The Cult of Moloch

The first pre-Christian cults maintained a ritualistic and ceremonial character that, when analyzed with current eyes, portray terrible ways of worshiping the Gods . In this case, we will delve into the Cult of Moloch , the Bull God who worshiped by Phoenicians, Canaanites (first Hebrews) and Carthaginians alike, who demanded a holocaust of newborn children to be devoured by sacrificial flames.

Moloch was represented as an anthropomorphic being with the head of a bull and the body of a man , symbolizing the purifying fire, an element that brought peace to the souls that worshiped it. In all its representations the God presents some object that denotes his condition of king , or by means of the incorporation of a crosier, a crown or a throne.

He was known by different names (Molek, Milcon) and is mentioned in the Bible in different passages:

"Then Solomon built a great building for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is opposite Jerusalem, and Milkom, the abomination of the sons of Ammon." - First Book of Kings 11.7

"And you shall not deliver any of your descendants to Molech, nor profane the name of your God: I am Yahweh." - Leviticus 18.21

In Spanish, but Google can translate:

http://escapandodelacaverna.com/2014/04/29/el-culto-a-moloch/

In the temples where Moloch worship rituals were held, a hollow bronze statue was the core of the event . The figure was always with arms extended as a reception, waiting for the offering although there were different types of applied iconography, in some Moloch has an open mouth, in others, his chest.

The music began to sound, priests blew their trumpets, drums and cymbals to create a frenetic rhythm that endowed the scene with mysticism. Inside the statue the fire was lit, a fire that was constantly fed during the ritual by the temple helpers.

Thus began the Molk , the ritual of worship where newborns were sacrificed under the purifying flames of God. The supreme priest climbed a few steps until he reached the height of the bronze hands, there deposited the baby, and through a system of chains articulated arms to the mouth or hole in the statue, being the small devoured by the flames.

Thanks to the written chronicles we know that the relatives of the sacrificed babies were forbidden to cry during the offering of the holocaust, and one of the greatest sacrifices is narrated , occurred when Agathocles rose victorious over Carthage; Due to the defeat the noble Carthaginians assumed that they had offended Moloch, so they decided to sacrifice their own children in the form of divine compensation. They sacrificed 200 children from the most influential families of Cartagena. The stories mention how the statue of Moloch was red-hot for the amount of time that remained lit, and even the soldiers who besieged the city approached the walls to witness the macabre spectacle,attracted by the glow of fire and the smell of burned flesh.

The music covered the cries of the infants before being thrown into the fire.

http://escapandodelacaverna.com/2014/04/29/el-culto-a-moloch/

Leviticus 20:3

"You shall also say to the sons of Israel: 'Any man from the sons of Israel or from the aliens sojourning in Israel who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name. 'If the people of the land, however, should ever disregard that man when he gives any of his offspring to Molech, so as not to put him to death, then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut off from among their people both him and all those who play the harlot after him, by playing the harlot after Molech.