Golden Calf, Icons & sacramentals

[ac_pearse]

Hello forum!

I have a question for y’all.

[Note: I am Catholic. Please forgive me if it seems I’m playing devil’s advocate here…I just want to get my question across clearly! ]

I’ve been studying a lot of biblical apologetics lately, and I’ve stumbled upon something that’s been bugging me. The text in question is Exodus 32:4-6 --the Golden Calf. What my studies have led me to, to quote the footnote in the NAB, “…it is clear that the golden calf was intended as an image, not of a false god, but of the Lord himself, his strength being symbolized by the strength of a young bull. The Israelites, however, had been forbidden to represent the Lord under any visible form.”

So, it seems that they didn’t try to make their own god to worship (which is how I’d always understood the GC story), but rather wanted to worship God through this idol.
If this is correct, then how am I to understand praying to God through an intercessor? Like, say, the Blessed Mother…? The saints? They of course are people, but do we make them idols when we use them in our worship this way?

Also, statues, icons, holy pictures, etc: they are representations of things in heaven, so praying with them…couldn’t that be seen as dangerous territory?
(I know that icons are most integral to the Eastern Orthodox, but it’s a part of the Catholic faith, too.)

Personally, I’ve always seen religious statues and pictures, etc. more as reminders of things I love. When I look at the little St. Claire figure that’s right here on my computer, I don’t imagine that I’m communing with St. Claire, any more than I think the picture of my grandma on the fridge actually puts me in touch with my grandma. I just like to look at it, because I love her! The sacramental view of all of creation is one of the things I love the most about the Church.

In any case…When it comes to graven images, where exactly is the line and do we catholics ever cross it?

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

Catholics DO NOT worship statues, scaramentals or anything else.
I am really getting tired of hearing this!

 

[suupah]

Catholics DO NOT worship statues, scaramentals or anything else.
I am really getting tired of hearing this!

This was a sincere question.

If you don’t feel like answering it then please don’t comment by answering in such a rude manner you are just stifling his learning about his Catholic faith.

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

This was a sincere question.

I am sure that it was…but dont you get tired of hearing the same stuff…Catholics worship Mary, Catholics worship icons, scramentals etc.??
I do!

If you don’t feel like answering it then please don’t comment by answering in such a rude manner you are just stifling his learning about his Catholic faith.

I did answer it, quite simply too…NO we dont worship these things!

 

[suupah]

I am sure that it was…but dont you get tired of hearing the same stuff…Catholics worship Mary, Catholics worship icons, scramentals etc.??
I do!

I did answer it, quite simply too…NO we dont worship these things!

I don’t want to derail the thread here. yes i get tired of being accused of worshiping Mary. I don’t think that is what his intent was. He just wanted clarification. Probably for apologetic purposes.

cheers

 

[Wolseley]

Hello forum!

I have a question for y’all.

[Note: I am Catholic. Please forgive me if it seems I’m playing devil’s advocate here…I just want to get my question across clearly! ]

I’ve been studying a lot of biblical apologetics lately, and I’ve stumbled upon something that’s been bugging me. The text in question is Exodus 32:4-6 --the Golden Calf. What my studies have led me to, to quote the footnote in the NAB, “…it is clear that the golden calf was intended as an image, not of a false god, but of the Lord himself, his strength being symbolized by the strength of a young bull. The Israelites, however, had been forbidden to represent the Lord under any visible form.”

So, it seems that they didn’t try to make their own god to worship (which is how I’d always understood the GC story), but rather wanted to worship God through this idol.
If this is correct, then how am I to understand praying to God through an intercessor? Like, say, the Blessed Mother…? The saints? They of course are people, but do we make them idols when we use them in our worship this way?

Also, statues, icons, holy pictures, etc: they are representations of things in heaven, so praying with them…couldn’t that be seen as dangerous territory?
(I know that icons are most integral to the Eastern Orthodox, but it’s a part of the Catholic faith, too.)

