Difference between revisions of "Golden Calf" - New World Encyclopedia
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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) | 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]] | + | Aaron also built an [[altar]] before the calf, and the next day, the Israelites made offerings and celebrated. When Moses descended from the mountain, he became enraged and broke the tablets containing the Ten Commandments given by God on Sinai. He then took the calf, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. Moses then ordered his fellow [[Levites]] to slaughter thousands of those who had participated in the [[idolatry]]. [[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. |
| − | Having broken the tablets of the Ten Commandments in his anger | + | Having broken the tablets of the Ten Commandments in his anger, God instructed Moses to return to Sinai yet again (Exodus 34:2) to receive a replacement. Fasting and praying another 40 days, Moses accomplished this task, and this time the Israelites united with him and Aaron to successfully establish the [[Tabernacle]] and begin their journey through the wilderness to Sinai. |
===Interpretation=== | ===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 | + | 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 worship. Some 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 | + | 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.'" Moreover, his statement "this is elohim, O Israel, who brought you out of Egypt"—often translated as "these are your gods"—is probably better rendered as "this is God," given the fact that "God" is the normal translation for "Elohim" throughout the [[Hebrew Bible]], and the larger context clearly shows that the Israelites were aware of Yahweh as the agent of the [[Exodus]. It should also be considered that Aaron had earlier been commanded to sacrifice of young bulls (Exodus 24:5) and that Israelite altars throughout their history were constructed with "horns" at the corners. It is possible, therefore, that the golden calf was created as a material representation of the sacrifice the Israelites had already been commanded to present to Yahweh/Elohim. Moreover, [[El]] —the name God in [[Abraham]]'s day—is represented in Canaanite literature as "Bull El," and could very well as been thought of by the Israelites as such. |
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==The golden calves of Bethel and Dan== | ==The golden calves of Bethel and Dan== | ||
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==Rabbinical views== | ==Rabbinical views== | ||
| − | "There is not a misfortune that Israel has suffered which is not partly a retribution for the sin of the calf," says | + | "There is not a misfortune that Israel has suffered which is not partly a retribution for the sin of the calf," says a [[talmud]]ic sage (Sanh. 102a). The seriousness of the offense leads some ancient rabbis, however, 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 the 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 had worked to sow powerful seeds of doubt among the Israelites (Shab. 89a; Tan., Ki Tissa, 19). |
| − | + | The heroic Hur, who had joined Aaron in physically supporting Moses at the battle against the Amalekites, was slain for urging continued belief in Moses' return, and Aaron was threatened with the same fate. Under these circumstances he ordered the male Israelites to bring the golden jewelry of their wives, believing that the women would be faithful, and would not cooperate. This indeed was the case, but the men then offered their own gold, and Aaron had no choice but to put the gold into the fire. Just as he explained to Moses, a golden calf came out alive and skipping! | |
| − | Another reason given for | + | Another reason given for the golden calf's creation is that when God appeared at Sinai, He descended in the heavenly chariot described by the prophet Ezekiel, with its four angelic beasts, one of them being the ox (Ezek. 1:10). It was this heavenly being which inspired the image that the Israelites worshiped, and Moses used this fact in his pleading with God to spare the Israelites. (Ex. R. xliii. 8). |
| − | The tribe of Levi did not join in the worship of the calf (Yoma 66b) | + | The tribe of Levi did not join in the worship of the calf (Yoma 66b). |
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==Islamic view== | ==Islamic view== | ||
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* [http://www.islamfrominside.com/Pages/Tafsir/Tafsir%287-152%29.html Islamic interpretation of the story of the Golden calf in the Qur'an] | * [http://www.islamfrominside.com/Pages/Tafsir/Tafsir%287-152%29.html Islamic interpretation of the story of the Golden calf in the Qur'an] | ||
* [http://anwary-islam.com/prophet-story/musa3.htm Story of Muses and Aaron in the Qur'an] | * [http://anwary-islam.com/prophet-story/musa3.htm Story of Muses and Aaron in the Qur'an] | ||
| − | + | ||
[[Category:philosophy and religion]] | [[Category:philosophy and religion]] | ||
{{Credit|155273217}} | {{Credit|155273217}} | ||
