[2004] Gardner and Jevons, Greek Antiquities, p. 289.
[2005] They sometimes degenerate into coarseness or immorality.
[2006] Christmas, New Year's Day, May Day, Midsummer, All Souls, and others.
[2007] The protest in Prov. xxvi, 2, against this whole conception shows that it existed among the Jews down to a late time.
[2008] Totemic poles, with carved figures of animals, are found in Northwest America (Boas, The Kwakiutl; Swanton, in Journal of American Folklore, xviii, 108 ff.) and in South Nigeria (Partridge, Cross River Natives, p. 219); but these figures are rather tribal or clan symbols than idols.
[2009] The situation in Egypt was exceptional; after the idolatrous stage had been reached the old worship of the living animal survived.
[2010] Aniconic representations of deities in civilized communities (like the stone representing the Ephesian great goddess) are survivals from the old cult of natural objects.
[2011] Teraphim, 1 Sam. xix, 13 al.
[2012] In the literature they are guardians of sacred places (Gen. iii, 24) and throne-bearers of the deity (Ezek. i, 26; Ps. xviii, 11 [10]).
[2013] The numerous images mentioned in the Old Testament as worshiped by the Israelites appear to have been borrowed from neighboring peoples. The origin of the bull figures worshiped at Bethel and Dan is obscure, but they appear to represent the amalgamation of an old bull-cult with the cult of Yahweh.