Bulls and Gods
Two major stories in the Old Testament deal with golden calves and gods. The Hebrew word is egel, meaning bull-calf. The following photo display is an attempt to help the reader of the Old Testament understand these two stories.
Aaron and the golden calf.
The first "golden calf" story is the golden calf "fashioned" by Aaron in Exodus 32. The story is somewhat vague. We are told that Aaron "received them [gold] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf." He then said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." It was Jehovah who brought Israel out of Egypt. Aaron then "built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD." The Hebrew word translated LORD is Jehovah. It is very apparent that Aaron was not attempting to lead the Israelites into the worship of false gods.
Though Aaron may have violated the first part of the second commandment -- not to make graven images -- he apparently he had no intention to violate the second part -- "Thou shal not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them". It also seems clear that he did not intend to violate the first commandment -- not to have any other gods before God. It may be that Aaron was simply fashioning a throne for Jehovah. In the ancient Near East, gods were often pictured standing on the back of a bull or animal. The bull was the throne or pedestal for the god.
Note
the following pictures:
1. Weather-god from Til-Barsib.
(James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Pictures Relating to the Old Testament)
2. Storm-god.
(James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Pictures Relating to the Old Testament)
3. Storm-god from Arslan Tash.
(James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Pictures Relating to the Old Testament)
4. A procession of gods mounted on animals appearing before an Assyrian king - a drawing of a relief at Maltaya. (James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Pictures Relating to the Old Testament)
5. God standing on back of Cherub or composite animal.
(James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Pictures Relating to the Old Testament)
If
it was Aaron's purpose to make a throne for Jehovah, it didn't work for
the
Israelites worshipped the bull or golden calf.
It may be that the Israelites worshipped the golden calf as the Egyptian god Apis, or Hapi, an early god of fertility. The following is a picture of the Apis bull.
(Alfred J. Hoerth, Archaeology & The Old Testament)
Jeroboam and the Two Golden Calves
After the division of the kingdom of Israel after the death of Solomon, Jeroboam, king of northern kingdom of Israel changed the form of Jehovah worship among the Israelites. The biblical account reads:
"And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
"If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at
Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their
lord, [even] unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and
go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
"Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said
unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy
gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
"And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
"And this thing became a sin: for the people went [to worship] before
the one,
even unto Dan." (1 Kings 12:26-30)
Notice the similarity between the Exodus 32 account of the rebellion and the apostasy of Jeroboam. Once again, it does not appear the Jeroboam was establishing pagan worship. His calves would have been the pedistal or throne for Jehovah. But, like Aaron, he had not authority to do this. Further, he changed the affairs of Jehovah worship as the rest of 1 Kings 12 reveals.
The following are photos from the archaeological ruins of Dan. The first is a panoramic view of the temple complex. The second is an metal outline representing the look and size of the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard of the temple complex.
The temple complex was surrounded by a wall. On the left of the picture, the entrance through the wall into the outer courtyard of the temple complex can be seen. In the courtyard, a metal frame outlining the size and shape of the altar of sacrifice can be seen. In the center of the picture, stairs leading from the courtyard to the platform upon which the temple stood can be seen. The temple including the golden calf would have been found on the platform on the right of the picture.
2. Altar at Dan
A close up of the altar.
