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

The Ark of the New Testament in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) holds profound spiritual significance. However, some mistakenly equate the Ark with idols, misinterpreting biblical texts that warn against the worship of false gods. This essay will address this misconception by clearly distinguishing the Ark from idols, drawing on biblical references and insights from the EOTC tradition.

Is the Ark an idol? - ታቦት ጣኦት ነው?

Some confuse the Ark with an idol, and cite verses like  “ከእኔ በቀር ሌሎች አማልክት አይሁኑልህ። በላይ በሰማይ ካለው፥ በታችም በምድር ካለው፥ ከምድርም በታች በውኃ ካለው ነገር የማናቸውንም ምሳሌ፥ የተቀረጸውንም ምስል ለአንተ አታድርግ፡አትስገድላቸው፡ (Exodus 20፡3-5).

In Exodus 32:1-20, it is written: “…የሠሩትንም ጥጃ ወስዶ በእሳት አቀለጠው፥ እንደ ትቢያም እስኪሆን ድረስ ፈጨው፥ በውኃውም ላይ በተነው፥ ለእስራኤልም ልጆች አጠጣው።” If the Ark and an idol are the same, why would Moses go to such lengths to destroy the idol made by Aaron and the Israelites?

Similarly, in Exodus 34:1, it is written: “እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴን አለው፦ ሁለት የድንጋይ ጽላቶች እንደ ፊተኞች አድርገህ ጥረብ፤ በሰበርኻቸው በፊተኞቹ ጽላቶች የነበሩትን ቃሎች እጽፍባቸዋለሁ።” If the Ark were an idol, why would God instruct Moses to carve two stone tablets? Moreover, why would Moses go on to craft the Ark after being commanded, “ከእኔ በቀር ሌሎች አማልክት አይሁኑልህ…”?

Furthermore, if the Ark is considered a god, as some claim, isn't it God Himself who designed it and gave it to Moses? As it is written: “እግዚአብሔርም ከሙሴ ጋር በሲና ተራራ የተናገረውን በፈጸመ ጊዜ በእግዚአብሔር ጣት የተጻፈባቸውን ከድንጋይ የሆኑ ሁለቱን የምስክር ጽላቶች ሰጠው::” (Exodus 31:18). If God Himself shaped and handed the Ark to Moses, how can one equate it with an idol?

Additionally, in Exodus 32:35, it is written, “አሮን የሠራውን ጥጃ ስለ ሠሩ እግዚአብሔር ሕዝቡን ቀሠፈ።” If an idol were the same as the Ark, why would God punish the people for creating and worshiping idols? Those who claim the Ark is an idol should address these questions.

While the Tablet (ጽላት) of the Torah (ኦሪት) served as the throne (ዙፋን ) where God appeared in a cloud to guide Moses and Aaron, the Ark of the New Testament has become the altar of mercy (የምሕረት መሰዊያ) upon which the priest consecrates the holy bread and wine, transforming them into the true (አማናዊ) body and blood of Christ.

The Holy Bible distinguishes between an Ark and an idol in 1 Samuel 5:1-6:

“ፍልስጥኤማውያንም የእግዚአብሔርን ታቦት ወሰዱ፤ ከአቤንኤዘርም ወደ አዛጦን ይዘውት መጡ።ፍልስጥኤማውያንም የእግዚአብሔርን ታቦት ወስደው ወደ ዳጎን ቤት አገቡት፥ በዳጎንም አጠገብ አኖሩት። በነጋውም የአዛጦን ሰዎች ማለዱ፥ እነሆም፥ ዳጎን በእግዚአብሔር ታቦት ፊት በምድር ላይ በግምባሩ ወድቆ ነበር፤ ዳጎንንም አንሥተው ወደ ስፍራው መለሱት። በነጋውም ማለዱ፥ እነሆም፥ ዳጎን በእግዚአብሔር ታቦት ፊት በምድር ላይ በግምባሩ ወድቆ ነበር፤ የዳጎንም ራስ እጆቹም ተቈርጠው በመድረኩ ላይ ወድቀው ነበር፤ የዳጎንም ደረት ብቻውን ቀርቶ ነበር። ስለዚህም የዳጎን ካህናት ወደ ዳጎንም ቤት የሚገቡት ሁሉ በአዛጦን ያለውን የዳጎንን መድረክ እስከ ዛሬ ድረስ አይረግጡም። የእግዚአብሔርም እጅ በአዛጦን ሰዎች ላይ ከበደች፥ አጠፋቸውም፥ አዛጦንንና ድንበራቸውንም በእባጭ መታቸው።”

