A PROPHETIC LOOK AT ETHIOPIAN JEWS FROM A NUBIAN PERSPECTIVE: Their Connection to the Ark of the Covenant

By QUEEN OF SHEBA

This book is intriguing and will incite curiosity in the reader to explore the myths and facts as they pertain to this Holy relic. Where is the ark of the covenant, and why has it been such a controversial icon for generations? Who was in possession of the ark of the covenant, and what impact has it had on nations? This ark, for so many, represe

• Language: English
• Publisher: TOPLINK PUBLISHING, LLC
• Release date: May 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781949169065

QUEEN OF SHEBA

Queen of Sheba, the author, has traveled extensively as a missionary to England, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, and Canada. It was on one of her missionary excursions when she encountered Ethiopian Jews-living in Israel and Egypt-who challenged her to write their story from a Nubian (non-Westernized) perspective and to share the truth about their connection to the ark of the covenant. Queen of Sheba is an ordained minister, a certified special education teacher, and an ABA Therapist, and she holds computer certifications as an MCP/MCSE. She has a bachelor of business administration, a master of arts in theology, a master of science in education, and a doctorate of arts in biblical studies. Queen of Sheba is an Ordained Minister, a Certified Special Education Teacher, a Adjunct Professor, a Chaplain Intern, and a ABA Therapist. She holds Computer Certifications as an M.C.S.E., an M.C.T, and an M.C.P She has a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Master of Arts in Theology, a Master of Science in Education, and a Doctorate of Arts in Biblical Studies.

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A Prophetic Look at Ethiopian Jews from a Nubian Perspective

Their Connection to the Ark of the Covenant

Queen of Sheba

Copyright © 2018 by Queen of Sheba.

Hardback: 978-1-949169-05-8

Paperback: 978-1-949169-04-1

eBook: 978-1-949169-06-5

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Contents

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1 Romancing The Ark

Chapter 2 The Legend Continues (Ethiopian Rendezvous)

Chapter 3 Elephantine Effervescence

Chapter 4 Ebedmelech – An Officer and a Gentleman

Chapter 5 What does the Lord Require (Ethiopia’s Isolation)

Chapter 6 The Enligtened Ethiopian

Chapter 7 The Church at Antioch

Chapter 8 God of Ethiopia – Ethiopia’s Elevation

Conclusion

Endnotes

Bibliography

Dedication

To My Beloved,

Thank you so much J.T. and H.B. for your unconditional love. You have always been the driving force behind me. Without you I could do nothing. Any success that I have had, is because of you. You were the impetus for all of my accomplishments. You have motivated and inspired me and I am eternally grateful for your loving kindness and support. This book is dedicated to both of you.

Agape Love

All Because of Him

Introduction

This book will explore the historical facts and myths as they pertain to the Ark of the Covenant and its relationship to the Ethiopian Jews. In Old Testament times this ancient holy relic was worshipped by Israel as the embodiment of Yahweh, and served as a source of pride for the Jewish nation. It still remains a fascinating mystery to the world community at l arge.

The Ark of the Covenant was Israel’s central cult object. Its rich symbolism, its raw power, and its pure majesty was at the heart of Israel’s religious life. As it journeyed through the wilderness, many great feats were accomplished before it. The ark accompanied the Israelites from Sinai to the conquest of Canaan:

Biblical and other archaic sources speak to the ark blazing with fire and light,

inflicting cancerous tumours and severe burns, leveling mountains, stopping rivers, blasting whole armies and laying waste cities. The same sources also leave no doubt that it was, for a very long time, the cornerstone of the evolving Jewish faith: indeed when King Solomon built the first Temple in Jerusalem his sole motive was to create ‘an house of rest for the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord."¹

The ark ultimately came to rest in a permanent place in the Holy of Holies in the temple built by Solomon. From this point on, the ark is no longer mentioned as a token of Yahweh’s presence with his people. At the time of the destruction of Solomon’s temple by the Babylonians (586 B.C.E.), there is no record that the ark was among the vessels carried into exile or brought back from Babylon.¹

The Ethiopian legend takes as its point of departure the story of the rendezvous between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon (I Kings 10:1-13 and 2 Chron. 9:1-12).

