Customer Reviews

The Lost Ark of the Covenant: Solving the 2,500-Year-Old Mystery of the Fabled Biblical Ark

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am surprised that no one else has reviewed this book yet. So, as unqualified as I my be, I have decided to do so. "Lost Ark of the Covenant" is a page-turner containing new ideas about the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant. While it may be an exciting travel book, the factual information seems a little iffy. I have trouble believing what Mr. Parfitt thinks to be the Ark actually is. I'll grant its amazing that the Lemba of southern Africa have the "Moses Gene" and I don't doubt that they did come from Yemen and possibly Israel before that. But the idea that their 'ngoma' or wooden drum is the Ark seems a little far fetched to me. Additionally, the author's premise that the Ark actually was an early "weapon of mass destruction" seems a little more than unlikely.
Another thing about the book that bothered me was that Mr. Parfitt never tells whether or not the Gogodala of Papa New Guinea are of Jewish descent or not. He did the DNA testing. Why not include the results in the book, positive or not? This only leaves the reader frustrated.
Some events in "The Lost Ark" seem to work out too perfectly. It seems to me that he disregards some Ark locations too quickly (eg. It can't be under the Temple Mount because people have been looking there for so long.)
While I don't believe Parfitt's theory, I still had a hard time putting the book down. The real-life adventure was exciting, and the history (most of it) piqued my interest. I would certainly recommend reading this book. Perhaps Mr. Parfitt can convince you of his theory and I am just a stubborn reader.
I'm not sure why this book hasn't made a bigger splash. It seems that recently every year around March/April there is a new biblical mystery/conspiracy in the news (Da Vinci Code, Tomb of Jesus.) I have a feeling this may be this years, but so far "The Lost Ark" hasn't reached the limelight.

If you are looking for an authoritative and informative book on the Ark of the Covenant, my advice is for you to keep looking and pass this one by. If however, you are looking for information about the lost decendents of ancient Isreal, this is for you. I also get the distinct impression that Mr. Parfitt is one of those types that only looks for those facts that fit his particular theories. I can't quite buy into them. Mainly because he doesn't seem to have any respect for anyone's religous beliefs and constanly refers to them as "cults". He doesn't believe that the ancient Isrealites had the tools, material or ability to construct a gold covered ark, even though they were the artisans and craftsmen of Eygpt and had all of the spoils of Eygpt with them. Doesn't seem to bother him that they made a golden calf to worship though. Wonder how they did that? He discounts all the testomony of the power and presence of God and replaces it with a crude wooden drum and theories of gunpowder or some other inflammable material. If you are interested in the history of the Lemba, by all means buy this book. It has some interesting parts, but nothing that I would consider relevant to the present whereabouts of the Lost Ark of the Covenant.

I loved reading this book. I found Parfitt's study very intriguing and his ability to link clues together fascinating. I am just curious why he left his treasure where it was for others to fight over...why didn't he take it where other scholars could study it? There is much detailed information in the first chapters. Towards the end, just when the story is heating up, he seems to end the book abruptly.

However, still a fascinating read! I highly recommend!

Tudor Parfitt is a British (technically "Welch") scholar and a non-Jew with a scholarly fascination with Hebrew culture. I've read most of his books, including his writings about the lost tribes of Israel, and while all are interesting and engaging, this is one of his best. In writing about his adventure to find the Ark, Parfitt spins quite a tale, interlaced with an enjoyable blend of personal narrative, eccentric characters, and expository text. His final discovery and conclusions are somewhere between controversial and humorous. Although he takes quite a bit of liberty in biblical interpretation, his adventure is appealing to anyone interested in the fascinating subject.

