MR. HAWES AND THE ARK.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4817, 14 March 1918, Page 6

MR. HAWES AND THE ARK.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—l was much interested in Mr Hawes’ theory that Jeremiah, whom lie identifies with St. Patrick, stole the Ark of the Covenant from Zeclekiah, the last king of Judah, together with his daughter, Tea Tepm, and traded with it to Ireland, where he sold tlie princess to the Irish king in return for the foundation of a school of learning. Mr. Hawes goes further and avers that Jeremiah bur- . ied the sacred Ark under tlie mound of Tara, together with the Ten Commandments on Stone which it contained. This theory has been put forward before, but its advocates forget one or two . facts. For instance, it is fairly well established that Jeremiah, when taken to Egypt by Jolianan after the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, was stoned to death at the city of Tahpanes, probably for his gloomy prophecies as to the conquest of Egypt. It is certain that when Jerusalem fell, Jeremiah, though treated kindly, was not permitted to cart the Ark of the Testimony to Mizpalr,where he spent some years, and as it was a somewhat bulky contrivance, he certainly did not have it up liis sleeve when he was taken to Egypt. There seems little .doubt that the Ark remained in ilie Holy of Holies at Jerusalem ' where David had placed it until the gates of the city fell, when it was removed to a preconceived hidingplace, probably being buried. In any case, there is no record of anyone having seen the Ark since. Then again, even if Jeremiah was not stoned to death as tradition says, there is nothing to connect him with the Wise Man who appeared at Tara. Jeremiah was called to the prophetic office when yet “a child” (.Jer. 1: 6) in the 13th rear of Josiah’s reign (i.e., 626 8.C.), while St. Patrick did not live until nearly a thousand years later. He was born in A.D. 373, his birth-place.being assigned to Dumbarton, whence/ he was carried by raiders (A.D. 389) to the north of Ireland. Mr. "Hawes apparently knows little of his subject, for whereas Jeremiah lived long before Christ, St. Patrick was Christian and converted tlie heathen of Ireland to Christianity, the seat of his first mission being at Armagh. I would recommend Mr. Hawes to go more deeply into bis subject before again attempting to fool tlie public.—l am, etc. SUCAT.