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142-659: Bull worship was common in many cultures. In Egypt , whence according to the Exodus narrative, the Israelites had recently come, the Apis was a comparable object of worship, which some believe the Hebrews were reviving in the wilderness. Alternatively, some believe Yahweh , the national god of the Israelites, was associated with or pictured as a sacred bull through the process of religious assimilation and syncretism . Among

284-399: A false god . He cites Exodus 32:4–5 as evidence: He [Aaron] took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a festival to the L ORD ( Yahweh )." Importantly, there

426-474: A famine is raging. Seeking to help the local prophets, he tells his servant to cook a stew. One of the prophets inadvertently adds some poisonous berries to the pot, but Elisha adds some flour , negating the poison. A man comes from Baal-Shalish with twenty loaves of bread. Elisha uses them to miraculously feed the hundred people present. An Aramean general named Naaman has leprosy . He hears of Elisha from an Israelite slave-girl and receives permission from

568-426: A lattice on an upper floor and injures himself. He sends a party to Ekron to consult its god, Baal-Zebub , about whether he will recover. The messengers are met by Elijah, who tells them to inform Ahaziah that he will die where he is for seeking advice from a non-Israelite god. Ahaziah sends two captains and fifty men each to summon Elijah, but both parties are consumed by fire at Elijah's command. When Ahaziah sends

710-487: A vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. When Naboth will not sell it to him on account of it being his inheritance, Ahab sulks and refuses to eat. Jezebel proclaims a day of fasting , upon which two false witnesses accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king. He is stoned to death, allowing Ahab to take possession of the vineyard. In response, God tells Elijah to confront Ahab and inform him that he will die in

852-598: A blessing upon you today." The golden calf is mentioned in Nehemiah 9:16–21 . But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, even when they cast for themselves an image of

994-503: A calf and said, 'This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt', or when they committed awful blasphemies. Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in

1136-548: A campaign during a state visit, Ahab decides to take it back. Four hundred prophets agree this is a good idea, but Jehoshaphat asks to speak with a prophet of God. Ahab reluctantly calls Micaiah , whom he dislikes for never prophesying in his favour. When he arrives, a prophet named Zedekiah uses a strange hat with horns to claim that Ahab will have victory over the Arameans. Michaiah tells Ahab that if he attacks Ramoth-Gilead, he will die and Israel will be leaderless but that this

1278-754: A club and thunderbolt while wearing a bull-horned headdress. Hadad was equated with the Greek god Zeus ; the Roman god Jupiter, as Jupiter Dolichenus ; the Indo-European Nasite Hittite storm-god Teshub ; the Egyptian god Amun . When Enki distributed the destinies, he made Iškur inspector of the cosmos. In one litany, Iškur is proclaimed again and again as " great radiant bull, your name is heaven " and also called son of Anu , lord of Karkara; twin-brother of Enki, lord of abundance, lord who rides

1420-658: A festival for Hera, Dionysus is also invited to come as a bull, "with bull-foot raging." "Quite frequently he is portrayed with bull horns, and in Kyzikos he has a tauromorphic image," Walter Burkert relates, and refers also to an archaic myth in which Dionysus is slaughtered as a bull calf and impiously eaten by the Titans . For the Greeks, the bull was strongly linked to the Cretan Bull : Theseus of Athens had to capture

1562-589: A fixture of near-eastern cultures. Solomon 's " Molten Sea " basin stood on twelve brazen bulls. Young bulls were set as frontier markers at Dan and Bethel , the frontiers of the Kingdom of Israel . Much later, in Abrahamic religions , the bull motif became a bull demon or the "horned devil" in contrast and conflict to earlier traditions. The bull is familiar in Judeo-Christian cultures from

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1704-480: A foundation for a return from Babylonian exile . The two books of Kings present a history of ancient Israel and Judah , from the death of King David to the release of Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon—a period of some 400 years ( c.  960  – c.  560 BC ). Scholars tend to treat the books as consisting of a first edition from the late 7th century BC and of a second and final edition from

1846-470: A good king and to punish David's enemies, and then dies. Adonijah comes to Bathsheba and asks to marry Abishag. Solomon suspects this request is to strengthen Adonijah's claim to the throne and has Benaiah put him to death. He then takes away Abiathar's priesthood as punishment for supporting Adonijah, thus fulfilling the prophecy made to Eli at the start of 1 Samuel . Joab hears what is going on and himself claims sanctuary, but when he refuses to come out of

1988-533: A graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt'." Nehemiah 9:18 reads "even when they made an idol shaped like a calf and said, 'This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!' They committed terrible blasphemies." Calf-idols are referred to later in the Tanakh , such as in the Book of Hosea , which would seem accurate as they were

2130-455: A harpist. Elisha prophesies a coming flood in the valley in addition to a complete defeat of Moab. The water comes but looks like blood to the Moabites, which they conclude can only have come from the three kings having killed each other. However, when they cross, Israel wins a great victory and completely plunders the land. When the king of Moab sacrifices his firstborn son on the city walls,

2272-496: A new deity in itself. Among the Twelve Olympians , Hera 's epithet Bo-opis is usually translated "ox-eyed" Hera, but the term could just as well apply if the goddess had the head of a cow, and thus the epithet reveals the presence of an earlier, though not necessarily more primitive, iconic view. ( Heinrich Schlieman , 1976) Classical Greeks never otherwise referred to Hera simply as the cow, though her priestess Io

2414-505: A nobleman of ancient Moirang realm, pretended to be an oracle and falsely prophesied that the people of Moirang would lead to miserable lives, if the powerful Kao (bull) roaming freely in the Khuman kingdom, wasn't offered to the god Thangjing ( Old Manipuri : Thangching ), the presiding deity of Moirang . Orphan Khuman prince Khamba was chosen to capture the bull, as he was known for his valor and faithfulness. Since to capture

2556-410: A pain in his head. He is returned to his mother and dies. His mother therefore seeks out Elisha, whom she meets at Mount Carmel. He tells Gehazi to quickly make his way to the house and lay his staff on the boy's face. When Elisha gets there with the woman, Gehazi informs him that this has not worked. Elisha prays, paces, and lays himself on the boy, who then awakens. Elisha continues on to Gilgal, where

2698-441: A prophecy that his junior officers will defeat Ben-Hadad if Ahab starts the battle. Ben-Hadad tells his men to take the advancing troops alive, but each junior officer kills his Aramean equivalent. The Arameans, including Ben-Hadad, begin a retreat, but Ahab's army inflicts heavy losses. The prophet who brought the first prophecy tells Ahab to improve his defences, since the Arameans will attack again. Ben-Hadad's advisors reason that

