Golden Calf
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Exod. 32:4)—the molten image made by Aaron at Israel’s demand while Moses remained on Sinai. The people proclaimed a feast and worshiped before it, provoking severe divine judgment. Older interpreters compared the image with the Egyptian bulls Apis or Mnevis, but Exodus does not identify a specific model. Moses burned and ground the calf, and the episode became a lasting warning against attempting to worship the LORD through an idolatrous image.