Difference between revisions of "Golden Calf" - New World Encyclopedia
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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." | 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." | ||
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[[Image:Golden calf weltchronik.png|thumb|250px|right|The worship of the golden calf. From the ''[[Nuremberg Chronicle]]'' (1493).]] | [[Image:Golden calf weltchronik.png|thumb|250px|right|The worship of the golden calf. From the ''[[Nuremberg Chronicle]]'' (1493).]] | ||
| − | The story | + | The story also raises a number of other questions: 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. |
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| − | + | The [[documentary hypothesis]] answers the last question by pointing out that the story is not present in the [[Priestly source]], which portrays Aaron as a righteous priest who established the tradition inherited at Jerusalem. The story comes instead in the [[Elohist]] source. Moreover, in the Book of Deuteronomy, Aaron does seem to be punished for his sin, for he dies much earlier in the narrative, shortly after the golden calf incident, than he does in the [[Book of Numbers]], where he dies after a long and successful career as the [[High Priest]] of Israel, in which [[Yahweh]] dramatically confirms his support for him. | |
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| − | == | + | The ''grinding to powder'' action is also repeated in King [[Josiah]]'s reign when "''He burned the high place and ground it (the calf at Bethel) to powder''," which echoes Moses' action in Exodus. Critical scholars suggest that |
| + | the so-called "Books of Moses" were substantial edited and redacted during Josiah's reign to present him as a "new Moses," and that such stories may have been appended to earlier Moses and Aaron legends in order to cast Josiah's action in that light. (Finkelstein 2002) | ||
| + | ==Rabbinical views== | ||
| + | "There is not a misfortune that Israel has suffered which is not partly a retribution for the sin of the calf," says an Talmudic sage (Sanh. 102a). The seriousness of the offense leads some ancient rabbis, however, find express ameliorating circumstances and to apologize for Aaron's part in the affair. According to one opinion, the popular outcry to commit idolatry came from those Egyptians who had joined the Israelites in the Exodus. Indeed, the two Egyptian magicians, Yanos and Yambros, who had imitated Moses in reproducing the famous miracle of turning sticks into snakes, were instrumental in convincing Aaron that Moses would never return from the mountain. Satan, meanwhile....(Shab. 89a; Tan., Ki Tissa, 19). Hereupon Hur stepped in and rebuked them for their ingratitude to the God who had performed so many miracles for them. He was at once put to death, and Aaron was threatened with the same fate. The latter saw that he must accede to their request, but he sought a device whereby the execution of their demand would either be made impossible or at least be delayed until Moses came; for he was not ensnared by the wiles of Satan. So he ordered them to bring the golden ornaments of their wives; knowing that the women would be more grateful to God, and would refuse to part with their jewels for idolatrous purposes. His expectation was realized. Their jewels could not be obtained; and the men had to give their own. Aaron had no choice but to put the gold into the fire. A calf came out alive and skipping! | ||
| − | Moses | + | One explanation is that this was due to the magical manipulation of the Egyptian sorcerers. Another is more ingenious: On the night of the Exodus, Moses searched all Egypt for Joseph's remains, but could not find them. At last Serah, the daughter of Asher, pointed out to him the place in the Nile where the Egyptians had sunk an iron chest containing Joseph's bones (Tan., l.c.; Ex. R. xli. 7). Moses took a splinter, wrote on it the words ("Come up, ox"; Joseph being compared to an ox; see Deut. xxxiii. 17), and threw it into the water, whereupon the chest rose to the surface (Tan., Beshallaḥ, ii.; Tosef., Soṭah, iv. 7; Soṭah 13a). This splinter was secured by Micah, and when Aaron cast the gold into the fire, he threw the splinter after the gold, and as a result a calf came out (compare Micah). |
| − | + | Another reason given for this aberration of the people is that when God came down on Mount Sinai to give the Law, he appeared in the chariot with the four beasts of Ezekiel. These the people saw; and it was one of them, the ox (Ezek. i. 10), that they made an image of and worshiped. This was one of the pleas Moses made to palliate the offense of the people (Ex. R. xliii. 8). | |
| − | + | The tribe of Levi did not join in the worship of the calf (Yoma 66b). If all the people had abstained from worshiping it, the tables of stone would not have been broken, and as a result the Law would never have been forgotten in Israel, and no nation could have had any power over the Hebrews ('Er. 54a). | |
