Chapter 3068: Is this ark of the covenant real?

After a few hours of rest, everyone's spirit and physical stamina have basically recovered, and everyone is full of energy and resurrected.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Ye Tian and Joshua left the hotel and prepared to go to the famous Church of St. Mary on Mount Zion, where they would have talks with high-level figures in the Ethiopian religious community and Tigray State.

Participants in this meeting are mainly Joshua representing Israel and the Bishop of Kent representing the Vatican.

As one of the three-party joint exploration team, Brave Fearless Exploration Company only sent a senior employee and an assistant lawyer to attend this meeting to ensure that the brave bravely explore the interests of the company.

As for Ye Tian, ​​David and others, they went to visit the Church of St. Mary on Mount Zion.

When they came out of the hotel, they saw the many Ethiopian Orthodox monks and believers in white robes gathered at the entrance of the hotel.

A few hours later, the swarms of Ethiopian Orthodox monks and believers have blocked all the places in front of the hotel and several nearby streets.

Many of them were sitting cross-legged on the ground, staring at the hotel door, and everyone's eyes were full of anger.

Fortunately, it is located on a plateau, just after the rainy season, the temperature is not very hot, they don't have to worry about heatstroke.

Seeing Ye Tian and the others coming out of the hotel, the Orthodox monks and believers sitting on the ground stood up one after another, glaring at them.

Of course, many people in the crowd were protesting, demonstrating, and even shouting curses.

In addition, these Ethiopians did not act excessively, did not attack Ye Tian, ​​they and the three-party joint exploration convoy.

Obviously, they have received instructions from above, so they can exercise restraint.

After walking out of the hotel's door, Ye Tian and the others nodded at the Ethiopians, and then boarded the exploratory convoy parked at the door of the hotel.

The heavy-duty convoy immediately started and drove straight to the Church of St. Mary of Mount Zion in the city of Axum.

Just like when it came, the motorcade still passed through the angry Orthodox monks and believers.

The difference is that the number of Orthodox monks and believers gathered here has more than doubled.

The situation was the same on several streets near the hotel. Sitting in the car and looking out, apart from the soldiers carrying guns and live ammunition, there were fanatical Orthodox monks and believers everywhere.

This situation gives people the feeling that Axum is a purely religious holy city. There seems to be no other people in this city except for the fanatical Orthodox monks and believers.

But this is not the case. Axum is also a distribution center for coffee, grains, animal products, honey and other goods, producing exquisite woven products, leather and metal products, and so on.

It is only because the arrival of the tripartite joint exploratory team has touched the sensitive nerves of many people and even shaken the foundation of many people's beliefs.

Looking at the situation on the street, everyone's expressions were very solemn and very alert.

Fortunately, no accident happened!

It didn't take long for the tripartite joint exploratory team to arrive at the famous Church of St. Mary on Mount Zion.

This is a Byzantine-style castle-like church, which is also integrated into the traditional culture of Ethiopia, which is very unique.

The entire church complex is tall, magnificent, ancient and solemn, standing on Mount Zion in Axum.

Yes, it is Mount Zion in Axum, not Mount Zion in Jerusalem.

The Church of St. Mary of Mount Zion is the highest-ranking church in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It is called the ‘head of the monastery’ and is the holy place in the hearts of all Ethiopian Orthodox believers.

According to legend, the ark of the covenant was enshrined in this famous church.

To be precise, it is enshrined in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in the church.

It is closely guarded, except for a guard who guards the ark for life, no one else is allowed to enter, including the high-ranking monks of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

When the tripartite joint exploratory team arrived, hundreds of Ethiopian Orthodox believers and monks in white robes had gathered here, occupying the open space in front of the church. The scene was very grand.

In the front of the crowd, there are some important people standing.

They are the governor of Tigray State, the senior representative of the Tiren Front, the mayor of Aksum, and the leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, as well as the head of the Church of Saint Mary of Mount Zion, and so on.

These Ethiopians had received the news in advance, and they walked out of the church to welcome the tripartite joint exploration team outside the church.

In fact, many of them do not welcome the tripartite joint exploratory team, and even hate it.

However, the procedures on the scene still have to go.

No matter whether the Israeli government or the Vatican, they dare not offend or neglect, and the same goes for Ye Tian and the Brave Fearless Exploration Company!

After the convoy stopped and the scene was safe, Ye Tian, ​​Joshua and the others got out of the car and walked towards the entrance of the church under the **** of security personnel.

At the same time, the governor of Tigray State and others also greeted him.

After meeting everyone, it was a polite greeting, introducing each other and shaking hands.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Steven, welcome to Tigray State, I hope you like it here, and find something here, and create miracles again!"

The governor of Tigray State said politely, taking a deep look at Ye Tian.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Governor, I am glad to meet you. On this journey, we found that the scenery of Tigray State is beautiful. I have been admired for the ancient city of Aksum for a long time."

Ye Tian said with a smile, and shook hands with the other party.

Next, he shook hands with several other people and got to know each other.

After walking through the procedures on these scenes, everyone walked towards the gate of the Church of Santa Maria.

