- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Harper Element; First Edition, First Impression edition (3 Mar 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007262663
- ISBN-13: 978-0007262663
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 71,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Lost Ark of the Covenant
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Reviews for Tudor Parfitt’s previous books:
'Parfitt writes like a dream.' Observer
'Parfitt …is a British Indiana Jones.' Wall Street Journal
'A rare mixture of scholarship and travelogue. There isn't a dull line in the book.' Sunday Telegraph
'Parfitt reveals a rare talent for combining rigorous academic standards with a sense of drama, an elegant style and, most pleasing of all, the eye for fine detail of a first-class travel writer.' Mail on Sunday
'This is an exceptionally good book, lucidly written and exhibiting all the craftsmanship of a first-rate detective novel.' Weekend Telegraph
Product Description
Professor Tudor Parfitt, a real-life British Indiana Jones, has made the biggest discovery of the last 3,000 years – the secret location of the fabled Ark of the Covenant. In 2006, he made an incredible journey to its final resting place and in February 2008 he will reveal this to the world. This is the amazing story of his quest.
This is the real-life account of Professor Tudor Parfitt's remarkable discovery – of the lost Ark of the Covenant that disappeared from the Temple of Jerusalem centuries ago. The holiest object in the world, the Ark of the Old Testament contains the tablets of law sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Scholar, orientalist and adventurer, Parfitt embarked on an incredible journey to discover where the Ark is hidden, and when he reveals his discovery history books will be rewritten forever.
Parfitt's quest took him on an incredible detective trail across the Middle East and Africa. His search led him to ancient documents and codes in Oxford and Jerusalem, and even to discoveries in modern genetic science, for clues to take him closer to the Ark.
But some people didn't want the Ark to be found. In the wilder reaches of the Yemen he narrowly escaped being kidnapped by Islamist fugitives. In Africa he was shot at, ambushed and arrested. Amongst crossing paths with a motley crowd of mystics, holy men, charlatans and politicians, he encountered a strange tribe in the mysterious lands of the Limpopo River who claimed that they knew the Ark's final resting place.
When Parfitt finally set eyes on the Ark, it wasn't at all where he expected. His revelation of its whereabouts will cause an international story with an effect on Judaism, Islam and Christianity that may be the most controversial in history.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
An absorbing account of one man's quest to solve one of the world's ancient mysteries. A "who took it" rather than "who done it", this is a thoroughly engaging non-fiction quest taking the reader from the Holy Lands to central Africa in a search for the fabled lost Ark. This is truly one of those books that once started, you simply can't put down. Thoroughly recommended.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a story the book lives up to the quest, as for historical investigative work, my opinion is that its mediocre at best.
While Tudor writes really well and keeps the story and on going
quest interesting. His diferent lines of research is pretty
sound and argues his case as well as anybody could. However,
Tudor falls into the same trap as so many biblical scholars
and writers do, by arguing a thesis without considering the
counter evidence and opposing arguments.
I found this a little frustrating at times, as he tried time
and time again to link the Ark with the tribal ngoma with
little evidence other than heresay. Links are then made to
the Pharoah arks found at karnak since they are similar in build
but his line of discussion is just too flimsy, and at times
Tudor puts forwards arguments that any good researcher could easily
see straight throught and argue particularly the Egyptian monotheism
debate.
Despite this, the book does offer an interesting journey and it is
a real page turner. I did thoroughly enjoy the book and would reccomend
it to anyone. But there are much better books about the subject
matter some of which takes into consideration all of the evidence
rather than just the stuff that agrees with his own theory.
A little flawed but worth a look none the less.
While Tudor writes really well and keeps the story and on going
quest interesting. His diferent lines of research is pretty
sound and argues his case as well as anybody could. However,
Tudor falls into the same trap as so many biblical scholars
and writers do, by arguing a thesis without considering the
counter evidence and opposing arguments.
I found this a little frustrating at times, as he tried time
and time again to link the Ark with the tribal ngoma with
little evidence other than heresay. Links are then made to
the Pharoah arks found at karnak since they are similar in build
but his line of discussion is just too flimsy, and at times
Tudor puts forwards arguments that any good researcher could easily
see straight throught and argue particularly the Egyptian monotheism
debate.
Despite this, the book does offer an interesting journey and it is
a real page turner. I did thoroughly enjoy the book and would reccomend
it to anyone. But there are much better books about the subject
matter some of which takes into consideration all of the evidence
rather than just the stuff that agrees with his own theory.
A little flawed but worth a look none the less.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Whilst the author has clearly expended a considerable amount of scholarly effort (not to mention 20 years of his life) in pursuing the Ark, one look at the cover is enough to tell us that this book is more 'adventure' than 'academic'.
And a good job too! Parfitt's account turns what could have been a dreary trudge across Africa and the Middle East into an absorbing tale of intrigue, mystery and more than a little seediness. The reviews that take exception to the, what I will concede are, wild assumptions made by the author to support his theories really miss the point. Yes, the book lacks some academic rigour but that makes it all the more readable.
To paraphrase one Davros lookalike: the book has good 'can't-put-it-down-ability'!
And a good job too! Parfitt's account turns what could have been a dreary trudge across Africa and the Middle East into an absorbing tale of intrigue, mystery and more than a little seediness. The reviews that take exception to the, what I will concede are, wild assumptions made by the author to support his theories really miss the point. Yes, the book lacks some academic rigour but that makes it all the more readable.
To paraphrase one Davros lookalike: the book has good 'can't-put-it-down-ability'!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
the ark
It is hard to determine how much of this book is fact,fiction,myth,legend,science,pseudoscience assumption or fantasy. Read more
Published 1 month ago by G. I. Forbes
Utter Tripe
This book cannot possibly be taken seriously, his arguments are both boneheaded and facile. It also takes massive and utterly implausible leaps in logic. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jack
the lost ark of the covenant
This book seriously denigrates sober scientific search and research ! I felt offended ,belittled and stupid after wading through Tudor's sojourns . Read more
Published 21 months ago by W. E. Young-powell
Raiders of the Redundant Ark
Everyone knows about Indiana Jones, and Tudor Parfitt, a professor of Jewish studies is a pretender to Jones' throne. Read more
Published on 1 Sep 2008 by Andrew Moules
A highly plausible account and conclusion.
This was a most enjoyable read and a highly plausible solution to the Ark's fate. I wasn't sure that I would enjoy the narrative style at first but this strictly made the book such... Read more
Published on 18 July 2008 by Stanley J Marut
Academic thriller
From an academic point of view the underlying ideas about the Ark and the mysterious ephod are challenging and lead us to realise that we really do not have much idea about what so... Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2008 by S. Yesudian-Storfjell
A great great read!
Like Parfitt's Journey to the Vanished City this is a wonderfully entertaining and instructive account of a long journey into the past. Read more
Published on 17 May 2008 by Simon Darling
A very enjoyable read
I found this book to be a very enjoyable read. I could hardly put it down and read it in record time. Read more
Published on 1 May 2008 by R. M. Bradbury
Riveting Read
Excellent reading and I found it difficult to put the book down. Soundly based with an excellent knowledge of the Old Testament I found it extremely feasible. Read more
Published on 26 April 2008 by Gillian Walker
Tall story full of holes
This is a load of tosh - with all the elements of a fanciful hoax.
The technique is similar to Chariots of the Gods or the Turin Shroud hocum. Read more
The technique is similar to Chariots of the Gods or the Turin Shroud hocum. Read more
Published on 14 April 2008 by Andy Lake
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