2840-470: A prophet comes by and announces that some day a Davidic king named Josiah will be born and violently abolish Jeroboam's religion. Seeking to seize him, Jeroboam stretches out his hand, but it becomes withered and, as a sign, the altar splits open and its ashes pour out. Despite all this, Jeroboam does not change his ways. Jeroboam's son Abijah becomes ill, so Jeroboam tells his wife to go in disguise to Ahijah, who has become blind with age. God tells Ahijah of

2982-497: A religious ceremony in Gaul in which white-clad druids climbed a sacred oak , cut down the mistletoe growing on it, sacrificed two white bulls and used the mistletoe to cure infertility: The druids—that is what they call their magicians—hold nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and a tree on which it is growing, provided it is Valonia oak . … Mistletoe is rare and when found it is gathered with great ceremony, and particularly on

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3124-700: A return to King Rehoboam . He makes two golden calves and places them in Bethel and Dan . He erects the two calves in what he figures (in some interpretations) as substitutes for the cherubim built by King Solomon in Jerusalem . However, in the Antiquities of the Jews (v. VIII: 8), which is taken from the Septuagint , Josephus states: "He made two golden heifers, and built two little temples for them,

3266-468: A temple to God with wood provided by the king of Tyre , Hiram I , an old friend of David's. He also builds himself a palace, which takes him thirteen years. Once the Temple is finished, Solomon hires a Tyrian half- Naphtalite named Huram to create the furnishings. When finished, the things which David prepared for the Temple are brought in, and Solomon organizes a ceremony during which the priests carry

3408-528: A third group, God tells Elijah to go with them and deliver his prophecy directly. Ahaziah dies and, having no sons, his brother Joram succeeds him. Elijah and Elisha are walking from Gilgal . Elijah asks that Elisha stay where they are, but Elisha insists on coming with him to Bethel. Elijah informs him that he is going to be taken by God. Elisha seems to have some kind of knowledge of this. Once again, Elijah asks Elisha to stay where they are, but Elisha insists on coming with him to Jericho. Eventually, they reach

3550-527: A throne. This reading suggests that the golden calf was merely an alternative to the Ark of the Covenant or the cherubim upon which Yahweh was enthroned. The reason for this complication may be understood as The documentary hypothesis can be used to further understand the layers of this narrative: it is plausible that the earliest story of the golden calf was preserved by E (Israel source) and originated in

3692-507: A treaty and Ben-Hadad leaves. After failing to get another prophet to strike him with his weapon, resulting in that prophet's death by lion, a prophet manages to get someone else to do it and appears before Ahab, telling him a parable about how his failing to guard a man in battle means he now must pay a talent. When he removes his headband, and Ahab sees he is a prophet, he tells Ahab that he will die because he spared Ben-Hadad, who God had told him to kill. Some time later, Ahab attempts to buy

3834-721: A valuable, and probably sacred beast, would have represented an offering to the gods'. For Matthews, the Bull-running at Tutbury, mentioned in another Robin Hood ballad, may have had similar significance. 1 Kings The Book of Kings ( Hebrew : סֵפֶר מְלָכִים , Sēfer Məlāḵīm ) is a book in the Hebrew Bible , found as two books ( 1–2 Kings ) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible . It concludes

3976-443: A whisper. After hearing Elijah's concerns about being killed, he instructs him to go to Damascus, where he is to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, Jehu as king of Israel and Elisha as Elijah's own successor. Elijah finds Elisha plowing with oxen . Elisha says goodbye to his parents, kills his oxen and cooks them by burning his plowing equipment. He distributes the meat to his neighbours and sets off to follow Elijah. Ben-Hadad II ,

4118-603: A years-long drought about to begin. God then tells Elijah to hide in the Kerith Ravine, where he drinks from the stream and is fed by ravens . When the brook dries up, God tells Elijah to travel to Zarephath , where a widow will feed him. She is more than happy to give him water, but when he asks for bread, she informs him that she is just about to make a small loaf – only enough that she and her son may eat it as their last meal. Elijah instructs her to make him some anyway, telling her that she will not run out of food until

4260-457: Is Gavaevodata , which is the Avestan name of a hermaphroditic "uniquely created ( -aevo.data ) cow ( gav- )", one of Ahura Mazda 's six primordial material creations that becomes the mythological progenitor of all beneficent animal life. Another Zoroastrian mythological bovine is Hadhayans, a gigantic bull so large that it could straddle the mountains and seas that divide the seven regions of

4402-439: Is a good king, on par with David. He abolishes male temple prostitution and destroys idols, and even deposed his grandmother as Queen mother due to idolatry. He moves a collection of gold and silver objects back into the Temple. However, when he goes to war against Baasha of Israel , he gives the royal and Temple gold and silver to Ben-Hadad , king of Aram , to get him to break a treaty with Israel and attack with him. Ben-Hadad

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4544-408: Is a single calf in this narrative. While the people refer to it as representative of the "gods", this is a possessive form of the word Elohim ( אֱלֹהֶיךָ ‎ elo'hecha , from אֱלֹהִים ‎), which is a name of God as well as general word for "gods". While a reference to singular god does not necessarily imply Yahweh worship, the word usually translated as 'lord' is Yahweh יהוה ‎ in

4686-571: Is also an astrological sign in Indian horoscope systems, corresponding to Taurus The storm god Rudra is called a bull as are the Maruts or storm deities referred to as bulls under the command of Indra, thus Indra is called "bull with bulls." The following excerpts from The Rig Veda demonstrate these attributes: "As a bull I call to you, the bull with the thunderbolt, with various aids, O Indra, bull with bulls, greatest killer of Vrtra ." — Atri and

4828-464: Is an inscription was carried out at Mactar in Numidia at the close of the 3rd century. It was performed in honor of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian . Another Roman mystery cult in which a sacrificial bull played a role was that of the 1st–4th century Mithraic Mysteries . In the so-called " tauroctony " artwork of that cult ( cultus ), and which appears in all its temples, the god Mithras

4970-472: Is both a religious concept of life-force/power and the word for bull. Andrew Gordon, an Egyptologist, and Calvin Schwabe, a veterinarian, argue that the origin of the ankh is related to two other signs of uncertain origin that often appear alongside it: the was -sceptre , representing "power" or "dominion", and the djed pillar, representing "stability". According to this hypothesis, the form of each sign

5112-476: Is drawn from a part of the anatomy of a bull, like some other hieroglyphic signs that are known to be based on body parts of animals. In Egyptian belief semen was connected with life and, to some extent, with "power" or "dominion", and some texts indicate the Egyptians believed semen originated in the bones. Therefore, Calvin and Schwabe suggest the signs are based on parts of the bull's anatomy through which semen

5254-465: Is evil but gets rid of the sacred stone of Baal. After the death of Ahab, the king of Moab refused to continue paying tribute to Israel, so Joram teams up with Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom to put down the rebellion. They attack through the Desert of Edom but soon run out of water. They ask Elisha for advice. He first makes it very clear that he is only doing this for Jehoshaphat's sake and then calls for

