Return to
The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
The Antiquities of the Jews
Written by Flavius Josephus
Translated by William Whiston
Book Three
Chapter 8
Of The Priesthood Of Aaron
1. When what has been described was brought to a conclusion,
gifts not being yet presented, God appeared to Moses, and
enjoined him to bestow the high priesthood upon Aaron his
brother, as upon him that best of them all deserved to obtain
that honor, on account of his virtue. And when he had gathered
the multitude together, he gave them an account of Aaron's
virtue, and of his good-will to them, and of the dangers he had
undergone for their sakes. Upon which, when they had given
testimony to him in all respects, and showed their readiness to
receive him, Moses said to them, "O you Israelites, this work is
already brought to a conclusion, in a manner most acceptable to
God, and according to our abilities. And now since you see that
he is received into this tabernacle, we shall first of all stand
in need of one that may officiate for us, and may minister to
the sacrifices, and to the prayers that are to be put up for us.
And indeed had the inquiry after such a person been left to me,
I should have thought myself worthy of this honor, both because
all men are naturally fond of themselves, and because I am
conscious to myself that I have taken a great deal of pains for
your deliverance; but now God himself has determined that Aaron
is worthy of this honor, and has chosen him for his priest, as
knowing him to be the most righteous person among you. So that
he is to put on the vestments which are consecrated to God; he
is to have the care of the altars, and to make provision for the
sacrifices; and he it is that must put up prayers for you to
God, who will readily hear them, not only because he is himself
solicitous for your nation, but also because he will receive
them as offered by one that he hath himself chosen to this
office. The Hebrews were pleased with what was said, and they
gave their approbation to him whom God had ordained; for Aaron
was of them all the most deserving of this honor, on account of
his own stock and gift of prophecy, and his brother's virtue. He
had at that time four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
2. Now Moses commanded them to make use of all the utensils
which were more than were necessary to the structure of the
tabernacle, for covering the tabernacle itself, the candlestick,
and altar of incense, and the other vessels, that they might not
be at all hurt when they journeyed, either by the rain, or by
the rising of the dust. And when he had gathered the multitude
together again, he ordained that they should offer half a shekel
for every man, as an oblation to God; which shekel is a piece
among the Hebrews, and is equal to four Athenian drachmae. (18)
Whereupon they readily obeyed what Moses had commanded; and the
number of the offerers was six hundred and five thousand five
hundred and fifty. Now this money that was brought by the men
that were free, was given by such as were about twenty years
old, but under fifty; and what was collected was spent in the
uses of the tabernacle.
3. Moses now purified the tabernacle and the priests; which
purification was performed after the following manner: He
commanded them to take five hundred shekels of choice myrrh, an
equal quantity of cassia, and half the foregoing weight of
cinnamon and calamus (this last is a sort of sweet spice); to
beat them small, and wet them with an bin of oil of olives (an
hin is our own country measure, and contains two Athenian choas,
or congiuses); then mix them together, and boil them, and
prepare them after the art of the apothecary, and make them into
a very sweet ointment; and afterward to take it to anoint and to
purify the priests themselves, and all the tabernacle, as also
the sacrifices. There were also many, and those of various
kinds, of sweet spices, that belonged to the tabernacle, and
such as were of very great price, and were brought to the golden
altar of incense; the nature of which I do not now describe,
lest it should be troublesome to my readers; but incense (19)
was to be offered twice a-day, both before sun-rising and at
sun-setting. They were also to keep oil already purified for the
lamps; three of which were to give light all day long, (20) upon
the sacred candlestick, before God, and the rest were to be
lighted at the evening.
4. Now all was finished. Besaleel and Aholiab appeared to be the
most skillful of the workmen; for they invented finer works than
what others had done before them, and were of great abilities to
gain notions of what they were formerly ignorant of; and of
these, Besaleel was judged to be the best. Now the whole time
they were about this work was the interval of seven months; and
after this it was that was ended the first year since their
departure out of Egypt. But at the beginning of the second year,
on the month Xanthicus, as the Macedonians call it, but on the
month Nisan, as the Hebrews call it, on the new moon, they
consecrated the tabernacle, and all its vessels, which I have
already described.
5. Now God showed himself pleased with the work of the Hebrews,
and did not permit their labors to be in vain; nor did he
disdain to make use of what they had made, but he came and
sojourned with them, and pitched his tabernacle in the holy
house. And in the following manner did he come to it: The sky
was clear, but there was a mist over the tabernacle only,
encompassing it, but not with such a very deep and thick cloud
as is seen in the winter season, nor yet in so thin a one as men
might be able to discern any thing through it, but from it there
dropped a sweet dew, and such a one as showed the presence of
God to those that desired and believed it.
6. Now when Moses had bestowed such honorary presents on the
workmen, as it was fit they should receive, who had wrought so
well, he offered sacrifices in the open court of the tabernacle,
as God commanded him; a bull, a ram, and a kid of the goats, for
a sin-offering. Now I shall speak of what we do in our sacred
offices in my discourse about sacrifices; and therein shall
inform men in what cases Moses bid us offer a whole
burnt-offering, and in what cases the law permits us to partake
of them as of food. And when Moses had sprinkled Aaron's
vestments, himself, and his sons, with the blood of the beasts
that were slain, and had purified them with spring waters and
ointment, they became God's priests. After this manner did he
consecrate them and their garments for seven days together. The
same he did to the tabernacle, and the vessels thereto
belonging, both with oil first incensed, as I said, and with the
blood of bulls and of rams, slain day by day one, according to
its kind. But on the eighth day he appointed a feast for the
people, and commanded them to offer sacrifice according to their
ability. Accordingly they contended one with another, and were
ambitious to exceed each other in the sacrifices which they
brought, and so fulfilled Moses's injunctions. But as the
sacrifices lay upon the altar, a sudden fire was kindled from
among them of its own accord, and appeared to the sight like
fire from a flash of lightning, and consumed whatsoever was upon
the altar.