Personally, I’ve always seen religious statues and pictures, etc. more as reminders of things I love. When I look at the little St. Claire figure that’s right here on my computer, I don’t imagine that I’m communing with St. Claire, any more than I think the picture of my grandma on the fridge actually puts me in touch with my grandma. I just like to look at it, because I love her! The sacramental view of all of creation is one of the things I love the most about the Church.

In any case…When it comes to graven images, where exactly is the line and do we catholics ever cross it?

Here’s a link which may help you.

landru.i-link-2.net/shnyves/Catholic_Tradition_art.html

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

Here are some good aritcles…

I hope that they help.
catholic.com/library/Saint_Worship.asp
catholic.com/library/Rosary.asp
catholic.com/library/Praying_to_the_Saints.asp
catholic.com/library/Do_Catholics_Worship_Statues.asp

 

[LilyM]

The answer is the Israelites did NOT want to sincerely worship Yahweh, the one true God, through the Golden Calf.

Note that they tell Aaron to ’make us a god’ - well, whatever they thought Aaron could make it certainly couldn’t have been Yahweh, who was already among them, now could it? Clearly he made some OTHER god, whom they then credited with delivering them from Egypt maybe. Or else they got confused somewhere in the middle - but they don’t ever seem to have had the fixed intent to worship only Yahweh.

Secondly, if they sincerely wanted to worship Yahweh they knew that He was on top of Mount Sinai with Moses, no? Why not go up there (or as near as they dared to go) to worship Him in person? Why would they feel the need to make ANY idol of a God who they already knew was physically present among 'em?

It’s like having your wife in the room with you, ignoring her and kissing her picture on the mantel instead of her.

Not to mention there are references throughout Deuteronomy and the following books - even as late as Joshua - that the Israelites were still prone to polytheism (worshipping the old gods, for example, the gods of Egypt they had learned of during their exile).

 

[mommyof4]

To the op, maybe this will help you understand the role of sacramentals, as described in the Catechism:

ARTICLE 1
SACRAMENTALS

1667 "Holy Mother Church has, moreover, instituted sacramentals. These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy."173

The characteristics of sacramentals

1668 Sacramentals are instituted for the sanctification of certain ministries of the Church, certain states of life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian life, and the use of many things helpful to man. In accordance with bishops’ pastoral decisions, they can also respond to the needs, culture, and special history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism).

1669 Sacramentals derive from the baptismal priesthood: every baptized person is called to be a “blessing,” and to bless.174 Hence lay people may preside at certain blessings; the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained ministry (bishops, priests, or deacons).175

1670 Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. "For well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event of their lives with the divine grace which flows from the Paschal mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. From this source all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is scarcely any proper use of material things which cannot be thus directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God."176

Various forms of sacramentals

1671 Among sacramentals blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) come first. Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts. In Christ, Christians are blessed by God the Father "with every spiritual blessing."177 This is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus, usually while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ.

1672 Certain blessings have a lasting importance because they consecrate persons to God, or reserve objects and places for liturgical use. Among those blessings which are intended for persons - not to be confused with sacramental ordination - are the blessing of the abbot or abbess of a monastery, the consecration of virgins and widows, the rite of religious profession and the blessing of certain ministries of the Church (readers, acolytes, catechists, etc.). The dedication or blessing of a church or an altar, the blessing of holy oils, vessels, and vestments, bells, etc., can be mentioned as examples of blessings that concern objects.

1673 When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing.178 In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. The solemn exorcism, called “a major exorcism,” can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.179

 

[suupah]

Hello forum!

If this is correct, then how am I to understand praying to God through an intercessor? Like, say, the Blessed Mother…? The saints? They of course are people, but do we make them idols when we use them in our worship this way?..

In any case…When it comes to graven images, where exactly is the line and do we catholics ever cross it?

Personal Opinion------> There are many ways to encounter the word of God. Statues and art are just a couple of them. I believe that it is much the same as using music as a prayer and worship aid. The music is of human origin and craftiness, yet is used for the glory and purpose of God.

When i gaze upon a crucifix I get to see the high price tag that God paid for me. It was a real event and we must never forget that. It makes the Joys that Jesus gives you so much more meaningful.

