Definition and Significance:
In biblical times, bulls were significant both culturally and religiously. They were often associated with strength, fertility, and sacrifice. Bulls are mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible, symbolizing power and serving as offerings in various religious rites.

Biblical References:

1. Sacrificial Use:
Bulls were commonly used in sacrificial offerings to God, as outlined in the Mosaic Law. They were considered valuable and were often used in burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings. In Leviticus 1:3, the instructions for a burnt offering state, "If one's offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer an unblemished male. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, so that he may be accepted by the LORD."

2. Symbol of Strength:
The bull is frequently used as a symbol of strength and power. In Psalm 22:12, the psalmist describes his adversaries as strong bulls: "Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me." This imagery conveys the formidable nature of the opposition faced by the psalmist.

3. Idolatry and Apostasy:
The bull also appears in contexts of idolatry, most notably in the incident of the golden calf. In Exodus 32:4, the Israelites, led by Aaron, create a golden calf to worship while Moses is on Mount Sinai: "He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. Then they said, 'These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" This event is a significant example of apostasy and disobedience to God.

4. Prophetic Imagery:
In prophetic literature, bulls are sometimes used metaphorically to describe nations or leaders. In Ezekiel 39:18, during the prophecy against Gog, it is written, "You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Bashan."

Cultural Context:
In the ancient Near East, bulls were often associated with deities and were seen as symbols of virility and power. This cultural backdrop provides context for their frequent appearance in biblical texts, both as objects of worship and as offerings to the one true God.

Theological Implications:
The use of bulls in sacrificial practices underscores the importance of atonement and the need for offerings to be without blemish, symbolizing purity and dedication to God. The rejection of bull idols highlights the biblical theme of monotheism and the prohibition of idolatry.

Conclusion:
The bull, as depicted in the Bible, serves as a multifaceted symbol representing strength, sacrifice, and at times, idolatry. Its presence in scripture reflects both the cultural significance of the animal in ancient times and the theological teachings of the Bible regarding worship and obedience to God.

The Trinitarian Controversy.
... Before the publication of Bishop Bull's first great work in 1685, no controversial
treatise on either side of the question"none, at least, of any importance ...
/.../chapter vi the trinitarian controversy.htm

Two Notes by the American Editor.
... ii. p.210, ed.1823; also Life of Bishop Bull, by Robert Nelson, p.260. For the
extraordinary history of Bull's work in France, see the said Life, pp.327-333. ...
/.../a treatise of novatian concerning the trinity/two notes by the american.htm

Other Objections Considered God's Condescension in the Incarnation ...
... Bull's Defensio Fid. Nic. (trans. in Anglo-Cath. ... (Oehler, vol. ii. p. 674), of which
the translator gave this version in Bp. Bull's Def. Nic. Creed, vol. ...
/.../chapter xxvii other objections considered gods.htm

Excursus A.
... Bishop Bull has made it a question, whether these words in the Nicene Creed mean
the same thing, or are to be considered distinct from each other, advocating ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/excursus a.htm

Excursus B. On 22 (Note 3).
... Bishop Bull has suggested a very ingenious interpretation of it, which is not obvious,
but which, when stated, has much plausibility, as going to explain, or ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/excursus b on 22 note.htm

Index.
... Bulkeley, Sir E., 247. Bull, Bishop G., 40-2, 167, 198, 210, 222. ... 'Defence of Revealed
Religion,' Conybeare's, 87. 'Defensio Fidei Nicaenae,' Bull's, 199. ...
/.../abbey/the english church in the eighteenth century/index 2.htm

Elucidations.
... Bull also, who conceives the language of Tertullian to be explicit and correct on
the subject of the pre-existence and the consubstantiality, admits that he ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/against praxeas/elucidations.htm

Introductory Notice to the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
... Grabe's Spicilegium is there referred to; but it may be well also to consult his
citations, in elucidation, of Bull's Defensio Fidei Nic??n??, [4] where he ...
/.../introductory notice to the testaments.htm

Elucidation.
... [37] Dr. Burton, in his edition of Bishop Bull's works, [38] almost overrules that
learned prelate's inclination to think it genuine, in the following words ...
//christianbookshelf.org/thaumaturgus/a declaration of faith/elucidation.htm

Early Battles
... The sisters had the joy of erecting a citadel in the Bull's Close. At King's Lynn,
visitation of the homes of the people was a specialty of their work. ...
/.../carpenter/the angel adjutant of twice born men/iv early battles.htm

Bull's (8 Occurrences)
...Bull's (8 Occurrences). ... (See NIV). Leviticus 4:11 The bull's skin, all its flesh,
with its head, and with its legs, its innards, and its dung, (WEB). ...
/b/bull's.htm - 8k

Bulrush (3 Occurrences)

/b/bulrush.htm - 8k

Offal (6 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Leviticus 4:11 The bull's skin, all its flesh, with its head,
and with its legs, its innards, and its dung, (See NIV). ...
/o/offal.htm - 8k

Outer (98 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The part of a target which is beyond the circles surrounding the
bull's-eye. 3. (n.) A shot which strikes the outer of a target. ...
/o/outer.htm - 37k

Goat's (6 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 16:18 "He shall go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement
for it, and shall take some of the bull's blood, and some of the goat's ...
/g/goat's.htm - 8k

Innards (15 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 4:8 He shall take all the fat of the bull of the sin offering off of it;
the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, (WEB ...
/i/innards.htm - 10k

Eye (145 Occurrences)
... scallop. 10. (n.) The bud or sprout of a plant or tuber; as the eye of a potato.
11. (n.) The center of a target; the bull's-eye. 12. (n ...
/e/eye.htm - 54k

Entrails (18 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 4:8 He shall take all the fat of the bull of the sin offering off of it;
the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards ...
/e/entrails.htm - 11k

Pin (10 Occurrences)
... drink. 14. (n.) The bull's eye, or center, of a target; hence, the center.
15. (n.) Mood; humor. 16. (n.) Caligo. See Caligo. 17. ...
/p/pin.htm - 13k

Dung (27 Occurrences)
... Exodus 29:14 But the flesh of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall
burn with fire outside of the camp: it is a sin offering. ...
/d/dung.htm - 20k

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