Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Keepers of the Lost Ark?


Keepers of the Lost Ark?
Christians in Ethiopia have long claimed to have the ark of the covenant.
By Paul Raffaele
Smithsonian magazine, December 2007


"They shall make an ark of acacia wood," God commanded Moses in the Book of Exodus, after delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. And so the Israelites built an ark, or chest, gilding it inside and out. And into this chest Moses placed stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, as given to him on Mount Sinai.
Thus Jews came to revere the ark as an earthly manifestation of God. The Old Testament describes its enormous powers—blazing with fire and light, halting rivers, blasting away armies and bringing down the fabled walls of Jericho. (Steven Spielberg's 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark provides a special-effects approximation.) According to the First Book of Kings, King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem to house the ark. It was venerated there during Solomon's reign (c. 970-930 B.C.) and beyond.
Then it vanished. Much of Jewish tradition holds that it disappeared before or while the Babylonians sacked the temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
But through the centuries, Ethiopian Christians have claimed that the ark rests in a chapel in the small town of Aksum, in their country's northern highlands. It arrived nearly 3,000 years ago, they say, and has been guarded by a succession of virgin monks who, once anointed, are forbidden to set foot outside the chapel grounds until they die.
He was the last emperor of Ethiopia—and, he claimed, the 225th monarch, descended from Menelik, the ruler believed responsible for Ethiopia's possession of the ark of the covenant in the tenth century B.C.
The story is told in the Kebra Negast (Glory of the Kings), Ethiopia's chronicle of its royal line: the Queen of Sheba, one of its first rulers, traveled to Jerusalem to partake of King Solomon's wisdom; on her way home, she bore Solomon's son, Menelik. Later Menelik went to visit his father, and on his return journey was accompanied by the firstborn sons of some Israelite nobles—who, unbeknown to Menelik, stole the ark and carried it with them to Ethiopia. When Menelik learned of the theft, he reasoned that since the ark's frightful powers hadn't destroyed his retinue, it must be God's will that it remain with him.
Many historians—including Richard Pankhurst, a British-born scholar who has lived in Ethiopia for almost 50 years—date the Kebra Negast manuscript to the 14th century A.D. It was written, they say, to validate the claim by Menelik's descendants that their right to rule was God-given, based on an unbroken succession from Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. But the Ethiopian faithful say the chronicles were copied from a fourth-century Coptic manuscript that was, in turn, based on a far earlier account. This lineage remained so important to them that it was written into Selassie's two imperial constitutions, in 1931 and 1955.
....full article continued on the Smithsonian site.....

from DECEMBER '07 Smithsonian Magazine

GUERRILLAS killing GORILLAS in KENYA

a recent illustration of mine.. . .. .




main article click here boys & 'gorillas'

TOP 15 BIBLICAL WAYS TO ACQUIRE A WIFE



1. Find an attractive prisoner of war, bring her home, shave her head, trim her nails and give her new clothes. Then she's yours. (Deuteronomy 21:11-13)
2. Find a prostitute and marry her. (Hosea 1:1-3)
3. Find a man with 7 daughters, and impress him by watering his flock. - Moses (Exodus 2:16-21)
4. Purchase a piece of Property and get a woman as part of the deal. - Boaz (Ruth4:5-10)
5. Go to party and hide. When the women come out to dance, grab one and carry her off to be your wife. - Benjaminites (Judges 21:19-25)
6. Have God create a wife for you while you sleep. NOTE: this will cost you. - Adam (Genesis 2:19-24)
7. Agree to work 7 years in exchange for a woman's hand in marriage. Get tricked into marrying the wrong woman. Then work another 7 years for the woman you wanted to marry in the first place. That's right. 14 years of hard labor for a wife. - Jacob (Genesis 29:15-30)
8. Cut 200 foreskins off of you future father-in-law's enemies and get his daughter for a wife. - David (I Samuel 18:27)
9. Even if no one is out there, just wander around a bit and you'll definitely find someone. (It's all relative, of course.) - Cain (Genesis 4:16-17)
10. Become the emperor of a huge nation and hold a beauty contest. - Xerxes or Ahasuerus (Esther 2:3-4)
11. When you see someone you like, go home and tell your parents, "I have seen a...woman; now get her for me." If your parents question your decision, simply say, "Get her for me. She's the one for me." - Samson (Judges 14:1-3)
12. Kill any husband and take HIS wife (prepare to lose 4 sons, though). - David (2 Samuel 11)
13. Wait for your brother to die. Take his widow. (It's not just a good idea; it's the law.) - Onan and Boaz (Deuteronomy or Leviticus, example in Ruth)
14. Don't be picky. make up for quality with quantity. - Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-3)
15. A wife? . . . NOT! - Paul (1 Corinthians 7:32-35)