Revision as of 03:59, 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. When Moses descended from the mountain, he became enraged and broke the tablets containing the Ten Commandments given by God on Sinai. He then took the calf, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. Moses then ordered his fellow Levites to slaughter thousands of those who had participated in the idolatry. 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, God instructed Moses to return to Sinai yet again (Exodus 34:2) to receive a replacement. Fasting and praying another 40 days, Moses accomplished this task, and this time 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 worship. Some 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.'" Moreover, his statement "this is elohim, O Israel, who brought you out of Egypt"—often translated as "these are your gods"—is probably better rendered as "this is God," given the fact that "God" is the normal translation for "Elohim" throughout the Hebrew Bible, and the larger context clearly shows that the Israelites were aware of Yahweh as the agent of the [[Exodus]. It should also be considered that Aaron had earlier been commanded to sacrifice of young bulls (Exodus 24:5) and that Israelite altars throughout their history were constructed with "horns" at the corners. It is possible, therefore, that the golden calf was created as a material representation of the sacrifice the Israelites had already been commanded to present to Yahweh/Elohim. Moreover, El —the name God in Abraham's day—is represented in Canaanite literature as "Bull El," and could very well as been thought of by the Israelites as such.
The golden calves of Bethel and Dan
In later Israelite history, 1 Kings 12:28, after King Jeroboam I had established the northern Kingdom of Israel, he established 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, every future king of Israel would be denounced in Kings as repeating the "sin of Jeroboam" and leading the whole nation of Israel likewise to sin, since Jerusalem was the only authorized place where sacrifices to Yahweh could be offered. Even Jehu, the most passionately pro-Yahweh and anti-Baal king of Israel, was not exempt from this criticism:
So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. (2 Kings 10:28-29)
The shrine at Bethel continued to exist even after the northern kingdom itself was destroyed by Assyria in 822 B.C.E. It was later obliterated by King Josiah of Judah during the religious reforms he instituted in the late seventh century:
Even the altar at Bethel, the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin—even that altar and high place he demolished. He burned the high place and ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole also.
Critical views
This scenario 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 legend designed to denigrate the northern shrines which competed with the Temple of Jerusalem, which itself boasted 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 high priest, not punished for his action?
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 man of God who established the priestly tradition inherited at Jerusalem. The story comes instead in the Elohist source, which may have originated at the northern shrine at Shiloh.[1] 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 (Deut. 10:6), than he does in the Book of Numbers, where he dies after a long and successful career as the High Priest of Israel (Numbers 20:28).
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 substantially edited and redacted and partially written during Josiah's reign to present him as a "new Moses." (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 a talmudic sage (Sanh. 102a). The seriousness of the offense leads some ancient rabbis, however, 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 the 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 had worked to sow powerful seeds of doubt among the Israelites (Shab. 89a; Tan., Ki Tissa, 19).
The heroic Hur, who had joined Aaron in physically supporting Moses at the battle against the Amalekites, was slain for urging continued belief in Moses' return, and Aaron was threatened with the same fate. Under these circumstances he ordered the male Israelites to bring the golden jewelry of their wives, believing that the women would be faithful, and would not cooperate. This indeed was the case, but the men then offered their own gold, and Aaron had no choice but to put the gold into the fire. Just as he explained to Moses, a golden calf came out alive and skipping!
Another reason given for the golden calf's creation is that when God appeared at Sinai, He descended in the heavenly chariot described by the prophet Ezekiel, with its four angelic beasts, one of them being the ox (Ezek. 1:10). It was this heavenly being which inspired the image that the Israelites worshiped, and Moses used this fact in his pleading with God to spare the Israelites. (Ex. R. xliii. 8).
The tribe of Levi did not join in the worship of the calf (Yoma 66b).
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
- ↑ One version of this theory suggests that the Shiloh priesthood stood in opposition both to Jerusalem, to whom it had lost the Ark of the Covenant and central authority it once possessed, and Bethel, which was chosen by Jeroboam as the national shrine of Israel even though the prophet of Shiloh, Abijah, had originally commissioned Jeroboam to establish an independent northern kingdom.
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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