Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #181018 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
According to legend the Ark of the Covenant was an ornate golden chest that was both a means of communicating with God and a terrible weapon used against the enemies of the ancient Israelites. In order to use it, the high priest had to wear a breastplate containing twelve sacred gemstones called the Stones of Fire. These objects were kept in the Great Temple of Jerusalem until they vanished following the Babylonian invasion in 597BCE At the ancient ruins of Petra in southern Jordan, Graham Phillips uncovered evidence that the 13th Century Templars found the Ark and the Stones of Fire and that they brought them back to central England when they fled the persecution of the French king Philip the Fair a century later. The author followed ciphered messages left by the Templars in church paintings, inscriptions and stained glass windows to what may well be three of the Stones of Fire. When examined by Oxford university scientists, these stones were found to possess odd physical properties that interfered with electronic equipment and produced a sphere of floating light similar to ball lightning.

The Bible asserts that the Ark had the power to destroy armies and bring down the walls of cities. Now Graham Phillips provides scientific evidence that these claims may be true and offers compelling documentation that the Ark may be located in the English countryside, not far from Stratford-upon-Avon.

Customer Reviews

It would make a great feature film.
Having studied history at university, I realised that this book would be one of those that always upsets historians. It is speculative and involves a number of leaps of faith. Nevertheless, it contains some really extraordinary discoveries. Graham Phillips not only convincingly argues that the biblical Mount Sinai is really Jebel Madhbah in the kingdom of Jordan; he also traces what happened to the Ark of the Covenant after it disappeared from Jerusalem around 600 BCE. However, what really had me hooked on this book was the way that the author records his investigation in an exciting, first-hand journey of discovery. It would make a great feature film.

Although The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant is unlikely to appeal to academics, I am sure it will become a controversial classic for those interested in mysteries of the Bible: Graham Phillips claims to have found what may be one of the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

Historical Mysteries � The new Rock and Roll.
There is a great deal to learn from this book regarding the mystery of the Ark of the Covenant. In fact, it is something of an essential reference book for anyone interested in the enigma. However, this does not mean that it is slow or laborious reading. Indeed, it is precisely the opposite. This is a thoroughly entertaining and riveting personal quest by the author to discover the truth behind the legend. Believers in the Bible will be delighted to read of the evidence that the Ark not only existed but may well have had the power the Old Testament describes. It also goes without saying that the modern craze for treasure-hunting stories will have its appeal to the popular market as there are a wealth of historical clues and coded messages involved.

I found the Templar link particularly interesting as it focuses on one specific group of this secretive order of Crusader knights, throwing light on what I regarded as an unlikely postscript to their enigmatic existence during the Middle Ages. I had not previously given much credence to the notion of the Templars' treasure. I realise that the Templars were ultimately outlawed and persecuted and so had reason to hide whatever strange and priceless relics they possessed. However, as there is so much evidence that this huge medieval organisation went underground and survived the chances of such a treasure not having being recovered seemed slim. Graham Phillips provides a convincing and intriguing new suggestion to account for this. He proposes that it was only one particular Templar lodge that hid the treasure and that they were wiped out by the Black Death.

I recently heard someone describe historical mysteries as the new Rock and Roll. With books like this on the shelves, I'm not surprised.

You too can search for the lost Ark
The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant is a truly unique book. I have never read anything like it before. In the Bible it says that the Ark of the Covenant (not to be confused with Noah's Ark) was a golden chest which contained the Ten Commandments and had the power to produce divine fire which could be used as a holy weapon. The book examines archaeological evidence to show that what many people thought was a myth was in fact an historical artefact. If the author is right, this remarkable object really existed: he even consults scientists who suggest that it was a device, years ahead of its time, for harnessing the power of lightning. Graham also discovers that the Ark was claimed to have been found by crusaders in the 1180s and that they returned with it to England. Here they eventually hid it and left a series of elaborate clues in a church in Warwickshire to reveal its location.

After a fascinating adventure to decipher the cryptic message and a series of encounters with the unexplained, Graham and colleagues eventually discover the remains of an old holy well where they believe the Ark was hidden. Regrettably, it seems that the Ark had been moved. However, they do unearth a stone tablet which experts think may have been one of the stones on which the Ten Commandments were written. What happened to the Ark? Who took it and to where? The research is ongoing, but Graham provides all the clues he has found in his book and asks others to help in this thrilling, real-life adventure that it seems anyone can join in. A great read!