5396-635: Is hazardous to project Greek tradition directly into the Bronze Age ." Only one Minoan image of a bull-headed man has been found, a tiny Minoan sealstone currently held in the Archaeological Museum of Chania . In the Classical period of Greece, the bull and other animals identified with deities were separated as their agalma , a kind of heraldic show-piece that concretely signified their numinous presence. The religious practices of

5538-470: Is not Ahab. Ahab is hit between the plates of his armour by a random Aramean arrow. He withdraws from the battle and dies that evening. He is buried, his chariot is washed in a pool where prostitutes bathe, and his blood is licked by dogs. Ahab's son Ahaziah succeeds him. Jehoshaphat has been a good king his entire reign, following the example of his father Asa. He has not destroyed the high places, but he has kept peace with Israel. He has also gotten rid of

5680-457: Is part of God's plan. Zedekiah slaps him, leading Michaiah to prophesy impending destruction, and Ahab tells his jailer to put Michaiah in prison with no food or water until Ahab returns safely. Ahab and Jehoshaphat begin their campaign, agreeing that Ahab will be disguised while Jehoshaphat will wear his royal robes. The Arameans, being under instructions to kill no one except Ahab, begin pursuing Jehoshaphat but cease their pursuit when they see he

5822-597: Is primarily located in Exodus ;32:4 where "gods" is plural despite the construction of a single calf. The episode of the golden calf is also mentioned in the New Testament , by the apostle Paul , in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 , as a warning against idolatry. "Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were... ." Scholars are divided on other intertextual references to

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5964-419: Is seen to slay a sacrificial bull. Although there has been a great deal of speculation on the subject, the myth (i.e. the "mystery", the understanding of which was the basis of the cult) that the scene was intended to represent remains unknown. Because the scene is accompanied by a great number of astrological allusions, the bull is generally assumed to represent the constellation of Taurus . The basic elements of

6106-706: Is speaking to him, Nathan enters and explains the full situation to David. David reaffirms his promise that Solomon will be king after him and arranges for him to be anointed at the Gihon Spring . The anointing is performed by Zadok the priest. Following this, the population of Jerusalem proclaims Solomon king. This is heard by Adonijah and his fellow feasters, but they do not know what is happening until Abiathar's son Jonathan arrives and informs them. With Solomon officially enthroned, Adonijah fears for his life and claims sanctuary ; Solomon decides to spare him unless he does something evil. David advises his son on how to be

6248-566: Is specially associated to the feast of Saint Charalambos . This practice of kourbania has been repeatedly criticized by church authorities. The ox is the symbol of Luke the Evangelist . Among the Visigoths , the oxen pulling the wagon with the corpse of Saint Emilian lead to the correct burial site ( San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja ). Taurus ( Latin for "the Bull") is one of

6390-528: Is succeeded by his son Ahab , who himself overtakes Omri in his evilness. Upon his marriage to Jezebel , daughter of Ethbaal , king of Sidon , he introduces the worship of Baal, building him a temple and setting up an Asherah pole. Meanwhile, a nobleman named Hiel of Bethel activates the curse proclaimed by Joshua by rebuilding Jericho , resulting in the death of his oldest and youngest sons. A new prophet arises in Israel, named Elijah , who informs Ahab of

6532-731: Is succeeded by his son Rehoboam . Rehoboam travels to Shechem to be proclaimed king. Upon hearing this, Jeroboam returns from Egypt and joins Rehoboam's older advisors in asking for the people to be treated better than under Solomon. Instead, Rehoboam turns to his friends for advice, and proclaims that he will treat the people worse. This greatly displeases the Israelites. When he sends a new minister of forced labour named Adoniram , they stone him to death. Rehoboam returns to safety in Jerusalem. The Israelites proclaim Jeroboam king. Judah remains loyal to Rehoboam, and he also controls Benjamin. From these two tribes, Rehoboam amasses an army to attack

6674-491: Is surprisingly successful, and Baasha must withdraw from Ramah , leading Asa to issue a decree that Ramah's fortifications be taken down and used to build Geba and Mizpah . Asa dies an old man and is succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat . Back in Israel , Nadab is on the throne. Like his father, he is evil. Baasha, son of an Issacharite named Ahijah, plots to kill him and succeeds in a sneak attack, taking him by surprise during

6816-527: Is the subject of various other cultural and religious incarnations as well as modern mentions in New Age cultures. Aurochs are depicted in many Paleolithic European cave paintings such as those found at Lascaux and Livernon in France. Their life force may have been thought to have magical qualities, for early carvings of the aurochs have also been found. The impressive and dangerous aurochs survived into

6958-746: The Ark of the Covenant into the Temple. A cloud fills the Temple, preventing the priests from continuing the ceremony. Solomon explains that this is the presence of God, and takes the opportunity to make a dedication speech . The dedication is completed with sacrifices, and a celebration is held for fourteen days. God speaks to Solomon and accepts his prayer, re-affirming his vow to David that his House will be kings forever unless they begin worshipping idols. Solomon gives twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram as thanks for his help, but they are virtually worthless. He begins building and improvement works in various cities in addition to his major projects in Jerusalem and puts

7100-568: The Biblical episode wherein an idol of the golden calf ( Hebrew : עֵגֶּל הַזָהָב ) is made by Aaron and worshipped by the Hebrews in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula ( Book of Exodus ). The text of the Hebrew Bible can be understood to refer to the idol as representing a separate god, or as representing Yahweh himself, perhaps through an association or religious syncretism with Egyptian or Levantine bull gods, rather than

7242-591: The Canaanites , some of whom would become the Israelites , the bull was widely worshipped as the sacred bull and the creature of El . When Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments ( Exodus 24:12–18 ), he left the Israelites for forty days and nights . The Israelites feared that he would not return and demanded that Aaron make them "a god who shall go before us". Aaron told

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7384-583: The Deuteronomistic history , a history of ancient Israel also including the books of Joshua , Judges , and Samuel . Biblical commentators believe the Books of Kings mixes legends, folktales, miracle stories and "fictional constructions" in with the annals for the purpose of providing a theological explanation for the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah by Babylon in c. 586 BC and to provide

7526-654: The Donn Cuailnge and the Finnbhennach are prized bulls that play a central role in the epic Táin Bó Cúailnge ("The Cattle Raid of Cooley"). Early medieval Irish texts also mention the tarbfeis (bull feast), a shamanistic ritual in which a bull would be sacrificed and a seer would sleep in the bull's hide to have a vision of the future king. Pliny the Elder , writing in the first century AD, describes

