A DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE

AARON. — In examining the Biblical account of Aaron, we must deal separately with the different 'sources' of the Hexateuch.

1. In J, Aaron plays a very subordinate part. He, Nadab and Abihu, along with 70 elders, accompanied Moses up Mt. Sinai (Ex 19« 24»). In the former passage he is distinguished from the priests, who are for-bidden to come up ; he would seem , therefore, to have been an elder or sheikh, perhaps somewhat superior to the 70. In 32» Aaron 'let the people loose for a derision among their enemies.' What this refers to is not known; it was not the making of the golden bull, which in the eyes of the surrounding nations would be only an act of piety.

In other passages, which cannot be assigned either to E or P, the mention of A^ron is probably due to a later hand. In 4'^-" Moses is allowed to nave Aaron as a spokes-man. But 'the Levite' (v.") is suspicious: for Moses was also of the tribe of Levi, and the description is super-fluous. The verses probably belong to a time when ' Levite ' bad become a technical term for one tiained in priestly functions, and when such priestly officials traced their descent from Aaron. In the narratives of the plagues Aaron is a silent figure, merely sununoned with Moses four times when Fhaiuoh entreats for the removal of the plagues (gB. 25 927 1016). jn each case Moses alone answers, and in the last three he alone departs. In 10^ Moses and Aaron went in to announce the plague, but Moses alone ' turned and went out' (v.*). The occurrence of Aaron's name seems to be due, in each case, to later redaction.

2. In E, Aaron is the brother of Miriam (IS^"). He was sent to meet Moses in the wilderness, and together they performed signs before the people (4"-"). They demanded release from Pharaoh, and'on his refusal the people murmured (5'- '■ *■ ""■). Little of E has sur-vived in the narrative of the plagues, and Aaron is not mentioned. In 171"- '^ he and Hur held up Moses' hands, in order that the staff might be lifted up, dur-ing the fight with Amalek. And while Moses was on the mountain, the same two were left in temporary authority over the people (24"'). Aaron is related to have abused this authority, in making the golden bull (321-6. 21-24). [xhe narrative is composite, and in its present form must be later than E. It has some con-nexion with the story of 1 K l2»-'», for Jeroboam's words, which are suitable in reference to two bulls, are placed in Aaron's mouth. 1 In 18'^ Aaron, with the elders, was called to Jethro's sacrifice — an incident which must be placed at the end of the stay at Horeb. In Nu 12 Aaron and Miriam claimed that they, no less than Moses, received Divine revelations; only Miriam, however, was punished. In Jos 24> there is a general reference to the part played by Aaron in the Exodus.

It is noteworthy that there is not a word so far either in J or E, which suggests that Aaron was a priest.

But it is probable that by the time of E the belief hsul begun to grow up that Aaron was the founder of an hereditary priesthood. Dt lO' occurs in a parenthesis which seriously interrupts the narrative, and which was perhaps derived from E (cf. Jos 24").

3. In D, Aaron was probably not mentioned. Dt IC has been referred to; 32"' is from P; and the only remaining passage (9^°) appears to be a later insertion.

4. Outside the Hexateuch, two early passages (1 S 126 8_ Mic 6') refer to Aaron merely as taking a lead-ing part in the Exodus.

5. In P, the process by which the tradition grew up that Moses delegated his priesthood to Aaron is not known. But the effect of it was that the great majority of ' Levites,' i.e. trained official priests, at local sanctuaries throughout the country traced their descent to Aaron. The priests of Jerusalem, on the other hand, were de-scendants of Zadok (1 KV 2^'); and when local sanctuaries were abolished by Josiah's reforms, and the country priests came up to seek a liveUhood at Je-rusalem (see Dt 186-s), the Zadokite priests charged them with image-worship, and allowed them only an inferior position as servants (see 2 K 23', Ezk 44'-"). But at the Exile the priests who were in Jerusalem were carried off, leaving room in the city for many country (Aaronite) priests, who would establish themselves firmly in ofScial prestige with the meagre remnant of the population. Thus, when the Zadokite priests re-turned from Babylon, they would find it advisable to trace their descent from Aaron (see Ezr 2"'). But by their superiority in culture and social standing they regained their ascendancy, and the country priests were once more reduced, under the ancient title of 'Levites,' to an inferior position.

This explains the great importance assigned to Aaron in the priestly portions of the Hexateuch. Reference must be made to other articles for his consecration, his purely priestly functions, and his relation to the Levites (see articles Pribsis and LEViTEa, Sackifice, Tabernacle). But he also plays a considerable part in the narrative of the Exodus and the wanderings. His family relationships are stated in Ex e^"- 23. 25_ Lv 10*. He became Moses' spokesman, not to the people but to Pharaoh (7i) , in whose presence he changed the staff into a 'reptile' (contrast 'serpent' in 4* J). P relates the 2nd plague (combined with J), the 3rd and the 6th, in each of which Aaron is conspicuous. Aaron as well as Moses suffered from the murmurings of the people (Ex IB", Nu 14^ IS'- " 20'); both were consulted by the people (Nu 96 15**); and to both were addressed many of God's commands (Ex 9'-"i 121- •', Lv 111 131 ^433 151, Nu 2'). Aaron stayed a