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Adoration of the Golden Calf by Nicolas Poussin: imagery influenced by the Greco-Roman bacchanal

The golden calf (עגל הזהב) was, in Jewish tradition, an idol made by Aaron for the Israelites during Moses' absence on Mount Sinai and also a statue that was featured at the national shrines of the later Kingdom of Israel at Dan and Bethel.

In Hebrew, the incident is known as "Chet ha'Egel" (חטא העגל) or "The Sin of the Calf." It is first mentioned in Exodus 32:4. In Egypt, where the Hebrews had recently recently resided, the Apis Bull was the comparable object of worship, which the Hebrews were apparently reviving in the wilderness. Among the Egyptians' and Hebrews' neighbors in the Ancient Near East and in the Aegean, the Aurochs, the wild bull, was widely worshiped, often as the Lunar Bull and as the creature of El. Its Minoan manifestation survived as the Cretan Bull of Greek myth.

An alternative explanation is that the bull calf is known to have been associated with the Canaanite/Israelite god El. Critical scholarship suggests that the golden calf story first originated as a polemic of Jerusalem-centered priests, who favored golden cherubim, against the northern shrines which featured golden bull-calves. In this view the statement of the northern king Jeroboam in unveiling the statue at Bethel—"Here is Elohim, O Israel"—was originally meant to convey the idea that Yahweh/El could be worshiped as well at Bethel as at Jerusalem. The exactly same statement by Aaron after finished the golden calf at Sinai is therefore taken as an anachronistic statement, placed in Aaron's mouth by later writers intent on denigrated the calf statues at Bethel and Dan.

Biblical narrative

The Worship of the Golden Calf by Filippino Lippi (1457-1504)

When Moses went up onto Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:20), he left the Israelites for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18]). The Israelites feared that he would not return, and asked Aaron to make gods for them (Exodus 32:1). The Bible does not note Aaron's opinion of this request, merely that he complied and gathered up the Israelites' golden earrings. He them melted them and constructed the golden calf—or in his own explanation to Moses: "I told them, 'Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.' Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!" (Exodus 32:24)

Aaron also built an altar before the calf, and the next day, the Israelites made offerings and celebrated. Moses ordered his fellow Levites to slaughter thousands of those who had participated in the idolatry, and the Lord then told Moses he intended to eliminate the Israelites altogether. Moses pleaded that they should be spared (Exodus 32:11), and God relented.

Having broken the tablets of the Ten Commandments in his anger against the Israelites, Moses instructed him to return to Mount Sinai yet again (Exodus 34:2) to receive a replacement. Fasting and praying another 40 days, Moses accomplished this task, and this time when he returned the Israelites united with him and Aaron to successfully establish the Tabernacle and begin their journey through the wilderness to Sinai.

Interpretation

Within the context of the narrative, God has just finished delivering the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, which included the Second Commandment regarding the prohibition against idolatry, that is, the making of images to be used in the worship of Yahweh. Scholars have suggested that the Israelites were worshiping the Egyptian god Apis, falling back into what they had known for centuries while in captivity.

This interpretation is problematic, however, in light of the Bible's statement that, "When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, 'Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord (Yahweh).'" Within the context of the Exodus story, it would be highly unlikely that the Israelites, after witnessing the miracles of the Exodus first hand, would have fallen into the worship of another god immediately after Yahweh had just spoken the Decalogue in their midst. Moreover, his statement "Here is Elohim, O Israel," often translated as "here are your gods," is probably better rendered as "here is God," given the fact that "God" is the normal translation for "Elohim" throughout the Hebrew Bible.

In may also be considered that Aaron had early been commanded to sacrafice of young bulls (Exodus 24:5) had earlier been commanded by Yahweh and that Israelite altars throughout their history were constructed with "horns" at the corners. It may be more logical, therefore, to interpret the golden calf as the Israelites constructing a material representation of the sacrifice their were already commanded to present to Yahweh.

The golden calves of Bethel and Dan

In later Israelite history, 1 Kings 12:28, after King JeroboamI had established the northern Kingdom of Israel independent from the Kingdom of Judah governed by Solomon's son Rehoboam, established the northern shrines at Dan and Bethel as alternative pilgrimage destinations to that of Jerusalem. At each these high places, he constructed a golden calf, declaring: "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here is Elohim, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."

The construction of these two golden calves was presented as gross blasphemy and idolatry by the authors of the Book of Kings, on a par with the original golden calf episode. Indeed, ever future king of Israel would be denounced in Kings as repeating the "sin of Jeroboam" and leading the who nation of Israel likewise to sin, since Jerusalem, in the biblical view, was the only authorized place where sacrifices to Yahweh could be offered.