When Ye Tian and the others passed through among the many Ethiopian Orthodox monks, these fanatical monks and believers stared at them, with unkind eyes.

Fortunately, these guys just stared at everyone, and didn't act aggressively and didn't cause any accidents.

In a short while, everyone had entered the Santa Maria Church, temporarily getting rid of the angry Orthodox monks and believers outside.

The church was very empty and there were no other people.

The walls and ceilings around this church are filled with various frescoes derived from the "Bible", and most of them are based on the theme of the Virgin Mary.

Unlike the murals in churches in Europe and other parts of the world, the characters in these murals, except for Jesus, were created based on black people, which are very distinctive.

In addition to the many frescoes of biblical stories, there are also several frescoes of Ethiopian Orthodox saints, such as the frescoes of Saint Jalaid, the founder of Ethiopian religious music.

After entering the church, everyone first took a look at the general situation here, and then began to visit this famous church.

The person in charge of the explanation is an Ethiopian Orthodox monk who is more than 40 years old.

"Gentlemen, the Church of St. Mary of Mount Zion is the birthplace of Christianity in Ethiopia. Christianity was introduced to Aksum in the fourth century and spread quickly.

In 331 AD, King Azana of Aksum converted to Christianity and established Christianity as the state religion. By the fifth century AD, the Nine Saints of Syria came to Ethiopia to preach.

They built churches and monasteries in Ethiopia, so that Christianity spread widely throughout Ethiopia and quickly became the largest religion in Ethiopia.

This church was built in 372 AD by the order of King Ezana. The original church had twelve altars and honored the Virgin Mary as the ‘Eternal Queen of Ethiopia.

After the completion of the Church of St. Mary on Mount Zion, King Aizana personally rushed to Khuos Island in Lake Tana and invited the Ark of the Covenant stored in the monastery on the island to Aksum.

After being invited to Axum, the Ark was stored in the Church of Saint Mary on Mount Zion. The Church of Saint Mary on Mount Zion where everyone is now was rebuilt in 1964..."

Speaking of this, the Ethiopian Orthodox monk who was in charge of the explanation suddenly paused.

He turned his head to look at Joshua, the Bishop of Kent, and Ye Tian.

Other Ethiopian Orthodox monks and senior officials of Tigray State at the scene also looked at Ye Tian and the others, with their intentions self-evident.

"The supreme holy relic, the ark, has been stored in the Church of Saint Mary of Mount Zion since ancient times. It has never been lost. How can you **** explore it?"

Ye Tian naturally understood what these Ethiopians meant.

But a few of them just smiled, and they didn't catch the stubbornness, and they couldn't catch the stubbornness, unless they wanted to turn their faces right away.

Next, they continued to visit this famous church.

The Orthodox monk who was about forty years old continued to introduce the situation here.

"The Church of St. Mary of Mount Zion has gone through many hardships in history. It was burned several times and rebuilt several times. It was not until the beginning of the seventeenth century that Emperor Fasilidas completely rebuilt the church.

The church he built still exists and is called the Church of St. Mary of the Old Mount Zion, just behind this church. This church was rebuilt in 1964 and is the Church of St. Mary of the New Mount Zion.

The original church of St. Mary of Mount Zion did not allow women to visit and worship. It was not until the completion of the reconstruction of the new church in the mid-1960s that women were allowed to enter the church...."

Before I knew it, half an hour passed.

Everyone has visited the church of St. Mary of New Zion, and it is time to move on to the next link, which is the multi-party talks.

As for the Church of St. Mary of the Old Mount Zion and the Sanctuary where the ark of the covenant was placed, everyone has no time to visit for the time being, and can only be placed after the meeting, or another day.

Of course, this is for Joshua and the Bishop of Kent.

Ye Tian has time and is not subject to this restriction.

When the Ethiopian proposed to start the talks and prepared to lead everyone to the room where the talks were held, Ye Tian smiled and said:

"Gentlemen, there will definitely be a lot of content in the next talks involving religion. It is not convenient for me to participate. Our Brave Fearless Exploration Company will not participate in the discussion of these issues.

Regarding this point, I have made an explanation before, so I will not participate in this meeting, but I will send company employees and assistant lawyers to attend to ensure our interests.

During this period, I want to walk around the church and take a tour. For this ancient church, I have been admired for a long time and want to take a closer look. I wonder if it is okay? "

Hearing this, many Ethiopians at the scene were taken aback.

After a while, they woke up.

Several key figures stepped aside and discussed a few words in a low voice before making a decision.

Immediately afterwards, the person in charge of the Church of St. Mary of Mount Zion said in a deep voice:

"Mr. Steven, you can visit and tour around the church, but you can only go outside. You must never enter the Church of St. Mary of the Old Mount Zion and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. Outsiders are strictly forbidden to enter there.

In addition to the Church of St. Mary of the Old Zion Mountain and the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, there are also several forbidden places here. You can't just walk in casually. I will send someone to show you around and protect you! "

Hearing this, Ye Tian immediately smiled and nodded and said:

"No problem, we only look outside and will never break into any forbidden areas. Please rest assured about this."