7668-537: The Iberian Peninsula and southern France are connected with the legends of Saturnin of Toulouse and his protégé in Pamplona , Fermin . These are inseparably linked to bull-sacrifices by the vivid manner of their martyrdoms set by Christian hagiography in the third century. In some Christian traditions, Nativity scenes are carved or assembled at Christmas time. Many show a bull or an ox near

7810-776: The Iron Age in Anatolia and the Near East and were worshipped throughout that area as sacred animals; the earliest remnants of bull worship can be found at neolithic Çatalhöyük . The Sumerian guardian deity called lamassu was depicted as hybrids with bodies of either winged bulls or lions and heads of human males. The motif of a winged animal with a human head is common to the Near East, first recorded in Ebla around 3000 BCE. The first distinct lamassu motif appeared in Assyria during

7952-638: The Janapada kingdoms, and continued by the Magadhan and Mauryan empires. In additional to the bull, many karshapana contain taurine symbols of the mark left by the bulls hoof, also referred to as a nandipada (Nandi's foot) symbol which appears in Vedic, Hindu, Jain and Iranic iconography. Kushan empire (c.30-275 CE) coins and those of the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom (230-365) depict

8094-465: The Pharaoh's daughter . After this, he continues the ancient practice of travelling between the high places and offering sacrifices. When he is at Gibeon , God speaks to him in a dream and offers him anything he asks for. Solomon, being young, asks for "an understanding heart to judge" (שָׁפַט). God is pleased and grants him not only "a wise...heart" ( חכם ), but also wealth, honor, and longevity, on

8236-520: The Puranas as the primary vahana (mount) and the principal gana (follower) of Shiva . Nandi figures depicted as a seated bull are present at Shiva temples throughout the world. The humpbacked Zebu bull ( bos indicus ) appears on the coinage of the Indian subcontinent from the Iron Age to the modern day. Bull symbols appear regularly on silver karshapana , or punchmarked coins, first issued by

8378-515: The Rathore dynasty on copper and billon (alloy) coins. Upon independence from colonial rule, the bull reappeared in modern coins of the Indian rupee on the reverse of the 2 Anna coin in 1950. Kao (bull) , a supernatural divine bull, appears in ancient Meitei mythology and folklore of Ancient Manipur ( Kangleipak ). In the legend of the Khamba Thoibi epic, Nongban Kongyamba ,

8520-613: The Roman Empire of the 2nd to 4th centuries included the taurobolium , in which a bull was sacrificed for the well-being of the people and the state. Around the mid-2nd century, the practice became identified with the worship of Magna Mater , but was not previously associated only with that cult ( cultus ). Public taurobolia, enlisting the benevolence of Magna Mater on behalf of the emperor, became common in Italy and Gaul, Hispania and Africa. The last public taurobolium for which there

8662-533: The constellations of the zodiac , which means it is crossed by the plane of the ecliptic . Taurus is a large and prominent constellation in the northern hemisphere 's winter sky. It is one of the oldest constellations, dating back to at least the Early Bronze Age when it marked the location of the Sun during the spring equinox . Its importance to the agricultural calendar influenced various bull figures in

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8804-778: The sacred stag , survived in Hurrian and Hittite mythology as Seri and Hurri ("Day" and "Night"), the bulls who carried the weather god Teshub on their backs or in his chariot and grazed on the ruins of cities. Bulls were a central theme in the Minoan civilization , with bull heads and bull horns used as symbols in the Knossos palace. Minoan frescos and ceramics depict bull-leaping , in which participants of both sexes vaulted over bulls by grasping their horns. The Iranian language texts and traditions of Zoroastrianism have several different mythological bovine creatures. One of these

8946-422: The sixth day of the moon ….Hailing the moon in a native word that means ' healing all things ,' they prepare a ritual sacrifice and banquet beneath a tree and bring up two white bulls, whose horns are bound for the first time on this occasion. A priest arrayed in white vestments climbs the tree and, with a golden sickle , cuts down the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloak . Then finally they kill

9088-424: The Bull and seized it by the horns. The Bull of Heaven foamed in his face, it brushed him with the thick of its tail. Enkidu cried to Gilgamesh, "My friend we boasted that we would leave enduring names behind us. Now thrust your sword between the nape and the horns." So Gilgamesh followed the Bull, he seized the thick of its tail, he thrust the sword between the nape and the horns and slew the Bull. When they had killed

9230-437: The Bull of Heaven I will break in the doors of hell and smash the bolts; there will be a confusion of people, those above with those from the lower depths. I shall bring up the dead to eat food like the living; and the hosts of the dead will outnumber the living." Anu said to great Ishtar, "If I do what you desire there will be seven years of drought throughout Uruk when corn will be seedless husks. Have you saved grain enough for

9372-409: The Bull of Heaven they cut out its heart and gave it to Shamash , and the brothers rested. In Ancient Egypt multiple sacred bulls were worshiped. A long succession of ritually perfect bulls were identified by the god's priests, housed in the temple for their lifetime, then embalmed and buried. The mother-cows of these animals were also revered, and buried in separate locations. Ka , in Egyptian,

9514-708: The Gospel personification of idolatry of wealth, is not so current. Sacred bull Cattle are prominent in some religions and mythologies . As such, numerous peoples throughout the world have at one point in time honored bulls as sacred. In the Sumerian religion , Marduk is the "bull of Utu ". In Hinduism , Shiva 's steed is Nandi , the Bull. The sacred bull survives in the constellation Taurus . The bull , whether lunar as in Mesopotamia or solar as in India,

9656-423: The Iranian god Wēś beside a bull, sometimes holding a trident and beside a Nandipada symbol. The silver "bull and horseman" Jital of the Kabul or Hindu Shahi (850-1000) depicts a recumbent bull with a trishula on rump and the Nāgarī script legend above: "Sri Samanta Deva (Radiant Samanta the God). This design was copied by later Rajput dynasties including the Tomaras of Delhi , the Chauhan dynasty and

9798-399: The Israelites and that he was afraid of being killed, he explained "Son of my mother, indeed this people thought me to be weak, and they were about to kill me. So do not let the enemies gloat over me, and do not take me with the wrongdoing lot." Moses realized his helplessness in the situation, and both prayed to God for forgiveness. According to Qur’anic sources Moses then questioned Samiri for

9940-413: The Israelites are overwhelmed by great wrath and withdraw. Elisha meets a widow whose creditors are threatening to take her two sons into slavery as payment. When he finds out the only other thing she has is a small jar of olive oil, he tells her to go and ask all her neighbours for jars. He tells her to pour oil into the jars, and it holds out until every jar is filled. Elisha finally tells her to sell

10082-401: The Israelites that Aaron was to lead them. The Israelites grew restless, since Moses had not returned to them, and after thirty days, a man the Quran names as Samiri raised doubts among the Israelites. Samiri claimed that Moses had forsaken the Israelites and ordered his followers among the Israelites to light a fire and bring him all the jewelry and gold ornaments they had. Samiri fashioned