Those who argue that the Ark and an idol are the same should consider the following questions: If the Ark and Dagon were truly one, why did they not coexist peacefully? Why did disaster befall Dagon, leading to the cutting of his hands, feet, and neck? The disaster did not stop with Dagon; it spread to Ashdod (አዛጦን) and its surrounding areas, resulting in painful boils (እባጭ). Witnessing this, the people of Ashdod declared, "Let not the Ark of the God of Israel remain with us, for His hand is harsh against us and against our god, Dagon." In response, they sent the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath (ጌት). “…እነርሱም፦ የእስራኤል አምላክ ታቦት ወደ ጌት ይዙር ብለው መለሱ። የእስራኤልንም አምላክ ታቦት ወደዚያ ተሸከሙት።” (1 Samuel 5:8). These events clearly show the distinction between the Ark of God and idols.

In 2 Corinthians 6:15-16, St. Paul challenges those who assert that the Ark is an idol by asking, “ክርስቶስ ከቤልሆር ጋር ምን መስማማት አለው? ወይስ የሚያምን ከማያምን ጋር ምን ክፍል አለው? ለእግዚአብሔር ቤተ መቅደስም ከጣዖት ጋር ምን መጋጠም አለው?”

Therefore, it is essential to recognize that the Ark and an idol are as distant from each other as the sky is from the earth, with no connection whatsoever.

In conclusion, the Ark and idols are not comparable. The Ark signifies God's presence and His covenant with His people, while idols are lifeless creations that provoke God's wrath (ቁጣ). The Bible clearly distinguishes between the two through various passages, emphasizing that the Ark is far from being an idol. Both the Old and New Testaments affirm the sanctity of the Ark and its rightful place in the worship of God, completely separating it from any form of idol worship.

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

 

The Ark of the New Testament holds a sacred and central role in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), functioning as the altar (መሰዊያ) upon which the flesh and blood of Christ are consecrated during the Divine Liturgy (ቅዳሴ). This essay explores the profound purpose of the New Testament Arks or Tablets, the biblical foundation for naming them after saints, and the spiritual meaning behind bowing (ስግደት) before them. Each of these practices reflects the Church’s deep reverence for the mysteries of faith and tradition.

When a new church is built, the Ark (ታቦት) or Tablets (ጽላት) are carved from wood or marble and inscribed with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Alpha and Omega," symbolizing His eternal presence as the beginning and the end. Once inscribed, the Ark undergoes a sacred blessing by a bishop, is anointed with Holy Oil (Myron), and is placed on the throne (መንበር). It becomes the focal point of the Divine Liturgy, where, upon this Ark or Tablet, the priest consecrates the holy bread and wine, transforming them into the body and blood of Christ.

The historical and spiritual significance of the Ark is profound. Just as the Tablet of the Torah (ኦሪት) served as the throne (ዙፋን or መንበር) where God appeared in a cloud to guide Moses and Aaron, the Ark of the New Testament has become the altar of mercy (የምሕረት መሰዊያ). Here, the Lord calls believers to partake in His holy flesh and blood, echoing His invitation: "Eat my flesh and drink my blood." This elevates the Ark to a place of utmost reverence in the Church.

Why Are the Arks Named After Saints?

The practice of naming Arks or Tablets after saints has strong biblical foundations. As written in Isaiah 56:4-5: “እግዚአብሔር ሰንበቴን ስለሚጠብቁ ደስ የሚያሰኘኝንም ነገር ስለሚመርጡ ቃል ኪዳኔንም ስለሚይዙ ጃንደረቦች እንዲህ ይላልና፦በቤቴና በቅጥሬ ውስጥ ከወንዶችና ከሴቶች ልጆች ይልቅ የሚበልጥ መታሰቢያና ስም እሰጣቸዋለሁ፤ የማይጠፋም የዘላለም ስም እሰጣቸዋለሁ።” Additionally, in Matthew 19:12, it is written: “በእናት ማኅፀን ጃንደረቦች ሆነው የተወለዱ አሉ፥ ሰውም የሰለባቸው ጃንደረቦች አሉ፥ ስለ መንግሥተ ሰማያትም ራሳቸውን የሰለቡ ጃንደረቦች አሉ። ሊቀበለው የሚችል ይቀበለው አላቸው።” These verses emphasize the everlasting remembrance granted to saints (eunuchs / ጃንደረቦች ) who dedicated their lives to God’s kingdom. By naming the Arks after saints, the Church commemorates their sacrifices and commitment.

Verses such as “የጻድቅ መታሰቢያ ለዘላለም ይኖራል” (Psalms 112:6) and “የጻድቅ መታሰቢያ ለበረከት ነው” (Proverbs 10:7) affirms the necessity of this practice highlighting the sanctity of remembering the righteous. However, the one glorified on the Arks or Tablets is ultimately our Lord Jesus Christ, while the saints are commemorated.

