Hi everybody,

Welcome to our weekly book recommendation thread!

We have found that a lot of people come to this sub to ask for books about history or sources on certain topics. Others make posts about a book they themselves have read and want to share their thoughts about it with the rest of the sub.

We thought it would be a good idea to try and bundle these posts together a bit. One big weekly post where everybody can ask for books or (re)sources on any historic subject or timeperiod, or to share books they recently discovered or read. Giving opinions or asking about their factuality is encouraged!

Of course it’s not limited to *just* books; podcasts, videos, etc. are also welcome. As a reminder, r/history also has a recommended list of things to read, listen to or watch

Welcome to our History Questions Thread!

This thread is for all those history related questions that are too simple, short or a bit too silly to warrant their own post.

So, do you have a question about history and have always been afraid to ask? Well, today is your lucky day. Ask away!

Of course all our regular rules and guidelines still apply and to be just that bit extra clear:

Questions need to be historical in nature. Silly does not mean that your question should be a joke. r/history also has an active discord server where you can discuss history with other enthusiasts and experts.

Hi everybody,

Welcome to our weekly book recommendation thread!

We have found that a lot of people come to this sub to ask for books about history or sources on certain topics. Others make posts about a book they themselves have read and want to share their thoughts about it with the rest of the sub.

We thought it would be a good idea to try and bundle these posts together a bit. One big weekly post where everybody can ask for books or (re)sources on any historic subject or timeperiod, or to share books they recently discovered or read. Giving opinions or asking about their factuality is encouraged!

Of course it’s not limited to *just* books; podcasts, videos, etc. are also welcome. As a reminder, r/history also has a recommended list of things to read, listen to or watch

Welcome to our History Questions Thread!

This thread is for all those history related questions that are too simple, short or a bit too silly to warrant their own post.

So, do you have a question about history and have always been afraid to ask? Well, today is your lucky day. Ask away!

Of course all our regular rules and guidelines still apply and to be just that bit extra clear:

Questions need to be historical in nature. Silly does not mean that your question should be a joke. r/history also has an active discord server where you can discuss history with other enthusiasts and experts.

The Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant, is mostly known as 'the Lord’s' mightiest biblical weapon ever or God's laser beams of doom from Raiders of the Ark . . . as it happens the mightiest weapon part is kind of true but, perhaps, not in quite the way some seem to imagine it in terms of a holy rocket-launcher.

Portable shrines modelled on the original Ark were quite common across much of medieval Europe with examples being taken on expeditions or directly into battle on numerous occasions. Two of these replica Arks or ‘house-shaped’ reliquaries appear in the Bayeux tapestry; the Breac Maodhóg is a surviving example of a reliquary from among those carried into battle in medieval Ireland; and the Morgan Bible’s use of the imagery of the Crusades depicts the establishment of the Ark in Jerusalem.

Clearly, there is evidence of a tradition of the Ark being linked to conflict and battle. This at times involved a practice of carrying the Ark round an army three times, but there are no descriptions or images of either jets of blinding light or flaming unbelievers. The Ark or at least a consecrated replica is set up or ‘established’ prior to battle, but any action or effect it may have seems to be manifest in the battle and its outcome rather than the Ark itself physically slaying or striking down anyone.

A bit of wander round the Bible and the Litany of Loreto may help to explain why it was thought important to take an Ark into battle. These sources offer descriptions of the nature of the original Ark containing Christianity’s moral code in the form of the tablets detailing the commandments. Starting with the bible we find the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ re-appeared in the temple when the Lady returns to the holy of holies (Rev. 11.19–12.1). Her title ‘Ark of the Covenant’ is preceding by the title ‘House of gold’, domus aurea, which, according to the language of the temple, indicates the holy of holies.

The holy of holies can be understood by considering the role of the Lady and from there the nature of the holy of holies. In the Wisdom of Solomon 7.26 Mary is described as the spotless mirror of the power or Glory of God, speculum . . . Dei maiestatis. In the Litany of Loreto the title, Mirror of Justice, speculum iustitiae, is applied. The Greek text has this as the spotless mirror of the ‘working’ of God. In Greek or Hebrew this justice is righteousness, which in its Hebrew context, describes exactly the role of wisdom. Righteousness was the action that brought peace, šalom, and Wisdom joined all things together, held them in harmony, ἁρμόζουσα (LXX Proverbs 8.30). Mirror of Righteousness’, the One who shows how God works to bring peace, fits well alongside Wisdom 7.26: reflection of eternal light, mirror of the working of God, image of his goodness.

Mary as the speculum iustitiae links her to this form of Wisdom and takes us into the imagery of the Ark as Mary is connected to the ‘seat of Wisdom’. It was not the seat on which Wisdom sat, but was Wisdom herself. The throne in the holy of holies ‘was’ the Lady, and the one enthroned there was her son.

In the Akathistos Hymn we find: ‘A throne for the King’ (Ikos 1); ‘All-holy chariot of him who rides upon the cherubim’ (Ikos 8). In the Kanon of the Akathist she is: ‘Fiery throne of the Almighty’ (Ode 1, Troparion); ‘Fiery chariot of the Word’ (Ode 5, Troparion); and ‘Chariot of the spiritual Sun’ (Ode 7, Troparion). Mary is also the throne chariot in the holy of holies, as seen by Ezekiel, (Ezek. 1.3), and recorded in Ezekiel 1 and 10.