10224-452: The Israelites were up to back in camp, that they had turned aside quickly from the way which God commanded them and he was going to destroy them and start a new people from Moses. Moses pleaded that they should be spared "And yhwh renounced the punishment planned for God’s people." ( Exodus 32:11–14 ) Moses went down from the mountain; upon seeing the calf, he became angry and threw down the two Tablets of Stone , breaking them. Moses burnt

10366-554: The Israelites' to bring their golden earrings and ornaments in order to stall for time, constructed a "golden calf" and he declared, "'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!'" ( Exodus 32:1–4 ). Aaron built an altar before the calf and proclaimed the next day to be a feast to yhwh (again in order to stall for time). "Early next day, the people offered up burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being ; they sat down to eat and drink, and then rose to dance." ( Exodus 32:6 ) yhwh told Moses what

10508-465: The Jews , the Conservative rabbi and scholar Louis Ginzberg wrote that the worship of the golden calf was the disastrous consequence for Israel who took a mixed multitude in their exodus from Egypt. Had not the mixed multitude joined them, Israel would not have been misled to worship this molten idol. The form of the calf itself came from a magical virtue of an ornament leaf with the image of

10650-504: The Jordan, where fifty prophets are. Elijah strikes the water with his cloak, the water divides, and the pair cross over. Elijah asks what Elisha wants when he is gone, and Elisha asks for a double portion of his spirit, which Elijah says will be given to him if he watches him go. Suddenly, a fiery horse-drawn chariot takes Elijah and he ascends to heaven in a whirlwind. After mourning, Elisha picks up Elijah's cloak and himself uses it to part

10792-496: The Jordan. This leads the other prophets to recognise him as Elijah's successor, and offer to look for Elijah, an offer which Elisha refuses. They persist but, naturally, are unable to find him. As Elisha's first task, he throws salt into a spring in Jericho, resolving the locals' water problem by purifying the water. When Elisha leaves for Bethel, some boys start jeering him on account of his baldness. Bears come and maul them. Joram

10934-525: The Kingdom of Israel (North) of identifying Yahweh with a bull. The cult of the bull was rooted in Palestine from pre-Israelite times, as attested by the archaeological find of a bronze bull in the sanctuary of the acropolis of Jasor dated to the late Bronze Age. A bronze bull has also been found in an Israelite sanctuary east of Tel Dothan , in the mountains of Samaria, dated to around the 11th century BCE. Albertz says that when we read in 1 Kings 12:28 that

11076-518: The Last Sun "He the mighty bull who with his seven reins let loose the seven rivers to flow, who with his thunderbolt in his hand hurled down Ruhina as he was climbing up to the sky, he my people is Indra." — Who is Indra? "I send praise to the high bull, tawny and white. I bow low to the radiant one. We praise the dreaded name of Rudra." — Rudra, father of the Maruts. Nandi later appears in

11218-626: The Levant; two examples are the 16th century BCE (Middle Bronze Age) bull calf from Ashkelon , and the 12th century BCE (Iron Age I) bull found at the so-called Bull Site in Samaria on the West Bank . Both Baʿal and El were associated with the bull in Ugaritic texts, as it symbolized both strength and fertility. Exodus 32:4 reads "He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with

11360-654: The Queen gifts and she returns to her country. Solomon by now has 666 talents of gold, and decides to forge shields and cups. He also maintains trading relations with Hiram, from whose country he receives many exotic goods. Overall, Israel becomes a net exporter of golden goods. Solomon amasses 700 wives and 300 concubines, many from foreign countries, including from countries God told the Israelites not to intermarry with. Solomon begins to adopt elements from their religions, and builds shrines in Jerusalem to foreign deities. God informs Solomon that because he has broken his commandments,

11502-548: The Siege of Gibbethon , a Philistine city. He then proceeds to kill Jeroboam's whole family, fulfilling the prophecy of Ahijah the prophet. However, Baasha commits the same sins as Jeroboam. God therefore informs the prophet Jehu that he will also end the House of Baasha . Baasha dies and is succeeded by his son Elah , who soon falls victim to a plot led by his charioteer Zimri . Zimri becomes king after Elah's killing, and fulfills

11644-523: The ancient sacred bull of Marathon (the "Marathonian bull") before he faced the Minotaur (Greek for "Bull of Minos"), who the Greeks imagined as a man with the head of a bull at the center of the labyrinth . Minotaur was fabled to be born of the Queen and a bull, bringing the king to build the labyrinth to hide his family's shame. Living in solitude made the boy wild and ferocious, unable to be tamed or beaten. Yet Walter Burkert 's constant warning is, "It

11786-522: The arrival of Jeroboam's wife. Ahijah prophesies the end of the House of Jeroboam , beginning with the death of Abijah, who will be the only member of the royal house to be buried. He prophesies that a usurper king will arise who will accomplish this. Jeroboam dies, and is succeeded by his son Nadab . Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Judah , the people set up high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles to foreign gods, and even allow male temple prostitution . The pharaoh Shishak sacks Jerusalem and takes all

11928-427: The baby Jesus , lying in a manger. Traditional songs of Christmas often tell of the bull and the donkey warming the infant with their breath. This refers (or, at least, is referred) to the beginning of the book of the prophet Isaiah, where he says: "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib." (Isaiah 1:3) Oxen are some of the animals sacrificed by Greek Orthodox believers in some villages of Greece. It

12070-530: The bull which is made by Aaron. The devotion of Israel to this worship of the calf was partly explained by a circumstance at passing through the Red Sea , when they beheld the most distinct creature about the Celestial Throne which is the resemblance of ox, then they thought it was an ox who had helped God in their journey from Egypt. After seeing Hur , son of Miriam , who was carelessly murdered by

12212-466: The bull without killing it was not an easy task, Khamba's motherly sister Khamnu disclosed to Khamba the secrets of the bull, by means of which the animal could be captured. In Cyprus , bull masks made from real skulls were worn in rites . Bull-masked terracotta figurines and Neolithic bull-horned stone altars have been found in Cyprus. Bull figurines are common finds on archaeological sites across

12354-504: The condition that Solomon is righteous like his father David. Solomon returns to Jerusalem and holds a feast for his servants in front of the Ark of the Covenant . After the Judgment of Solomon amazes the Israelites, he appoints a cabinet and reorganizes the governance of Israel at a local level. The nation of Israel prospers and Solomon's provisions increase. Over a period of seven years, Solomon works to fulfill David's vow of building

12496-475: The creation of the golden calf; Samiri justified his actions by stating that he had thrown the dust of the ground upon which Gabriel had tread on into the fire because his soul had suggested it to him. Moses informed him that he would be banished and that they would burn the golden calf and spread its dust into the sea. Moses ordered seventy delegates to repent to God and pray for forgiveness. The delegates traveled alongside Moses to Mount Sinai, where they witnessed

