የአዲስ ኪዳን ታቦት (The Ark of the New Testament): EOTC Perspective – Part I

The concept of the Ark (ታቦት) has evolved significantly from the Old Testament to the New Testament, reflecting a profound transformation in its symbolism and function. While the Old Testament Ark was a sacred vessel comprising the Ten Commandments, the New Testament redefines this concept, integrating it into the Christian liturgical tradition. This essay explores the distinctive characteristics of the New Testament Ark (የአዲስ ኪዳን ታቦት) from an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) perspective, highlighting its unique features and the theological implications of its usage.

In the Old Testament, the Ark (ታቦት) was where the tablet (ጽላት) resided. The tablets were holy offerings, given by God to Moses, and carved (designed) from marble with the Ten Commandments inscribed on them. In the New Testament, however, the Ark(ታቦት) and the tablet (ጽላት) are made as one, and it is referred to as a tablet (ጽላት). It is also called an altar (መሰዊያ), where the Holy Body and Precious Blood of the Lord are offered in sacrifice. When the tablet is carved, it is designed to be portable, allowing it to hold a chalice (ጽዋዕ) and holy tray (ጻህል). The Lord's name, Alpha and Omega, is engraved on the tablet (ጽላት). Above it, the icon of the Holy Trinity is depicted; below it, the icon of the Crucifixion. On the right side is the icon of the Holy Virgin with her Son, and on the left, the icon of John the Theologian. The icon of the righteous (ጻድቅ) or martyr (ሰማዕት) for whom the church is dedicated will also be engraved, and their name will be inscribed.

First of all, as witnessed in Matthew 5:17, "እኔ ሕግንና ነቢያትን ለመሻር የመጣሁ አይምሰላችሁ፤ ልፈጽም እንጂ ለመሻር አልመጣሁም," it is essential to understand that the laws and regulations of the Torah (ኦሪት) have not been entirely abolished. If they had been, Peter and John would not have gone to the temple to pray according to the Torah's practice (Acts 3:1), nor would St. Paul have expressed concern over God's Ark, saying, "የእግዚአብሔርን ታቦት በጣኦት ቤት የሚያኖር ማን ነው?" (2 Corinthians 6:16, translated from the Geez Bible). Moreover, it would not have been stated, "የብሉይ ኪዳኑ ሥርዓትም ለሐዲስ ኪዳኑ ሥርዓት ጥላ ነው" (Hebrews 10:1). Additionally, the declaration God Himself made, "ለዘላለምም ስሜ በዚያ ያድር ዘንድ ይህን የሠራኸውን ቤት ቀድሻለሁ፤ ዓይኖቼና ልቤም በዘመኑ ሁሉ በዚያ ይሆናሉ" (1 Kings 9:3), shows that not all the laws and regulations of the Torah have been nullified. This is further affirmed in the New Testament by Christ Himself, who declared, "ቤቴ የጸሎት ቤት ትባላለች" (Matthew 21:13).

Therefore, it must be understood that temple service (የመቅደስ አገልግሎት) remains significant in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant (የቃል ኪዳኑ ታቦት) was never separated from the temple (መቅደስ). Likewise, in the New Testament, the Ark of the Covenant is not seen apart from the temple. John the Theologian confirmed this truth in his revelation: "በሰማይም ያለው የእግዚአብሔር መቅደስ ተከፈተ፥ የኪዳኑም ታቦት በመቅደሱ ታየ" (Revelation 11:19). The rituals performed before the temple and the Ark—such as the ceremony of incense (ዕጣን), thanksgiving with drums (ከበሮ) and cymbals (ጽናጽል), and singing in beautiful garments—form a link between the Old and New Testaments, as well as the temple and the Ark (Malachi 1:11, Matthew 2:11, Ezra 3:10, 2 Chronicles 20:21-22). Thus, the core laws and regulations of the Torah (ኦሪት) continue to be integrated with the law of the Gospel. This is why it is said, "በሐዋርያትና በነቢያት መሠረት ላይ ታንጻችኋል፥ የማዕዘኑም ራስ ድንጋይ ክርስቶስ ኢየሱስ ነው" (Ephesians 2:20).

Unlike other Christian nations, Ethiopia uniquely honors the Torah (ኦሪት) by transforming Old Testament laws and practices into Christian traditions, rather than adhering to them directly. Remarkably, Ethiopia is the sole country in the world that preserved the Ark of the Covenant, treating and safeguarding it with exceptional reverence and care.Bottom of Form

Many people often mistakenly assume that the Ark of the Ethiopian Church (የአዲስ ኪዳን ታቦት) is entirely identical to the Ark of the Old Testament.

In the time of the Torah, the Ark was the throne (ዙፋን) where God, covered in a cloud, spoke to Moses and Aaron and revealed Himself to Israel for help. However, the Ark of the New Testament (የአዲስ ኪዳን ታቦት) is where the Holy Flesh and Blood of the Lord are consecrated. The engraving and use of the Ark and Tablets of the New Testament are guided by the Church canon, which can be adjusted. When possible, the canon can be improved, and if not, it remains acceptable. One key contribution of our Church’s canon is the specific regulation regarding the engraving and use of the Ark and Tablets of the New Testament.

Therefore, if acacia wood (የግራር እንጨት) is not available to carve the Ark in the New Testament, we can use any other type of wood, as Genesis 1:31 declares, "እግዚአብሔርም ያደረገውን ሁሉ አየ፥ እነሆም እጅግ መልካም ነበረ።" God does not disapprove of His creation. The height, width, and circumference of the Ark will be determined by our scope, and the use of gold inside and outside will also depend on our resources. Since it is guided by canon, if we do not have the resources, the use of gold may be omitted.

