The Ark of the Covenant

The construction of the legendary Ark of the Covenant, one of several sacred furnishings contained by the Tabernacle in the wilderness and later by the Temple of Solomon, was credited to the building skills of the craftsman, Bezalel. The gold plated wooden box was the container for the tablets of the Ten Commandments and the subject of a number of mystical stories about various fantastic powers that emanated from this mercy seat of God. The Ark's most prominent features are the pair of cherubim positioned on the top of the lid. As to their actual appearance, cherubim are among the more mysterious celestial beings that are mentioned in the visions and dreams of the Hebrew storytellers. They are likely composite creatures that were familiar sights at the times of the writings; some variety of the form of a winged sphinx with the head of a human and the body of a lion or horse topped with eagle's wings, standard decorations of Babylonian and Egyptian gates and temples. The Hebrew Scriptures always place them in narratives that inspire fear or awe since they are celestial beings that have been in the very presence of the Divine. The King James Bible called them Cherubims, which is incorrect. "Cherubim" is the Hebrew plural of the singular form, "cherub." "Cherubs" later became well known as the chubby infants with tiny wings on Valentine's cards, not likely protectors of the golden Ark in the Holy of Holies. (Image from PowerPoint, Symbols of a Faith.)