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It’s certainly possible. Archaeology has repeatedly confirmed various biblical claims, which “scientific” Bible interpreters had presumed to be false. The story of Noah appears to be told as a true story, and not a parable conveying a symbolic truth. Traditionally Jews and Christians have both taught that Noah was a real person.

Sometimes you have to distinguish between parts of the Bible that may be fictional and others that have to be historical, if one believes that there is any truth in the Bible at all.

The story of Moses in Exodus belongs to the latter category. It is central to Judaism, so it is impossible to write it off as just a story. Either it happened, or God’s covenant with Israel was a fiction. That is not necessarily true of other parts of the Bible. Job has traditionally been taken as a real person too, but the Book of Job could conceivably be a parabolic story, and that would not have the same impact on the central truths of Judaism or Christianity. But Moses had to be real and historical, the exodus from Egypt had to be real, the Ark of the Covenant that played such a central part in the Exodus, the conquest of the Land of Israel, and the history of the Temple had to be real, or the whole Bible would be a lie.

And all of Western civilization has been built on the truths and teachings of the Bible. So, the Ark of the Covenant was real. We don’t have proof that it still exists, or where it may be now if it does, but I find the Ethiopian connection the most credible explanation. The other stories, including the one about its being found in a tunnel under Jerusalem, just don’t have the same credibility, in my considered opinion.

Interesting. I’m not sure whether National Geographic really believes it might exist, but they saw an opportunity for investigating Ethiopia, looking at the customs there, and taking some of their excellent photographs.