q. v.
quod vide
= which see.
s. a. '
sine anno
sine loco
^ap&^P**"*-.
8. an. '
sub anno
= under the year.
eq. l
sequent.
= following.
s. v. '
sub ixrbo
= under the word.
v. r. l
various reading.
CYCLOPAEDIA
BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND ECCLESIASTICAL LITERATURE.
A. See Alpha.
Aadrak. See Aazrak.
A'alar ('AaAdp), a person -who (or a place from •which some of the Jews) returned after the captivity (1 Esdr. v, 36) ; more correcth- called in the parallel list (Neh. vii, 61) Islmer (q. v.).
Aara (JOXX), a factitious term used by the Eab- bins (Lex. Talm. Aruch, s. v.) as an example of a ■word beginning with two X's, like Aazrak (q. v.). In the Talmud, according to Buxtorf {Lex. Talm. col. 2), it is written A vera (K^IX), perhaps only a sing. Chaldaic form of the plur. Urim (q. v.), light.
A'aron [vulgarly pronounced Ar'ori] (Ileb. Aha- ron, ■pn.N, derivation uncertain : Gesenius, Thesaur. Heb. p. 33, thinks from the obsolete root "lilX, to be libidinous [so the Heb. Lex. Aruch, from !"H!~l, refer- ring (erroneously) to his conception during the Phara- onic edict] ; but in his Heb. Lex. s. v. compares with *|iin, mountaineer ; Filrst, Heb. Handwi'irterbuch, s. v., makes it signify enlightener, from an obsolete root *inx = "list, to shine. Sept., N. T., and Josephus, 'Aapwi').
I. History. — Aaron was the eldest son of the Levite Amram by Jochebed, and the brother of Moses (Exod. vi, 20; vii, '7- Num. xxvi, 59) ; born B.C. 1742. He is first mentioned in the account of Moses' vision of the burning bush (Exod. iv, 14), where the latter was reminded by the Lord that Aaron possessed a high degree of persuasive readiness of speech, and could therefore speak in His name in his behalf. Dur- ing the absence of Moses in Midian (B.C. 1698-1658), Aaron had married a woman of the tribe of Judah, named Elisheba (or Elizabeth), who had borne to him four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar; and Eleazar had, before the return of Moses, become the father of Phinehas (Exod. vi, 23-25). Pursuant to an intimation from God, Aaron went into the wilderness to meet his long-exiled brother, and conduct him back to Egypt. They met and embraced each other at the Mount of Horeb*(Exod. iv, 27), B.C. 1658. When they arrived in Goshen, Aaron, who appears to have been well known to the chiefs of Israel, introduced his broth- er to them, and aided him in opening and enforcing his great commission (Exod. iv, 29-31). In the subse- quent transactions, Aaron appears to have been almost always present with his more illustrious brother, as- sisting and supporting him ; and no separate act of his own is recorded, although he seems to have been the actual instrument of effecting many of the miracles (Exod. vii, 19 sq.). Aaron and Hur were present on the hill from which Moses surveyed the battle which Joshua fought with the Amalekites (Exod. xvii, 10- 12) ; and these two long sustained the weary hands upon whose uplifting (in order to extend the official od, rather than in prayer, see ver. 9) the fate of the A
AARON
battle was found to depend. Afterward, when Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the tables of the law, Aaron, with his sons and seventy of the elders, accompanied him part of the way up, and were per- mitted to behold afar off the symbol of the Sacred Presence (Exod. xxiv, 1, 2, 9-11). During the ab- sence of Moses in the mountain the people seem to have looked upon Aaron as their head, and an occa- sion arose which fully vindicates the divine prefer- ence of Moses by showing that, notwithstanding the seniority and greater eloquence of Aaron, he wanted the high qualities which were essential in the leader of the Israelites (see Niemeyer, Charakt. iii, 238 sq.). The people at length concluded that Moses had perished in the fire that gleamed upon the mountain's top, and, gathering around Aaron, clamorously demanded that he should provide them with a visible symbolic image of their God, that they might worship him as other gods were worshipped (Exod. xxxii). Either through fear or ignorance, Aaron complied with their demand ; and with the ornaments of gold which they freely offered, cast the figure of a calf (see Kitto's Daily Bible Illnst. in loc). See Calf. However, to fix the meanin ; of this image as a symbol of the true God, Aaron was careful to proclaim a feast to Jehovah for the ensuing da}' (see Moncaeius, A aron pu iff it us she de vitulo aureo, Atreb. i605, Franckf. 1675). At this juncture, Moses' reappearance confounded the multitude, who were se- verely punished for this sin. Aaron attempted to ex- cuse himself by casting the whole blame upon the people, but was sternly rebuked by his brother, at whose earnest intercessions, however, he received the divine forgiveness (Deut. ix, 20). During this and a second absence in the mountain, Moses had received instructions regarding the ecclesiastical establishment, the tabernacle, and the priesthood, which he soon afterward proceeded to execute. See Tabernacle ; Worship. Under the new institution Aaron was to be high-priest, and his sons and descendants priests ; and the whole tribe to which he belonged, that of Levi, was set apart as the sacerdotal or learned caste. See Levite. Accordingly, after the tabernacle had been completed, and every preparation made for the commencement of actual service, Aaron and his sons" were consecrated by Moses, who anointed them with the holy oil and invested them with the sacred gar- ments (Lev. viii, ix), B.C. 1657. The high-priest ap- plied himself assiduously to the duties of his exalted office, and during the period of nearly forty years that it was filled by him his name seldom comes under our notice. But soon after his elevation his two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, were struck dead for daring, seemingly when in a state of partial inebriety, to con- duct the service of God in an irregular manner, by offering incense with unlawful fire. On this occasion it was enjoined that the priests should manifest none of the ordinary signs of mourning for the loss of those who were so dear to them. To this heavy stroke