Antiquities of the Jews — Book 3, Chapter 8

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.17

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 hin 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.