It was not a easy job leading slaves out of Egypt. Especially the ones that are used to commodification of life, the gold being it's symbolic manifestation. Of course, the gold is of no use if it doesn't have the exchange value for a cattle or Khorasan wheat (Kamut), einkorn, and emmer, but it takes a vampire-like all-persuasive form of exchange value. Buddha forbade such aggrandisement of wealth, but to no avail. So did Moses, "he freed the slaves from Egypt", like how Jesus tried and Mohammed did many centuries later, only for them to become rulers of India, a backward caste society, easy to be ruled over, who had their own Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, to lead them out of colonisation. Not easy this business of leading people, quite risky. Like Jesus and Mahatma found, love and peace are risky business, but what other choice we have?
"Whether we use the term Elohim or YDVH is largely determined by the source that fed which part of the story. "
I think you're missing another piece of the puzzle here. To my understanding "elohim" is NOT another name for the God of Israel. Yahweh is a proper name for Israel's God.
"Elohim" is more akin to a type of being rather than a proper name. It's like saying "Spiritual being". See: Samuel 28:13 (ESV): The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god (elohim) coming up out of the earth.” Sometimes translated as "ghostly figure" here, but it's still the word elohim.
That is, there are many "elohim" in the bible. Angels are considered elohim. Yahweh is an elohim. But he's THE Elohim. That's why there are phrases like Deuteronomy 10:17 that says "The LORD (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) is God (Elohim) of gods (elohim) and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome. And why the 1st commandment is "You shall have no other gods (elohim) before Me.”
No, I don't think so. The connection to breaking down the word "elohim" is one I was not familiar with and does provide a logical answer to the question "Why a golden calf?" Super interesting.
I just thought this part of the essay's focus on "Elohim" as a name for God somewhat distracting from the more interesting bits you were surfacing.
If I am not mistaken, the jewelry that the Israelites used to make the Golden Calf was previously owned by Egyptians, who gave it to the Israelites before they left Egypt. Moses told them to go ask their neighbors for jewelry, and the Egyptians were so happy they were leaving that they gave them a lot of free stuff. Egyptian culture worshipped all kind of nature gods, so it is ironic that the Israelites then used that gold to create an animal god
I think you are right on the jewelry since slaves wouldn't typically have any.
I wouldn't say ironic. It makes sense specifically considering the name.
What's also interesting is that the language of Genesis 1 is almost whole cloth identical to the Egyptian creation myths. The only difference was the God doing the work.
I read a commentary of Genesis by Dennis Prager, the Rational Bible series, and he emphasized how the plagues that afflicted Egypt were all specifically targeted at the power of the Egyptian gods. I can't remember everything, but the significance of the Nile turning to blood was that the Egyptians worshipped the Nile for its life-giving floods that irrigated their fields. Every plague was a huge middle finger to a specific god or gods--Hapi in the case of the Nile.
I've read the same. It makes a fascinating cultural, psychological, and sociological study on the origin story and separation from surrounding cultures.
An explanation I have heard while studying Exodus is that the Israelites, since they lived for so many generations in Egypt (since Joseph to Moses) they started worshiping the Egyptian gods. One of them is Apis, which is represented by a bull, so the golden calf would be close to this.
I've heard that one too. The thing is, that makes it sound MORE idolatrous. Realizing that Elohim was also represented by a Bull Ox I find facinating.
Also, in Genesis, the first chapter on the creation uses almost exclusivly egyption mythos language. The fundamental difference is like saying 'same same but different' because it was done by Elohim not on of the Egyption Pantheon.
Even now, when missionaries go to areas that don't speak english and have to translate the bible, they use the words that resonate with the people. For instance I read somewhere that one culture's word for god literally translated as 'the one who made my fingers' where as Elohim that we translate as God from Hebrew means yoked with a greater power.
