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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Raider's of the Found Ark?, January 13, 2003
The best way to start an all out argument in a Bible believing church is to ask the question "Where is the Ark of the Covenant today?" I've heard Dr. Vendyl Jones' claim, Ron Wyatt's, and now Bob Cornuke's. Cornuke gives all the credit for heavy lifting to Graham Hancock's "The Sign & the Seal". This book is really all about Cornuke's quest to Ethiopia to discover the facts or the myths for himself. Before I go any further I should state that I own Cornuke's video on this subject and I also own Cornuke's presentation he made with Chuck Missler on an interactive CD-Rom (very cool!). I say this to clarify that I was already aware of Cornuke's claims, finds and conjectures about whatever is in St. Mary's of Zion church in Axum, Ethiopia. Let's look at the book first.
David Halbrook's style is very readable and at times exciting. The beginning chapter reminded me of something out of James Bond movie, Wealthy billionaire provokes agent of adventure to an incredible quest of Biblical and prophetical significance. The book is helpful in providing scripture references for purposes of discussion and further research into the conjecture of the Ark being in Axum and having a prophetic role. The photo section is helpful, but I'm glad I have the video to fully see some of the objects that are shown. I learned a few more things from the book than I'd already heard from Cornuke's video and speech, to me that justifies buying the book. The book hurts for an index however. So. Is the Ark in Axum? You'll have a hard time arguing against Cornuke and his evidence. If it went to trial, and I was on the jury... I'd vote for guilt. I'm sure Cornuke, a former cop would like hearing that. Cornuke's strongest support strangely enough comes from his Scriptural search, not the Archaeology in my opinion. None of the other theories concerning the whereabouts of the Ark seem to have anywhere near the same amount of support in the Bible that Ethiopia does. As I stated at the beginning, the topic of the location of the Ark seems to bring out great strife amongst Christians. Ron Wyatt's followers seem to disdain Cornuke, Cornuke's followers disdain Wyatt's. Folks who follow Replacement Theology disdain everything about the Ark's existence it seems. What's a poor old Southern Baptist to do? I think I figured out why some of this occurs so I tend not to discuss the Ark with anyone over 40 anymore, just too much drama. The reality of an object like the Ark is more than most folks desire to face. It tends to interfere with the enjoyment of Professional Football, Bass Fishing and shopping at Brand X-Mart. Even though I'm excited about this particular subject and Cornuke's adventure I have one very big bone to pick with the man. Near the end of the book, he recounts the exploits of a man who says he saw the Ark up close with two other men who subsequently died. Cornuke seems to conviently overlook the fact that his desire to learn about the ark and its appearance may have played a role in this event.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating Read, March 29, 2004
By A Customer
Having lived in the country for 3 years, many years ago, I found Cornukes account fascinating and quite plausible. It is regrettable that I was not a student of the Bible at the time. The culture truly does revolve around this holy relic.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
H - ARK! THE HERALD ANGELS' WINGS!, May 19, 2005
I was just poking around in a little Christian bookshop at Lake Arrowhead Village in August of '01, when I happened upon Robert Cornuke's, IN SEARCH OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD. I was intrigued by the photos right away and bought it. I've now read 4 of Cornuke's books in 4 years. Not too bad for a dude who turns his nose up at the Indiana Jones movie series!
Ol' Cornuke really accumulates those "frequent flyer" credits. He's traipsed all over the world in search of archeological evidence supporting the historicity of The Bible : Egypt and Saudi Arabia in search of the real Mount Sinai; Turkey in search of Noah's ark; Malta, seeking signs of the lost shipwreck of Saint Paul; and Africa, looking for the mysteriously missing Holy Ark Of The Jewish Covenant. Man, by now, Ol' Cornuke's dogs must be really barking! OK, so what if he has to soak his feet in Epsom salts from time to time - what a cool ride he's taken us on, eh?
I'll confess that I wasn't overly impressed with the first half of, IN SEARCH OF THE LOST ARK OF THE COVENANT, as it chronicled the legend of the Ark's removal to Ethiopia from ancient Jerusalem (which I was already somewhat familiar with) and Cornuke's first excursion into Africa in search of answers. It was in the second half of the book, as the archeology of Bible passages turned up clues, that I really got sucked into the story.
This is not surprising, as I am really fascinated by Bible study. I consider the Holy Book to be the cosmic crossword puzzle - an exciting source of mystery which, for the person willing to deeply study and contemplate it, slowly unveils far-reaching answers to Man's most urgent questions.
One thought that leads me to believe that the Ark still exists somewhere, is that there is no written record of an invading army capturing it from the Jews and removing it from their Temple. The Ark would have been a prestigious prize for an enemy to boast of possessing - certainly the world's most noteworthy booty at least until KC And The Sunshine Band came into prominence in 1975 & '76. To my knowledge, no ownership claim was ever made by another nation. And if the Ark does still exist, Ethiopia must certainly be considered the most likely location, for reasons outlined in Cornuke's book.
An Ethiopian man named, Haile, serving as an official government museum curator, gives Cornuke a firsthand account of the Ark's appearance after he and two companions stole a peek at it. According to Haile, all three of them were immediately knocked to the ground by an unseen force. The other two died shortly thereafter, and Haile was quickly losing his eyesight. I found this interesting in that it seems to closely parallel the experience of the soldiers, who in trying to impose their will on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, were unexplainably knocked to the ground. (See John 18:3-9) And yet, at the same time, I find this curious because, considering that the life, crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus supplanted any other representation of God in the physical world, I would expect the Ark, if it still exists, to now be devoid of any mysterious power, and serving merely as a symbol. I don't know what to make of Haile's account...if it is truthful.
The most original idea put forth in Cornuke's book is that the "Mercy Seat", the gold covering with its cherubim (angels) and their downward sloping, outstretched wings that sit atop the Ark, will actually serve as the Throne for Jesus when it is brought back to Jerusalem at His return. That's a pretty wild concept, to be sure, but read the book, and you'll see that it actually does have some merit. A very intriguing theory worth considering!
If, like me, you really enjoy exploring the intricacies of The Bible in search of its greatest nuance, you will undoubtedly find IN SEARCH OF THE LOST ARK OF THE COVENANT well worth reading. If deep Bible study does not particularly interest you, you probably won't make it to the end of the book. Either way, I recommend starting with Cornuke's best book, IN SEARCH OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD, then read, THE LOST SHIPWRECK OF PAUL, and finally, this one. I suggest skipping, IN SEARCH OF THE LOST MOUNTAINS OF NOAH altogether.
So, do I really believe that the ancient Holy Ark of The Covenant resides in the Chapel Of St. Mary Of Zion in Axum? I'd say that there's a very strong possibilty of that. I don't know that I'd go so far as to bet my life on it, but I'm fairly certain that I'd be willing to bet YOURS!
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