ARK OF COVENANT

• Ark of the Covenant


  Powerful object that was the dwelling place of God on earth
• Ark of the Covenant


  • Sacred container made of acacia wood covered in gold
  • Contained the manna, Ten Commandments, and Aaron's staff
  • Described as holy and made of incorruptible wood
  • Covered in a blue and gold cloth when taken out
• When the Ark was completed, God's glory cloud came down and filled the tabernacle
• The Ark was the first thing to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land
• The Ark was eventually brought to Jerusalem by King David
• The Ark was lost when the Babylonians destroyed the Temple in the 6th century BC
• Jeremiah the Prophet: 'Hid the Ark in a cave on Mount Nebo, saying its location would remain unknown until the glory cloud returned'
• The Catholic Old Testament, in 2 Maccabees, contains the ancient Jewish tradition about what happened to the lost Ark of the Covenant
• Jeremiah: 'The place where the Ark is hidden shall remain unknown until the glory of the Lord and the cloud appear'
• The cloud


  The glory cloud from the Old Testament, not a thunderstorm
• The glory cloud and divine presence departed from the Ark and the temple before the temple was destroyed</b>
• When the cloud that overshadowed the Ark comes back down from heaven


  The location of the Ark will be known again
• Mary in the New Testament

  Fulfills the role of the Ark of the Covenant
• Angel Gabriel to Mary: 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you'
• The Greek verb 'epi skia zo'


  Used to describe the Holy Spirit and power of God overshadowing Mary, the same verb used for the glory cloud overshadowing the Ark in the Old Testament
• The parallels between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant


  In the Annunciation and Visitation narratives
• In Revelation 11:19, the Ark of the Covenant is seen in the heavenly temple
• The woman clothed with the sun in Revelation 12


  Is parallel to the Ark of the Covenant seen in the heavenly temple
• Implications of Mary as the new Ark

  • Demonstrates the holiness and sanctity of Mary
  • Mary's body is the dwelling place of God, containing the Word made flesh, the Bread of Life, and the eternal Priest
  • Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven is fitting as the new Ark