Perhaps a more significant question is: Are we (today) making tools or idols? And yes, you actually do know the difference, so it needn't become a semantic debate
It was not a easy job leading slaves out of Egypt. Especially the ones that are used to commodification of life, the gold being it's symbolic manifestation. Of course, the gold is of no use if it doesn't have the exchange value for a cattle or Khorasan wheat (Kamut), einkorn, and emmer, but it takes a vampire-like all-persuasive form of exchange value. Buddha forbade such aggrandisement of wealth, but to no avail. So did Moses, "he freed the slaves from Egypt", like how Jesus tried and Mohammed did many centuries later, only for them to become rulers of India, a backward caste society, easy to be ruled over, who had their own Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, to lead them out of colonisation. Not easy this business of leading people, quite risky. Like Jesus and Mahatma found, love and peace are risky business, but what other choice we have?
We also have the similar looking Gold Mango of China:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/the-mao-mango-cult-of-1968/
This is an interesting snippet of history I was unaware of!
"Whether we use the term Elohim or YDVH is largely determined by the source that fed which part of the story. "
I think you're missing another piece of the puzzle here. To my understanding "elohim" is NOT another name for the God of Israel. Yahweh is a proper name for Israel's God.
"Elohim" is more akin to a type of being rather than a proper name. It's like saying "Spiritual being". See: Samuel 28:13 (ESV): The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god (elohim) coming up out of the earth.” Sometimes translated as "ghostly figure" here, but it's still the word elohim.
That is, there are many "elohim" in the bible. Angels are considered elohim. Yahweh is an elohim. But he's THE Elohim. That's why there are phrases like Deuteronomy 10:17 that says "The LORD (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) is God (Elohim) of gods (elohim) and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome. And why the 1st commandment is "You shall have no other gods (elohim) before Me.”
Good insight and one I'm familiar with. I don't think that changes the connection between Elohim as a yoke and a staff and the calf though does it?
No, I don't think so. The connection to breaking down the word "elohim" is one I was not familiar with and does provide a logical answer to the question "Why a golden calf?" Super interesting.
I just thought this part of the essay's focus on "Elohim" as a name for God somewhat distracting from the more interesting bits you were surfacing.
I just didn't have enough space to pull all the threads that I wanted.
If I am not mistaken, the jewelry that the Israelites used to make the Golden Calf was previously owned by Egyptians, who gave it to the Israelites before they left Egypt. Moses told them to go ask their neighbors for jewelry, and the Egyptians were so happy they were leaving that they gave them a lot of free stuff. Egyptian culture worshipped all kind of nature gods, so it is ironic that the Israelites then used that gold to create an animal god
I think you are right on the jewelry since slaves wouldn't typically have any.
I wouldn't say ironic. It makes sense specifically considering the name.
What's also interesting is that the language of Genesis 1 is almost whole cloth identical to the Egyptian creation myths. The only difference was the God doing the work.
I read a commentary of Genesis by Dennis Prager, the Rational Bible series, and he emphasized how the plagues that afflicted Egypt were all specifically targeted at the power of the Egyptian gods. I can't remember everything, but the significance of the Nile turning to blood was that the Egyptians worshipped the Nile for its life-giving floods that irrigated their fields. Every plague was a huge middle finger to a specific god or gods--Hapi in the case of the Nile.
I've read the same. It makes a fascinating cultural, psychological, and sociological study on the origin story and separation from surrounding cultures.
An explanation I have heard while studying Exodus is that the Israelites, since they lived for so many generations in Egypt (since Joseph to Moses) they started worshiping the Egyptian gods. One of them is Apis, which is represented by a bull, so the golden calf would be close to this.
I've heard that one too. The thing is, that makes it sound MORE idolatrous. Realizing that Elohim was also represented by a Bull Ox I find facinating.
Also, in Genesis, the first chapter on the creation uses almost exclusivly egyption mythos language. The fundamental difference is like saying 'same same but different' because it was done by Elohim not on of the Egyption Pantheon.
Even now, when missionaries go to areas that don't speak english and have to translate the bible, they use the words that resonate with the people. For instance I read somewhere that one culture's word for god literally translated as 'the one who made my fingers' where as Elohim that we translate as God from Hebrew means yoked with a greater power.
I'm really glad Eli was able to weigh in here!
Same
Perhaps a more significant question is: Are we (today) making tools or idols? And yes, you actually do know the difference, so it needn't become a semantic debate
'BCE'. Oh dear.
Oh dear what?