12638-500: The earliest collection of Vedic hymns (c. 1500-1000 BCE), Indra is often praised as a Bull (Vṛṣabha – vrsa (he) plus bha (being) or as uksan , a bull aged five to nine years, which is still growing or just reached its full growth). The bull is an icon of power and virile strength in Aryan literature and other Indo-European traditions. Vrsha means "to shower or to spray", in this context Indra showers strength and virility. Vṛṣabha

12780-479: The earth , and on whose back men could travel from one region to another. In medieval times, Hadhayans also came to be known as Srīsōk (Avestan * Thrisaok , "three burning places"), which derives from a legend in which three "Great Fires" were collected on the creature's back. Yet another mythological bovine is that of the unnamed creature in the Cow's Lament , an allegorical hymn attributed to Zoroaster himself, in which

12922-635: The entire kingdom except one tribe will be taken away from his son. At the same time, Solomon begins to amass enemies. A young prince named Hadad who managed to escape Joab's attempted genocide of the Edomites, hears Joab and David are dead, and returns to Edom to lead his people. Meanwhile, to the north, the Syrian king Rezon , whose Zobahite army was defeated by David, allies himself with Hadad and causes havoc for Israel from his base in Damascus . On

13064-506: The famine is over. Soon, the widow's son becomes ill and dies. At the widow's insistence, Elijah raises him from the dead. Three years later, God tells Elijah to return to Ahab because the drought is coming to an end. On the way, Elijah meets his administrator Obadiah , who was hiding prophets during Jezebel's persecutions, and asks him to tell Ahab of his arrival. Seeking to end the worship of Baal for good, Elijah tells Ahab to invite four hundred priests of Baal and four hundred of Asherah to

13206-464: The first and most important of them, and forsook God to worship idols. Saint Paul calls lust and covetousness idolatry. Whenever a man loves anything more than he loves God, he is guilty of idolatry." The incident of the worship of the golden calf is narrated in the second chapter of the Quran , named Al-Baqarah , and other works of Islamic literature . The Quran narrates that after they refused to enter

13348-492: The first monarch of the northern kingdom, Jeroboam, had introduced the worship of golden calves in Bethel and Dan, we must interpret that what Jeroboam really does is to return to the traditional Israelite religion, as opposed to the syncretistic innovations introduced by David and Solomon in centralizing the cult in Jerusalem. According to Michael Coogan , it seems that the golden calf was not an idol for another god, and thus

13490-595: The gold into a golden calf along with the dust on which the angel Gabriel had trodden, which he proclaimed to be the God of Moses and the God who had guided them out of Egypt. There is a sharp contrast between the Quranic and the biblical accounts of the prophet Aaron's actions. The Quran mentions that Aaron attempted to guide and warn the people from worshipping the golden calf. However, the Israelites refused to stop until Moses had returned. The righteous separated themselves from

13632-419: The golden calf in a fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on water, and forced the Israelites to drink it. When Moses asked him, Aaron admitted to collecting the gold and throwing it into the fire; he said it came out as a calf. ( Exodus 32:21–24 ) The Bible records that the tribe of Levi did not worship the golden calf. Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for YHWH, come here!” Then all

13774-461: The golden calf in the Torah , notably the ordeal of the bitter water in the Book of Numbers 5:17–24. Specific elements of the ritual, such as the powder mixed into water and being forced to drink, echo similar language in the aftermath of Moses punishing Israel at the end of the narrative. According to 1 Kings 12:26–30 , after Jeroboam establishes the northern Kingdom of Israel , he contemplates

13916-553: The golden calf that the greater part of the people lost the right to priesthood, except the tribe of Levi as the only tribe who remained faithful to God and did not partake in this sinful deed. According to Nachman of Breslov , everyone contributed to the building of the Tabernacle , and the contribution that each Jew made was his or her good points. Thus, the Tabernacle was built by the good points found in each person; this

14058-577: The home front, Jeroboam , who supervised the building of Solomon's palace terraces and the reconstruction of the city walls, encounters the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite on the road out of Jerusalem. Ahijah tears his cloak into twelve parts and gives ten of them to Jeroboam, saying that Jeroboam will rule over ten tribes of Israel upon Solomon's death as punishment for Solomon's idol worship. In response, Solomon tries to kill Jeroboam, but he flees to Egypt. Solomon dies after having reigned for forty years and

14200-576: The king to travel in an attempt to have his leprosy cured. He travels first to the king of Israel, but is eventually called by Elisha, who sends a messenger to tell him to wash seven times in the Jordan. He does what Elisha told him to and his leprosy is cured. Naaman offers Elisha a gift of thanks, but Elisha refuses. Naaman contents himself with taking earth back to Damascus in order to build an altar to God and asking God's forgiveness for when he has to participate in Aramean religious rituals when accompanying

14342-412: The king. As Naaman is leaving Gehazi catches up with him and lies about prophets arriving so that at least he can get a gift. As punishment for this, Elisha curses him to become leprous. Several other prophets begin complaining that their meeting place with Elisha is too small, so he agrees to allow them to build a new one on the banks of the Jordan. During the building, someone's borrowed axehead falls in

14484-466: The matter, but preserved the negativity associated with the calf. Alternatively it could be said that there is no golden calf story in the J source, and if it is correct that the Jeroboam story was the original as stated by Friedman, then it is unlikely that the golden calf events as described in Exodus occurred at all. Friedman states that the smashing of the Ten Commandments by Moses when he beheld

14626-441: The men of Levi rallied to him. He said to them, "Thus says yhwh , the God of Israel: Each of you put sword on thigh, go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay sibling, neighbor, and kin." The men of Levi did as Moses had bidden; and some three thousand of the people fell that day. And Moses said, "Dedicate yourselves to yhwh this day—for each of you has been against blood relations—that [God] may bestow

14768-409: The mid-6th century BC. The Jerusalem Bible divides the two Books of Kings into eight sections: David is by now old, and so his attendants look for a virgin to look after him. They find Abishag , who looks after him but they do not have sexual relations. Adonijah , David's fourth son, born after Absalom , decides to claim the throne. With the support of Joab , David's general, and Abiathar ,

14910-534: The mythologies of Ancient Sumer , Akkad , Assyria , Babylon , Egypt , Greece , and Rome . In his book 'Robin Hood: Green Lord of the Wildwood' (2016), John Matthews interprets the scene from the ballad in which Sir Richard-at-Lee awards, for the love of Robin Hood , a prize of a white bull to the winner of a wrestling match as seeming 'to hark back to an ancient time when the presentation of such

15052-401: The new king of Aram, raises an army and sends messengers demanding all Ahab's gold and silver, and the best of his wives and children. While agreeing to this demand, after consulting his advisors he decides not to accept a follow-up demand requesting anything else of value in his palace or his officials' houses. In response to this situation, Ben-Hadad attacks Samaria. At this point, Ahab receives

