The Deeper Meaning Of Idolatry

God’s wrath is brought on by idolatry (Lk. 16:13). Because it’s a serious offense, we should know what it is. According to Britannica, idolatry is “the worship of someone or something other than God as though it were God.” This definition is one that many know and accept, but is there a deeper meaning of idolatry? Grab your Bible and your favorite googling device and let’s find out.

What is Idolatry? 

Idolatry is an Ancient Greek term, found in the New Testament as eidololatreia (ειδωλολατρεια), which comes from two words: eidolon (εἴδωλον) and latreia (λατρεια). The first word, eidolon, can generally be defined as “image.” Latreia, the second word that forms the word idolatry, means “service or servitude.” Some Christian groups define latreia as “adoration due to God alone,” but originally it meant service, such as that of a hired servant. Therefore, idolatry can be literally translated as “idol service or servitude.” Sometimes, we refer to it as idol worship. For the real meaning of worship, check out my previous post here.

What are Idols?

Idolatry in the Bible has nothing to do with worshiping humans. This definition of idol came much later. It also has nothing to do with an excessive love of money, cars, fame, or sex. Let’s look at the history of the word idol or eidolon to gain a deeper understanding of its meaning.

First, an idol wasn’t an object in Ancient Greece. An eidolon was an immaterial or unsubstantial form, visible to the eye, such as a ghost, apparition, or phantom. The word could also refer to an image in a mirror or even an idea or mental picture (Perseus). Throughout Ancient Greek literature, ghosts, or immaterial images of deceased people, have been called eidolon. These ghosts would try to communicate with the living, in order to give warnings, reminders, or any other important message. 

The term eidolon was also used to describe copies of humans. In 412 BC, Euripedes, a Greek tragedian, published a play based on Helen of Troy called Helen. In the play, Hera created an eidolon, or phantom, of Helen that looked like her, sounded like her, and even breathed like her. So essentially, Hera created a doppelganger of Helen. In other ancient works, the word was used in a similar manner (Nagy). But, how did an eidolon go from being a ghost or doppelganger to becoming a pagan god or statue? The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, offers insight into this question.

Idolatry in the Septuagint

Since the Septuagint was most likely completed before the New Testament, it can help us understand what idolatry truly is. Its meaning in the Septuagint will be the closest we have to that of the New Testament. At a glance, we find multiple Hebrew words, such as shiqquts, teraphim, and gillul translated as eidolon in the Septuagint. 

Shiqquts (1 Kgs. 11:5;7) means “filth”, “abomination”, or a “disgusting or detestable thing,” and it’s believed that teraphim (Gen. 31:19) are some type of small objects of worship, commonly called “household gods.” Last, and certainly least is the word gillul  which simply means “log” or “heap,” and can refer to animal poop, or more properly called dung (Lev. 26:30). 

Now, recall that in Ancient Greek, before the Septuagint came to exist, eidolons or eidola (plural) were normally spirits of the deceased who were fond of conversing with people, or they were look-alikes created by gods. But according to Torah, or God’s “Law,” consulting or communicating with ghosts is forbidden (Deut. 18:11). And what about gods creating copies of humans to stand in place of the Lord’s creation? Who gives breath except God alone? So, in what way are these things related? Well, it’s likely that both were considered abominations by God’s people, and therefore by biblical translators.

The Deeper Meaning of Idolatry

Therefore, idol in the biblical sense means filth, dung, or abomination and applies particularly to pagan gods and their physical representations. It’s what the Lord says is useless, deceitful, forbidden, and detestable. Consequently, idolatry refers to those practices that are in rebellion to God, such as sacrificing or offering incense to daimones (pagan gods), what Christians today refer to as demons, and serving objects in place of, or in addition to, the one true God. 

The Lord is a jealous God and rightfully so (Ex. 34:14). After all, he is the creator and sustainer of all things. His hand moves the sun as dawn and dusk approaches, and he set the moon and stars in their places. He alone provides breath and life, and he alone takes them away. Therefore, he will not share his glory with another nor give the praise he’s due to idols (Is. 42:8). He alone is worthy and deserving. 

Bibliography

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Helen”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 May. 2011, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Helen-play-by-Euripides. Accessed 12 January 2024.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, January 26). Eidolon. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidolon 

Perseus Digital Library. Ed. Gregory R. Crane. Tufts University. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu (accessed January, 20, 2024).

Student, R. G. (2017, October 3). What is the jewish view on ghosts?. OU Life. https://www.ou.org/life/inspiration/jewish-view-ghosts/ 

Nagy, G. (2020, June 22). Helen of Sparta and her very own Eidolon. Classical Inquiries. https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/helen-of-sparta-and-her-very-own-eidolon/ 

Strong’s Hebrew: 8655. תְּרָפִים (teraphim) — (a kind of idol) perhaps household idol. (n.d.). https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8655.htm 

Strong’s Hebrew: 1544. גִּלּוּלִים (gillul) — an idol. (n.d.). https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1544.htm 

Strong’s Hebrew: 8251. שִׁקּוּץ (shiqquts) — detested thing. (n.d.). https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8251.htm