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Monday, November 19, 2007

HAPPY THANXGIVING



view grandma licking her chops on my main illustrationISM site ('My Web Page' in the 'view my complete profile' link .. ... .. .) and dig the 'IRAQN-dometer'!

BRMC & Scene Beyond Dreams!!!?!



I was perusing and exploring thru the rock group call BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE
CLUB (BRMC). I kinda was interested because the bass player in BRMC is
Michael Been's son...and Michael Been (of the Call) is the sound manager now for BRMC as they tour europe!

see bottom photo here http://the-call-band.com/photos.aspx (of dad & son) (i don't know if i'm boring you - i thought it was cool).

WELL . . . here's the 'wow' moment! On the BRMC site, one of their promo shots looks like (similiar to) the album cover of SCENE BEYOND DREAMS! (see attached jpeg-wasn't that around 1984 or so?) I thought that was quite a coincidence and was wondering if dad been told his son robert been and the band to try 'this kind of shot...silhouetted in front of a big warehouse panel!'
scroll over 'NEWS' on this page . . . http://www.blackrebelmotorcycleclub.com/

son & dad info here . . . . . . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Rebel_Motorcycle_Club

i thought this pretty cool . . . maybe just you and me would . . . maybe not. the only other call fans i know of is my sister, t-bone, bono, peter gabriel and some jesus people community friends in chicago. Also the legacy and passing on of the ROCK & ROLLER 'BEEN TORCH' is burning bright.

other than that . . . . talk to you later
mark

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Is REact still around?

Is REact magazine still around? It seems like they disappeared.
I'm glad i drew some illy's for them while they were around.
(They were an youth insert paper on the east coast).


Wednesday, November 14, 2007

LIGHT SLEEPER SOUNDTRACK?



Does anyone know the where abouts of a LIGHT SLEEPER SOUNDTRACK CD...by Michael Been of The Call & BRMC?
Contact me if . . . . . Mark

LIGHT SLEEPER SOUNDTRACK
Songs: World On Fire (05:27), To Feel This Way (04:57), World On Fire John’s theme (05:43), Anxious part one (00:45), Without you Marianne’s theme (02:02), To Feel This Way Film Version (03:58), Beloved (03:33), Loss (00:49), Anxious part two (00:52), Abandoned (04:15), Marianne’s Fall (03:12), Jumpoffs (04:02), Betrayed Or Not Betrayed (00:59), Suspicious tis´ theme (03:49), Fate (06:36), Embrace (04:38), The World’s On Fire (7 Parts):Memory Tricks (05:27), I Just Decided To Come (01:11), She Made Me (03:54), I’m Dripping (01:42), I Need A Piece (04:34), Believe Me (02:42), Strange How Things Work (04:23)



I've got a couple of 'rare' LP's if you want to trade (Alpha Band, Blackhouse, People I LOVE YOU [nah, i want to keep that one],
contact me if . . . .

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

The Pope Cuss's...



trying to figure out how to post a test 'illy' on SFG is enough 'TO MAKE THE POPE CUSS!' but here's hoping . . . . . maybe i'll just hang out here in 'ISM' until i figure out how to frog this blog into Sugar Frosted Goodness [link below]!!


Sugar Frosted Goodness!: SFG: Signs