The ark of the covenant was itself a cultural fusion of Egyptian New Kingdom solar barques, used to carry idols, with the practices of the aniconic Midianite Yahwists of the Sinai region. The proto-Levites brought this fusion with them into Canaan, where it melded further with the endogenous Canaanite worship of El.

It's a cool bit of history, but connecting it to diffusion models feels like a bit of a stretch!