in the
Samaria region, c. 12th century BCE '' of
Herrad of Landsberg (12th century) 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 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 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 a
false god. He cites as evidence: Importantly, there 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 ( ''elo'hecha'', from ), 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 in the original, so at least it cannot be ruled out.
As adoration of wealth 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, the Gospel personification of idolatry of wealth, is not so current. ==In popular culture==