[fproy2222]

P.S. . . . does anybody know what the deal is with all the cattle around the font? If it were a watering tank, they'd surely be facing the other way . . . . Seriously, I've seen medieval fonts with supporting animals, usually the Gospel archetypes of the angel (Matthew), the winged bull (Luke), the lion (Mark) and the eagle (John), but never with all the cows.

++++++++++++++

There are 12 oxen.

I think (and please, someone correct me if I remember wrong), that they represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Don, you are better then I am at this kind of stuff, am I right?

[Rameumptom]

>>I think (and please, someone correct me if I remember wrong), that they represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Don, you are better then I am at this kind of stuff, am I right?

Yes.

Some modern Christians like to mock what they don't understand about Mormonism not realizing that it also is a part of their own tradition. 1 Kings gives a basic explanation along with the meaning of other Christian smybolism in the rest of the chapter.

1 Kings 7:23 ¶ And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. 24 And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast. 25 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward. 26 And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two athousand baths.

Here is a 12th century "orthodox" version.

Liège (Belgium), St. Barhélemy (Bartholomew) - Baptismal font of Renier de Huy (first part of the XIIth century).