by Surath Fernando
In reading Numbers, it is interesting to note how some references in
scripture have been passed down through our history and have affected our
civilization.
The belief that to touch dead bodies was to be unclean and resulting
in expulsion from the community is particularly interesting. As this is
something the medieval church promulgated and therein halted medical
advancement for centuries. It was the Arabs who pioneered many surgical and
medical advancements that are still used today because they would perform
autopsies and mapped the workings of the human body. This was at the time when
the Europeans were still in the aptly named "Dark Ages".
The trumpet call before battle is another interesting one. It is referenced
in Numbers, but is something that was and is still part of warfare today.
On another note, does anyone wonder where the Ark of the Covenant is
today? And what has come of it? As a kid I wondered this, especially after
seeing the Indiana Jones movies. Being the inquisitive child, I heard of a
story that the ark is kept in a place called Aksum in Ethiopia. The story goes
that the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem, to obtain his much
vaulted wisdom. She then bore him a son. Who many years later visited Jerusalem
to see his father and returned with the ark. The ark has been stored safely in
a monastery since then and is only visible to the monks who care for it. These
monks live a solitary life, removed from the outside world. Can you imagine how
amazing it would be to see or even be in the presence of something like that?
It would be living history!
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