high-priest of the Jews, and brother to Moses, was by the father's side great grandson, and by the mother's grandson of Levi. By God's command he met Moses at the foot of Mount Horeb, and they went together into Egypt to deliver the children of Israel: he had a great share in all that Moses did for their deliverance. The Scriptures call him the prophet of Moses, and he acted in that capacity after the Israelites had passed over the Red sea. He ascended Mount Sinai with two of his sons, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of the people; but neither he nor they went higher than half way, from whence they saw the glory of God; only Moses and Joshua went to the top, where they staid forty days. During their absence, Aaron, overcome by the people's eager entreaties, set up the golden calf, which the Israelites worshipped by his consent. This calf has given rise to various conjectures. Some rabbies maintain that he did not make the golden calf, but only threw the gold into the fire, to get rid of the importunities of the people; and that certain magicians who mingled with the Israelites at their departure from Egypt, cast this gold into the figure of a calf. According to some authors, the fear of falling a sacrifice to the resentment of the people, by giving a refusal, made Aaron comply with their desire: and they allege also that he hoped to elude their request, by demanding of the women to contribute their ear rings, imagining they would rather choose to remain without a visible deity, than be deprived of their personal ornaments. This affair of the golden calf happened in the third month after the Israelites came out of Egypt. In the first month of the following year, Aaron was appointed by God high-priest; which office he executed during the time that the children of Israel continued in the wilderness. He died in the fortieth year after the departure from Egypt, upon Mount Hor, being then 123 years old; A.M. 2522, of the Julian period 3262, before the Christian era 1452.

the Carait, a learned Jew who flourished about the year 1299. He left many works on the Old Testament, among which there is one entitled, "A Commentary on the Pentateuch," which has been much valued. It was written in Hebrew, and printed in folio with a Latin translation, at Jena, in 1710.

another Caraita Jew, who lived in the 15th century, wrote a concise Hebrew grammar, entitled Chelil Jophi, "the Perfection of Beauty," which was printed at Constantinople in 1581.