DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE

A

of an Origenic character, certainly do not embody the complete Hexaplaric text.

A. This letter is nsed in critical notes on the text of OT and NT to denote the Codex Alexandrinus, a MS of the Greek Bible written There seems to be no clear evidence to show apparently in Egypt c. A.D. 450, placed in the either where the MS was written, or how it passed library of the Patriarch of Alexandria in 1098, into the possession of the monks of St. Catherine. presented by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Con- While in their possession it fell into decay, and stantinople (formerly of Alexandria), to Charles I. long ago the outside sheets were cut up for bookin 1628, and now in the British Museum. It con- binding purposes; and Tischendorf was convinced tains the whole Bible except Gn 1414-17 151-5. 16-19 that the sheets he rescued in 1844 were only wait166-9, 1 K [1 S] 12-14, 1's 49 (50)-79 (80)11, Mting their turn for use in the oven. It is not sur11-256, Jn 650–852, 2 Co 4-127. The Psalter is intro- prising, therefore, that the MS is now far from duced by a letter of Athanasius to Marcellinus, complete. It contains portions of Gn 23. 24 and of the Hypotheses of Eusebius, and various tables; Nu 5. 6. 7; 1 Ch 927–1917, 2 Es 99-end [Ezr 9o-Neh], and is concluded by a collection of Canticles from Est, To, Jth, 1 Mac, 4 Mac (3 Mac perhaps lost), OT and NT, and a Christian Morning Hymn. Is, Jer, La 1-2, JÍ, Ob, Jon, Nah, Hab, Zeph. Rev is followed by two Epistles of Clement (want- Hag, Zec, Mal, Ps, Pr, Ec, Ca, Wis, Sir, Job ing 158-63 213-2), both apparently still in ecclesiastical The NT is complete, and is followed by the Epistle use at the time when this MS. was written. Last of Barnabas and part of the Shepherd of Hermas. of all, marked as extra-canonical, came eighteen Psalms of Solomon; but this part has disappeared. Its readings in OT can be most readily ascer tained from Professor Swete's edition of the LXX. Its NT text was published by Woide in 1786, by B. H. Cowper in 1860, and by E. H. Hansell in a parallel text, 1864. The whole MS was published in a photographic facsimile by the Curators of the British Museum in 1879. J. O. F. MURRAY.

(Aleph), the first letter in the Heb. alphabet. This symbol in crit. app. denotes the Codex Sinaiticus, a MS of the Greek Bible discovered in the monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai by C. Tischendorf, 1844 and 1859. It was written towards the middle or end of the 4th cent. Four scribes at least were employed on it. The scribe who copied Tobit and Judith wrote also six cancel leaves in the NT containing Mt 16-1812 24-266, Mk 14-Lk 15, 1 Th 214-528, He 416-81, besides various headlines, titles, subscriptions, and section numbers. This scribe Tischendorf further identified with the scribe who wrote the NT in Codex B, Vaticanus (which see). The MS shows marks of revision due to various hands from the 4th cent. to the 12th cent. One of these, NC, 7th cent., declares in a note at the end of 2 Es [EzrNeh] and at the end of Est, that he had compared the MS in these books with a very ancient copy transcribed by Antoninus the Confessor, and collated with Origen's Hexapla by the holy martyr Pamphilus when in prison at Caesarea. The corrections introduced by him in these books, though

VOL. I.—I

The text has been published in facsimile type(1) in 1846, Cod. Frid.-Aug.,' containing the sheets of OT secured in 1844; (2) in 1862, Cod. Sin.,' containing, besides NT, the rest of OT, with the exception of a few verses (published in an appendix in 1867). Tischendorf also published the NT text in a handy volume in 1863. The OT readings are most easily accessible in Swete's edition of the LXX (Cambridge, 1887-95, ed. 2, 1895 8).

J. O. F. MURRAY. A.-A symbol used in OT criticism by Dillnition to signify the Priestly elements of the Hex., more usually known as P. See HEXATEUCH. F. H. WOODS.

A is frequently used in AV, and sometimes retained in RV, in constructions that are now obsolete. It is found both as an adj. (or indef. art.) and as a prep. 1. 4, as an adj., is a worndown form of the Old English adj. an, 'one.' (1) In modern Eng. a is used before a consonantal sound, an before a vowel sound. In the Eng. VSS of the Bible this usage is not invariable. See AN. (2) A is found qualifying abstract nouns without affecting their meaning: Wis 1217 thou art of a full power' (RV perfect in power'); 1219 to be of a good hope' (RV of good hope'); ? Co 10 having in a readiness' (RV 'being in readiness'); 2 Mac 1312 commanded they should be in a readiness.' Cf. Guylforde, Pylgrymage 7: alwaye in a redynesse to set forth when they woll.' On the other hand it is sometimes omitted where it is required for individualising: Sir 3917 at time convenient.' (3) In Lk 928 ‘about

an eight days (RV about eight days) after these sayings' the art. is used as in a good many'; so 1 Mac 415 there were slain of them upon a three thousand men' (RV about three thousand ').

2. In other expressions 4 is a prep., being a worn-down form of an or on, and stands for the modern 'at,' 'in,' or 'on.' 2 Ch 218 three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work' (RV awork'); 1 Co 97 who goeth a warfare (RV serveth') any time at his own charges?' Jth 72 horsemen . . . and other men that were afoot. Most frequently with a verbal noun in 'ing': 2 Ch 166 wherewith Baasha was a building' (AV of 1611, later edd. was building,' RV had builded'); 1 Es 620 Being still a building, it is not yet fully ended'; Lk 842 She lay a dying.' The full form an or on remained side by side with this worn-down form: Ac 1336 David. fell on sleep'; Mt 42 He was afterward an hungered' (RVHe afterward hungered.' 'An hungered' occurs also Mt 121. 2535. 37. 42. 44, Mk 25, Lk 63, and in all these places RV leaves it unchanged).