Outside of biblical interpretations, this queen is known by many names. Within the African culture, she is often referred to as Makeda:

African Queen of Sheba-Makeda-This queen is enshrined in Ethiopian legends, particularly the Kebra Nagast (‘Glory of the Kings’), as the Queen of Ethiopia who bore by Solomon the first king of Ethiopia. This legend reflects the close tie which, in antiquity, existed between South Arabia (Teman) and East Africa, which Josephus also notes when he calls this ruler Queen of Egypt and Ethiopian. The Arabian legend remember her as Bilqis.²

In the process of writing this book, this writer has given serious consideration to the importance of engaging and developing a new hermeneutic with regards to defining terms as they relate to people of color in the Bible. It sometimes appears to be semantical schisms that would make people of different ethnicities wonder if they were reading out of the same Bible. This writer has endeavored to work towards a more balanced perspective in scholastic research that would address this issue.

This writer has tried to weigh all of the pertinent evidence (geographical, archaeological, linguistics and anthropological) factors that are so often the criteria implemented when one attempts research. In the process the author has tried to be objective and maintain a sense of open mindedness when considering these factors, because on the one hand, the author does not wish to appear to be apologetic for facts that have heretofore been shrouded by certain racial or religious biases (whether this was done intentionally or unconsciously).²

On the other hand, the author does not want to appear to be too defensive due to research that casts blacks in a negative light, because of the so called curse of Ham, blacks being put on par with beasts, the obliteration of the black presence from pre-historic Egypt, the New Hamitic theory (no black presence in the Bible), and just the ethnic cleansing of the black race and their historical contributions (as they relate to the Bible) that have so long been overlooked by many of the mainstream scholars. Hopefully a curriculum of inclusion will be developed that will shed new light on old antiquated theories that may have been inspired by anti-African/Black propaganda.

Chapter one addresses the significance of the ark, its location, and its uniqueness as it pertains to Israel and her neighbors. The Ethiopian legend is explored in Chapter two, along with the relationship that the Ethiopia Jews maintain with the ark. Chapter three looks at the golden age of Ethiopia at Elephantine in the fifth century, and how there was a thriving economically empowered community in the forest at Yeb.

Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian Servant of the King, is the subject of Chapter four. Issues of cleanliness are explored in Chapter five as well as forced exile of Ethiopians. Chapter six looks at the Ethiopian Eunuch while Chapter seven looks at the Church at Antioch. Chapter eight attempts to glimpse into the future of Ethiopians based on Biblical prophecy.

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1 Graham Hancock, The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant, Simon & Schuster Inc., New York, 1992, p.6.

2 Cain Felder ed., The Original African Heritage Study Bible, Nashville, James C. Winston, 1993, p. 700.

CHAPTER 1

Romancing The Ark

It is impossible for one to speak about the Ark of the Covenant without mentioning the Tabernacle, which housed the Ark. The noun tabernacle (‘miskan’) derives from the verb sakan which means to dwell or to sojourn. The verb suggests full presence, but it is not a stable guarantee of a permanent presen ce ³.

The Tabernacle of the congregation, also called the Tabernacle of testimony (Num 1:50), the tent of testimony (Num. 9:15), the Sanctuary of the Lord (Num. 19:20), the house of God (Judg. 18:31), the house of the Lord (1 Sam 1:7), the Tabernacle of Witness (2 Chron 24:6), and a world sanctuary (Heb. 9:1), was a portable tent pitched in the Desert of Sin that lies between the north of Egypt and the south of Canaan. After years of cruel bondage at the hand of Pharaoh’s taskmasters, Israel was delivered by God. This Tabernacle accompanied the children of Israel in the wilderness until they reached Canaan.

God gave Moses explicit instructions regarding the building of this house. "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it’ (Exod. 25: 8,9 KJV).³

The Tabernacle provided a temporary residence for God and provided