In the Hebrew Bible, Aaron ( or ;
Rebellion of Korah
From the time of the sojourn at Mount Sinai, where he became the anointed priest of Israel, Aaron ceased to be the minister of Moses, his place being taken by Joshua. He is mentioned in association with Miriam in a jealous complaint against the exclusive claims of Moses as the Lord’s prophet. The presumption of the murmurers was rebuked, and Miriam was smitten with
Tzaraath. Aaron entreated Moses to intercede for her, at the same time confessing the sin and folly that prompted the uprising. Aaron himself was not struck with the plague on account of sacerdotal immunity; and Miriam, after seven days’ quarantine, was healed and restored to favor (Numbers 12). Micah a prophet in
Judaism, mentions Moses, Aaron, and Miriam as the leaders of Israel after the Exodus (a judgment wholly in accord with the tenor of the narratives). The action was construed as displaying a want of deference to the Lord, since they had been commanded to speak to the rock, whereas Moses struck it with the staff, twice (Numbers 20:7-11).
Of the death of Aaron we have two accounts. The principal one gives a detailed statement that soon after the incident at Meribah, Aaron, with his son Eleazar and Moses, ascended Mount Hor. There Moses stripped Aaron of his priestly garments and transferred them to Eleazar. Aaron died on the summit of the mountain, and the people mourned for him thirty days (Numbers 20:22-29; compare 33:38-39). The other account is found in Deuteronomy 10:6, where Moses is reported as saying that Aaron died at Moserah and was buried there. There is a significant amount of travel between these two points, as the itinerary in Numbers 33:31–37 records seven stages between Moseroth (Mosera) and Mount Hor.
Jewish Rabbinic literature
The older prophets and prophetical writers beheld in their priests the representatives of a religious form inferior to the prophetic truth; men without the spirit of God and lacking the will-power requisite to resist the multitude in its idolatrous proclivities. “At times Aaron, and at other times Moses, is mentioned first in Scripture—this is to show that they were of equal rank,” says
Mekilta. בא, 1; expressly infers this when introducing in his record of renowned men the glowing description of Aaron’s ministration.
Death
In fulfilment of the promise of peaceful life, symbolized by the pouring of oil upon his head (
Leviticus Rabbah x.,
Midrash Teh. cxxxiii. 1), Aaron's death, as described in the
Haggadah, was of a wonderful tranquility. "Take off thy priestly raiment and place it upon thy son Eleazar!" said Moses; "and then follow me." Aaron did as commanded; and they entered the cave, where was prepared a bed around which angels stood. "Go lie down upon thy bed, my brother," Moses continued; and Aaron obeyed without a murmur. Then his soul departed as if by a kiss from God. The cave closed behind Moses as he left; and he went down the hill with Eleazar, with garments rent, and crying: "Alas, Aaron, my brother! thou, the pillar of supplication of Israel!" When the Israelites cried in bewilderment, "Where is Aaron?" angels were seen carrying Aaron's bier through the air. A voice was then heard saying: "The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips: he walked with me in righteousness, and brought many back from sin" (Malachi 2:6). He died, according to
Seder Olam Rabbah ix., R. H. 2, 3a, on the first of Ab." The pillar of cloud which proceeded in front of Israel's camp disappeared at Aaron's death (see Seder 'Olam, ix. and R. H. 2b-3a). The seeming contradiction between Numbers 20:22 et seq. and Deutronomy 10:6 is solved by the rabbis in the following manner: Aaron's death on Mount Hor was marked by the defeat of the people in a war with the king of Arad, in consequence of which the Israelites fled, marching seven stations backward to Mosera, where they performed the rites of mourning for Aaron; wherefore it is said: "There [at Mosera] died Aaron." When the latter was appointed ruler and Aaron high priest, neither betrayed any jealousy; instead they rejoiced in one another's greatness. When Moses at first declined to go to Pharaoh, saying: "O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send" (Exodus 4:13), he was unwilling to deprive Aaron, his brother, of the high position the latter had held for so many years; but the Lord reassured him, saying: "Behold, when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart" (). Indeed, Aaron was to find his reward, says
Shimon bar Yochai; for that heart which had leaped with joy over his younger brother's rise to glory greater than his was decorated with the
Urim and Thummim, which were to "be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the Lord" (
Canticles Rabbah i. 10). Moses and Aaron met in gladness of heart, kissing each other as true brothers (Exodus 4:27; compare
Song of Songs 8:1), and of them it is written: "Behold how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalms 133:1). Of them it is said: "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed [each other]" (Psalms 85:10); for Moses stood for righteousness, according to Deuteronomy 33:21, and Aaron for peace, according to . Again, mercy was personified in Aaron, according to Deuteronomy 33:8, and truth in Moses, according to Numbers 12:7 . Then
the Shekhinah spake the words: "Behold the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard of Aaron, that even went down to the skirts of his garment, is as pure as the dew of Hermon" () . While Moses was stern and uncompromising, brooking no wrong, Aaron went about as peacemaker, reconciling man and wife when he saw them estranged, or a man with his neighbor when they quarreled, and winning evil-doers back into the right way by his friendly intercourse. The mourning of the people at Aaron’s death was greater, therefore, than at that of Moses; for whereas, when Aaron died the whole
house of Israel wept, including the women. Even in the making of the Golden Calf the rabbis find extenuating circumstances for Aaron.
