Golden calf combined after the fall of northern kingdom, "the narrative was reworked to portray the northern kingdom in a negative light," and the worship of the calf was depicted as "polytheism, with the suggestion of a sexual orgy" (see Exodus 32:6). When compiling the narratives, P (a later Priest source from Jerusalem) may have minimized Aaron’s guilt in the matter, but preserved the negativity associated with the calf. Alternatively it could be said that there is no golden calf story in the J source, and if it is correct that the Jeroboam story was the original as stated by Friedman, then
Golden Calf of Gozo Golden Calf of Gozo The Golden Calf of Gozo () is a golden statue of a calf that was supposedly discovered buried under the Hill of Ta' Gelmus in 1729 on the island of Gozo, Malta. It was supposedly brought by Jewish refugees from the destruction of Jerusalem and buried by expelled Jews around 1494, before they left the island. Whether it was the original Golden Calf is open to interpretation. A farmer named Sidor is supposed to have had unearthed a golden horn from the Calf in one of his fields, after having been told of the statue by