This, of course begs the question as to whether the commandment to worship only in Jerusalem originated with God, or with the priests who wrote the biblical narratives. To critical scholars, it must also be asked whether the "original" golden calf story was a historical event, or a mythical legend designed to denigrate the northern shrines which competed with the Temple of Jerusalem, which itself boast of golden cherubim that somehow were exempt from criticism for being "graven images."

General Questions

File:Golden calf weltchronik.png

The worship of the golden calf. From the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493).

The story has long raised a number of interesting questions^[1], How can gold be burnt? How can burnt gold be ground to powder? Why was Aaron, who went on to be the head priest, not punished for his action? Aaron leads a somewhat charmed life, missing out on the consequences of his actions, similar to the Snow-white Miriam issue.

In the documentary hypothesis, the story is not present in the Priestly source. It would certainly not fit in with their view of Aaron. The story occurs in the Elohist component. This author is rather anti-Aaron, and pro Moses.

The grinding to powder action is also repeated in King Josiah's reign when "He burned the high place and ground it to powder," which echos the "then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it" phrase.

As adoration of wealth

A metaphoric interpretation emphasizes the "gold" part of "golden calf" to criticize the pursuit of wealth. This usage can be found in Spanish^[2] where Mammon, the Gospel personification of idolatry of wealth, is not so current.

Summary of the Quranic Narrative

Moses had been gone for forty days and his people were becoming restless, for they did not know that God had extended his time by a further ten days. Samiri, a man who was inclined towards evil, suggested that they find themselves another guide, as Moses had broken his promise (of getting back in 40 days). He said to them: "In order to find true guidance, you need a god, and I shall provide one for you."

So he collected all their gold jewelry that they carried from the Pharaoh's people, dug a hole in which he placed the lot, and lit a huge fire to melt it down. During the casting, he threw a handful of dust, making actions like a magician's to impress the ignorant. From the molten metal he fashioned a golden calf. It was hollow, and the wind passing through it produced a sound. Since superstition was embedded in their past, they quickly linked the strange sound to something supernatural, as if it were a living god. Some of them accept the golden calf as their god.

Moses' brother Aaron, who acted as their leader in Moses' absence, was grieved and spoke up: "O my people! You have been deceived. Your Lord is the Most Beneficent. Follow and obey me."

They replied: "We shall stop worshiping this god only if Moses returns."

On his return Moses saw his people singing and dancing around the calf statue. Furious at their pagan ritual, he flung down the Tablet of the Law he was carrying for them. He tugged Aaron's beard and his hair, crying: "What held you back when you saw them going astray? Whey did you not fight this corruption?"

Aaron replied: "O son of my mother, let go of my beard! The fold considered me weak and were about to kill me. So make not the enemies rejoice over me, nor put me among the people who are wrong-doers."

Moses' anger began to subside when he understood Aaron's helplessness, and he began to handle the situation calmly and wisely. So he went to Samiri and asked him, "And what is the matter with you, O Samiri? (why did you do so?)"

Samiri said: "I saw what you saw not, so I took a handful of dust from the hoof print of the Messenger Gabriel's horse and threw it (into the fire in which were put the ornaments of the Pharaoh's people, or into the calf). Thus my inner-self suggested to me."

Moses said: "Then go away! And verily, your punishment in this life will be that you will say: 'Touch me not' (you will live alone exiled away from mankind); and verily (for a future torment), you have a promise that will not fail. And look at your god, to which you have been devoted. We will certainly burn it, and scatter its particles in the sea."

For details see: 20:83

Trivia

The golden calf is also the award given at the Netherlands Film Festival, regarded as the Dutch counterpart to the Academy Awards.
Mooby the Golden Calf is a recurring fictional character in View Askewniverse that alludes to the golden calf.

Notes

↑ The history of exegesis on this episode is summarized by j. Hahn, Das 'Golene Kalb': Die Jahwe-Verehrung bei Stierbildung in der Geschichte Israels (Frankfurt 1981) pp 195-208.
↑ becerro de oro in the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española.

External links

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Golden Calf

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[1] The history of exegesis on this episode is summarized by j. Hahn, Das 'Golene Kalb': Die Jahwe-Verehrung bei Stierbildung in der Geschichte Israels (Frankfurt 1981) pp 195-208.

