"The Twelve oxen are the most prominent feature of the [temple] baptismal font. Although the oxen are often believed to signify the twelve tribes of Israel, the ancient Israelites saw the ox as the symbol of the Tribe of Joseph (see Deuteronomy 33:17).
Because this tribe holds the birthright blessings, it also has the responsibility for the salvation of the rest of the tribes of Israel (see 1 Chronicles 5:2; Jeremiah 31:9). In Hebrew the name "Joseph" is Asaph and one of its meanings is "he who gathers." This is significant because Joseph was told by his father Jacob that his "horns" would be used to "push people together" from the ends of the earth (Deut. 33:17)."
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Taken from Symbols in Stone
by Matthew B. Brown and Paul Thomas Smith
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