Deuteronomy (iv. 15, &c.), 'Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves, for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth.' The Holy Spirit has in these words collected together every species of animals, and expressly affirms that the form of none of them appeared on the mountain.

m

A learned prelate, in order to exculpate Aaron, maintains that his design was simply to furnish a hieroglyphic of the energy and power of God. He discovers some ancient monument, from which he shows, that among the Phoenicians the ox was an emblem of royal power. Eusebius has supplied him with some instances, and also Diodorus Siculus," and Valerius Maximus,° with others, from which he proves that the Romans had formerly the same hieroglyphic. On this ground he says that Aaron wished the Israelites to call to remembrance ideas of the power and energy of God, and to reimpress their minds with the splendid signs they had seen. In this manner he explains the words-These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt;' and those other words of Aaron-To-morrow is a feast to the Lord.' The idea is ingenious; but it is necessary to examine whether this hieroglyphic was used in the time of Moses, and whether this explanation accords with the reserve of Aaron, who alleges no such motive to exculpate himself, and, with the anger of God against him, which would have been so fatal, if Moses had not interceded in his favour.

The generality of expositors adopt a third opinion, namely, that Aaron made choice of a calf, because that animal was worshipped in Egypt. It is proved that the Israelites were infected with the idolatry of Egypt, of which we have numerous evidences. It is apparent from the exhortation of Joshua, 'Now, therefore, fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt, and serve ye the Lord.' Josh. xxiv. 14; and the prophet Ezekiel, 'Cast ye away every man the abominations

Patrick on Exod. xxxii.

m Euseb., Præpar., lib. 1. last chapter.

n I know not what passage Patrick had in view, but Diodorus says positively that the oxen or bulls of Apis and Mnevis were worshipped as gods in Egypt (lib. 1). He also says that Bacchus was represented with horns (lib. 3).

• Lib. v. cap. 6.

P Le Clerc on Exod. xxxii. 2, in vol. i. of Critiques. Grotius, ibid.

of

of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. . . But they rebelled against me, . . . they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt' (Ezek. xx. 7, 8). Thus far the opinion of these critics is demonstrated, and on this point there is no ground of doubt.

They show also that all kinds of animals were worshipped by the Egyptians. This, however, is not so fully proved, but is very probable. If the question related to the times which followed those of Israel, we should find innumerable proofs in profane authors. Pomponius Mela" expressly states that they worshipped the images of a great multitude of animals, still more, the animals themselves. Josephus says that if the religious ceremonies of the Egyptians were adopted throughout the world, it would be soon full of beasts, and there would be no more left for man. Strabo enters into greater detail on the subject-' There are animals,' says he, which all the Egyptians worship, as the terrestrial, the ox, the dog, the cat; those of the air, as the sparrow-hawk, the ibis; those of the aquatic tribe, &c. Every particular district worships in its own way, as the sheep at Thebes,' &c.

6

It is further assumed that the idolatry of animals was already established in Egypt during the sojourn of the Israelites there, which follows almost inevitably from the reply of Moses to Pharaoh-Shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?' (Exod. viii. 26; see also Deut. vii. 25; xii. 30, 31; 2 Kings xxiii. 13; Esdras ix. 1; Ezek. xx. 7, 8). The abomination of the Egyptians signifies the idols of Egypt; a word used in this sense in various passages of Scripture.

t

It is also demonstrated that long after the age of Moses the ox was reverenced in Egypt in a singular manner. Strabo affirms, in the book already quoted, that an ox was kept at Memphis, which was regarded as a divinity. Pliny" expressly declares the same thing, and adds, that the Egyptians called this ox Apis, and that it had two kinds of temples, the entrance to one of them being most pleasant, to the other frightful. Herodotus describes this idol: Apis or Epatus,' says he, 'is a calf from a cow which

S

Strabo, lib. 17. See also Herod., lib. 2. caps. 39, 40; Diod. Sic., lib. 1.

* Strabo, lib. 17.

u

Plin., Hist., lib. 8. cap. 46. See various testimonies to the same in Vossius, De Idolat.

▾ Herod., lib. 3. cap. 38. See another description in Pomp. Mela, De situ Orbis, lib. 1. cap. 9.

never produced but one, and this could only have been by a clap of thunder. The calf, denominated Apis, has certain marks by which it may be known. It is all over black, excepting one square mark; on its back is the figure of an eagle, and on its tongue that of a beetle.'

There was formerly in the library of Cardinal Carpegna a fine medallion. It represents on one side the head of Antinous with this inscription, HPлO ANTINOOC, the Hero Antinous. On the reverse is the image of the god Apis, with this inscription, NEIKOMHAEIA H MHTPOпоAIZ, Nicomedia the Metropolis. The emperor Hadrian had put his favourite Antinous among the number of the gods, but the worship of this unworthy deity was never established at Rome, and was neither appointed nor approved by any act of the Senate. Antiquarians remark that there is no Latin medallion of this pretended hero. It was in Egypt he was deified, and from that country his worship passed into Greece; and there Antinous was adored as a god far less from any veneration for him than from a mean sycophancy towards the emperor Hadrian. The Nicomedians distinguished themselves by their zeal for this new god, because he was born in their city. They worshipped him under the image of Apis, and struck this medallion to his honour.

