AARON

also called Aaron The Moor, a Moor and the beloved of Tamora, queen of the Goths, in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus. Aaron is an early example of a complex villain who relishes every opportunity to create mayhem and misery. He devises the plot to kill Bassianus and then frame Titus' sons Quintus and Martius for the murder. Yet, despite his clearly evil nature, he shows fierce loyalty to his newborn son. Before his death he gives a speech lamenting his failure to wreak even more havoc during his lifetime. flourished 14th century BC the traditional founder and head of the Jewish priesthood, who, with his brother Moses, led the Israelites out of Egypt. The figure of Aaron as it is now found in the Pentateuch is built up from several sources of traditions. In the Talmud and Midrash he is seen as the leading personality at the side of Moses. He has appeared in different roles in Christian thought. Arvid S. Kapelrud The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica Additional reading F.S. North, "Aaron's Rise in Prestige," in Zeitschrift fr die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 66:191-199 (1954), is a short study of Aaron's position. Roland De Vaux, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions (1961, reissued 1973; originally published in French, 2 vol., 1958-60); and Aelred Cody, A History of Old Testament Priesthood (1969), include discussions of Aaron and his place in ancient Israelite life and cult. Walter Beyerlin, Origins and History of the Oldest Sinaitic Traditions (1965; originally published in German, 1961), focuses on the traditions behind the story of Moses and Aaron. H.H. Rowley, Worship in Ancient Israel: Its Form and Meaning (1967, reissued 1976), surveys the religious life in Israel, including Aaron and his role. Bertil E. Grtner, The Temple and the Community in Qumran and the New Testament (1965), treats the religious cult in the Qumran society, in which "Aaron" was synonymous with the chief priest. Heinrich Valentin, Aaron: eine Studie zur vorpriesterlichen Aaron-berlieferung (1978), analyzes the various interpretations of the biblical references about Aaron.