Nechushtan, the Bronze Serpent

Despite the biblical rule against graven images, statues of deities from the early days of Judaism attest to their common use before monotheism was finally installed. The Bible, trying to minimize the conflict, attempted to rationalize the images in any way possible. The depicted entities, all of whom suggested Nature Spirits, included the bull calves, the most famous of whom was the Golden Calf created in Sinai, the Cherubim, who looked like winged sphinxes, and the Seraphim, who looked like winged snakes. Among the many images of snakes and serpents, the bronze serpent Nechushtan is particularly enigmatic and fascinating.

While disliking the serpent, early Judaism respected the animal’s high intelligence. In Genesis, he is blatantly blamed for tempting E...

Please subscribe to keep reading.