Sunday, September 4, 2022

Mark S. Smith: The Calves in 1 Kings 12 (cf. Exodus 32) are Not Simply Pedestals and are Representations of the Deity Itself

  

Although the extant evidence for the plural representation at Bethel postdates the single calf of Jeroboam I, both may have been traditional forms for presenting the emblem-animal of the patron warrior-god. The calves are not simply a pedestal; they are part of the representation associated with the deity, called “gods” (’ĕlōhîm) in 1 Kgs 12:28. Under this form of collective plurality, this may be the ’ĕlōhîm thought to bring the Israelites from the land of Egypt. This proclamation may be located within the ritual context that celebrated the divine victory over Egypt. The military terms suggest ritual played out in a religious context that celebrates this victory (perhaps in anticipation of future victory; see Ps 20 in the discussion above). Accordingly, Jeroboam I’s cult arguably entailed a temple ritual celebrating military victory and homage paid to the divine victor in the act of kissing the bovine icon. (Mark S. Smith, Where the Gods Are: Spatial Dimensions of Anthropomorphism in the Biblical World [Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016], 67)