It was he who preached and prophesied with Moses (Musa) during the reign of the terrible Pharaoh of the Exodus, known in Islam as Firaun. Aaron is one of the prophets who Muhammad is said to have met on the night of the Mi'raj (Night Journey), his ascension through the heavens. Aaron's teaching, with Moses, is described in the following passage:
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Aaron is also important for being a patriarch the ancestor of the priestly lineage of the family of Amram. The figures mentioned in the Qur'an who came from Aaron's lineage were Mary and Jesus. Furthermore, the other figures present in the household - such as the high priest Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth - are also mentioned as coming through the same bloodline.
Aaron in the Qur'an
The
Qur'an's version of Aaron's life was written 2000 years after the original account in the
Torah, and is strongly influenced by the Biblical narrative. Aaron was the brother of Moses and like his brother he too was a
prophet who was tasked by
God with saving the
Israelites from the tyrannical
Pharaoh. In the Qur'an God says:
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Moses prays to God to grant Aaron as a helper
Aaron was a gifted speaker. He was largely responsible with teaching the Israelites the way of worship as it was laid out in the
Torah (
Tawrat) of that time. According to the Qur'an, Moses prayed to God to grant him his brother Aaron as a helper to be with him in all his tasks ahead. God, in the Qur'an, says that Moses said:
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God grant's Moses his request
God granted Moses his request and told him that he could take his brother along with him. God says:
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Aaron is given the Law
Aaron, being a prophetic messenger, was also given the law by God, to preach to the
Children of Israel according to the Torah. The
Qur'an mentions the holy scripture as a light and guidance for those who would accept the Message. God says in the Qur'an:
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The Golden Calf
When Moses led his people on the
Exodus to
Mount Sinai, he told them that he would be gone for a few days to receive the
Tablets of the Law. He informed the
Israelites that Aaron would be their leader in his absence. However, the moment Moses left, an evil man,
Samiri, fashioned an idol
calf out of the people's gold and jewelery and he made the Israelites succumb to idolatry.
Aaron preached with powerful zeal to his people, but they refused to listen to him. It is here that the Qur'anic narrative of the incident sharply contrasts with the Biblical story, which puts blames Aaron for making the golden calf. Aaron was overpowered and was threatened with being killed by his people. When Moses returned from Mount Sinai, he blamed Aaron for allowing the Israelites to worship this idol and seized his brother by his beard, but Aaron then gave his explanation, after which Moses prayed to God to forgive both of them. As God says in the Qur'an:
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Aaron in Muhammad's time
Muhammad, in many of his sayings, speaks of Aaron. In the event of the
Mi'raj, his miraculous ascension through the Heavens, Muhammad is said to have encountered Aaron in the fifth heaven. According to old scholars, including
Ibn Hisham, Muhammad, in particular, mentioned the beauty of Aaron when he encountered him in Heaven.
Martin Lings, in his biographical
Muhammad, speaks of Muhammad's wonderment at seeing fellow prophets in their heavenly glory:
Aaron was also mentioned by Muhammad in likeness to Ali. Muhammad had left Ali to look after his family, but the hypocrites of the time begun to spread the rumor that the prophet found Ali a burden and was relieved to be rid of his presence. Ali, grieved at hearing this wicked taunt, told Muhammad what the local people were saying. In reply, the prophet said: "They lie, I bade thee remain for the sake of what I had left behind me. So return and represent me in my family and in thine. Art thou not content, O Ali, that thou should be unto me as Aaron was unto Moses, save that after me there is no prophet."
Burial Place
,
Jordan.]]
According to Islamic tradition the
tomb of Aaron is located on
Jabal Harun, or Aaron's Mountain, near
Petra in
Jordan. At 1350 meters above sea-level it is the highest peak in the area; and it is a place of great sanctity to the local people for here. A 14th century
Jordanian mosque stands here with its white dome visible from most areas in and around Petra.
Genetics
Recently, the tradition that Kohanim (the Jewish priesthood) are actually descended from a single patriarch, Aaron, was found to be apparently consistent with genetic testing. The majority of Jewish men with the tradition of being Kohanim, but not all, share a direct male lineage with a common Y chromosome, and testing was done across sectors of the Jewish population to see if there was any commonality between the Y chromosomes of Kohanim. The results were found to cluster rather closely around a specific DNA signature, found in the Semitic Haplogroup J1, which the researchers named the Cohen modal haplotype, implying that many of the Kohanim do share a distinctive common ancestry. This information was also used to support the claim that the Lemba (a sub-Saharan tribe) are in fact descendant from a group of Jewish priests.