[DRAE-2] becerro de oro in the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 An alternative explanation is that the bull calf is known to have been associated with the Canaanite/Israelite god [[El]]. Critical scholarship suggests that the golden calf story first originated as a polemic of Jerusalem-centered priests, who favored golden cherubim, against the northern shrines which featured golden bull-calves. In this view the statement of the northern king Jeroboam in unveiling the statue at Bethel—"Here is Elohim, O Israel"—was originally meant to convey the idea that Yahweh/El could be worshiped as well at Bethel as at Jerusalem. The exactly same statement by Aaron after finished the golden calf at Sinai is therefore taken as an anachronistic statement, placed in Aaron's mouth by later writers intent on denigrated the calf statues at Bethel and Dan.
-==Summary of the Biblical narrative==
+==Biblical narrative==
 [[Image:The Worship of the Golden Calf (Filippino Lippi).jpg|250px|thumb|right|''The Worship of the Golden Calf'' by [[Filippino Lippi]] (1457-1504)]]
-When [[Moses]] went up onto [[Mount Sinai]] to receive the [[Ten Commandments]] ([http://bible.cc/exodus/19-20.htm Exodus 19:20]), he left the Israelites for forty days and forty nights ([http://bible.cc/exodus/24-18.htm Exodus 24:18]). The Israelites feared that he would not return, and asked Aaron to make gods for them ([http://bible.cc/exodus/32-1.htm Exodus 32:1]). The Bible does not note Aaron's opinion of this request, merely that he complied, and gathered up the Israelites' golden earrings. He melted them and constructed the golden calf.
+When [[Moses]] went up onto [[Mount Sinai]] to receive the [[Ten Commandments]] (Exodus 19:20), he left the Israelites for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18]). The Israelites feared that he would not return, and asked Aaron to make gods for them (Exodus 32:1). The Bible does not note Aaron's opinion of this request, merely that he complied and gathered up the Israelites' golden earrings. He them melted them and constructed the golden calf—or in his own explanation to Moses: "I told them, 'Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.' Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!" (Exodus 32:24)
-Aaron also built an [[altar]] before the calf, and the next day, the Israelites made offerings and celebrated.
+Aaron also built an [[altar]] before the calf, and the next day, the Israelites made offerings and celebrated. Moses ordered his fellow [[Levites]] to slaughter thousands of those who had participated in the [[idolatry]], and [[Yahweh|the Lord]] then told Moses he intended to eliminate the Israelites altogether. Moses pleaded that they should be spared (Exodus 32:11), and God relented.
-The Lord told Moses that his people had corrupted themselves, and that he planned to eliminate them, but Moses argued and pleaded that they should be spared ([http://bible.cc/exodus/32-11.htm Exodus 32:11]); the Lord relented. Moses went down from the mountain, but upon seeing the calf, he too became angry. He threw down the tablets upon which God's law had been written, and broke them. Moses then burnt the golden calf in the fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on water, and forced the Israelites to drink it. He questioned Aaron about the event, who admitted to collecting the gold, throwing it into the fire, and out came a calf. Then Moses gathered the sons of [[Levi]] and set them to slaying a large number of adult males (3000). A plague then struck the Israelites. Nevertheless, the Lord stated that he would one day visit the Israelites' sin upon them.
+Having broken the tablets of the Ten Commandments in his anger against the Israelites, Moses instructed him to return to Mount Sinai yet again ([http://bible.cc/exodus/34-2.htm Exodus 34:2]) to receive a replacement. Fasting and praying another 40 days, Moses accomplished this task, and this time when he returned the Israelites united with him and Aaron to successfully establish the Tabernacle and begin their journey through the wilderness to Sinai.
-Since Moses had broken the tablets, the Lord instructed him to return to Mount Sinai yet again ([http://bible.cc/exodus/34-2.htm Exodus 34:2]) to receive a replacement.
+===Interpretation===
+Within the context of the narrative, God has just finished delivering the [[Ten Commandments]] to the Israelites, which included the [[Second Commandment]] regarding the prohibition against [[idolatry]], that is, the making of images to be used in the worship of [[Yahweh]]. Scholars have suggested that the Israelites were worshiping the Egyptian god Apis, falling back into what they had known for centuries while in captivity.
-===Interpretation===
+This interpretation is problematic, however, in light of the Bible's statement that, "When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, 'Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord (Yahweh).'" Within the context of the Exodus story, it would be highly unlikely that the Israelites, after witnessing the miracles of the Exodus first hand, would have fallen into the worship of another god immediately after Yahweh had just spoken the [[Decalogue]] in their midst. Moreover, his statement "Here is Elohim, O Israel," often translated as "here are your gods," is probably better rendered as "here is God," given the fact that "God" is the normal translation for "Elohim" throughout the Hebrew Bible.
-====The Sin of Idolatry====
