ark

ark
/ahrk/, n.
1. (sometimes cap.) Also called Noah's Ark. the large boat built by Noah in which he saved himself, his family, and a pair of every kind of creature during the Flood. Gen. 6-9.
2. Also called ark of the covenant. a chest or box containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, carried by the Israelites in their wanderings in the desert after the Exodus: the most sacred object of the tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, where it was kept in the holy of holies.
3. a place of protection or security; refuge; asylum.
4. (cap.) Judaism. See Holy Ark.
5. a flatboat formerly used on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
6. Naut. See life car.
7. Archaic. a chest or box.
[bef. 850; ME ark(e), erke, OE arc, earc(e) (cf. OFris erke, arke, D ark, OHG, Goth arka, ON ork) < L arca chest, coffer, deriv. of arcere to safeguard, c. Hittite hark- hold, possess]

* * *

also called  Ark Of The Law,  Hebrew  Aron, or Aron Ha-qodesh 
 (“holy ark”), in Jewish synagogues, an ornate cabinet that enshrines the sacred Torah scrolls used for public worship. Because it symbolizes the Holy of Holies of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem, it is the holiest place in the synagogue and the focal point of prayer. The ark is reached by steps and is commonly placed so that the worshiper facing it also “faces Jerusalem.” When the scrolls are removed for religious services, the congregation stands, and a solemn ceremony accompanies the opening and closing of the ark doors.

      Ashkenazi (German-rite) Jews cover the doors of the ark with a richly embroidered cloth (parocheth), while Sephardic (Spanish-rite) Jews place the cloth inside. Before or near the cabinet hangs the eternal light (ner tamid), and generally an inscription of the Ten Commandments (often in abbreviated form) or some other relevant sacred text is placed above the doors.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ark —     Ark of the Covenant     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Ark of the Covenant     The Hebrew word aron, by which the Ark of the Covenant is expressed, does not call to the mind, as that used for Noah s Ark, a large construction, but rather a chest.… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Ark — may refer to:Religion* Ark (synagogue), a cabinet used to store a synagogue s Torah scroll * Ark of the Covenant, the consecrated container for the tablets of the Ten Commandments * Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses * Noah s Ark,… …   Wikipedia

  • ARK — ARK, the receptacle in the synagogue in which the Torah scrolls are kept. Among Ashkenazim, it is generally called the aron or aron kodesh ( Holy Ark ; cf. II Chron. 35:3); among the Sephardim, it is known as the heikhal or sanctuary ( Ehal among …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • ARK — ist: eine Linux Distribution, siehe Ark Linux ein Packprogramm für die Desktopumgebung KDE, siehe Ark (Packprogramm) der Name einer schwedischen Glam Rock Band, siehe The Ark der Name einer norwegischen Progressive Metal Band, siehe Ark (Band)… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ark — ist: eine Linux Distribution ein Packprogramm für die Desktopumgebung KDE, siehe Ark (Packprogramm) der Name einer schwedischen Glam Rock Band, siehe The Ark der Name einer norwegischen Progressive Metal Band, siehe Ark (Band) der Name einer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ark — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. {{{image}}}   Sigles d une seule lettre   Sigles de deux lettres > Sigles de trois lettres …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ARK — may refer to:*ARK (band), a metal band *ARK (rock band), a rock band from Manchester, England *Archaeological Recording Kit, a database and GIS web based recording system for archaeology * [http://www.cdlib.org/inside/diglib/ark/ Archival… …   Wikipedia

  • Ark — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Ark Ark en KDE 4.1 …   Wikipedia Español

  • ark — ark; ge·ark·sut·ite; lan·ark·ite; lan·ark·shire; new·ark; new·ark·er; …   English syllables

  • Ark — ([aum]rk), n. [OE. ark, arke, arche, AS. arc, earc, earce, fr. L. arca, fr. arcere to inclose, keep off; akin to Gr. arkei^n to keep off.] 1. A chest, or coffer. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Bearing that precious relic in an ark. Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ark — ► NOUN 1) (in the Bible) the ship built by Noah to save his family and two of every kind of animal from the Flood. 2) (also Holy Ark) a chest or cupboard housing the Torah scrolls in a synagogue. 3) (Ark of the Covenant) the chest which contained …   English terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”