The gold chariot throne found in the original tabernacle, and the temples of Jerusalem, (that represented creation and were divided between the visible and invisible worlds by the veil). Within this scheme the holy of holies, with the golden chariot throne, was the invisible world of God and Mary, holding the Child on her lap, was seen as the throne of Wisdom manifest in the Child.

The Ark’s Mercy Seat clearly fits with the description of the throne and details on the cloud above the Ark also connect up. The veil, made with the colours of the four elements, represents matter and serve to screen the throne from the material world. In (Job 26.9). ‘He encloses the face/ presence of the throne and spreads upon it his cloud’. Clearly, the throne is in a cloud placing the holy of holies beyond what can be seen as time and matter.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Lord came to the holy of holies in a cloud, Mary is identified as an ‘all-bright cloud that unceasingly overshadows the faithful’ (Ode 6, Troparion); and Jesus is described as ‘the One seated in Glory on the throne of the Godhead, Jesus . . . who has come on a cloud of light’ (Ode 4, Irmos).

The cloud covered the tent of meeting/witness when the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exod. 40.34). A cloud, which was the Glory, also filled the temple when it was consecrated (1 Kgs 8.10–11). King David described the Lord coming from the temple to help him, carried by a thick bright cloud (2 Sam. 22.7, 12–13/ Ps. 18.6, 11–12).

The cloud frequently accompanied the Lord: appearing to Moses on Sinai (Exod. 19.9); over the tabernacle when the Israelites were in the desert (Num. 9.15–23); and to Aaron over the Ark in the holy of holies (Lev. 16.2). There was also a pillar of cloud by day and flame by night to guide the people through the wilderness (Exod. 13.21–22), and the Lord arrived at the tent of meeting/witness in the pillar of cloud that stood at the door of the tent (Deut. 31.15).

In Proverbs 8 Wisdom is set beside the Creator as the material world is made (Prov. 8.22), but she also dances before him in the world of human beings (Prov. 8.31). This implies an upper and a lower Wisdom, ‘united’ and ‘separated’.

While an Ark or shrine, a House of Gold, containing the essence of a moral code and representative of a temple/ tabernacle supporting a cloud of wisdom may seem a curious choice of weapon that’s what appears to have been going on. Other relics, such as a saint’s bone/s, were also taken along in reliquaries, but the Arks or house shrines, (sometimes said to contain other relics), were front and centre. Clearly this might have been thought useful in terms of trying to convince troops the Lord was on their side and so boost morale. However, wisdom plays an obvious and significant role in most battles simply in terms of strategy, which is reliant on knowing as much as possible about the battlefield, your opponent and your own forces.

In the Litany of Loreto, Mary is described as ‘Tower of the beloved’ and ‘Tower of Ivory’, with both images taken from the Song of Songs (4.4 and 7.4 respectively), The Tower was recorded in Jewish tradition as the holy of holies, the place where the prophets stood to receive their revelations (Isa. 21.8; Hab. 2.1). In the context of a battlefield, the ‘wisdom of foresight’ or intelligence gathering makes a whole lot more sense in terms of affecting a huge number of troops as compared to a few lightning bolts from the sky.

It may have been inspiring to parade a surrogate Ark before a medieval battle, but there is possibly a risk of missing a broader perspective on ‘the battle’ in so far as it makes more sense for an item containing a tablet stating ‘thou shalt not kill’ to concern wisdom and battles on the levels of faith or psychology. Christianity is about Christian values and the idea of Jesus wandering around with a divine bazooka plain isn’t a good fit.

However, applying wisdom to many situations does fit with both military and other ‘battles’ and connects with the Christian tradition or message the Ark is all about explaining. The Bayeux tapestry shows two Arks used within the story arc of a conquest, but they appear in a scene where an oath is taken.

The titles applied to Mary are consistent with a Christian ‘combat’ or ‘battle’ as she is also the ‘Heavenly Ladder by which God came down’ (Ikos 2) and through title and association the Lady and Wisdom form the related tree of life. Consequently, we can recognise the Ark as the laws of the tablets and temple used to ascend the ladder or tree to the cloud of Wisdom above the Ark.

The claimed contents of the original Ark included Aaron’s rod and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Mary is the ‘Mystical staff that blossomed’ (Ode 7, Troparion), a reference to Aaron’s rod that bore blossoms and almonds (Num. 17.8–11). To complete a set there is also the pot of mana said to be contained within the Ark. The pot of mana, cauldron or womb is consistently found as a symbol of primordial creation concerning birth or rebirth involving wisdom and sustenance.

Hi everybody,

Welcome to our weekly book recommendation thread!

We have found that a lot of people come to this sub to ask for books about history or sources on certain topics. Others make posts about a book they themselves have read and want to share their thoughts about it with the rest of the sub.

We thought it would be a good idea to try and bundle these posts together a bit. One big weekly post where everybody can ask for books or (re)sources on any historic subject or timeperiod, or to share books they recently discovered or read. Giving opinions or asking about their factuality is encouraged!

Of course it’s not limited to *just* books; podcasts, videos, etc. are also welcome. As a reminder, r/history also has a recommended list of things to read, listen to or watch