Ethiopia’s history is nothing short of remarkable. The East African nation is home to one of the worlds oldest Christian traditions. For centuries the country was ruled by a line of kings who claimed to be descended from the biblical King Solomon. They also claimed to be the caretakers of the long lost Ark of the Covenant. However, Ethiopian archaeology and other historical sources can sometimes complicate these claims. How should we fit the story of the ark into a balanced understanding of Ethiopian history? Tune-in and find out how massive obelisks, ancient war gods, and an incense burning guardian all play a role in the story.
To learn more about the Tigray War, here is some good reporting:
https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cr2pnx1173dt/tigray-crisis
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/05/world/africa/ethiopia-tigray-conflict-explained.html
St. George’s Church – One of the Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela
Works Cited
Adejumobi, Saheed A. The History of Ethiopia. Greenwood Press, 2006.
“The Kebra Nagast.” The Kebra Nagast Index, www.sacred-texts.com/chr/kn/.
May, Herbert G., and Bruce Manning. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version Containing the Old and New Testaments … Introductions, Comments, Cross References, General Articles, Measures and Weights, Chronological Tables of Rulers, Maps, and Indexes. Oxford University Press, 1973.
Munro-Hay, Stuart C., and Pamela Taor. Ethiopia, the Unknown Land: a Cultural and Historical Guide. I.B. Tauris, 2019.
Norwich, John Julius. Cities That Shaped the Ancient World. Thames & Hudson Inc., 2015.
Phillipson, D. W. Ancient Ethiopia: Aksum, Its Antecedents and Successors. British Museum, 2002.
Raffaele, Paul. “Keepers of the Lost Ark?” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Dec. 2007, www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/keepers-of-the-lost-ark-179998820/.