The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant: The Discovery of the Treasure of Solomon

by Graham Phillips

Offers compelling evidence that the Knights Templar may have taken the Ark of the Covenant to the British Isles

• Presents scientific evidence affirming the powers attributed to the Ark

• Traces the Ark and the Stones of Fire from Jerusalem to Jordan and finally to central England, where the Knights Templar hid them in the 14th century

According to legend the Ark of the Covenant was an ornate golden chest that was both a means of communicating with God and a terrible weapon used against the enemies of the ancient Israelites. In order to use it the high priest had to wear a breastplate containing twelve sacred gemstones called the Stones of Fire. These objects were kept in the Great Temple of Jerusalem until they vanished following the Babylonian invasion in 597 B.C.E.

At the ancient ruins of Petra in southern Jordan, Graham Phillips uncovered evidence that 13th-century Templars found the Ark and the Stones of Fire, and that they brought these treasures back to central England when they fled the persecution of French king Philip the Fair a century later. The author followed ciphered messages left by the Templars in church paintings, inscriptions, and stained glass windows to what may well be three of the Stones of Fire. When examined by Oxford University scientists these stones were found to possess odd physical properties that interfered with electronic equipment and produced a sphere of floating light similar to ball lightning.

The Bible asserts that the Ark had the power to destroy armies and bring down the walls of cities. Now Graham Phillips provides scientific evidence that these claims may be true and offers compelling documentation that the Ark may be located in the English countryside, not far from the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Religion

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 13, 2004

About the author

Graham Phillips is a British author.
Phillips has a background working as a reporter for BBC radio and as a magazine editor.

Wikipedia - Graham Phillips

Reviews

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff - pretty engaging, thought-provoking, gave me lots of ideas. Now, on to write...

[Veronique Perrot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting hunt for the Ark. Whether it is even found or even exists may never be answered. However, they discovered a lot of interesting stuff about the history of the Templars and the history of famous Biblical sites. Well worth the read if you are into archeological type hunts for treasures.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading Graham Phillips. This book was an exciting journey through history, archeology, and England. I really enjoyed this non-fiction book.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story turned in a direction I did NOT see coming. Wild ending in Warwickshire. The author follows clues left in a stained glass window, and within days . . . he finds stuff! Click below for more details! (But not too many. You should read the story for yourself.)

https://thatladywhoreadsalot.wordpres...

[Irene Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since the Templars are not often addressed as topics of research or discussion, I bought the book to learn more. The combining of general facts previously mentioned in history make this an interesting resource book.If you know nothing about the Templars, you will find the book educational.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly entertaining active history demonstrates how to track the past.

[Minnesinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waaay too big a stretch for me. Interesting read, but too far-fetched/not grounded enough in solid research.

[Wingedbeaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a time, years ago, when I was enthralled by the idea of the Templars and the many secrets that have followed them through the ages. Although many of those secrets are more conspiracy then truth, I find the stories of the Templars endlessly intriguing and can’t help but wonder what the truth is behind many of the tales. Books like Holy Blood, Holy Grail left me with a huge thirst for more stories about this mysterious group of soldiers for God. Unfortunately, this book has very little to do with the history of the Templars or any secrets they may have carried with them. Although the Ark of the Covenant comes second in the title, this book deals solely with the author’s quest to find the illusive relic of Old Testament lore.
The book is very much split into two parts. The first is a study of the Old Testament and what may have actually happened that the authors confused for acts of God, and a search for the Ark of the Covenant and the real site of Mount Sini. The second is the description of a treasure hunt in England for what may be actual relics from the Ark. It is only in this second part that we get a mention of the Templars and as much as their history leads Phillips to the hunt, it is really only a few pages that contain any real tales of the Templars. Most of the hunt is led by clues from a more modern English man who seems to have found the relics first, yet nobody believed him so he hid them again.
Just because the book has a misleading title doesn’t mean it lacked interesting subject matter. Graham Phillips has spelled out a wonderful breakdown of Old Testament stories and what may have really happened. His theories on the Plagues of Egypt are incredible interesting and plausible and his search for Mount Sini is nothing short of exciting. His arguments are easy to follow and well constructed. I don’t have enough of a background in ancient history to say that there is validity to his findings, but one can’t help but find them interesting none the less. The hunt for the relics is exciting in its own way, with some of the events of the hunt mystifying.
Though the book lacks much of a satisfying conclusion, and as I stated earlier, has an extremely misleading title, it was still a very enjoyable read. With any of these types of books it’s hard to know how valid the research is, but that really doesn’t take away from their fun. Even as theories the ideas brought up are crazy interesting and highly enjoyable. If you’re interested at all in ancient history, this is an easy and interesting read that opens up tons of questions and hours of thought.

[Zuzana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in Slovak. The translation was horrendous and the editing wasn't the best, either, but once I got through a few chapters and tried to ignore those things it got more interesting. I liked that he asked himself questions before coming to conclusions, and the way he writes allows the reader to decide whether they agree with the author or not.

[Juliana Ocampo Salgado · Rating 1 out of 5]

No es tan bueno como esperaba, lo termine de leer más por compromiso de acabarlo que por el interés que despertó. Es un libro que pudo ser mejor peor no lo es, se nota el afán del escritor por darle un final.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall I was pleasantly surprised. In my opinion it was easy to read, not heavy going at all. You were propelled into the dialogue and the character very quickly developed as a fellow colleague. You were part of the adventure.

[Steven Raszewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and important story. Also a big fan of the Templars.

[Jeanette Noechel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reading, but he winds up drawing some mighty odd conclusions.