Moses Vs. Aaron? Hidden Rivalry Exposed

I Chronicles.23.14

Did you know that Moses was not just the leader who brought the people out of Egypt and brought down the law from the top of the mountain but was also, once upon a long lost time, the founder of a priestly sect?

In fact, there likely were several families or clans who administered to the spiritual side of social life in ancient Israel before it became the monopoly of Aaron and Sons. And even if Moses and Aaron were brothers as the story goes (though some suggest that it is fiction, added way later) there is something here telling us that a hidden tradition went missing, lost, or silenced. There were other religious leadership styles and one prevailed over the others. At what cost?

And why does this even matter?

As we make our way through the final pages of the Hebrew Bible, Chronicles preserves some lesser known storylines and traditions that give us a peek into the slow formation of the nation into what we thought was always there - but wasn’t.

At some point a so-called system emerged in which some had more power and some less, some dynasties strong and others - extinct. Take Moses for instance - he gets the credit for being the first rabbi and national hero - but what happened to his family? Why are there no sons of Moses in power after his death - unlike his brother Aaron whose lineage became the priestly elite for as long as the temple stood - and to some degrees, still so today?

A few obscure lines in today’s chapter hint at what this is about. In preparation for the building of the temple by Solomon, long lists of who’s who in divine labor also include these lines:

וּמֹשֶׁ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים בָּנָ֕יו יִקָּרְא֖וּ עַל־שֵׁ֥בֶט הַלֵּוִֽי׃

As for Moses, the man of God, his sons were named after the tribe of Levi.

I Chronicles.23.14

Moses gets credit here as ‘the man of God’ but his sons are demoted. By mentioning the two sons of Moses as merely Levites - they are de-facto demoted from being Levitical Priests - Kohanim - the dynasty that belongs to their cousins - Aaron and his sons, throughout the generations.

This isn’t new information but the context is telling.

Other traditions suggest that there was a line of early priests attributed to Moses, and that he himself was responsible for some ritual responsibilities before Aaron took those over. So is there more here, more diversity of leadership and religious styles, that history is hiding?

Prof.Mark Leuchter suggests that the story is indeed more complex than what we were told:

“Most scholars believe that Israelite identity emerged among the highland settlers in a gradual process during the early Iron Age (12th and 11th cent. B.C.E.), including the materialization of common ritual forms. This process took place within the land of Canaan, across a broad spectrum of clans and tribes that would eventually become Israel. Within this context, one family could not have served all the various tribes of Israel, and unsurprisingly, the biblical text mentions multiple priestly families, some of whom are not Aaronide.

David’s Sons—The list of royal appointments in 2 Samuel claims that David’s sons, who were from the tribe of Judah, served as priests, (2 Sam 8:18).

Levites—The book of Deuteronomy uses the term הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם, “levitical priests,” which equates all Levites with priests; this disagrees with the Priestly model of Aaron as representing just one branch in the much broader tribe of Levi.

Moses and Mushite Priests—In the Priestly text of the Pentateuch, Moses’ priesthood only lasts until he performs the ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons, after which, only the Aaronides serve as priests. Nevertheless, much of his persona is priestly, as it is he who sets up the Tabernacle, and it is he who is described as part of God’s household (Num 12:7). Moreover, in Psalm 99:6, Moses and Aaron are described as joint priests:

This image of Moses as a priest reflects the self-understanding of a group of priests that served in the pre-exilic period who appear to have understood Moses to be their ancestor, a group known in scholarship as Mushite priests. This group was the main priestly clan in the northern Dan temple, which was said to have been founded by Moses’ grandson (Judg 18:30). This may also have been the priestly lineage of Eli, the priest of Shiloh. Moses, of course, continues as the “greatest man” in all history (Deut 34:10), but as a prophet and lawgiver, not as the founding father of the priesthood.”

So when and how did the Mushite priestly tradition disappear and the Aaronide family became the first and only family of priests and high priests? We may never know but there is a possibility that it had to do with the court intrigues during the reign of Solomon, who banished one of the priestly families from Jerusalem for supporting his brother in the war for David’s throne - and not siding with him. The drama is depicted in 1 Kings, 2:27 and involves Evyatar the priest who is banished to Shilo - the shrine associated with the Mushite priests. Solomon prefers the priest named Zadok, who was loyal to him and the queen mother Bathsheba, and it is Zadok who will establish the priestly lineage - attributed, at least according to some sources, all the way back to Aaron. Zadok was likely from the southern tribe of Judah while Evyatar is from the northern tribes and shrines. So when Zadok becomes the only priest in charge under Solomon it is again an undermining of the northern tribes and their traditions - including the elimination of the priestly line of Moses.

Moses lives on in our history as teacher, rabbi, popular hero and tragic figure. What we are missing is the family lineage that may not have just vanished with time - but cut out, with political purpose, and only hints of it remain.

Chronicles goes on to chronicle that priestly power games, list by list of who does what, and we will keep paying attention to the small print, and the side remarks that tell us more about our people’s hidden histories, wondering what else we’ll never know about who, and why and what we were and are.

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