7. Hereupon an affliction befell Aaron, considered as a man and
a father, but was undergone by him with true fortitude; for he
had indeed a firmness of soul in such accidents, and he thought
this calamity came upon him according to God's will: for whereas
he had four sons, as I said before, the two elder of them, Nadab
and Abihu, did not bring those sacrifices which Moses bade them
bring, but which they used to offer formerly, and were burnt to
death. Now when the fire rushed upon them, and began to burn
them, nobody could quench it. Accordingly they died in this
manner. And Moses bid their father and their brethren to take up
their bodies, to carry them out of the camp, and to bury them
magnificently. Now the multitude lamented them, and were deeply
affected at this their death, which so unexpectedly befell them.
But Moses entreated their brethren and their father not to be
troubled for them, and to prefer the honor of God before their
grief about them; for Aaron had already put on his sacred
garments.
8. But Moses refused all that honor which he saw the multitude
ready to bestow upon him, and attended to nothing else but the
service of God. He went no more up to Mount Sinai; but he went
into the tabernacle, and brought back answers from God for what
he prayed for. His habit was also that of a private man, and in
all other circumstances he behaved himself like one of the
common people, and was desirous to appear without distinguishing
himself from the multitude, but would have it known that he did
nothing else but take care of them. He also set down in writing
the form of their government, and those laws by obedience
whereto they would lead their lives so as to please God, and so
as to have no quarrels one among another. However, the laws he
ordained were such as God suggested to him; so I shall now
discourse concerning that form of government, and those laws.
9. I will now treat of what I before omitted, the garment of the
high priest: for he [Moses] left no room for the evil practices
of [false] prophets; but if some of that sort should attempt to
abuse the Divine authority, he left it to God to be present at
his sacrifices when he pleased, and when he pleased to be
absent. (21) And he was willing this should be known, not to the
Hebrews only, but to those foreigners also who were there. For
as to those stones, (22) which we told you before, the high
priest bare on his shoulders, which were sardonyxes, (and I
think it needless to describe their nature, they being known to
every body,) the one of them shined out when God was present at
their sacrifices; I mean that which was in the nature of a
button on his right shoulder, bright rays darting out thence,
and being seen even by those that were most remote; which
splendor yet was not before natural to the stone. This has
appeared a wonderful thing to such as have not so far indulged
themselves in philosophy, as to despise Divine revelation. Yet
will I mention what is still more wonderful than this: for God
declared beforehand, by those twelve stones which the high
priest bare on his breast, and which were inserted into his
breastplate, when they should be victorious in battle; for so
great a splendor shone forth from them before the army began to
march, that all the people were sensible of God's being present
for their assistance. Whence it came to pass that those Greeks,
who had a veneration for our laws, because they could not
possibly contradict this, called that breastplate the Oracle.
Now this breastplate, and this sardonyx, left off shining two
hundred years before I composed this book, God having been
displeased at the transgressions of his laws. Of which things we
shall further discourse on a fitter opportunity; but I will now
go on with my proposed narration.
10. The tabernacle being now consecrated, and a regular order
being settled for the priests, the multitude judged that God now
dwelt among them, and betook themselves to sacrifices and
praises to God as being now delivered from all expectation of
evils and as entertaining a hopeful prospect of better times
hereafter. They offered also gifts to God some as common to the
whole nation, and others as peculiar to themselves, and these
tribe by tribe; for the heads of the tribes combined together,
two by two, and brought a waggon and a yoke of oxen. These
amounted to six, and they carried the tabernacle when they
journeyed. Besides which, each head of a tribe brought a bowl,
and a charger, and a spoon, of ten darics, full of incense. Now
the charger and the bowl were of silver, and together they
weighed two hundred shekels, but the bowl cost no more than
seventy shekels; and these were full of fine flour mingled with
oil, such as they used on the altar about the sacrifices. They
brought also a young bullock, and a ram, with a lamb of a year
old, for a whole burnt-offering, as also a goat for the
forgiveness of sins. Every one of the heads of the tribes
brought also other sacrifices, called peace-offerings, for every
day two bulls, and five rams, with lambs of a year old, and kids
of the goats. These heads of tribes were twelve days in
sacrificing, one sacrificing every day. Now Moses went no longer
up to Mount Sinai, but went into the tabernacle, and learned of
God what they were to do, and what laws should be made; which
laws were preferable to what have been devised by human
understanding, and proved to be firmly observed for all time to
come, as being believed to be the gift of God, insomuch that the
Hebrews did not transgress any of those laws, either as tempted
in times of peace by luxury, or in times of war by distress of
affairs. But I say no more here concerning them, because I have
resolved to compose another work concerning our laws.
Continue on to
Book
Three,
Chapter 9,
The Antiquities of the Jews
by
Flavius Josephus
Return to
The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
Return to the
Christians Standing with Israel
*******************************************************************
Christians Standing with Israel
About Christians Standing with Israel
Israel Resources
Israel Media
Israel News
Israel Blog
Israel Pictures
Friends of Israel
Contact Christians Standing with Israel
site map
http://www.christiansstandingwithisrael.com/