Postby JohnDB » June 28th, 2009, 3:08 am
I misspoke when I said earlier that the lineage of the Ethiopian Jews has been acknowledged...
Their existance has been acknowledged but their lineage is what is the problem...as is with most Jews. (They have no idea as to who is from which tribe)
Their is no control group for DNA testing either so truly knowing who is from the tribe of Levi is also going to be impossible as well. They may believe themselves to be from that tribe...but that is just rumor and speculation...there are no records. They were destroyed long long ago.
Since the ARK must be carried on the backs of Levites...Then there was that thing about all of the high priests dieing from entering the Holy of Holies every year during the Hasmonean period. (a rope tied to their ankles became customary during that period when they entered the Holy of Holies)
The thing might just be...revered. Kinda like voodoo. Belief is sometimes enough to do all sorts of things.
The Ark may not have been made by God...but it was his throne. So that means that the thing is Holy because it came into the presence of God...much like Archeologists are looking for a rock that Jesus cut personally in Sapphoris...because it also would be holy.
As well as the Holy Grail (cup)
And Moses' bones.
The Ark of Noah was destroyed a long time ago. If you believe the Greek copy of Josephus (considered to be less reliable due to additions) that ark was used as a tourist trap and cut into amulets to ward off evil spirits a long time ago. (I happen to think that this is a somewhat accurate oral tradition)
I want to die like Grandpa, quietly and in his sleep; not like the passengers in his car, they were all panicking and screaming.