Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology, for which Blue Bear Films produced and directed the exhibit welcome with Harrison Ford and the short documentaries about real field archaeology, is currently exciting crowds at the National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C. It also appears to be sparking some interesting theological discussions! The exhibition prominently displays the Ark of the Covenant, a prop central to the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” film. This has prompted some theological scholars to discuss whether or not the ark actually existed. For example,
Baruch Halpern , a University of Georgia Jewish studies professor, has said that the ark seems to have been “ a real article ,” and in an interview, Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, says, “There was certainly an ark in Solomon’s Temple. What was in it is another question.”
Further discussion of this topic can be found here: http://forward.com/culture/art/318151/indiana-jones-the-temple-of-jews/
In the meantime, go see the Ark of the Covenant for yourself at the National Geographic Museum until January 3, 2016!