Similarly, when it comes to the tablet (ጽላት), if we have the resources, we can carve it from precious stone or marble. If not, we can use durable wood that doesn’t scratch (የማይነቅዝ). Likewise, if possible, we can place two tablets in one Ark as in the Old Testament. If not, one tablet per Ark is sufficient. Furthermore, if there is no Ark that holds the tablet, the tablet (ጽላት) itself can be called an Ark (ታቦት) and used as such because this is in line with the canon.

In the New Testament, the Ark (tablet) serves to consecrate the Holy Flesh and Blood of the Lord, as Christ Himself declared: “ሥጋዬን የሚበላ ደሜንም የሚጠጣ የዘላለም ሕይወት አለው፥ እኔም በመጨረሻው ቀን አስነሣዋለሁ። ሥጋዬ እውነተኛ መብል ደሜም እውነተኛ መጠጥ ነውና። ሥጋዬን የሚበላ ደሜንም የሚጠጣ በእኔ ይኖራል እኔም በእርሱ እኖራለሁ።” (John 6:54-56).

In this way, the Ark (tablet) in the New Testament becomes the Altar of Mercy (የምሕረት መሰዊያ), where His Holy Flesh and Precious Blood are consecrated (የሚቀደሱበት/ የሚከብሩበት), fulfilling the divine word of the Lord. This allows all who believe to partake in this great mystery.

So, why do we call the altar or ark the place where the Holy Flesh and Blood of our Lord are consecrated?

Ethiopia embraced Christianity after first practicing the Old Testament belief. Although she followed the Old Testament faith before Christianity, unlike the Jews, she does not continue to await the coming of Christ. Ethiopia stands as the only nation in the world that has successfully transitioned from the Old Testament to the New Testament! Before accepting Christianity, Ethiopia had the temple system as described in the Old Testament, offering animal sacrifices and making pilgrimages (መንፈሳዊ ጉዞዎች) to Jerusalem for prayer twice a year.

As a result, Ethiopia calls the ark (ታቦት) the "altar" (መሰዊያ), upon which Alpha and Omega, the name of Jesus Christ is inscribed on it. She also refers to it as the "ark" (ታቦት). In addition to "ark," she calls it "tablet" or "altar."

However, Ethiopian Church Ark (the New Testament Ark) in terms of "structure," "content," "size," "function," and "service," has nothing in common with the Ark of the Old Testament except sharing the name.

Here are the distinctions between the New Testament Ark/Tablet/Altar and that of the Old Testament:

New Testament Ark/ Tablet/ Altar	Old Testament Ark
It is where the Lord’s Holy Flesh and Blood are consecrated.	It is where God would speak to the prophets.
It can be made of wood or marble.	It is a large box made of wood, coated with gold on the inside and outside, holding two tablets.
It is carried by one man on his head, with honor and reverence.	It is carried by four people.
The name of Jesus Christ, "Alpha and Omega," is engraved on it.	Inside are the tablets of Moses, with the Ten Commandments written on them.

 

Is the "altar" commonly referred to as an "Ark" unique to Ethiopia? Not at all.

Christians worldwide who believe in the Eucharist as the true flesh and blood of Jesus Christ have their own version of an "altar." This includes not only sister Orthodox churches like Egypt, Syria, India, and Armenia but also Eastern Orthodox Churches such as Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. Additionally, the Roman Catholic Church also has an "altar."

In Egypt, the altar is called Loḥi (ሉሕ), and it is essential for blessing the Holy Flesh and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Eastern Orthodox Churches refers to it as "Antimension" (አንቲሜንሲዮን), meaning "In place of the Ark." This altar is a white silk cloth featuring an image of the Lord's Crucifixion and remains fixed in place on the pulpit (መንበር). Without it, they do not consecrate the Lord's Flesh and Blood. The Roman Catholics call it "Mensa," or Holy Table.

The altar symbolizes the holy table upon which the Lord declared to His apostles on Holy Thursday (ዕለተ ሐሙስ), "This is my flesh, this is my blood," and presented to them. It is also symbolized by the wooden holy cross, on which, the following Friday, His body was suffered and His sacred blood was shed. What we receive is the Sacrifice of Calvary (ጎልጎታ/ቀራንዮ), which He offered once and for all as both the Sacrifice and the Receiver.

Ethiopia's altar, or "Ark of the New Testament," stands apart from those of other countries due to its unique mobility. Unlike the altars of other Christian traditions, it can be moved from place to place.

In 2 Corinthians 3:3, it is written, "እናንተም በሕያው እግዚአብሔር መንፈስ እንጂ በቀለም አይደለም፥ ሥጋ በሆነ በልብ ጽላት እንጂ በድንጋይ ጽላት ያልተጻፈ፥ በእኛም የተገለገለ የክርስቶስ መልእክት እንደ ሆናችሁ የተገለጠ ነው።" Some people cite this verse to argue that the tablet (ark) is not needed in the New Testament. However, this verse refers specifically to the Old Testament tablet on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church does not use such tablets. As St. Paul explains, in the New Testament, the Ten Commandments are written in our hearts. Therefore, this verse does not support the claim that the tablet or ark is unnecessary in the New Testament.

In conclusion, the New Testament Ark (የአዲስ ኪዳን ታቦት) represents a profound evolution from its Old Testament forerunner, adapting its sacred role to the Christian liturgical context. This evolution highlights the continuity of divine worship and the transformative power of Christ’s sacrifice. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s interpretation of the Ark exemplifies a unique synthesis of ancient and modern faith practices, bridging the Old and New Testaments in a living expression of worship. Through this distinctive practice, the New Testament Ark stands as a testament to the enduring and transformative power of sacred traditions within the Church.