I do however believe that some people cross over into superstician with some icons and statues. But I dont’ believe that is taught by the church, i think it is more individuals. The chruch could probably cut down on some of that with being more vocal against it.

 

[Werman]

Hello forum!

I have a question for y’all.

[Note: I am Catholic. Please forgive me if it seems I’m playing devil’s advocate here…I just want to get my question across clearly! ]

I’ve been studying a lot of biblical apologetics lately, and I’ve stumbled upon something that’s been bugging me. The text in question is Exodus 32:4-6 --the Golden Calf. What my studies have led me to, to quote the footnote in the NAB, “…it is clear that the golden calf was intended as an image, not of a false god, but of the Lord himself, his strength being symbolized by the strength of a young bull. The Israelites, however, had been forbidden to represent the Lord under any visible form.”

So, it seems that they didn’t try to make their own god to worship (which is how I’d always understood the GC story), but rather wanted to worship God through this idol.
If this is correct, then how am I to understand praying to God through an intercessor? Like, say, the Blessed Mother…? The saints? They of course are people, but do we make them idols when we use them in our worship this way?

Also, statues, icons, holy pictures, etc: they are representations of things in heaven, so praying with them…couldn’t that be seen as dangerous territory?
(I know that icons are most integral to the Eastern Orthodox, but it’s a part of the Catholic faith, too.)

Personally, I’ve always seen religious statues and pictures, etc. more as reminders of things I love. When I look at the little St. Claire figure that’s right here on my computer, I don’t imagine that I’m communing with St. Claire, any more than I think the picture of my grandma on the fridge actually puts me in touch with my grandma. I just like to look at it, because I love her! The sacramental view of all of creation is one of the things I love the most about the Church.

In any case…When it comes to graven images, where exactly is the line and do we catholics ever cross it?

If I understand your questions correctly as I understand the below we are not to make and worship the idol of any kind either of heaven or earth. I don’t pray to the statue nor should we. I do pray through Mary & the Saints and have a few statues in my yard as perhaps decoration and reminders. St. Francis for example, his life was an example to us all. Perhaps like the Rosary and the Rosary Ring - they came about for people to remember their prayers.

These questions of yours perhaps could be answered by a Theologian rather than me. However I was not always Catholic and walked the walk you walk. I hope the below is more informative than my words.

Idolatry

ARTICLE 1
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c1a1.htm#2112

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.3
It is written: "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve."4

2112 The first commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in, nor to venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls this rejection of “idols, [of] silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.” These empty idols make their worshippers empty: "Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them."42 God, however, is the "living God"43 who gives life and intervenes in history.

2113 Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, "You cannot serve God and mammon."44 Many martyrs died for not adoring "the Beast"45 refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God.46

2114 Human life finds its unity in the adoration of the one God. The commandment to worship the Lord alone integrates man and saves him from an endless disintegration. Idolatry is a perversion of man’s innate religious sense. An idolater is someone who "transfers his indestructible notion of God to anything other than God."47

Werman

 

[ryanoneil]

The calf is an image of Apis, the Egyptian fertility God and Israel’s worship of it is a parody of the covenant at Sinai. As Moses did, they build an altar, rise early to offer sacrifices, eat and drink a ritual meal. They also, the Scripture says, “rose up to revel,” which is a polite way of saying that they engaged in orgies associated with the cult of Apis (see Exodus 32:1-6).

salvationhistory.com/online/intermediate/class1_lesson4_2.cfm

Peace,

Ryan

 

[ac_pearse]

Thank you all for the info and links. So glad I found CA; I have never been to a forum as active and informative as this one!

Wolseley:

Here’s a link which may help you.
landru.i-link-2.net/shnyves/C…ition_art.html

Great resource. Everybody else: bookmark this!

suupah:

He just wanted clarification.:

Yup, exactly. Thanks!
By the way, I am a girl! (ac = amanda claire)

Personal Opinion------>
I do however believe that some people cross over into superstician with some icons and statues. But I dont’ believe that is taught by the church, i think it is more individuals. The chruch could probably cut down on some of that with being more vocal against it.

yeah, I tend to agree. I’ve seen some of this (outside-the-lines devotions) and maybe that’s why the text initially troubled me…

-ac

 

[mommyof4]

link doesn’t work

 

[jcrichton]

quote=ac pearse;3032641]Hello forum!

