Appointment by Divine Overshadowing

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The Hebrew offered prayers with sacrifices placed on their horned altars. The curved basin of the horned altar represents the bottom edge of the solar orb. This is an example of an "apophatic" or negative image. The sun and the horns of the celestial bull were sacred symbols for the early Hebrew. These spoke of the High God as King and Judge.

According to the Pyramid Texts, Utterance 205, the Great Bull smites the enemies of Re. This is expressed in the Pyramid Texts, Utterance 388: "Horus has shattered (tbb, crushed) the mouth of the serpent with the sole of his foot." Those words are echoed in Genesis 3:15, the first messianic prophesy of the Bible.

The Bull is to be sacrificed so that the king may eat the foreleg and haunch in the sky (Pyramid Texts, Utterance 413). By eating the sacrifice, the deceased king becomes one with the sacred bull. The king is urged to rise, to "gather his bones together, shake off your dust" and enter into immortality. (See The Sky Bull Eaten to Gain Immortality.)

Among the early Hebrew, the sun was the primary symbol of the High God, and appointed or consecrated persons were identified by a solar orb over their heads or an initial Y in their Hebrew names. The Y designates a divinely appointed place, servant, ruler, or sacrifice. This is represented by the initial Y in the Hebrew names of biblical rulers: Yaqtan (Joktan); Yachin (Joachin), Yishmael (Ishmael); Yishbak; Yitzak (Isaac); Yacob (Jacob); Yosef (Joseph); Yetro (Jethro); Yeshai (Jesse), Yonah (Jonah), Yoel (Joel), and Yeshua (Joshua/Jesus). The Y is a solar cradle like the bull horns, and it indicated divine appointment by overshadowing. 

The Y also represents two upright feathers which indicate one who judges. (See Hilary Wilson, Understanding Hieroglyphs, p. 131.)

Yesu Judges Between the Horns

The name Yesu indicates a similar idea. It was not an uncommon name among the ancient Egyptians. Yesu is clearly related to the name Yeshua (Jesus/Joshua). The name speaks of one who judges or measures or weighs (feather) between the horns and identifies that one with Horus/HR, the patron of kings. The falcon was a totem of Horus, the son of Re.

The name Yesu is shown in hieroglyphs with a feather, a horn, a ruler's staff, and the falcon.

Divinely Appointed Places and People

Many ancient shrine cities had names that began with the solar symbol Y. Jerusalem was called Yeru. On the border of Nubia and Egypt was a holy shrine city on Elephantine Island. It was called Yebu. According to "The Diplomatists Handbook For Africa" by Count Charles Kinsky, Yebu is a variant of Jebu. Yeru-salem was a Jebusite city.

Divine appointment by overshadowing is symbolized by the sun resting in the Y. This is a common image in the ancient world. My friend, Sarki Arzika, has written about a connection to the Hausa of Nigeria:

Dear Alice,

"Concerning the Y shaped form you write about, this is a characteristic of ancient Hausa architecture which were of triangular forms and mounted with symbols like rabbit ears at each corner. This Y shape is present on some ancient capes used generally by Maharba (hunters), Priests, and Kings."

Between the Horns

The symbol of the High God resting between the horns of the appointed sacrificial calf was a Messianic image. At the shrine cities of Dan and Bethel the central image was the overshadowed bull calf. This is the same image that Aaron fabricated in the wilderness. 

Nowhere in Scripture is Aaron criticized for making the golden calf. However, the people who worshiped the image are criticized. Here a distinction must be made between the symbolism of the golden bull calf and the actions of the people. The distinction is clear when we consider that Christians do not worship the cross. We worship the Messiah who died on the cross to make atonement for sin.

On ancient monuments and reliefs, the ram was shown with the solar orb between the horns. The ram provided by God on Mount Moriah was a symbol of the son of God, HR (Horus in Greek). In ancient Egyptian HR means Most High One. Among the Horite Hebrew HR was said to rise in the east as a lamb and set in the west as a ram in mature strength. He was called "Horus of the two horizons", which expressed two aspects of his nature as both meek and fierce. The Horite Hebrew recognized God Father and God Son. The divinely appointed ram was a symbol of Jesus among some early Christians. 

The Divine Son Conceived by Overshadowing

In ancient Egyptian iconography, Hathor, the mother of Horus, is shown wearing the Sun between the horns. She foreshadows the Virgin Mary who conceived by divine overshadowing (Luke 1:35). 

Related reading: The Substance of Abraham's Faith; Solar Symbolism of the Proto-Gospel; Ram Symbolism in the Ancient World; What Abraham Discovered on Mount Moriah