The Legend

There is one thing on which Jews, Christians and Muslims all agree – the Ten Commandments. The stone tablets on which Moses inscribed the basic rules of civilization are fundamental t Priest in Lake Tana Monastery o all three of the world’s major religions. Nobody knows what happened to the original stone tablets, but some believe that they are kept by priests, like the man shown here, in a church in northern Ethiopia. It was with this in mind that we set off traveling to Ethiopia to explore some of the myths and legends.

According to the Bible, the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai, some 3,000 years ago. After presenting them to the ancient Jews in the desert, the sacred tablets were transported in a casket called the Ark of the Covenant and this became the most sacred relic of the ancient Jews, ultimately coming to rest in the Holy of Holies in the Temple at Jerusalem, built by King Solomon.

Numerous Bible mentions are made of the Ark. Incredible, magical powers were granted to it and its content. Then, suddenly during the reign of Solomon, almost all mention of the Ark ceases. What happened to it?

Priest Reading from the Kebra Nagast A 13^th Century Ethiopian manuscript known as the Kebra Nagast, seen at left and written in the ancient Ethiopian language of Ge'ez, contains a possible answer to the mystery. According to this source, Solomon had an affair with the mysterious Queen of Sheba and the son from their union, Menelik, took the Ark and transported it back to the land of Sheba which exists, according to some, in modern Ethiopia. Scholars have long disputed the exact location of Sheba which most believe was in southern Yemen across the Red Sea. The Ark's current resting place is said to be Aksum in the extreme North of the country.

The legend is examined in great detail by Graham Hancock in his 1992 bestseller, The Sign And The Seal. Many scholars take issue with some of Hancock's conclusions although he reaches no firm conclusion. But he does present a persuasive mixture of historical fact and scholarly opinion about how Christianity and Judaism may have come to Ethiopia. And the book makes fabulous reading written almost as a whodunnit! See http://www.oneworldmagazine.org/focus/etiopia/ark.html

Emperor Fasilidas' 17th Century Baths in Gondar The Tabot, or tablets containing the Laws of Moses, housed in the Ark of the Covenant, has a replica in every church and is kept hidden from view in the inner sanctuary or holy of holies. During the festival of Timkat on January 19th, priests in every church brings out their Tabot, covered in shrouds and carry it in solemn procession accompanied by singing, dancing, the beating of staffs, the rattling of sistra and the beating of drums all across the country. It is a scene straight out of the Old Testament.

Look carefully and try to experience the incredible tranquility you see at right at Emperor Fasilidas' 17th Century baths in Gondar. Then read of Graham Hancock's experience here during the Timkat celebrations of 1990. He describes the frenzied Epiphany celebrations centered around the Tabot, when the entire moat was filled with water and possibly ten thousand people came for two days to celebrate. He explains how he entered and spent the night inside the sanctuary with the monks. And, he recounts how people hurled themselves into the man-made lake after the priests had blessed and consecrated the water the following morning. Hancock then describes how he tried to rush back inside to get a glimpse of the Tabot and how the deacons bodily threw him out.

So, is the legend true? I believe it is. There can be no question but that the Ark and Ten Commandments do reside in Ethiopia. The devotion of the people, their focus on the fundamental laws of civilization all show quite clearly that the people believe it. Do not get the people confused with their leaders, who have always been more concerned with power than with the good of their people. Whether or not the original Tabot in Aksum is Moses' original or not hardly seems relevant. What is relevant is that Moses' message lives on in the lives of millions of people. The people of Ethiopia are the living testimony that the message is more important than the medium.

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