| − | + | The mysterious way in which Aaron described the origin of the golden calf gave rise to superstitious beliefs; and it was ordained by the Rabbis that this part of the account of the golden calf (Ex. xxxii. 21-25, 35) should be read at public worship in the original, but should not be translated by the "meturgeman" (Meg. iv. 10; Tosef. Meg. iv. [iii.] 36; Yer. ib. iv. 75c; Bab. ib. 25b).J. Sr. I. Hu. | |
| − | + | ==Islamic view== | |
| + | The Islamic version of the story, like the priestly source in the [[documentary hypothesis]], omits any suggestion of wrongdoing by [[Aaron]], which it regards as a prophet and therefore incapable of sin. | ||
| − | + | In this version, Moses had been gone for 40 days and his people were becoming restless, as God extended the time of his absence an additional ten days. [[Samiri]], a man who was inclined towards evil, suggested that they find themselves another guide, as Moses had stayed beyond the appointed time. Samiri 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, dug a hole in which he placed the lot, and lit a huge fire to melt it down. From the molten metal he fashioned a golden calf. The wind passing through the hollow idol created an eerie sound, causing many of the superstitious to believe it was a living god. | |
| − | + | Moses' brother Aaron, however, was grieved by all this 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." | |
| − | Moses | + | The returning Moses saw his people singing and dancing around the calf statue. Furious at their [[pagan]] [[ritual]], he flung down the Tablet of the Law and tugged Aaron's [[beard]], crying: "What held you back when you saw them going astray? Whey did you not fight this corruption?" Aaron replied: "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 subsided when he understood Aaron's helplessness, and he began to handle the situation calmly and wisely. He then turned to Samiri, who makes an excuse similar to Aaron's in the biblical account. For his crime he is sent into exile, away from human companionship. | |
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
Revision as of 00:20, 30 November 2007
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
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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."
The story also raises a number of other questions: 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.
The documentary hypothesis answers the last question by pointing out that the story is not present in the Priestly source, which portrays Aaron as a righteous priest who established the tradition inherited at Jerusalem. The story comes instead in the Elohist source. Moreover, in the Book of Deuteronomy, Aaron does seem to be punished for his sin, for he dies much earlier in the narrative, shortly after the golden calf incident, than he does in the Book of Numbers, where he dies after a long and successful career as the High Priest of Israel, in which Yahweh dramatically confirms his support for him.
The grinding to powder action is also repeated in King Josiah's reign when "He burned the high place and ground it (the calf at Bethel) to powder," which echoes Moses' action in Exodus. Critical scholars suggest that the so-called "Books of Moses" were substantial edited and redacted during Josiah's reign to present him as a "new Moses," and that such stories may have been appended to earlier Moses and Aaron legends in order to cast Josiah's action in that light. (Finkelstein 2002)
Rabbinical views
"There is not a misfortune that Israel has suffered which is not partly a retribution for the sin of the calf," says an Talmudic sage (Sanh. 102a). The seriousness of the offense leads some ancient rabbis, however, find express ameliorating circumstances and to apologize for Aaron's part in the affair. According to one opinion, the popular outcry to commit idolatry came from those Egyptians who had joined the Israelites in the Exodus. Indeed, the two Egyptian magicians, Yanos and Yambros, who had imitated Moses in reproducing the famous miracle of turning sticks into snakes, were instrumental in convincing Aaron that Moses would never return from the mountain. Satan, meanwhile....(Shab. 89a; Tan., Ki Tissa, 19). Hereupon Hur stepped in and rebuked them for their ingratitude to the God who had performed so many miracles for them. He was at once put to death, and Aaron was threatened with the same fate. The latter saw that he must accede to their request, but he sought a device whereby the execution of their demand would either be made impossible or at least be delayed until Moses came; for he was not ensnared by the wiles of Satan. So he ordered them to bring the golden ornaments of their wives; knowing that the women would be more grateful to God, and would refuse to part with their jewels for idolatrous purposes. His expectation was realized. Their jewels could not be obtained; and the men had to give their own. Aaron had no choice but to put the gold into the fire. A calf came out alive and skipping!