NAB, “…it is clear that the golden calf was intended as an image, not of a false god, but of the Lord himself, his strength being symbolized by the strength of a young bull. The Israelites, however, had been forbidden to represent the Lord under any visible form.”

So, it seems that they didn’t try to make their own god to worship (which is how I’d always understood the GC story), but rather wanted to worship God through this idol.
If this is correct,

***Hi, Amanda!

Not being a theologian/scholar, I may be simplistic in my understanding of the Holy Scriptures… but I think that we tend to over-think things just a tad…

When Moses returns, what happens?.. do Aaron and the people of Israel tell him “…hey, Moses!, look at the homage we are paying Yahweh… we thought about His beauty and strength… about His prowess and virility (Creator) so we created this calf!”

Nope! The first thing Aaron did was recognize how wrong he was (Moses, don’t be angry.), blame the others (…you know how evil they are.), and, finally, play dumb (daaaahh, what idol?.. there were some gold trinkets, a fire, and this thing came out…).

The people did not make circles of prayers and hymns… they came together for the purpose of creating a god and they celebrated this god through orgies of food and sex. And was Aaron really so innocent? Not according to Exodus 32:1–the people demanded a god (not Yahweh’s representation) to lead them and he accepted their request.

---

then how am I to understand praying to God through an intercessor? Like, say, the Blessed Mother…? The saints? They of course are people, but do we make them idols when we use them in our worship this way?

---

This is a problem many have… intercessors… There is but one mediator between man and God, Jesus! But it was Jesus Himself that asked his disciples to intercede for the Kindom (St. Matthew 9:37-38), and, in the epistles, Paul mentions it a bit (pray for the saints, pray for me, through your prayers…).

Don’t get me wrong… anyone and anything can become an idol… an idol is an image or a thing that is placed as a god above us, thusly rejecting Yahweh, our true and only God! You know how girls get obsessed about their appearance? …that could become an idol; guys with cars or their “team?” …yeah, it can happen! When we place anything above God, (as the right to abort a child) we are in a sense making that thing a god.

---

Personally, I’ve always seen religious statues and pictures, etc. more as reminders of things I love. When I look at the little St. Claire figure that’s right here on my computer, I don’t imagine that I’m communing with St. Claire, any more than I think the picture of my grandma on the fridge actually puts me in touch with my grandma. I just like to look at it, because I love her! The sacramental view of all of creation is one of the things I love the most about the Church.

In any case…When it comes to graven images, where exactly is the line and do we catholics ever cross it?

***When Yahweh is describing the various religious items to Moses He mentions ceveral things that are simply ornaments… but He also mentions two items in particular: cherubims. These cherubims are to be placed facing each other and on either side of the seat/box where the ark will rest. These creatures were not gods nor were they to be worshipped; but they were part of the religious experience as they would kept vigil (symbolically) over the ark.

If anyone determines that a saint or a sacramental or anything else is greater than God or has life within itself and power to bestow favors… they are crossing that line of communion of the saints or veneration (respect for that which brings us closer to God).

Maran atha!

Angel***

 

[Preacher_Vern]

Hello forum!

I have a question for y’all.

[Note: I am Catholic. Please forgive me if it seems I’m playing devil’s advocate here…I just want to get my question across clearly! ]

I’ve been studying a lot of biblical apologetics lately, and I’ve stumbled upon something that’s been bugging me. The text in question is Exodus 32:4-6 --the Golden Calf. What my studies have led me to, to quote the footnote in the NAB, “…it is clear that the golden calf was intended as an image, not of a false god, but of the Lord himself, his strength being symbolized by the strength of a young bull. The Israelites, however, had been forbidden to represent the Lord under any visible form.”