It remains for examination whether this worship was antecedent to the idolatry of the golden calf, or whether it was established a long time afterwards. If it be proved that this worship was antecedent, it will also be demonstrated that that was the reason which determined Aaron to prefer the image of a calf to that of any other animal, and very many expositors, especially among the Fathers of the Church, were of this opinion. Some critics have thought that the worship of Apis originated in the benefits which the Egyptians received from Joseph, and that the ox was a hieroglyphic of that patriarch. A celebrated modern author has employed immense erudition to establish this idea, strengthening himself by the testimony of some of the ancients, as of Julius Maternus, who lived under Constantine the Great, Rufinus, and others. He relies on a passage in Deuteronomy where Joseph is called an ox, and on the nature even of Pharaoh's dream, in which he saw kine coming up out of the Nile, a dream which saved Egypt. He relies also on the fact, that nothing was more common among the ancients than to represent abundance under the emblem of an ox; alleging other reasons, to which he adds arguments to prove that among the Egyptians Serapis and Apis * Gerard Vossius, De Idol., cap. 9.

Z

y Ibid..

Our translation is (Deut. xxxiii. 17), 'his glory is like the firstling of his bullock.'

were

were the same divinity. But all these learned reasons have been refuted by Bochart, and are invalidated by this single considera

с

tion that no testimony is alleged, proving that the gods whom we acknowledge to have been worshipped by the Egyptians under the image of an ox, since the age of Moses, were already worshipped in his time. There are indeed presumptions, not to say demonstrations of the contrary opinion in the treatise of a distinguished prelate on idolatry, which we have had frequent occasion to cite. We, therefore, suspend our judgment respecting the precise motive which determined Aaron to set up a calf as the object of Israelitish worship, and conclude by this reflection, that had he offered any other object of worship, whether some other animal, or any plant, or a star, or any other production of nature, the learned would have asked, why this rather than, some other? Many would have been the divisions of opinion on the question;

b The recent researches in Egyptian antiquity have established beyond question the prior existence in Egypt of this worship, which was doubtful when Saurin wrote. We introduce a figure of the ox-god of Egypt (Apis) from the most authentic source, the existing sculptures of that country.-EDITOR.

Tenison, De Idololat., part vi.

each

each one would have found in antiquity, and in the nature of the case, probabilities to support his own sentiments, and perhaps have exalted them into demonstrations. But to resume the thread of the narrative

Aaron built an altar and set up this idol. He proclaimed a feast for the day following, which, he said, was to be consecrated to the Lord (Exod. xxxii. 5), though it was in fact an overturning of his worship, and a direct violation of the law which Moses had given them, by which they were forbidden to make gods of silver and of gold (Exod. xx. 23). The Israelites rejoiced at the proclamation of a solemnity which was to prove so fatal to them. It seemed even too great a delay to defer it to the following day, and they rose up early on the morrow (verse 6) and offered burntofferings and peace-offerings to their idol, which were only to be offered to God. They ate the flesh of the victims as was customary at peace-offerings ;d thus showing that they were desirous of having the same communion with this idol which Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the Seventy Elders, had with God when they ate and drank in his presence (Exod. xxiv. 11), and afterwards by their songs and dances manifested their delight in this communion. It was an established custom among idolaters to give these demonstrations of joy at their solemn feasts, especially at those held in honour of the god Apis, in Egypt, in subsequent times. After keeping it for an age it was cast into the Nile ; they wept over its death, then sought for it anew, and the finding of it diffused universal joy. The court, the priests, the people assembled, and made splendid banquets. The Israelites acted in a similar manner, which explains the words of Moses, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play' (verse 6). Some have taken this latter expression in a more odious sense, conceiving that the people, intoxicated with joy, proceeded from idolatry to debauchery; for people are never more induced to break the bounds of morality than when they have broken those of religion. It was common with the heathen to commit abominable crimes after their banquets on the day of sacrifice. The term to sport (Gen. xxvi. 8) in the original text admits, perhaps, of this signification in other places, but there is no necessity for so understanding it here. The sin of Israel did not consist in rejoicing after their devotions, because God himself desired them to do so after the services he had ordained (Deut. xii. 7; Ps. xcv. 1);

6

& Herod., lib. 2. cap. 40, and Deut. xii. 17; Mishna de Sacrificiis, tom. v., cap. 5, sect. 6.

e Herod., lib. 5. cap. 17.

f August., vol. v., De Civit., lib. 18. cap. 5; Selden, De Diis Syris 1. Syntag.,

cap. 4.

* Num. xxv. 1, 2. Athen., Deipnosoph., lib. 2. cap. 3, and lib. 8. cap. 16.

but,