusalem.
42:31The real Ark,
42:31if it is the real Ark,
42:33never leaves the protection
42:34of the guardian.
42:35It's too precious.
42:37So while this is not
42:38the real Ark of the Covenant,
42:40there's no doubt
42:40it represents
42:41the same sacred object
42:42the Bible describes
42:43in the book of Exodus.
42:47And seeing the precious Tabot
42:49through the streets
42:50reminds me of how
42:51the Israelites
42:51were said to carry
42:52their Ark of the Covenant
42:53through the deserts
42:54more than 3,000 years ago.
42:57When the ceremony ends,
42:59the priests return the Tabot
43:00to St. Mary of Zion Church,
43:02where they say it rests
43:03next to the real Ark.
43:06Our long pilgrimage is over.
43:09I've come as close
43:10to the Ark
43:11as anyone can get.
43:13It's been quite a journey
43:14from the vast Middle Eastern deserts
43:17to the peak of Mount Sinai,
43:18from Jerusalem to Ethiopia,
43:21up Deberdamo
43:22and across the stormy lake
43:24to Tana Kirchos,
43:25where the priests
43:26have such compelling evidence
43:27that the Ark
43:28was once on their island.
43:30I followed the trail
43:32of the Ark
43:32to the very end,
43:33and I definitely
43:34learned something here.
43:36taking part in the festival
43:38and seeing the devotion
43:39of the townspeople firsthand
43:41has made me realize
43:42what the faithful
43:43already know.
43:46You don't have to see the Ark
43:47to know it exists.
43:49You only have to believe in it.
43:52And I guess it's revelations
43:54like this
43:54that keep us digging
43:56for the truth.
44:24We'll see you next time.
44:28You
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