Why Do We Bow Before the Arks?

The name inscribed on the Arks or Tablets is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Alpha and Omega". As emphasized in Philippians 2:10-11: "ይህም በሰማይና በምድር ከምድርም በታች ያሉት ሁሉ በኢየሱስ ስም ይንበረከኩ ዘንድ፥ መላስም ሁሉ ለእግዚአብሔር አብ ክብር ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ጌታ እንደ ሆነ ይመሰክር ዘንድ ነው።", bowing before the Ark is a profound act of reverence for Christ’s divine presence. It is an expression of humility and worship toward the sacred name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In summary, the Ark of the New Testament holds deep significance in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as the altar (መሰዊያ) where Christ’s flesh and blood are consecrated. Named after saints to honor their devotion, these Arks exemplify divine mysteries. Bowing before them symbolizes reverence for Christ’s presence, as affirmed by scripture, and highlights the Church’s dedication to preserving its sacred traditions.

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

 

In exploring the concept of the Ark of the New Testament (የአዲስ ኪዳን ታቦት ) from the perspective of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), it is essential to understand why these sacred tablets (ጽላት) are replicated. While some argue that Moses was given only two tablets, the EOTC teaches that the authority to replicate and multiply these tablets has been passed down through generations, reflecting God's enduring covenant with His people supported by biblical evidence. This essay explores the biblical foundations and theological implications of this belief, examining how the EOTC honors the holy flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ through the sacred tradition of the New Testament Ark.

Where did all these Arks come from?

Referring to verses like Deuteronomy 31:18, 32:16, 13:4, and 2 Chronicles 5:10, some argue that God gave Moses only two tablets, but, where does the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church get its thousands of Arks or tablets?

In Exodus 32:19, it is written: “ እንዲህም ሆነ፤ ወደ ሰፈሩ ሲቀርብ ጥጃውንም ዘፈኑንም አየ፤ የሙሴም ቍጣ ተቃጠለ፥ ጽላቶቹንም ከእጁ ጥሎ ከተራራው በታች ሰበራቸው። የሠሩትንም ጥጃ ወስዶ በእሳት አቀለጠው፥ እንደ ትቢያም እስኪሆን ድረስ ፈጨው፥ በውኃውም ላይ በተነው፥ ለእስራኤልም ልጆች አጠጣው።”

As we understand from this verse, when Moses saw the people of Israel worshiping idols, he became angry and broke the two tablets that God Himself had prepared and given to him. However, God, whose mercy is everlasting, instructed Moses to create new tablets like the first ones. As it is written: “እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴን አለው፦ ሁለት የድንጋይ ጽላቶች እንደ ፊተኞች አድርገህ ጥረብ፤ በሰበርኻቸው በፊተኞቹ ጽላቶች የነበሩትን ቃሎች እጽፍባቸዋለሁ።” (Exodus 34:1). God not only authorized Moses to make new tablets but also to write the Ten Words of the Covenant on them. As it is further stated: “እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴን፦ በእነዚህ ቃሎች መጠን ከአንተና ከእስራኤል ጋር ቃል ኪዳን አድርጌአለሁና እነዚህን ቃሎች ጻፍ አለው፡፡ በዚያም አርባ ቀንና አርባ ሌሊት ከእግዚአብሔር ጋር ነበረ፤ እንጀራም አልበላም፥ ውኃም አልጠጣም። በጽላቶቹም አሥሩን የቃል ኪዳን ቃሎች ጻፈ።” (Exodus 34:27-28). From this point on, we received the full authority to replicate and make tablets and Arks. Our basis for doing so comes from our forefather Moses, who passed down this authority to us, his children.

Some people argue that Moses was only instructed to make two tablets and that there is no biblical reference supporting the creation of additional ones. The response lies in the fact that, in the Old Testament, the system of tablets, the temple, and the sacrificial incense service were confined to Jerusalem alone. People in other nations followed idolatrous practices rather than the system given to Moses. As a result, the tablets were not multiplied or distributed to other nations. God Himself did not permit this practice outside of Jerusalem, as He did not want the idolatrous nations to defile (ማርከስ) the sacred services (Deuteronomy 12:13-14, 2 Kings 17:32-34). Therefore, worship, prostration (ስግደት), and temple services (የቤተ መቅደስ አገልግሎት) were restricted to Jerusalem. This was further confirmed in John 4:19-21: “ሴቲቱ፦ ጌታ ሆይ፥ አንተ ነቢይ እንደ ሆንህ አያለሁ። አባቶቻችን በዚህ ተራራ ሰገዱ፤ እናንተም፦ ሰው ሊሰግድበት የሚገባው ስፍራ በኢየሩሳሌም ነው ትላላችሁ አለችው። ኢየሱስም እንዲህ አላት፦ አንቺ ሴት፥ እመኚኝ፥ በዚህ ተራራ ወይም በኢየሩሳሌም ለአብ የማትሰግዱበት ጊዜ ይመጣል።”

