[palmotea]

> this was full blown state religion, held in the same esteem as Yahweh, and co-existing with worship of him.

IIRC, I'm pretty sure there's also a lot about that in the Bible too (e.g Israelites worshiping other gods like Baal, people up to and including kings).

[tsimionescu]

Not in the Book of Exodus that I was talking about, no (if for no other reasons that there are no Hebrew kings in it).

[andrewflnr]

I don't know, Aaron himself orchestrating the golden calf seems as close to state-sponsored idolatry as fits in the narrative. (No comment on the rest of the epistemological clustercuss.)