15194-667: The north, but the prophet Shemaiah prevents the war. Back in Shechem, Jeroboam becomes worried about the possible return of his tribes to loyalty to the House of David, and decides the best way to prevent this is to stop them worshipping the God of Israel , since he considers the point at which they are most likely to defect to be when they travel to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. To this end, he sets up golden calves at altars at Bethel and Dan and appoints his own priests and festivals. One day,

15336-412: The northern kingdom. When E and J (Judah source) were combined after the fall of northern kingdom, "the narrative was reworked to portray the northern kingdom in a negative light," and the worship of the calf was depicted as "polytheism, with the suggestion of a sexual orgy" (see Exodus 32:6). When compiling the narratives, P (a later Priest source from Jerusalem) may have minimized Aaron's guilt in

15478-404: The oil, pay the creditors and live off the rest. He then moves on to Shunem , where a woman invites him to eat and soon decides to build a room for use whenever he passes through. His servant Gehazi informs him that she has no son, so Elisha tells her that she will have a child within a year, as payment for her kindness. One day, the child is helping his father's reapers when he complains of

15620-452: The one in the city Bethel , and the other in Dan ...and he put the heifers into both the little temples in the aforementioned cities." Richard Elliott Friedman says "at a minimum we can say that the writer of the golden calf account in Exodus seems to have taken the words that were traditionally ascribed to Jeroboam and placed them in the mouths of the people." Friedman believes that the story

15762-484: The original, so at least it cannot be ruled out. In the chronology of Exodus the commandment against the creation of graven images had not yet been given to the people when they pressed upon Aaron to help them make the calf, and that such behavior was not yet explicitly outlawed. Another understanding of the golden calf narrative is that the calf was meant to be the pedestal of Yahweh. In Near Eastern art, gods were often depicted standing on an animal, rather than seated on

15904-416: The pagans. God informed Moses that He had tested the Israelites in his absence and that they had failed by worshipping the golden calf. Returning to the Israelites in great anger, Moses asked Aaron why he had not stopped the Israelites when he had seen them worshipping the golden calf. The Quran reports that Aaron stated that he did not act due to the fear that Moses would blame him for causing divisions among

16046-566: The people and grass for the cattle?" Ishtar replied "I have saved grain for the people, grass for the cattle."...When Anu heard what Ishtar had said he gave her the Bull of Heaven to lead by the halter down to Uruk. When they reached the gates of Uruk the Bull of Heaven went to the river; with his first snort cracks opened in the earth and a hundred young men fell down to death. With his second snort cracks opened and two hundred fell down to death. With his third snort cracks opened, Enkidu doubled over but instantly recovered, he dodged aside and leapt onto

16188-430: The people following his rebuke of their ingratitude action to God, Aaron was willing rather to take a sin upon himself to make an idol than to cast the burden of an evil deed upon the people if they commit so terrible sin of killing a priest and prophet among them. Also there would be among the Israelites no priestly caste , and the nation would have been a nation of priests only if Israel had not sinned through worshiping

16330-416: The people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan . And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other. His concern was that the tendency to offer sacrifices in Jerusalem, which is in the southern Kingdom of Judah , would lead to

16472-483: The priest, he begins a coronation procession. He begins the festivities by offering sacrifices at En Rogel in the presence of his brothers and the royal officials, but does not invite Nathan the prophet ; Benanaiah , captain of the king's bodyguard, or the bodyguard itself; or even his own brother Solomon . Nathan comes to Bathsheba , Solomon's mother, and informs her what is going on. She goes to David and reminds him that he said Solomon would be his successor. As she

16614-400: The promised land, God decreed that as punishment the Israelites would wander for forty years. Moses continued to lead the Israelites to Mount Sinai for divine guidance. According to Islamic literature, God ordered Moses to fast for forty nights before receiving the guidance for the Israelites. When Moses completed the fasts, he approached God for guidance. During this time, Moses had instructed

16756-423: The prophecy of Jehu; however, Zimri's army now proclaims its commander Omri as king and returns to Tirzah to lay siege to it. Seeing he is losing, Zimri sets fire to the palace. The start of Omri's reign faces factionalism, with half his subjects supporting Tibni , son of Gibnath as king. He buys the hill of Shemer, upon which he builds the city of Samaria . However, he is the worst king yet. When he dies, he

16898-432: The reason they lost was because God lives in the hills, leading them to attack Aphek , a city on the plains, the following spring. In response to this, God agrees to give the Israelites another victory to demonstrate his omnipresence. After a disastrous first day, Ben-Hadad sends messengers to Ahab, begging him to spare him. Ahab sends for Ben-Hadad, who offers to return the land his father took from Israel. The two kings sign

17040-453: The reign of Tiglath-Pileser II as a symbol of power. " The human-headed winged bulls protective genies called shedu or lamassu, ... were placed as guardians at certain gates or doorways of the city and the palace. Symbols combining man, bull, and bird, they offered protection against enemies. " The bull was also associated with the storm and rain god Adad, Hadad or Iškur. The bull was his symbolic animal. He appeared bearded, often holding

17182-464: The remaining Canaanites into slavery. Solomon builds a navy. The Queen of Sheba hears of Solomon's wisdom and travels to Jerusalem to meet him. Upon arriving, she praises him, saying she did not fully believe the stories about Solomon until she came to see him. The Queen gives Solomon 120 talents and a large amount of spices and precious stones, prompting Hiram to send a large amount of valuable wood and precious stones in response. Solomon also gives

17324-463: The remaining male temple prostitutes and there is now a provincial governor rather than a king in Edom. He has built a merchant navy, but it was wrecked at Ezion-Geber . Ahaziah suggests they join forces in this regard, but Jehoshaphat refuses. He dies and is succeeded by his son Jehoram . Ahaziah does evil and allows the idol worship which flourished under his father to continue. Ahaziah falls through

17466-408: The river but miraculously floats. By this point, Aram is back at war with Israel. Elisha warns the king of Israel where the Arameans are camped several times, frustrating the king of Aram, who seeks him out. One morning, Elisha wakes up to find Dothan , the city where he is staying, surrounded by Arameans. His servant is frightened, until Elisha shows him the angels protecting them. He then prays that

17608-421: The royal and Temple treasures, including Solomon's gold shields, prompting Rehoboam to make bronze ones to replace them. Rehoboam dies and is succeeded by his son Abijah , a grandson of Absalom . Abijah is as bad as his father, but God continues to protect him and his family because of the promise He made to David. When Abijah dies, he is succeeded by his son Asa . Asa, in contrast to his father and grandfather,