The Cohen Modal Haplotype or CMH is found in haplogroup J1, which geneticists estimate originated in the Southern Levant (modern day Israel, Jordan; biblical Canaan) or North Africa (Egypt) approximately 10,000–15,000 years ago. Biblical tradition holds that Abraham and his ancestors, the Semitic tribes, originated from Southern Arabia or East Africa (Genesis 10); Aaron and Moses were 7th generation descendants from Abraham (Exodus 6). An estimated 20% of the modern Jewish community fall into haplogroup J1. The traditional date for Abraham is circa 2200–2000 BC. Behar, et al., found Kohanim in a variety of haplogroups (E3b, G2, H, I1b, J, K2, Q, R1a1, R1b), which included those which originated in the Levant (J1, J2) and those from Southern Arabia, East Africa, or another geographic region.
Dr. Karl Skorecki, the founder of CMH, reported during a Conference for Kohanim in Jerusalem 2007, that he and his research team have discovered not one but two Cohen Modal Haplotypes, which he called J1 and J2. “Pinchas the zealot mentioned in the Bible may be the origin of J2” said Skorecki. According to the observed mutations rates, certain J2 haplotypes found on FTDNA database projects share a common ancestor who lived 3100+/-200 years bp, as Skorecki revealed to the public.
Descendants
Aaron married
Elisheba, daughter of
Amminadab and sister of
Nahshon (Exod 6:23). The sons of Aaron were
Eleazar,
Ithamar,
Nadab and Abihu. A descendant of Aaron is an Aaronite, or
Kohen, meaning Priest. Any non-Aaronic
Levite descended from Levi but not of the priestly division would be assigned to assist the Levitical priests of the family of Aaron in the care of the tabernacle and later of the temple.
Art history
Depictions of Aaron within art history are rare. Other than Aaron's inclusion in the crowd of revelers around the Golden Calf ceremony—most notably in Nicolas Poussin’s “The Adoration of the Golden Calf” (ca. 1633–34, National Gallery London)—there is little else. The recent discovery in 1991 of Pier Francesco Mola’s “Aaron, Holy to the Lord” (ca. 1650, Private Collection, New York: image available for study at Fred R. Kline Gallery Archives) adds significantly to the Aaronic mythos. The painting offers a dramatic, deeply psychological portrayal of the single figure of Aaron in his priestly garments celebrating Yom Kippur in the wilderness Tabernacle. The Mola “Aaron” is considered, quite surprisingly, the unique single figure of Aaron to have been painted by a European old master artist, circa 15th–18th centuries (A.Pigler, "Barockthemen" Vol. 1; although unknown to Pigler). The carefully rendered Judaic iconographic details in the Mola painting are rare and the subject itself may have importance in relationship to mid-17th century Jewish history, characterized by a controversial messianic movement involving a serious contender for a new Messiah, Shabtai Zvi, whose influence was felt in Jewish communities worldwide (Harris Lenowitz, "The Jewish Messiahs"). It is highly probable that the Zvi messianic phenomenon was noted by the Catholic Church as a possible threat to Jesus, their sanctified Messiah. It may be significant to note, in considering the possible influence of the Roman Catholic Church in choices of lay-commissioned religious art during this period and considering as well the importance of Aaron in the Christian tradition, that "Aaron, Holy to the Lord" was originally commissioned along with a now lost pendant of Moses (both from Mola) by the nobel Colonna family, wealthy Catholic art patrons living in Rome (Getty Museum Archives).
See also
Tomb of Aaron
Harun
Kohen
Y-chromosomal Aaron
Moses in rabbinic literature
References
Further reading
McCurdy, J. F. and Kaufmann Kohler. "Aaron". Jewish Encyclopedia. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901–1906; which cites
* Numbers Rabbah 9
* Leviticus Rabbah 10
in Jellinek’s Bet ha-Midrash, 1:91–95
764
* Baring-Gould, Legends of Old Testament Characters
* Chronicles of Jerahmeel, ed. M. Gaster, pp. cx1:130–133
* Holweck, F. G., A Biographical Dictionary of the Saint. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co. 1924.
References in the Qur'an
Aaron's prophecy: , ,
Aaron is made helper of Moses: , , , ,
Aaron and Moses sent to Pharaoh: , , ,
Praise for Aaron: , , , , ,
The Golden Calf: ,
External links
MFnames.com - Origin and Meaning of Aaron
Category:Ancient Jewish Egyptian history
Category:High Priests of Israel
Category:Torah people
Category:Old Testament saints
Category:Moses
Category:Kohanim
*Main
Category:Book of Exodus
