The text has been published in facsimile type- (l)in 1846, 'Cod. Frid.- Aug.,' containing the sheets of OT secured in 1844; (2) in 1802, 'Cod. Sin.,' containing, besides NT, the rest of OT, with the exception of a few verses (published in an appendix in 1807). Tischendorf also published the NT text in a handy volume in 18(i3. The OT readings are most ea.sily accessible in Swete's edition of the LXX (Cambridge, 1887-95, ed. 2, 1895 8).
J. O. F. MCBRAY.
A. — A symbol used in OT criticism by Dillmann to sipnih' the Priestly elements of the Hex., more OBuaTly known as P. See Hkxateuch.
F. II. Woods.
A is frequently used in AV, and sometimes retained in KV, in constructions that are now obsolete. It is found both as an adj. (or indef, art.) and as a prep. 1. .i4, as an adj., is a wom- down form of the Old English adj. an, 'one.' (1) In modem Eng. a is used before a con- sonantal sound, an before a vowel sound. In the Eng. VSS of the Bible this usage is not invariable. See An. (2) A is found qualifj-iug abstract nouns without allccting their mcanmg : Wis 12" ' thou art of a full power' (KV ' perfect in iiower ') ; 12" ' to l)e of a good hope ' (BV ' of good tiope'); 2 Co IC ' haWng in a reailiness' (KV 'being in readiness'); 2 Mac 13" 'commanded they should be in a readiness.' Cf. Guylforde, I'l/lr/rymage 7 : ' alwaye in a redynesse to set forth wlien they woll.' On tiie other hand it is sometimes omitted where it is required for individualising: Sir 39" 'at time convenient.' (3) In Lk 9" 'about
AAKOIS
AARON
an eight days (RV about eight days) after these sayings ' the art. is used as in ' a good many ' ; so 1 Mac 4" ' there were slain of them upon a three thousand men ' (RV ' about three thousand ').
2. In other expressions ^ is a prep., being a wom-dowTi form of an or on, and stands for the modern 'at,' 'in,' or 'on.' 2 Ch 2" 'three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work ' (RV ' awork ') ; 1 Co 9' ' who goeth a warfare (RV 'serveth') any time at his own charges?' Jth 7' 'horsemen . . . and other men that were afoot.' Most frequently with a verbal noun in 'ing' : 2 Ch 16' 'wherewith Baasha was a building' (AV of 1611, later edd. 'was building,' RV ' had builded ') ; 1 Es 6-» ' Being still a building, it is not yet fully ended ' ; Lk 8*^ ' She lay a dying.' The full form an or on re- mained side uy side with this worn-down form : Ac 13" ' David . . . fell on sleep ' ; Mt 4» ' He was afterward an hungered ' (RV ' He afterward himcered.' 'An hungered' occurs also Mt 12'' • 25».>7. ti. 44^ Mk 2=», Lk 6», and in all these places RV leaves it unchanged).
Literature.— Beside* the neceBsary edd. of the Eng. Bible, Slieat, Etymoi. Diet, of Ihe Eng. Lana.i ; Murray and Bradley, Eng. Diet, on Hist. PrincipUt (called the Oxford Eng. Dict^; Whitney, Century Diet. ; Wright, Bible Word Booi» ; Michie, Bible Words and Phrturt; Mayhew, Select Oloieary of Bible Words ; Trench, Select Glomary ; together with the Concord- ances to Shakespeare, Milton, etc ; and the Clarendon Preas and Pitt Press edd. of the Eng. works ol the period.
J. Hastings.
AARON (['lit;!*, LXX 'kapiiiv). — In the narratives of the Exodus, Aaron is, after Moses, the most prominent figure. Often appearing as the colleague or representative of the great leader and lawgiver, he is in particular the priest, and the head of the Israelitish priesthood. We must, however, distin- guish between our difTerent authorities in the Pent., for in the priestly narrative Aaron not tinnaturally occupies a far more important place than in the earlier account of JE.
In JE, Aaron is first introduced as Moses' brother, and with the title of the Levite, in Ex 4" J, where J', sending Moses on his mission to the Israelites, appoints him, on account of his fluency in speech, to be the spokesman of Moses to tne peoplis (vv. '*""). Aaron meets his brother in the mount of God ; together they return to Egypt and assemble the elders of the Israelites, before whom Aaron, instructed by Moses, delivers God's message and performs the appointed sims. The people believe ; but when Moses and Aaron re- quest Pharaoh to grant the people temporary leave of absence, the king refuses to listen to them (Ex 4-6'). In the account of the plagues Aaron occupies quite a subordinate place, being the BUent companion of his brother. It is Moses who is sent to Pharaoh and announces the coming plagues (Ex 7'"- S'"- *"• 9'"- "«'■ [J mainly]— with 10* contrast 10* ' he turned '). Aaron is merely called in four times along with Moses to entreat for their removal (8*-^ 9" 10"). Indeed it seems probable that the mention of Aaron in these passages is due, not to the original narrative of J, out to the editor who combined J and E ; for in each case Moses alone answers, and in his own name ; in 8*" 9" 10'" his departure alone is men- tioned, while in 8" it is Moses alone who prays for the removal of the frogs. In the history of the wanderings the passages relating to Aaron are for the most part derived from E, where indeed Miriam is described as the sister of Aaron (IS**). With Hur he assists Moses in holding up the rod of God to ensure the defeat of Amalek (n'"-" E), and together with the elders he is called to Jethro's aacrifice (18" E). At Sinai,while priests and people remain below, Aaron accompanies Moses up the mountain (19** J), together with Nadab, Abihu,