Wednesday 17 June 2015

The Holy Boat

I have been away in Egypt for two weeks as part of research for a new book on the origins of Christianity. Take a look at these pictures. Prior to Moses, the ancient Egyptians also carried shrines resembling the Ark of the Covenant, with the famous Shrine of Anubis found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun being the best example. In this case, scholars originally suspected that it may have been the Ark of the Covenant.

The Holy Boat of Edfu, Egypt, curiously resembling the Ark. Incidentally, this shrine would be carried by seven high priests. The original is now housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

 The Holy Boat being carried by seven priests at Ramesseum.

Here is another great example of how this ancient tradition was adapted for use in early Christianity. The Bible says that God commanded Moses on how to construct the Ark and that the Ten Commandments were written by God himself on two stone tablets. Curiously, Moses was nurtured as an Egyptian prince before discovering he was an Israelite.