| Moloch | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Other Names |
Molech, Mole |
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First Appearance |
Hebrew Bible |
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Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
"The idol Moloch with seven chambers or chapels" in Die Alten Jüdischen Heiligthümer, by Johann Lund, early eighteenth century.
Moloch, Molech, or Molek is a word which appears in the Hebrew Bible several times, primarily in the Book of Leviticus. The Greek Septuagint translates many of these instances as "their king", but maintains the word or name Moloch in others, including one additional time in the Book of Amos where the Hebrew text does not attest the name. The Bible strongly condemns practices that are associated with Moloch, which are heavily implied to include child sacrifice.
Traditionally, the name Moloch has been understood as referring to a Canaanite god. Since the medieval period, Moloch has often been portrayed as a bull-headed idol with outstretched hands over a fire; this depiction takes the brief mentions of Moloch in the Bible and combines them with various sources, including ancient accounts of Carthaginian child sacrifice and the legend of the Minotaur.
The Church fathers only discuss Moloch occasionally, mostly in commentaries on the Book of Amos or the Acts of the Apostles (where Stephen summarizes the Old Testament before being martyred). Early Christian commentators mostly either used Moloch to show the sinfulness of the Jews or to exhort Christians to morality. Discussion of Moloch is also rare during the medieval period, and was mostly limited to providing descriptions of what the commentators believed Moloch sacrifice entailed. Such descriptions, as found in Nicholas of Lyra (1270–1349), derive from the rabbinical tradition.
During the Reformation, on the other hand, protestant commentators such as John Calvin and Martin Luther used Moloch as a warning against falling into idolatry and to disparage Catholic practices. Jehovah's Witnesses understand Moloch as a god of worship of the state, following ideas first expressed by Scottish minister Alexander Hislop (1807–1865).
Beginning in the modern era, "Moloch" has been figuratively used in reference to a power which demands a dire sacrifice. A god Moloch appears in various works of literature and film, such as John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), Gustave Flaubert's Salammbô (1862), and Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927).
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Moloch from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- On the Morning of Christ's Nativity (1629)
- Paradise Lost (1667)
- Messias (1748–1773)
- The Haunted Man (1848)
- Salammbô (1862)
- The Secret of the League (1907)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Cabiria (1914)
- Metropolis (1927)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Web of Evil #6: Greedy Dr. Morgan discovers the remnants of a Phoenician cult on a remote island. He’s willing to sacrifice his niece Lela and his pilot Alan to get his hands on the lost treasure of Moloch. But tables are turned when the earth starts to quake and a volcano erupts.
- Feature Comics #41: In Sacrifice to Moloch, Zero performs an incantation by drawing a circular pattern -- or zero -- that transports him into the past and which also summons ghosts.
- Whiz Comics #122: Prince Ibis pretends to have died to bring Karnak out of hiding and defeat him.
- Blackhawk #98: In the story of The Temple of Doom features the appearance of the ancient god, Moloch the Destroyer.
- Psycho #4: Moloch appears in the story Out Of Chaos... A New Beginning. In this tale the universe is being destroyed and Satan desperately tries to create a new Hell before he's wiped from existence.
Public Domain Comic Appearances Inspired by Moloch[]
- Modern Comics 82: In Blackhawk Battles a Firebug! featured the first appearance of a villain called Mr. Moloch.
Notes[]
- Alan Moore's Watchmen features a retired underworld crime boss who once adopted the name Moloch the Mystic (real name Edgar William Jacobi) and wore the robes of a magician.