17750-499: The sacrifice. Elijah orders the priests of Baal be killed, and informs Ahab of the coming rain. Climbing to the top of the mountain, Elijah sends his servant to look out to sea. After returning seven times, the servant eventually sees a small cloud rising far out at sea. Elijah tells the servant to inform Ahab to return to Jezreel in his chariot, while Elijah manages to run ahead of him. When she hears what has happened, Jezebel threatens to kill Elijah, causing him to run for his life. In

17892-410: The sacrificial practices of the Israelites. Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the L ORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam." After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to

18034-457: The sin of idolatry or polytheism . Shirk is the deification or worship of anyone or anything other than God ( Allah in Arabic) or more literally the establishment of "partners" placed beside God, a most serious sin. Current historiography considers that this episode was introduced into the Exodus account in the time of Josiah (late 7th century BCE) or later to discredit the custom rooted in

18176-470: The soul of a bovine ( geush urvan ) despairs over her lack of protection from an adequate herdsman. In the allegory, the cow represents humanity's lack of moral guidance, but in later Zoroastrianism, Geush Urvan became a yazata representing cattle . The 14th day of the month is named after her and is under her protection. Bulls appear on seals from the Indus Valley civilisation . In The Rig Veda ,

18318-454: The speech between him and God but refused to believe until they had witnessed God with their sight. As punishment, God struck the delegates with lightning and killed them with a violent earthquake. Moses prayed to God for their forgiveness. God forgave and resurrected them and they continued on their journey. In the Islamic view, the calf-worshipers' sin had been shirk ( Arabic : شرك ),

18460-483: The storm, lion of heaven. The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh depicts the horrors of the rage-fueled deployment of the Bull of Heaven by Ishtar and its slaughter by Gilgamesh and Enkidu as an act of defiance that seals their fates: Ishtar opened her mouth and said again, "My father, give me the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh. Fill Gilgamesh, I say, with arrogance to his destruction; but if you refuse to give me

18602-538: The tabernacle, Solomon instructs Benaiah to kill him there. He then replaces Joab with Benaiah and Abiathar with Zadok. Solomon then instructs Shimei ben Gera , the Benjaminite who cursed David as he was fleeing from Absalom, to move to Jerusalem and not to leave. One day, two of Shimei's slaves run away to Gath and Shimei pursues them. When he returns to Jerusalem, Solomon has him put to death for leaving Jerusalem. Solomon makes an alliance with Egypt and marries

18744-414: The tauroctony scene were originally associated with Nike , the Greek goddess of victory. Macrobius lists the bull as an animal sacred to the god Neto/Neito , possibly being sacrifices to the deity. Tarvos Trigaranus (the "bull with three cranes") is pictured on ancient Gaulish reliefs alongside images of gods, such as in the cathedrals at Trier and at Notre Dame de Paris . In Irish mythology ,

18886-484: The top of Mount Carmel . There, he upbraids the people for their duplicity, telling them to choose either worship of the God of Israel or of Baal. He then proposes a challenge: he and the priests will each prepare a sacrifice, and then call upon their respective gods to send fire to burn it. When the priests attempt to call down fire, none comes. On the other hand, despite having the Israelites pour much water over his altar, when Elijah prays for fire God sends it, accepting

19028-691: The victims, praying to a god to render his gift propitious to those on whom he has bestowed it. They believe that mistletoe given in drink will impart fertility to any animal that is barren and that it is an antidote to all poisons. Bull sacrifices at the time of the Lughnasa festival were recorded as late as the 18th century at Cois Fharraige in Ireland (where they were offered to Crom Dubh ) and at Loch Maree in Scotland (where they were offered to Saint Máel Ruba ). The practice of bullfighting in

19170-483: The vineyard and that his descendants and Jezebel will be wiped out. This has marked the peak of Ahab's evilness, and indeed the evilness of any king of Israel. Ahab repents, so God allows the disaster Elijah prophesied to come during the reign of his son instead. Three years pass with peace between Aram and Israel. Aram still possesses Ramoth-Gilead and, when Jehoshaphat agrees for the Judahite army to accompany him on

19312-404: The wilderness near Beersheba , Elijah, fed up, asks God to kill him. Instead, an angel supplies him with food, which gives him the strength to continue a further forty days until he reaches Mount Horeb , where he falls asleep in a cave. When Elijah wakes up, God tells him He is about to pass by. An earthquake occurs and a fire starts, but neither contain God. Instead, God appears in the form of

19454-438: The wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. The language suggests that there are some inconsistencies in the other accounts of the Israelites and their use of the calf. As the version in Exodus and 1 Kings are written by Deuteronomistic historians based in the southern Kingdom of Judah , there is a proclivity to expose the Israelites as unfaithful. The inconsistency

19596-532: The worship of the golden calf, is really an attempt to cast into doubt the validity of Judah's central shrine, the Ark of the Covenant . "The author of E, in fashioning the golden calf story, attacked both the Israelite and Judean religious establishments." A metaphoric interpretation emphasizes the "gold" part of "golden calf" to criticize the pursuit of wealth. This usage can be found in Spanish where Mammon ,

19738-417: Was so literally a heifer that she was stung by a gadfly, and it was in the form of a heifer that Zeus coupled with her. Zeus took over the earlier roles, and, in the form of a bull that came forth from the sea, abducted the high-born Phoenician Europa and brought her, significantly, to Crete. Dionysus was another god of resurrection who was strongly linked to the bull. In a worship hymn from Olympia , at

19880-826: Was sufficient to counteract the blemish of the golden calf. The "good points" are reflected in the "gold, silver and copper" that the Jews donated. The various colors of these metals reflect the Supernal Colors and the beauty of a person's good deeds. Justus Knecht gives two important moral points from the episode of the golden calf: 1) The Mercy of God. "The people of Israel had sinned horribly against God by their idolatry, and yet, at Moses’ intercession, He forgave them." 2) Idolatry. "The weak people were most ungrateful and faithless to God. The Lord had done such great things for them! Only forty days before, full of holy fear, they had heard His voice and had repeatedly promised obedience to His Commandments; and now they transgressed

20022-551: Was thought to pass: the ankh is a thoracic vertebra , the djed is the sacrum and lumbar vertebrae , and the was is the dried penis of the bull. We cannot recreate a specific context for the bull skulls with horns ( bucrania ) preserved in an 8th millennium BCE sanctuary at Çatalhöyük in Central Anatolia. The sacred bull of the Hattians , whose elaborate standards were found at Alaca Höyük alongside those of

20164-405: Was turned into a polemic , exaggerating the throne platform decoration into idolatry , by a family of priests sidelined by Jeroboam. The declarations of Aaron's people and Jeroboam are almost identical: After making the golden calf or golden calves, both Aaron and Jeroboam celebrate festivals. Aaron builds an altar and Jeroboam ascends an altar (Exod 32:5–6; 1 Kings 12:32–33). In Legends of

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