Belloq's High Priest vestments and The Greatest Story Ever Told

I recently watched the 1965 film "The Greatest Story Ever Told" about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

There was a scene early on where a Roman soldier rides up to the Jerusalem temple and asks for the
High Priest's Vestments.


The Greatest Story Ever Told screenshot


Raiders of the Lost Ark screenshot

I wonder if "Raiders" used the same prop as "Greatest Story".

The M&Ms on Belloq's ephod appear to be in a different order, and the robe itself is a different material.



As for the other issue, getting the future Ming the Merciless to play Jesus was a coup, but ROTLA is still a better contender for being 'the greatest story ever told'.

WilliamBoyd8 said:

I wonder if "Raiders" used the same prop as "Greatest Story".

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Not the same prop, just the same designer.

Exodus 28:6-14 (NIV)
The Ephod

6 ?Make the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen?the work of skilled hands. 7 It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. 8 Its skillfully woven waistband is to be like it?of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen.

9 ?Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel 10 in the order of their birth?six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings 12 and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. 13 Make gold filigree settings 14 and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.

WilliamBoyd8 said:

I wonder if "Raiders" used the same prop as "Greatest Story".

Click to expand...

Very cool (just like The Ark in 2 other Biblical flicks)! Thanks for mentioning it, Hopalong!

However, it cannot be the same prop. Belloq's was a breastplate and not sewn into the robe as your image suggests (it's been decades since I've watched that movie). I think 2 (possibly 3) versions of the breastplate were made specifically for "Raiders".

Goodeknight said:

Not the same prop, just the same designer.

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Heh, details straight from the source, Goodeknight. One thing that I've always wanted to do was to identify each gem on Belloq's plate in order to determine how close the layout matches the Biblical description. Would you (or anyone else) be interested in helping to do that?

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Belloq's ornaments have been discussed here before but not in the detail they were warranted. Do any of you Mods know of a better thread? If not then...

Here's a photo of the plate that I took at the National Geographic exhibit (which has slightly different variations from the prop in the "Lucasfilm Archives" book) so who knows which one was used in the final film.

Here's the High Priest from "The Greatest Story Ever Told" wearing the outfit:



I suspect that the same costume was used for both films but was modified for "Raiders".

Why waste money by making a new one?

Stoo said:

Heh, details straight from the source, Goodeknight. One thing that I've always wanted to do was to identify each gem on Belloq's plate in order to determine how close the layout matches the Biblical description. Would you (or anyone else) be interested in helping to do that?

Click to expand...

Here's another description, focusing on the gems, from Exodus chapter 39:

10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. The first row was carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 11 the second row was turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 12 the third row was jacinth, agate and amethyst; 13 the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper.[c] They were mounted in gold filigree settings. 14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

And here is a recreation of the breastplate, created by the Temple Institute in Jerusalem. This is an organization that's actually prepping for the construction of the Third Temple.


http://www.templeinstitute.org/beged/priestly_garments-6.htm

While Belloq's looks a lot snazzier, I'd guess the Temple Institute's is closer to the real thing.

The Temple Institute has recreated a number of Temple artifacts for eventual priestly use, including the priest's garments, ephod, breastplate, and crown; pitchers and cups; the menorah;...and the Ark of the Covenant. Here's their Ark:



An organization like this plays a prominent role in a novel I am completing right now. It's the story of a reporter's adventures abroad. This first book (I'm writing it as a series) takes place in Israel. I've written it completely, and am in the final editing stage while working on the cover layout.