Sacred Relics
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark (תֵּבַת נֹחַ)
Kept people and animals safe from the flood that covered the world.
MountFirst recorded c. 500 BCE
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Photograph: An English gilt-copper reliquary chest of 1207–13. The box with a roof-shaped lid and animal-paw feet is densely covered in round engraved plaques, with a lock on the front.
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3,000 × 2,400 PX3000×2400
ArchiveSacred Relics · Vessel
Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The seat of God's presence. Carried before the people, it parted the Jordan and brought down the walls of Jericho.
- Owner
- The people of Israel
- Maker
- The craftsman Bezalel
- First record
- Book of Exodusc. 600 BCE
- Gallery
- Sacred Relics
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
In Exodus, God tells Moses to build a chest of acacia wood and overlay it inside and out with pure gold. On its lid two cherubim face each other with outspread wings, and inside are placed the two tablets of the Ten Commandments.
The Israelites carried the ark on poles through the wilderness. According to the Book of Joshua, the Jordan stopped flowing when the priests bearing it set foot in the river, and the walls of Jericho fell after the ark was carried around them for seven days. When the Philistines captured it, their idols toppled and calamity struck until they sent it back.
Solomon installed the ark in the Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem. After Babylon destroyed the Temple in 587 BCE, no one knows what became of it.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Reliquary Chasse(British, 1207–13), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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