Tudor Parfitt's epic twenty-year quest for the lost Ark of the Covenant is a real page-turner! According to the Bible, the Ark contained the Ten Commandments given to Moses and possessed a divine, awesome power. It was used by the ancient Israelites in battle and, by Bible accounts, had the devastating powers of a modern-day weapon of mass destruction. Regarded as the holiest object in the world by the Jewish and Islamic faiths, the Ark suddenly disappeared from Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem over 2,500 years ago and was, apparently, lost forever. The author embarked on a long, arduous, and often dangerous journey in what became an obsessive quest to track down the truth behind this fabled artefact and discover its whereabout today. I read Graham Hancock's The Sign and the Seal Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant, which claimed to have located the Ark in Ethiopia, it having been taken there by Menelik, the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. So, it was with renewed interest that I tackled Mr. Parfitt's account of the link between the holy drum, or ngoma, of the Lemba tribe in Zimbabwe and the Ark. Tudor Parfitt's journey takes him on a trail of ancient documents and codes from Oxford, to Jerusalem, to Africa, and even to Papua, New Guinea. It encompasses not only his obsession with the Ark, but also the dreams and ambitions of friends, helpers, and other interested parties. The author also takes the reader on some astonishing side paths - the discovery that the DNA of the Lemba, an African tribe, links them directly to the Jews of the Middle East and specifically to the priestly tribe that would have been the guardians of the Ark; the vision that they have of their lost city Senna, and their wish to be recognized. In addition, the strange link that the Gogodala tribesmen of Papua, New Guinea have with Judaism and Israel is also fascinating and makes for one of the funniest travel accounts I have ever read, putting me in mind of Gerald Durrell. That section alone is well worth the book because one feels 'in the author's shoes' (covered with Shoosnake) so to speak! I enjoyed the author's theory that there were multiple arks, for multiple reasons. Dealing with ancient, biblical, and tribal history is difficult. Oral traditions become twisted as ancient authors sought to portray their particular traditions or holy objects in the best possible light. One only has to read medieval and older accounts of historical figures and events to realize just how much 'tampering' went on, and that history is surely written by the victors. The book left me with unanswered questions: what happened to the Lemba after their DNA links to Israel were confirmed, and what were the results of the DNA testing on the eager Gogodala who, by all accounts, appear to be more Jewish than the Jews? In dealing with research in Africa, I, as someone living in South Africa, have a special appreciation of what Mr. Parfitt has endured in his search. Africa is a tragic story: a continent riven by corruption, nepotism, wholesale destruction of historical assets, criminality, lawlessness, and tribalism. It's a miracle he managed to find anything in Zimbabwe, given the present state of that country. In all, a fascinating read. With the plethora of investigations into ancient history and secrets, I think readers should enjoy what riveting nuggets authors such as Mr. Parfitt have uncovered.

Getting to the point I also watched the 2 hour documentary with Tudor Parfitt on the History Channel and was very disappointed. To say he is the modern Indiana Jones is a very over rated appraisal of this individual. Here he stands in a museum in Jordan dragging his naked fingers all over the famed "Copper Scroll" which anyone with his alleged reputation would know you don't treat ancient artifacts in such a manner, I was in disbelief, if it's touched at all any scholar with half a brain would use latex gloves. Then his conclusion that the Ark of the Covenant was a drum (like 'bang bang') that had been reconstructed many times over during it's history. This tale of his is just a tale in my opinion and warrants no consideration other than his motives to make a buck. This documentary ranks with another scholar that attempted to demonstrate that the Great Pyramid was constructed by flying two ton blocks of stone with kites. Again, save your money on this one.

While Mr. Parfitt's claims of finding a representation of the legendary Ark of the Covenant seem somewhat inconclusive, this book and his journey is more about the symbolism of the Ark and its lore throughout the world and the ages. He did a great job illustrating the context of the legend from a number of religious and historical texts. He also questions what the Ark itself is/was specifically. There are references of it as a box carrying sacred objects such as the Ten Commandments, a drum or a weapon, and even that there were multiple Arks over the course of three millennia. He concludes that our archetypal image of the Ark as a golden sheathed box crowned with cherubs is inaccurate.

More specifically, Parfitt explores the migration of a Jewish tribe from Israel to Africa and the idea that the Ark could have travelled with them to protect it from the enemies of Israel. He examined linguistic and cultural similarities and once the technology became available, used DNA testing to prove that these African people claiming Jewish decent did in fact share a common ancestor with a line of Jewish priests. He also chased some dead ends in Papua New Guinea and some misguided folklore in other parts of Africa and the Middle East, but I must admit there were some pretty amazing connections to be more than just pure coincidence.

The writing itself was decent, and I could appreciate Parfitt's penchant for adventure, scholarship and drinking, but it often got bogged down with some esoteric concepts. The end of his search for this profound religious artifact was somewhat anticlimactic, though it did illustrate how what he uncovered could represent what the Ark initially symbolized thousands of years ago and how that idea evolved in different parts of the world.

