Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. We've had 1,000 years of Judaism, followed by 2,000 years of Christianity, and that's why our religion is rooted in the Old Testament," he told me. "We follow the same dietary laws as Judaism, as set out in Leviticus," meaning that his followers keep kosher, even though they are Christians. "Parents circumcise their baby boys as a religious duty, we often give Old Testament names to our boys and many villagers in the countryside still hold Saturday sacred as the Sabbath." A s a Chapter that embraces both the Codex Astartes and the teachings of the Dark Angels and their successor Chapters, the Guardians share much in common with other Space Marine Chapters when it comes to battlefield practice. The Guardians of the Covenant emphasize efficiency, expediency, and collective success in combat; while personal prowess and achievement is lauded, it is less important than the achievement of the mission goals and the success of the entire deployed force. This can lead to a “the good of the many outweighs the good of the few, or the one” mentality that irritates some of their fellow Astartes. All afternoon and through the night, the priests chanted hymns before the tabots, surrounded by worshipers. Then, prompted by glimmers of light sneaking into the morning sky, Archbishop Andreas led the clerics to celebrate the baptism of Jesus by playfully splashing one another with the pool's water.

A number of attempts have been made by Ethiopia to get the tabots returned but the museum argues it is forbidden by the British Museum Act of 1963 to restitute objects in its collection. The Guardians of the Covenant is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and a Successor Chapter of the Dark Angels, thus making it one of the Chapters that comprise the Unforgiven. It is not known from what Founding the Guardians of the Covenant came, only that they too are descendants of the original Dark Angels Legion.

Historical records indicate that this story started during the late Middle Ages (around A.D. 1400), said Parfitt, now a professor of religion at Florida International University. The man who saw "the ark" The story is told in the Kebra Negast (Glory of the Kings), Ethiopia's chronicle of its royal line: the Queen of Sheba, one of its first rulers, traveled to Jerusalem to partake of King Solomon's wisdom; on her way home, she bore Solomon's son, Menelik. Later Menelik went to visit his father, and on his return journey was accompanied by the firstborn sons of some Israelite nobles—who, unbeknown to Menelik, stole the ark and carried it with them to Ethiopia. When Menelik learned of the theft, he reasoned that since the ark's frightful powers hadn't destroyed his retinue, it must be God's will that it remain with him. But the act failed to protect homeowners from an even more onerous liability: “estate rentcharge”. This is often levied on owners of freehold properties on an estate with communal amenities, and has the same purpose as a service charge to pay for the upkeep of shared facilities. Shattered Hope • Edge of Darkness • Core Rulebook • Game Master's Kit • Purge the Unclean • Inquisitor's Handbook • Disciples of the Dark Gods • Creatures Anathema • Radical's Handbook • Salvation Demands Sacrifice • Ascension • Heed the Higher Call • Blood of Martyrs • Heresy Begets Retribution • Daemon Hunter • Book of Judgement • Lathe Worlds • The Lathe Worlds, The Lost Dataslate It is with the Ordo Hereticus that the relatively cordial relationship begins to adopt a more “traditional” Unforgiven form. Wary that the Ordo might find links to the Fallen and uncover the great secret held close over the last ten millennia, the Guardians distance themselves as much as possible from Hereticus Inquisitors, cooperating just often enough to divert an investigation into their activities. Given that it is not uncommon for Space Marine Chapters, even those who are relatively close to individual Inquisitors, to be somewhat reluctant in their dealings with the Inquisition, the Guardians have not attracted undue notice for this behaviour.