So, it seems that they didn’t try to make their own god to worship (which is how I’d always understood the GC story), but rather wanted to worship God through this idol.
If this is correct, then how am I to understand praying to God through an intercessor? Like, say, the Blessed Mother…? The saints? They of course are people, but do we make them idols when we use them in our worship this way?

Also, statues, icons, holy pictures, etc: they are representations of things in heaven, so praying with them…couldn’t that be seen as dangerous territory?
(I know that icons are most integral to the Eastern Orthodox, but it’s a part of the Catholic faith, too.)

Personally, I’ve always seen religious statues and pictures, etc. more as reminders of things I love. When I look at the little St. Claire figure that’s right here on my computer, I don’t imagine that I’m communing with St. Claire, any more than I think the picture of my grandma on the fridge actually puts me in touch with my grandma. I just like to look at it, because I love her! The sacramental view of all of creation is one of the things I love the most about the Church.

In any case…When it comes to graven images, where exactly is the line and do we catholics ever cross it?

I am glad that this question as came up, as a Evangelist/Minister I to hear this all of the time about the catholics worship Mary and praying to her for there sins. I can say for a fact no the catholics do not beleve in that as well, how you like that from a Southern Preacher?

 

[NotWorthy]

Hello forum!

I have a question for y’all.

[Note: I am Catholic. Please forgive me if it seems I’m playing devil’s advocate here…I just want to get my question across clearly! ]

I’ve been studying a lot of biblical apologetics lately, and I’ve stumbled upon something that’s been bugging me. The text in question is Exodus 32:4-6 --the Golden Calf. What my studies have led me to, to quote the footnote in the NAB, “…it is clear that the golden calf was intended as an image, not of a false god, but of the Lord himself, his strength being symbolized by the strength of a young bull. The Israelites, however, had been forbidden to represent the Lord under any visible form.”

I sometimes wonder who the Church hired to write commentary on the NAB. This comment on Exodus 32:4-6 simply drives me nuts!!!

I just ran across some quotes of the OT that disagrees with the NAB’s commentary on where the Israelites heart were when they created the golden calf.

Ezekiel, Chapter 20: 2-3 & 7-8 Quote:
Then the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel and say to them… Throw away, each of you, the detestable things that have held your eyes; do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD, your God. But they rebelled against me and refused to listen to me; none of them threw away the detestable things that had held their eyes, they did not abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I thought of pouring out my fury on them and spending my anger on them there in the land of Egypt;

St. Stephen Acts 7:39-41 - Quote:
"Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him; instead, they pushed him aside and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will be our leaders. As for that Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ So they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifice to the idol, and reveled in the works of their hands."

Joshua, speaking to the Israelites who had crossed the River Jordan and into the Promised Land in Joshua 24:14 - Quote:
"Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

It seems Israel was still serving the gods (notice they say gods - plural), so the calf was just a focal point for Israel’s sin.

 

[YADA]

Amanda,

You have received many good responses [even from the Portestant Minister ] so let me just add this …

In scripture we have both a prohibition against images and the using of images - besides the commandments aginst the images read the passages that describe the Ark of the Covenant and the Temple of Soloman in Jerusalem … statues [images] are found in both …

Also read the passages about the illness that befell the Isrealites during the exodus … Moses was commanded to make imases of serpents [snakes] and place them on poles before the Tabernacle of the Lord and to have the people gaze upon it. Thise that did were cured thise that did not - died.

It was not the image of the snakes that savved the people it was the grace of God that cure them. They did not worship the snakes by gazing upon them nor were they worshiping the Snake God. The people were doing as God instructed…

As an aside and not to derail the thread: I have often found the snake image interesting here. You know in the Garden of Eden the serpent was not the mediator of grace but sin. I find this curious, especially as this occurs early in the writings within the Pentatuch…but during the Exodus, the image of the snake was the vehicle through which God poured forth his healing upon the Isrealites…

When reading scripture, context is everything and one passage in isolation can give an incomplete picture …

God Bless…

 

[Byzcat]

Sorry, but don’t have the link handy, but Scott Hahn’s website, the St. Paul Center for Biblica Theology, has a Bible study that addresses this exact issue.