Furthermore, the people who lived in Jerusalem at that time did not question Moses, saying that the places of worship and the two tablets were far from them and that they needed additional tablets. Likewise, there is no record of Moses telling the Israelites that making additional tablets and worshiping God through them was not allowed.

But, in the New Testament, the children of God who believe and are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are given the authority to multiply the arks or tablets from sunrise to sunset so that the clean Eucharist (ቁርባን) can be consecrated on them and incense can be burned to the glory of God’s name. The Holy Bible testifies to this: “ከፀሐይ መውጫ ጀምሮ እስከ መግቢያዋ ድረስ ስሜ በአሕዛብ ዘንድ ታላቅ ይሆናልና፤ በየስፍራውም ለስሜ ዕጣን ያጥናሉ፥ ንጹሕም ቍርባን ያቀርባሉ፤ ስሜ በአሕዛብ ዘንድ ታላቅ ይሆናልና፥ ይላል የሠራዊት ጌታ እግዚአብሔር፡፡” (Malachi 1:11). The "Clean Eucharist" (ንጹሕ ቁርባን) mentioned in this verse refers to what is stated in Matthew 26:26-28: “ሲበሉም ኢየሱስ እንጀራን አንሥቶ ባረከ ቈርሶም ለደቀ መዛሙርቱ ሰጠና፦ እንካችሁ፥ ብሉ ይህ ሥጋዬ ነው አለ።ጽዋንም አንሥቶ አመስግኖም ሰጣቸው እንዲህም አለ፦ ሁላችሁ ከእርሱ ጠጡ፤ ስለ ብዙዎች ለኃጢአት ይቅርታ የሚፈስ የአዲስ ኪዳን ደሜ ይህ ነው።” It is called "clean" because the Lord, who is pure by nature, cleanses us from our sins.

If the temple services, incense, and similar practices that were practiced solely in Jerusalem during the Old Testament have been transformed into Christian traditions through the blood of Christ for New Testament Christians, who now live a renewed life and follow a new order, then it is clear that the two tablets, once kept in Jerusalem, can also be transformed into Christian tradition. These tablets can be reproduced and used by Christians dispersed from sunrise to sunset, to consecrate the holy flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in every temple to honor and worship Him. Additionally, the Holy Bible states, “ቤቴ ለአሕዛብ ሁሉ የጸሎት ቤት ትባላለች ተብሎ የተጻፈ አይደለምን? እናንተ ግን የወንበዶች ዋሻ አደረጋችኋት አላቸው።” (Mark 11፥17፤ Isaiah 56፥7፤ Jeremiah 7፥11). This verse reveals that our Lord drove out those who were buying and selling in the temple, affirming that temple services, which are inseparable from the Ark, tablets, incense, and other related practices, will continue. It is clear that the above verses are intended for New Testament Christians. In the Old Testament, temple services, incense, and communion (ቁርባን) were restricted to Jerusalem. They were not permitted even to Israel’s neighboring regions, let alone “from sunrise to sunset” as stated in Malachi 1:11. Therefore, Malachi 1:11 is clearly directed towards New Testament Christians. The “clean incense” (ንጹሕ ዕጣን) mentioned by Malachi refers to the holy incense offered by the wise men (ሰብዓ ሰገል) to Christ in the cave of Bethlehem, as described in Matthew 2:11. It also represents the holy incense that Christians worldwide continue to offer to Christ in the temple (ቤተ መቅደስ) to this day.

Thus, the EOTC transforms the Old Testament Ark into the New Testament Ark or tablets, multiplying and utilizing them to honor the holy flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and worship Him from sunrise to sunset.

In conclusion, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church uniquely understands the transformation of the Old Testament Ark into the New Testament Ark, emphasizing the continuity of worship and the multiplication of sacred tablets. Rooted in profound biblical foundations, this practice reflects the EOTC’s deep reverence for the Eucharist (የጌታ ሥጋና ደም) and the sanctity (ቅድስና) of temple services. By multiplying and utilizing these holy tablets, the Church not only venerates the holy flesh and blood of Christ but also embodies a timeless commitment to worshiping Him from sunrise to sunset.