What Is the Golden Calf?

Authors

Michael B. Hundley, Central Washington UniversityFollow

Department or Administrative Unit

Philosophy and Religious Studies

Document Type

Article

Author Copyright

Copyright Catholic Biblical Association of America

Publication Date

10-2017

Journal

The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

Abstract

The golden calf episode in Exodus is both popular and perplexing. While it has a shared ancient Near Eastern heritage of understanding divine presence, it chooses to undermine that heritage to promote its particular agenda. This study clarifies the text by situating it more firmly in its ancient Near Eastern context and by addressing the biblical adaptations that emerge when we address each of the chapter’s distinct voices. I also consider the importance of perspective—what each character sees and how that vision affects the character’s viewpoint—and the importance of divine visibility both in Exodus 32 and in the larger non-Priestly narrative.

Comments

This article was originally published in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.

Recommended Citation

Hundley, Michael B. “What Is the Golden Calf?” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 79, no. 4 (2017): 559–79. https://doi.org/10.1353/cbq.2017.0078.