There is a long-standing religious legend in Ethiopia that describes how the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Ethiopia 3,000 years by a man named Menelik, who, according to legend, was the son of the Queen of Sheba and Israel's King Solomon. The legend states that the Queen of Sheba was from Ethiopia and that she traveled to Jerusalem where she was seduced by King Solomon, giving birth to Menelik when she returned to Ethiopia. Menelik later traveled to Jerusalem and studied with his father before stealing the ark and bringing it to Ethiopia, where, legend has it, the ark still resides in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, where only the guardian of the ark can view it.A s a successor to the Dark Angels, the Guardians of the Covenant are part of the larger Unforgiven “community” and have both their own Inner Circle as well as contributing to the larger Inner Circle that oversees all of the activities of the Unforgiven. As a relatively “young” Chapter (if five millennia can be considered young), they do not have the same levels of seniority of some of the elder Chapters, although their unique role within the Unforgiven gives them a measure of influence. Jacob married Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Leah had six sons and one daughter before Rachel had any children of her own. Like her forebears, Sarah and Rebekah, Rachel waited many long years before she was blessed with a child. “Give me children, or else I die” (Gen. 30:1) was her cry. “And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.” (Gen. 30:22.) The result was Joseph. Herev, conscious of his new Chapter’s role as a “perfectly loyal” Dark Angel successor, instilled a greater devotion to the Imperial Creed than is common amongst a large number of the Unforgiven. The Guardians have accepted and adopted most of the common beliefs about the Emperor that are held by the mainstream Ecclesiarchy, although they are also conspicuous in their fervent veneration of Lion El-Jonson and their membership of the Inner Circle and the brotherhood of the Unforgiven. The role of Jochebed, the mother of Moses, was similar to that of Rachel, for Jochebed’s son was also a member of the Egyptian court. He was taken there as a baby and was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. And yet, when the test came, Moses forsook the court of Pharaoh; he gave up his foster home and country in favor of the oppressed Israelites. Dimitri Bielak, Alberto Bontempi, Matt Bradbury, Kevin Childress, Kevin T. Chin, David Griffith, Anton Kokarev, Jason Juta, Jorge Maese, Ameen Naksewee, David Auden Nash, Mark W. Smith, Florian Stitz, Aidan Wilson

Like their progenitor chapter, the 1st and the 2nd companies are distinguished by unique names and heraldry. The 1st Company are known as the “Swords of the Covenant” and follow the normal colouration of the Guardians. The Guardian’s sword iconography is very prominent on both the Terminator suits and power armour suits that the company employs. The 2nd company is known as the “Sword’s Wing” to reflect their role as the “eyes and ears” of the Guardians. Their iconography is the same as the regular Guardians, although some elements of the “wing” heraldry and motifs of the legendary Ravening of the Dark Angels can be seen. Most members of the 2nd company never wear robes to further differentiate themselves from their fellows. The Chapter is known to have defeated an invasion by the alien species called the Lelith, as well as numerous xenos empires now thankfully extinct. They have faced and defeated threats from rampaging Orks and saved entire planetary populations from being dragged screaming into the Webway by the sadistic Drukhari. Core Rulebook • Game Master's Kit • Know No Fear • Emperor Protects • Rites of Battle • Mark of the Xenos • Final Sanction • Oblivion's Edge • Nemesis Incident • Achilus Assault • First Founding • Jericho Reach • Rising Tempest • Honour the Chapter • The Outer Reach • Ark of Lost Souls • The Emperor's Chosen • Falling Star I told him I had come from the other side of the world to speak with him about the ark. "I can't tell you anything about it," he said. "No king or patriarch or bishop or ruler can ever see it, only me. This has been our tradition since Menelik brought the ark here more than 3,000 years ago."The 2nd company is configured as normal for an Unforgiven Chapter, although it seldom deploys as an entire company, instead being parceled out to other companies and battle formations to provide heavy reconnaissance and interdiction capability. It is not unknown for members of the 2nd company to deploy as jump infantry, instead of being vehicle mounted, should the terrain or mission dictate it. Nonetheless, several items of Power Armour belonging to battle-brothers from the Guardians of the Covenant that have taken the Apocryphon Oath lie unclaimed in dusty niches of the Hall of Glory in Watch Fortress Erioch, their owners having fallen in battle whilst serving the Deathwatch. But through the centuries, Ethiopian Christians have claimed that the ark rests in a chapel in the small town of Aksum, in their country's northern highlands. It arrived nearly 3,000 years ago, they say, and has been guarded by a succession of virgin monks who, once anointed, are forbidden to set foot outside the chapel grounds until they die. Squad designation is indicated by a white Low Gothic numeral stenciled in the centre of the squad specialty symbol. In a spiritual sense, devious wolves roam the countryside awaiting their chance to move in and hurt or destroy. As a protection against this danger, the Lord committed into the hands of the mothers in Israel the responsibility of keeping the fires of faith alive and bright in the hearts of their children. These mothers in Israel are the guardians of the covenant. And if they are true to this trust, the covenant that the Lord has made with his people that they will be a chosen people unto him—“a royal priesthood”—will continue in effect from generation to generation. If they fail, the “wolves” will move in, and the blessings of the covenant will be lost.