LITERATURE.-Besides the necessary edd. of the Eng. Bible,
Skeat, Etymol. Dict. of the Eng. Lang.2; Murray and Bradley,
Eng. Dict. on Ilist. Principles (called the Oxford Eng. Dict.)
Whitney, Century Dict.; Wright, Bible Word Book2; Michie,
Bible Words and Phrases; Mayhew, Select Glossary of Bible
Words; Trench, Select Glossary; together with the Concord-
ances to Shakespeare, Milton, etc.; and the Clarendon Press
and Pitt Press edd. of the Eng. works of the period.
J. HASTINGS.

AARON (, LXX 'Aapúv).-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, distinguish between our different authorities in the Pent., for in the priestly narrative Aaron not unnaturally 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 | 4J, 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 the people (vv. 14-16), 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 signs. The people believe; but when Moses and Aaron request Pharaoh to grant the people temporary leave of absence, the king refuses to listen to them (Ex 4-61). In the account of the plagues Aaron occupies quite a subordinate place, being the silent companion of his brother. It is Moses who is sent to Pharaoh and announces the coming plagues (Ex 71. 81. 2017. 91. 13. [J mainly]-with 103 contrast 106 he turned'). Aaron is merely called in four times along with Moses to entreat for their removal (88.25 927 1016). Indeed it seems probable that the mention of Aaron in these passages is due, not to the original narrative of J, to the editor who combined J and E; for in each case Moses alone answers, and in his own name; in 80 93 1018 his departure alone is mentioned, while in 81 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 (152). With Hur he assists Moses in holding up the rod of God to ensure the defeat of Amalek (1710. 12 E), and together with the elders he is called to Jethro's sacrifice (18 E). At Sinai, while priests and people remain below, Aaron accompanies Moses up the mountain (19 J), together with Nadab, Abihu,

and seventy elders of Israel (241. 9-11); and when
Moses with Joshua alone is about to approach
still nearer to God, Aaron and Hur are temporarily
appointed supreme judges of the people (2113.
E). Moses' absence being prolonged, Aaron, at
the people's request, makes a golden calf as a
visible symbol of J", for which he afterwards
weakly excuses himself to Moses, throwing the
blame upon the people (321-5. 21-25). At a later
period Aaron with Miriam opposes Moses, on the
ground that they also are recipients of divine
revelations, Miriam being apparently regarded as
the leader on this occasion, since the punishment
falls upon her (Nu 12 E). Some further par-
ticulars relating to Aaron are to be learnt from
Dt, in passages apparently based on the narra-
tive of JE; namely the intercession offered by
Moses on his account after the making of the
golden calf (Dt 9); the choice of Levi as the
priestly tribe, probably in consequence of the zeal
shown by them against the idolaters (108); the
death of Aaron at Moserah (site unknown), and
the succession of his son Eleazar to the priestly
office (1067, the itinerary probably from E, cf. Nu
21121. 16. 18.).

The last passage is important as showing that the tradition of a hereditary priesthood in the family of Aaron was found even outside the priestly history. Comp. Jos 24 E, where mention is made of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron.

It is, however, in the priestly tradition, where the institution of the ordinances of divine worship is described at length, that Aaron figures most prominently as the founder of the Israelitish priesthood, and becomes, indeed, with Moses the joint leader of the people. P records several details respecting Aaron's family: he is the son of Amram and Jochebed (Ex 6), and three years older than Moses (ib. 77, Nu 3339). His wife was Elisheba, his sons Nadab, Abihu (cf. Ex 241.9 E ?), Eleazar (cf. Jos 2483 E), and Ithamar. See Ex 623 etc. A slightly different representation of Aaron's first commission is given in Ex 6-73 P, from that in the parallel narrative Ex 4-61 JE. Here Aaron is appointed the spokesman of Moses, not to the people, but to Pharaoh (see 71), and it is before the king that Aaron works a wonder, turning his rod into a serpent. From this point onwards the importance assigned to Aaron in P becomes very marked. He regularly cooperates with Moses at the time of the Egyp. plagues, usually bringing these to pass by means of his rod in accordance with Moses' instructions (Ex 719f. 85f. 161.). Many commands of God are addressed to both leaders alike (Ex 98-10 121. 43, Lv 111 13 14 151, Nu 21, cf. 13. 17. they are consulted by the people (Nu 95 1533, cf. 13), and against both of them the murmurings of the people are directed (Ex 162, Nu 142, cf.26 163.4 cf.18 20). All this, however, does not prevent distinct and characteristic parts being assigned to each of them. Thus the first place is given to Moses throughout. He receives the divine revelation on Mount Sinai respecting the appointment of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood (Ex 281 294), and upon the completion of the tabernacle solemnly consecrates them, and offers the appointed sacrifices (Ex 29, Lv 8. 9). Aaron, on the other hand, is specially the priest' (Ex 3110 3519 3821, Lv 132, Nu 1828), who stays a plague by an offering of incense (Nu 1646-48); to his charge the tabernacle is committed (ib. 45. 19. 271.33), and to him the Levites are given in exchange for the firstborn (ib. 39). Aaron is distinguished from his sons, the inferior priests, by the anointing which he receives (Ex 297, Lv 812, cf. Ex 29, Lv 43. 5. 16 620.22 1632 2110. 12, Nu 3525): passages which speak of his sons as being also anointed

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