The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Aaron

AARON, ar′un, a prominent but subordinate figure of the Exodus period in Jewish history, whose importance increases with the distance of the recorder from the early epochs, and with the remodeling of the early histories by the priesthood to support their later pretensions and their theocratic ideal of Judaism. In the earliest of Elohistic (q. v.) portions of the Hexateuch, he is brother of Miriam (Ex. xv, 20); but it is Joshua who is Moses' minister for religious rites and who keeps guard over the tent of meeting (Ex. xxiii, 11), the young men of Israel offer sacrifice, and Moses alone is the high-priest. Aaron, however, seems to be regarded as ancestor of one set of priests, those at the Hill of Phinehas, and perhaps of those at Bethel. In a later portion it is he who yields to the demand for an idol, and fashions the golden calf – an evident genealogy of Baal-worship, accredited to the ancestor of rival priests. In the Yahvistic portions he is Moses' older brother, but is brought upon the stage only to be ignored: Pharaoh sends for him and Moses to take away the plagues (Ex. vii), but he has no independent power and is merely Moses' agent in performing miracles, bringing on plagues, etc. The supererogatory nature of his functions makes it probable that his rôle is introduced by the priestly redactor, under whose hands he becomes a mighty leader little inferior to Moses: he sometimes receives laws directly from Yahwé (Num. xviii); he with Moses numbers the people, the Israelites rebel against him as well as Moses, though, when he criticises Moses, curiously his inciter Miriam is punished, not himself (Num. xii); he and Moses jointly disobey Yahwé's command at Meribah; and he is punished by having his life close before entering Canaan. This magnifying connects itself clearly with post-exile books, where he is the ancestor of all legitimate priests, consecrated high-priest by Moses, and alone permitted to enter the Holy of Holies yearly: he represents the tribe of Levi, and even within it his descendants alone are rightful priests, and interlopers (see Korah) are stricken dead by Yahwé. The pre-exilic prophets know nothing of this claim: Ezekiel traces the origin of the Jerusalem priesthood only to Zadok (q. v.). He belongs to the tribe of Joseph and its struggle to secure admission to the Jerusalem priesthood. Consult Meyer, Ed., ‘Die Israeliten und ihre Nachbarstamme’ (1906); Schmidt, N., ‘Jerameel and the Negeb’ (in the Hibbert Journal 1908); Oort, ‘Die Aaronieden’ (in Theologisch Tijdschrift 1884).