AARON !
Aaron bowed in silence (Lev. x, 1-11). Aarnn joined in, or at least sanctioned, the invidious conduct of his sister Miriam, who, after the wife of Moses had been brought to the camp byJethro, became apprehensive for her own position, and cast reflections upon Moses, much calculated to damage his influence, on account of his marriage with a foreigner — always an odious thing among the Hebrews. For this Miriam was struck with temporary leprosy, which brought the high- priest to a sense of his sinful conduct, and he sought and obtained forgiveness (Num. xii). See MlRIAM. Subsequently to this (apparently B.C. 1G20), a formi- dable conspiracy was organized against Aaron and his sons, as well as against Moses, l>y chiefs of influence and station — Korah, of the tribe of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, ofthe tribe of Reuben. See Korah. But the divine appointment was attested and confirmed by the signal destruction of the conspirators ; and the next day, when the people assembled tumultuously, and murmured loudly at the destruction which had overtaken their leaders and friends, a fierce pestilence broke out among them, and they fell by thousands on the spot. When this was seen, Aaron, at the com- mand of Moses, filled a censer with fire from the altar, and, rushing forward, arrested the plague between the living and the dead (Num. xvi). This was, in fact, another attestation of the divine appointment ; and, for its further confirmation, as regarded Aaron and his famih', the chiefs of the several tribes were required to deposit their staves, and with them was placed that of Aaron for the tribe of Levi. They were, all laid up together over night in the tabernacle, and in the morn- ing it was found that, while the other rods remained as they were, that of Aaron had budded, blossomed, and yielded the fruit of almonds. The rod was preserved in the tabernacle (comp. Heb. ix, 4) as an authentic evidence of the divine appointment of the Aaronic fam- ily to the priesthood — •■huh, indeed, docs not appear to have been ever afterward disputed (Num. xvii). Aaron was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, on account ofthe distrust which he, as well as his 1 roth- er, manifested when the rock was stricken at Meribah (Num. xx, 8-13). When the host arrived at Mount Hor, in going down the Wady Arabah [see Exode], in order to double the mountainous territory of Edom, the divine mandate came that Aaron, accompanied by his brother Moses and by his son Eleazar, should ascend to the top of that mountain in the view of all the peo- ple ; and that he should there transfer his pontifical robes to Eleazar, and then die (Num. xx, 2"- 29). He was 123 years old when his career thus strikingly ter- minated; and his son and his brother buried him in a cavern of the mountain, B.C. 1619. See Hon. The Israelites mourned for him thirty days ; and on the first day ofthe month Ab the Jews yet hold a fast in commemoration of his death (Kitto, s, v."). The Arabs still Bhow the traditionary site of \'\- grave (Num. xx, 28; xxxiii, 38; Dent, xxxii, 5(1), which in the time of Etiseliius was reputed to be situated in Petra, in the modern Wady Mousa (ftnomast. s. v. < >r ; .1 m. Bib. Re- pos. 1838, p. 132, 640). lie is mentioned in the Koran (Hottinger, Hist. 0re'e«tf.p.85 sq.), ami the Rabbins have 'many fabulous stories relating to him (Eisenmenger, Ent.Judenth. 1,342,855,864). For Talmudical references, see Real-Enojld'ip. s. v. For an attempted identification with Mercury, Bee the Eur op. Mag. i, 1G. See Moses. In 1'sa. exxxiii, 2, Aaron's name incurs as that of the first anointed priest. I lis descendants ("sons of Aaron," Josh, xxi, 4, 10, 13, etc.; poetically, "house of Aaron." Pea, <xv, 10, 12; cxviii, 3, etc.) were the priesthood in general, his lineal descendants being the high-priests. Sec Aabonite. Even in the time of David, these were a very numerous body (3 Chron. xii, 27). The other branches ofthe tribe of Levi were assigned subordinate sacred duties. See Levitk. For the list ofthe pontiff*, including those ofthe line of Ithamar (q. v.), to whom the office was for Mine..' rca-
AARON BEN ASER
son transferred from the family of the senior Eleazar (see Josephus, Ant. v, 11, 5 , viii, 1, 3), but afterward restored (comp. 1 Sam. ii, 30), see High-priest.
II. Priesthood. — Aaron and his sons were invested by Moses with the priestly office, which was to remain in Aaron's line forever (Exod. xxix). This was alto- gether distinct from the semi-sacerdotal character with which his mere seniority in the family invested him according to patriarchal usage. The duty and right of sacrificing to God was thereafter reserved to that family exclusively. The high-priesthood was confined to the first-born in succession ; and the rest of his pos- terity were priests, simpl}- so called, or priests of the second order (Ernesti, Be Aarone, Wittenb. 1688-0). See Sacerdotal Order.
III. Typical Character. — Aaron was a type of Christ (see Il'ylandcr, De Aarone summisque Judceor. ponti- ficibus, Messice typis, Lond. and Goth. 1827) — not, in- deed, in his personal, but in his official, character : 1. As high-priest, offering sacrifice ; 2. In entering into the holy place on the great day of atonement, and rec- onciling the people to God; in making intercession for them, and pronouncing upon them the blessing of Jehovah, at the termination of solemn services ; 3. In being anointed with the holy oil by effusion, which was prefigurativc of the Holy Spirit with which our Lord was endowed ; 4. In bearing the names of all the tribes of Israel upon his breast and upon his shoulders, thus presenting them always before God, and repre- senting them to Him; 5. In being the medium of their inquiring of God by Urim and Thummim, and of the communication of His will to them. But, though the offices of Aaron were typical, the priesthood of Christ is of a fur higher order. Aaron's priesthood was designed as "a shadow of heavenly things." to lead the Israelites to look forward to " better things to come," when "another priest" should arise, "after the order of Melchizedek" (Heb. vi, 20), and who should " be constituted, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life." (See Hunter, Sacred Biog. p. 282 sq. ; Evans, Scrip. Biog. iii, 77 ; Williams, Characters of O. T. p. 97 ; Gor- don, Chist in the Ancient Church, i, 271.) See Priest.