People today are less religious than in past centuries for reasons well beyond the scope of our weekly writings. Yet even today religions and wealth, and silver and gold are entwined within the minds of many. Additionally, below is a historical review covering some of the reasons why.
Gold is a central feature in most religions around the world. As one of humanity’s first discovered precious metals, it has historically held great value. Its value has been in its beauty and its scarcity. As something that held great value and beauty, it’s only natural that it would be included in the most significant aspects of human life.
Gold in the Bible
Within the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, gold historically and presently plays a prominent role in services and ceremonies. The Bible speaks extensively about ancient Israelite ceremony and liturgy, and gold was heavily featured. In terms of Israelite worship, God commanded Moses to collect gold from the people for the construction of the sanctuary—the centre of worship.
“This is the contribution which you are to take from them: gold, silver, and bronze…Have them construct a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:3, 8-9 NASB).
All of the furniture items in the tabernacle, including the ark of the covenant, the table of shewbread, the menorah, and the altar of incense were overlaid with pure gold.
Clearly, gold played a central role in the practice of worship, in ancient times. Their gold was more than merely decorative. Firstly, the gold signified God’s magnificence and holiness. As the most valuable and precious metal in the ancient world, gold was chosen to adorn the Tabernacle and the items within it as a testament of God’s majesty and glory.
The gods of other nations were also made from gold and other precious metals because everybody at that time knew what these metals represented – wealth since control over metals meant control over lands and technology.
Gold in Judaism
As in ancient Jewish worship where the scroll of the Torah would be beautifully adorned with gold and other precious things, the Christians would adorn the book of the Gospel with gold and other valuable jewels and metals.
The use of gold in Christian worship continued with the items in the churches such as the chalices which would hold the Holy Emblems, the seven-headed candlesticks, the dishes for oblations, and the ornate golden vestments worn by the priests and bishops. All of this is a continuation of the instructions given to Moses for worship in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Gold’s role in Islam
The last of the three major Abrahamic religions, Islam, also utilizes gold, albeit in different ways. Islam’s primary use of gold was in Qur’anic manuscripts and in the decoration of mosques. Moreover, some 9th-century Qur’anic manuscripts began to appear with golden calligraphy.
However, there was great debate within Islamic sources as to whether such ornamentation was appropriate. Some mosques around the world are decorated with gold and contain majestic ornamentation to signify the majesty of Allah. Anything made with gold or with great beauty within Islam is meant to portray the greatness of God and inculcate a sense of awe and wonder in the worshiper.
The Eternal Strength of Gold
As can be seen, gold has played a central role in the world’s three monotheistic religions. In each case, it has been used to communicate God’s greatness and majesty and to generate a sense of holiness and wonder in the believer. Human beings have always made a connection between gold and the divine, likely because of its splendour, brightness, and value.
Perhaps the greatest human connection to gold and silver comes from the permanence of eternity. Since the metals are very stable chemically, they never rust, never lose their shine, and don’t chemically change into something else.
Those features of course are direct variants to the birth, ageing, decline and death of humans. We see in these metals a permanence we cannot possess but understand the value of permanence for safety and wealth.
In the centuries before this one silver and gold were ever-present as permanent and eternal objects. They served society as reminders of human generations both gone and to come. Perhaps nothing has really changed?
Silver and gold still silently remind us that the schemes and money printing of our generation cannot sustain future generations and was rejected by prior generations. This is why here at GoldCore we have been proud to help nearly 15,000 customers to buy gold and silver bullion so that they can insure their portfolios against systemic risks. Moreover, we are not offering anything new, just gold and silver. The two assets that have been trusted for over 5,000 years, around the globe.
Article courtesy of GoldCore
