Sunday, February 27, 2022

Moses as High Priest in Rabbinic Literature

  

In rabbinic literature, Moses is clearly understood as high priest. Exodus Rabbah states ‘Our sages have said that Moses ministered as High Priest all the forty years that Israel was in the wilderness, but others hold that he only did so during the seven days of the consecration of the tabernacle’ (37.1). Rabbinic debate appears concerned with the fact that Moses presided as priest for the seven-day inauguration of the Aaronic priesthood (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan reflects this tradition). This being the case, the discussion focuses on whether Moses subsequently lost the priesthood to his brother or whether he continued as high priest for the rest of his life. The names of his brother or whether he continued as high priest for the rest of his life. The names of R. Eleazar b. R. Judah and R. Helbo occur in discussion of these traditions. See, for example, Leviticus Rabbah 11:6; Canticles Rabbah 1:7; Exodus Rabbah 2:6; 3:17, 37:1; Midrash on the Psalms 99:4 on 99:6. For rabbis who deny Moses’ priesthood, see Genesis Rabbah 55:6 (cf. Exodus Rabbah 2:6); Deuteronomy Rabbah 2:7 on 3:24. . . . regarding rabbinic literature [the] only point of contention was whether Moses’ priesthood passed to Aaron or whether he continues to hold the position, finding ‘The Mosaic priesthood itself is (virtually) uncontested.’ (Sarah Whittle, Covenant Renewal and the Consecration of the Gentiles in Romans [Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 161; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015], 170 n. 57)