Next, the Orthodox monk who was in charge of the explanation took Ye Tian and David to the side entrance of the church, preparing to visit the Church of Saint Mary of the Old Mount Zion and the Chapel of the Holy Passion.

Leaving with them was Cole, two security personnel, and an interpreter.

After watching Ye Tian and the others leave, the other talents walked to the other side door of the church, preparing to go to the conference room to start negotiations.

While they were talking, Ye Tian and the others had walked out of the Church of St. Mary in New Zion Mountain and came to the side and rear of this famous church.

As soon as they came out of the church, they saw some Ethiopian Orthodox monks in white robes.

These guys sit or stand, scattered around the church.

Like all the Orthodox monks I met before, the eyes of these guys were very unfriendly, full of anger, and even hatred.

And Ye Tian's concern was not these Orthodox monks, but the Holy Nativity Church not far away.

In the sayings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and in the hearts of all Ethiopians, the most holy thing, the Ark of the Covenant, is stored in this Sanctuary!

The reason why Ye Tian came here today is to see if the ark of the covenant stored in this Holy Nativity Hall is true or not?

At the same time, he also wanted to see if there were any major secrets hidden in this supreme religious sacred place in the hearts of Ethiopians!

The Church of St. Mary on Mount Zion has three main buildings.

They are the Church of St. Mary on the New Mount Zion and the Church of St. Mary on the Old Mount Zion, and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit sandwiched between the two churches.

The Chapel of the Sanctuary is a square building, like a fortress, very strong.

This chapel is surrounded by a courtyard, and there is a circle of iron fences around it. It is tightly protected and no one can enter.

The steps of the chapel are covered with mottled and old carpets.

The guardian of the Chapel of the Sanctuary is a monk guard who is responsible for day and night care and is the only person who can enter the Chapel of the Sanctuary.

However, he was not allowed to leave the courtyard where the chapel was all his life until he died.

Before he died, he could appoint his successor to take over for himself to guard the chapel of the Holy Spirit and the ark of the covenant.

Ye Tian looked at the surrounding situation, as well as the Orthodox believers and monks who gritted their teeth, and then took David and the others to the courtyard of the Sanctuary.

The Orthodox monk who acted as a guide immediately followed.

Seeing him walking towards the Chapel of the Sanctuary, the rest of the Orthodox monks and believers also followed.

Moreover, each of them was more vigilant, staring at Ye Tian and the others, lest they would do something unexpected, such as breaking into the courtyard that was designated as a forbidden area.

When they came to the wall of the courtyard, Ye Tian and the others stopped, and separated the courtyard wall and the iron fence and began to visit the chapel of the Holy Spirit, which was used to enshrine the ark of the covenant.

This chapel was built like a fortress, square and very strong.

Due to its age, the exterior wall of the chapel is mottled, adding a bit of historical vicissitudes to it.

In addition, the rainy season has just passed, and a lot of moss has grown on it.

Around this chapel, there are only a few very small windows, which are all very sealed, and there are also a few arches that are always tightly closed.

Standing outside the courtyard wall, I couldn't see the situation in the chapel at all.

Looking at this famous religious building where the ark of the covenant may be stored, David and the others both had their eyes bright, but they were also full of doubts.

"Steven, do you think the ark of the covenant will actually be stored in this chapel of the Holy Trinity? If this is the case, wouldn't our trip to Axum come in vain!"

David asked in a low voice.

Ye Tian turned to look at him, then smiled and said in a low voice:

"I don't know the answer to this question! Except for the Orthodox monk guard who has been guarding this Holy Chapel for the whole life, no one probably knows the answer to this question.

Even the top figures of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church have never seen the ark of the covenant enshrined in this chapel of the Holy Spirit. Of course, they must think that the ark is here.

According to legend, the ark has only been used once since it was brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I, when the Axum Obelisk was erected 1700 years ago.

At that time, in order to erect the granite obelisk, the king of the Kingdom of Axum invited out of the ark, borrowing the power of the ark, and erected the huge monolithic obelisk.

Since then, the ark has never appeared again, except for the Orthodox monk guards who have guarded the ark in the past dynasties, it is basically impossible for anyone to see the ark,..."

While explaining in a low voice, Ye Tian had already opened the perspective and began to see the situation in the chapel of the Holy Spirit~www.wuxiaspot.com~ His vision easily penetrated the ancient and solid wall of the chapel, and plunged into the chapel. Saw the situation inside.

This is a dimly lit religious place, the sky is clear outside, but the inside of the chapel is like dusk.

Only a few rays of sunlight shined through the gaps between doors and windows into this ancient chapel, bringing a little light and warmth to it.

On the altar of the chapel, there are a pair of gilt candlesticks with a few candles inserted on each, but only one candle is burning, and the light released is very limited.

Behind the altar stands a two- to three-meter high crucifixion cross, which is very eye-catching.

However, this was not what Ye Tian wanted to see.

What he really paid attention to was the building in the center of the chapel.

To be precise, it should be called the ‘Holy Place’!

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