One explanation is that this was due to the magical manipulation of the Egyptian sorcerers. Another is more ingenious: On the night of the Exodus, Moses searched all Egypt for Joseph's remains, but could not find them. At last Serah, the daughter of Asher, pointed out to him the place in the Nile where the Egyptians had sunk an iron chest containing Joseph's bones (Tan., l.c.; Ex. R. xli. 7). Moses took a splinter, wrote on it the words ("Come up, ox"; Joseph being compared to an ox; see Deut. xxxiii. 17), and threw it into the water, whereupon the chest rose to the surface (Tan., Beshallaḥ, ii.; Tosef., Soṭah, iv. 7; Soṭah 13a). This splinter was secured by Micah, and when Aaron cast the gold into the fire, he threw the splinter after the gold, and as a result a calf came out (compare Micah).
Another reason given for this aberration of the people is that when God came down on Mount Sinai to give the Law, he appeared in the chariot with the four beasts of Ezekiel. These the people saw; and it was one of them, the ox (Ezek. i. 10), that they made an image of and worshiped. This was one of the pleas Moses made to palliate the offense of the people (Ex. R. xliii. 8).
The tribe of Levi did not join in the worship of the calf (Yoma 66b). If all the people had abstained from worshiping it, the tables of stone would not have been broken, and as a result the Law would never have been forgotten in Israel, and no nation could have had any power over the Hebrews ('Er. 54a).
The mysterious way in which Aaron described the origin of the golden calf gave rise to superstitious beliefs; and it was ordained by the Rabbis that this part of the account of the golden calf (Ex. xxxii. 21-25, 35) should be read at public worship in the original, but should not be translated by the "meturgeman" (Meg. iv. 10; Tosef. Meg. iv. [iii.] 36; Yer. ib. iv. 75c; Bab. ib. 25b).J. Sr. I. Hu.
Islamic view
The Islamic version of the story, like the priestly source in the documentary hypothesis, omits any suggestion of wrongdoing by Aaron, which it regards as a prophet and therefore incapable of sin.
In this version, Moses had been gone for 40 days and his people were becoming restless, as God extended the time of his absence an additional ten days. Samiri, a man who was inclined towards evil, suggested that they find themselves another guide, as Moses had stayed beyond the appointed time. Samiri 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, dug a hole in which he placed the lot, and lit a huge fire to melt it down. From the molten metal he fashioned a golden calf. The wind passing through the hollow idol created an eerie sound, causing many of the superstitious to believe it was a living god.
Moses' brother Aaron, however, was grieved by all this 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."
The returning Moses saw his people singing and dancing around the calf statue. Furious at their pagan ritual, he flung down the Tablet of the Law and tugged Aaron's beard, crying: "What held you back when you saw them going astray? Whey did you not fight this corruption?" Aaron replied: "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 subsided when he understood Aaron's helplessness, and he began to handle the situation calmly and wisely. He then turned to Samiri, who makes an excuse similar to Aaron's in the biblical account. For his crime he is sent into exile, away from human companionship.
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.
See also
Torah parshiot or portions dealing with the Golden Calf: Ki Tissa and Eikev Quran
Notes
External links
- The Golden calf from a Jewish perspective at Chabad.org
- The Golden calf from Ein Hod perspective
- Islamic interpretation of the story of the Golden calf in the Qur'an
- Story of Muses and Aaron in the Qur'an
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