-Within the context of the narrative, God has just finished delivering the [[Ten Commandments]] to the Israelites which included the [[Second Commandment]] regarding the prohibition against [[idolatry]], that is, the making of images (similitudes) to be used in the worship of [[Yahweh]]. Further interpretation also suggests that the prohibition of the Second Commandment also included any adoption of the rites and traditions of the pagan nations, not merely the making of images.
+In may also be considered that Aaron had early been commanded to sacrafice of young bulls (Exodus 24:5) had earlier been commanded by Yahweh and that Israelite altars throughout their history were constructed with "horns" at the corners. It may be more logical, therefore, to interpret the golden calf as the Israelites constructing a material representation of the sacrifice their were already commanded to present to Yahweh.
+==The golden calves of Bethel and Dan==
+In later Israelite history, 1 [[Books of Kings|Kings]] [http://bible.cc/1_kings/12-28.htm 12:28], after King [[JeroboamI ]] had established the northern [[Kingdom of Israel]] independent from the Kingdom of Judah governed by [[Solomon]]'s son [[Rehoboam]], established the northern shrines at Dan and Bethel as alternative pilgrimage destinations to that of Jerusalem. At each these [[high places]], he constructed a golden calf, declaring: "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here is ''[[Elohim]]'', O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."
-Many Christian scholars have suggested that the Israelites were worshipping the Egyptian god Apis, falling back into what they had known for centuries while in captivity. It is suggested that the "idolatry" (a voiding of the Second Commandment) on display here was the worship of another god. However, forging an image of Apis would not have violated the Second Commandment before it had literally violated the First, "worship no other gods."
+The construction of these two golden calves was presented as gross blasphemy and idolatry by the authors of the [[Book of Kings]], on a par with the original golden calf episode. Indeed, ever future king of Israel would be denounced in Kings as repeating the "sin of Jeroboam" and leading the who nation of Israel likewise to sin, since Jerusalem, in the biblical view, was the only authorized place where sacrifices to Yahweh could be offered.
-As such, what may have actually transpired within the event is that the Israelites had not so much voided the First Commandment so much as they had violated the Second which prohibited the making of an image of Yahweh. In Exodus 32 it states: "When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, 'Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord (Yahweh).'" Within the context of the Exodus story, it would be highly unlikely that the Israelites, after witnessing the miracles of the Exodus first hand, would have fallen into the worship of another god immediately after Yahweh had just spoken the [[Decalogue]] in their midst.
+This, of course begs the question as to whether the commandment to worship only in Jerusalem originated with God, or with the priests who wrote the biblical narratives. To critical scholars, it must also be asked whether the "original" golden calf story was a historical event, or a mythical legend designed to denigrate the northern shrines which competed with the Temple of Jerusalem, which itself boast of golden [[cherubim]] that somehow were exempt from criticism for being "graven images."
 ====General Questions====
@@ Line 32: / Line 36: @@
 The ''grinding to powder'' action is also repeated in King [[Josiah]]'s reign when "''He burned the high place and ground it to powder''," which echos the "''then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it''" phrase.
-====Aaron's statement====
-When Aaron has made the golden calf, he says the rather confusing statement "''These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.''" It is confusing because there is a single calf, so why refer to it as gods (plural). It is also not clear why it might be involved with bringing the people up from Egypt.
-According to Exodus 32:4 the golden calf is made and Aaron says "This is your god (singular) O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
-However later on in 1 [[Books of Kings|Kings]] [http://bible.cc/1_kings/12-28.htm 12:28], [[Jeroboam]] tries to stop the Northern Israelites from visiting [[Jerusalem]]. He has two [[high place]]s erected at Dan and [[Bethel]] as new offering places. At each of these he has constructed a golden calf and says "''It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.''" A similar phrase.
-The creation of the golden calves may have been an attempt to identify the Lord with Baal. Among the Phoenicians, Baal was sometimes called the "calf" whereas the supreme god El (God) was called the "bull." Bovine whole-burnt offerings were an important part of Baal worship. The golden calf may have been a zoomorphic ark for Baal, just as winged lions (cherubim) were for the Lord. By making a calf pedestal, instead of a lion, would have been an attempt to identify the Lord with the Canaanite son of Dagon, Baal.
-The construction of the two golden calves would have been seen as a gross blasphemy by the Kings author, on a par with the original Golden Calf episode. The Levite priests in the North would have found those golden calves an irritation as they were looked after by non-Levite priests, and were probably seen as idolatrous. A reference to the original golden calf episode may have been seen fitting. There may even have been some cross over of the language.
 ====As adoration of wealth====