Tudor Parfitt's account of his search for the lost Ark of the Covenant is brilliant. Never mind that it's based on a myth - all our civilizations are based on foundational myths. His interactions with those he met are compelling and offer to many of us a glimpse of people and cultures we're not likely to have the opportunity to meet ourselves. I hated for it to end and have ordered copies for family and friends.


emilie barnett
Cleveland, Ohio

Parfitt is billed as a real-life Indiana Jones on the dust jacket, which isn't quite the case but does get one in the mood.

The book is at least as much travelogue as detective story, as Parfitt's pursuit of the Ark takes him to some of the most remote corners of the globe, and his encounters with the locals in these spots are occasionally funny and always well written and interesting. His descriptions of the people, places, and back stories involved are fascinating, and it's clear he is intelligent, observant, but yet totally human, open to feeling frustrated, upset, proud, and involved. Weaving his pursuit of the Ark in with his other life as a researcher was also interesting, and one notes that the story is told over the course of a number of years; there are vast times at which the pursuit of the Ark was clearly relegated to a lower priority. It comes across as episodic at times, and his travels are caused as much by accident or the nudges of others as they are by his own ambition or impetus.

Also interesting is the side story having to do with lost Jewish tribes, and efforts by very widely dispersed people to claim Jewish heritage. Parfitt's knowledge and understanding here don't have all that much to do with the Ark, but are worth reading; too bad he never got around to telling us the results of the DNA testing he conducted in Papua New Guinea!

The story of the Ark, on the other hand, is not as satisfying as I would have liked. First, as dismissive as Parfitt is of Graham Hancock's earlier book, there is a lack of documentation here that does not help his case. Many of the clues and stories and oral histories here assembled are drawn from legend or distant accounts that cannot be relied upon as solid; some of the conclusions drawn are, frankly, completely circumstantial, and there are times Parfitt admits as much. Hancock may well have taken some detours, and he does veer somewhat off track at times, but his case at least *seems* built on more solid foundations than Parfitt's. Ultimately, I felt let down by the ending, which seemed to just hang there. The ngoma finally identified as the Ark cannot be the object of power described in the writings the story of the Ark is based on; if it were the Biblical Ark it would have been unapproachable by non-Cohens, and if it were simply an ancient, primitive saltpeter weapon, it would not have been preserved and revered for 3000 years. One senses that Parfitt was ready to move on to other projects, and felt this was as close to a wrap as he was going to get.

The book was an enjoyable read, and I learned a bit about Jewish history and the like; but I don't know that I learned much new about the legend and location of the Ark of the Covenant.

I won't get into much detail, because I don't want to be a spoiler. This book is a page turner and it'll ruin it for you if you know too much in advance of reading it.

Parfitt is an Oxford-educated scholar and a true adventurer. But he seems a little too taken by the Indiana Jones image he develops for himself. In his narrative he is always the wisest, bravest, studliest one in the room.

Personality aside, this is a really fun travelog. While most readers will question the accuracy of some of his reporting, this was unquestionably a true adventure.

In the end, I share the opinion of most of the other readers --- yes, it seems that the small tribe of Lemba people (who have some pseudo-Jewish traditions) have some genetic relationship to the remaining people of a Yemeni port area. Yemen, in turn, was once predominantly Jewish until the Muslims killed or forced conversion on the local population. So it is possible, maybe even probably, that the Lembas have some Jewish ancestors and that this does explain their traditions.

But Parfitt's leap from this to the Ark of the Covenant being a tribal drum is bizarre and utterly unconvincing. His thesis makes several assumptions that are flawed: 1. that the Deut. and Exodus descriptions of the ark construction are mutually exclusive; 2. that the nomadic 13th century BC Israelites were incapable of constructing a small gold object; 3. that these sketchy contradictory oral traditions of the Lemba prove that some drum that Parfitt admits dates about 2000 years after the Exodus is a replacement for the ark. The list goes on. Each plank is flawed, and all have to be true for his drum to be the ark.

I'd love to hear what his friends Daud and Reuven would say about his account.

Anyway, worth reading, but ultimately unconvincing.