On the Golden Calf issue, basically, the Israelites had become accustomed to

1. Physical representations of God/the gods
2. the Egyptian gods
   3)Hi, anyone who thinks a list should have at least three entries.

In bondage to Egypt, the Israelites were deeply familiar with the Egyptian gods. The Egyptian worshipped cattle, sheep and goats (clean, therefore acceptable sacrificial animal) as divinity.

When they asked Aaron to “make us a god” they were either rejecting the God of Israel in favor of the Egyptian gods, particularly the cult of the Apis bull, often represented by a calf, or equating God with the Apis bull. Either way, they were rejecting the One God.

God, at the time, was trying to break the Israelites of the habit of worshipping the Egyptian gods, with their physical manifestations, and inculcate them into worshipping an invisible God, who had no visible image.

Also, most pagan cultures in those times equated the image of a particular god with the actual deity in question.

In Catholic theology, especially the Eastern variety, with the Incarnation, in which God Himself took physical, and therefore representable form, all bets were off, religious art-wise.

As long as, in the use of icons, you understand that the icon is simply an image of Christ or one of His saints, and is used as an aid to worship and prayer, and not an object of worship in and of itself, have at it.

And if you’re ever in Vegas, drop me an e-mail, and I’ll invite you over and show you my icon corner. And the icon-substation that I had to set up because I had more icons than I had corner for.

 

[epostle]

Mercatante notes three bulls that were worshipped in ancient Egypt-

“Apis. Greek name for the Egyptian Hapi (Hape or Hap), the sacred bull of Memphis. It was said that Apis was born of a virgin cow that had been impregnated by the god Ptah. The CALF was recognized by certain signs, such as a peculiar white mark on its neck and rump that resembled a hawk’s wings and a scarablike hump under its tongue. The BABY BULL was brought to Memphis where it each day it was let loose to roam in the courtyard of the temple for devotees to observe; his movements were believed to foretell the future…Originally Apis may have been a fertility god concerned with flocks and herds. At Memphis he became associated with Ptah, the god who fashioned the world, and with Osiris, the god who blessed kingdom the dead hoped to enter…In Egyptian art Apis was portrayed as a powerful animal with massive limbs and body. A triangular piece of silver was fixed on his forehead, and a disk and the uraeus were placed between his horns. Above his legs figures of vultures with outstretched wings were outlined, and on his back, also outlined, was a rectangular cloth with an ornamental diamond pattern. Other sacred bulls were Mnevis and Buchis.” (pp.12-13, “Apis.” Anthony S. Mercatante. Who’s Who in Egyptian Mythology. New York. Clarkson N. Potter Inc., 1978. ISBN 0-517-53446-0 pbk.)

"Buchis. A sacred bull worshipped at Hermonthis who was believed to be an incarnation of the warrior god Menthu. He was also called the “living soul of Ra,” as well as the "bull of the mountains of sunrise and sunset.“Buchis was black…and he was seen as the image of the sun shining in Tuat, the underworld. In Egyptian art Buchis wore a disk between his horns from which rose plumes and the uraeus. On his hindquarters was the sacred symbol of the vulture with outspread wings.” (p.25, “Buchis,” Mercatante)

“Mnevis (Bull). Greek name for the Egyptian sacred bull Wer-mer worshipped at Heliopolis. He was believed to be the incarnation of the sun and was often portrayed as a bull with a disk and the uraeus between his horns.” (p.96, “Mnevis,” Mercatante)

Some scholars have noted that the “Golden Calf” may be a “Young Bull” rather than a calf, Metzger and May make the following observation-

The CALF, OR YOUNG BULL, was a symbol of fertility in the nature-religions of the ancient Near East." (p.109. Note to Exodus 32:2-3. Herbert G. May & Bruce M. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible With the Apocrypha. Revised Standard Version. New York. Oxford University Press. 1977)
(Zzz…sore…Zzz…snore)