Did They Find the Ark of the Covenant? CBN's Shiloh Claim Investigated

CASE NOTE // THE ARK FILE — NEW LEAD
Investigated October 21, 2026

An archaeologist stands among the ancient walls of Shiloh. A television reporter asks whether this could be the site of the biblical Tabernacle. Then comes the line that turns a historical excavation into an extraordinary headline: “You're probably standing where the Ark of the Covenant was.”

The archaeologist is Dr. Scott Stripling, director of the Shiloh excavation for Associates for Biblical Research (ABR). The reporter is Chris Mitchell of CBN News. The interview was published on August 30, 2023—not this week. But new excavation results from 2026 have put fresh attention on the claim.

Did archaeologists find the Ark of the Covenant? No verified excavation has recovered the Ark. Stripling was making a claim about a possible former location, not announcing possession of the sacred chest. The distinction matters.

Evidence 01 — What CBN actually filmed

In CBN's 2023 report from Shiloh, Stripling showed Mitchell a monumental building excavated at the site. Stripling described its east–west alignment and a two-to-one internal proportion, which his team compares with the biblical Tabernacle. He also identified what he considers a likely ancient gate complex associated with the time of Eli and Samuel.

The interview's arresting statement—“You're probably standing where the Ark of the Covenant was”—is the archaeologist's interpretation of the ruins. It is not an inscription found at the site, an identified relic, or the result of a test detecting the Ark.

Stripling was careful at one point in that same interview to say he was not ready to claim certainty that the Tabernacle had been found. The excitement, and the uncertainty, belong in the same evidence file.

Evidence 02 — What changed in 2026?

During its eighth excavation season, ABR reported locating the southern wall of the monumental building at Shiloh. With another boundary of the structure exposed, the team says it can better reconstruct the building's footprint and test comparisons with the dimensions of the sanctuary described in Scripture.

The team also reported additional walls of a bent-axis gate complex and three large storage jars from a substantially earlier Middle Bronze Age context. The jars contained charred plant remains, including olives and wheat. They illuminate the site's longer settlement history but are not evidence that the Ark was stored there.

These developments were described in a June 24, 2026 field report by archaeologist Bryan Windle, who participated in the excavation.

Also reported from work at the site are objects interpreted as related to ancient worship, including altar-horn fragments, ceramic pomegranates, and murex shells. Such discoveries make Shiloh's religious history worthy of serious study. They do not, by themselves, name a particular building as the Tabernacle.

Evidence 03 — Why Shiloh matters in the biblical record

Long before the Temple in Jerusalem, Joshua 18:1 places the Tent of Meeting at Shiloh. 1 Samuel 3:3 associates the Ark of God with the sanctuary where the young Samuel served. And 1 Samuel 4 recounts the Ark's capture by the Philistines; Eli hears the news and dies after falling backward near the gate.

That connection explains why Stripling's team is interested in both the monumental building and Shiloh's gate architecture. The biblical text supplies a historical claim; the excavation supplies physical remains that archaeologists can date, map, and compare.

But there is a second point in the same biblical narrative: the Ark left Shiloh. Even proof of an ancient sanctuary at the site would not reveal the Ark's present location. The later biblical tradition follows it through Philistine territory, Kiriath-jearim, and ultimately Jerusalem.

Evidence 04 — The archaeological challenge

Not every specialist accepts the proposed identification. On July 1, 2026, archaeologist Aren Maeir wrote that the finds do not establish the discovery of either the Ark or the Tabernacle. He acknowledged ancient religious activity at Shiloh but questioned whether the published evidence supports the excavation team's specific interpretation of the large building and gate.

His published criticism also calls for fuller archaeological reporting before strong conclusions are drawn. Stripling and ABR, by contrast, argue that the site's chronology, architecture, and worship-related objects collectively warrant the Tabernacle hypothesis.

There is an important architectural question here. Exodus 25–27 describes a portable sanctuary with a tent and courtyard. The remains at Shiloh are stone architecture. A relationship between the two must be demonstrated by context and evidence—not assumed because two sets of dimensions seem compatible.

The verdict — A possible sanctuary, not a recovered Ark

Here is what the evidence permits us to say:

• Established: Archaeologists are excavating genuine ancient structures at Shiloh, including additional wall and gate remains documented in 2026.
• Proposed: Stripling's team believes a monumental building may be associated with the biblical Tabernacle.
• Disputed: Other archaeologists challenge the proposed identification and the strength of the evidence presented so far.
• Not established: The Ark of the Covenant itself has not been recovered or independently located.

So why does the CBN footage matter? Because the most striking line in the interview opens a legitimate historical question: could these stones identify a setting remembered in the biblical account?

It does not close the case. It tells us where to examine the next piece of evidence.

Open the evidence locker

• CBN News (August 30, 2023): Scott Stripling's original Shiloh interview
• Bible Archaeology Report (June 24, 2026): Firsthand excavation-season report
• Aren Maeir (July 1, 2026): Critical archaeological assessment
• Gospel Noir: Our earlier, in-depth Ark of the Covenant investigation, including Kiriath-jearim

File updated. Case not closed.