The Anointing of Aaron: a Study of Leviticus 8:12 in Its Ot and Ane Context

The present article is a revision of one originally published as 'La uncion de Aaron. Un estudio de Lev 8:12 en su centexto veterotestamentario y antiguo cercano-oriental,' Theologika 11/1 (1996): 64-83. (Theologika is a biennial theological journal of Universidad Peruana Union, Lima, Peru.) The study is partly based on research undertaken for the author's D .Litt. thesis at the University of Stellenbosch. See G. A. Klingbeil, "Ordination and Ritual: On the Symbolism of Time, Space, and Actions in Leviticus 8," (D. Litt. diss. University of StelIenbosch, 1995). A revised version of the dissertation has been published in 1998 by Edwin Mellen Press under the title A Comparative Study of the Ritual of Ordination as Found in Leviticus 8 and Emar 369. The financial assistance of the South African Center for Science Development toward this research is hereby acknowledged. Furthermore, the author would like to thank the University of Stellenbosch for awarding him the Stellenbosch 2000 bursary, which constituted a substantial help in the financing of the doctoral studies. 2 This study will concentrate upon Lev 8:12, which describes the anointing of Aaron only. Verse 30 of the same chapter includes a short note as to the anointing "with blood and oil" of Aaron and his sons. In a recent article, D. Fleming suggested that the existence of two anointing rites in the ordination ritual (8:12 describing the anointing of Aaron and 8:30 describing the anointing of him and his sons) indicates the existence of two distinctive customs. However, it could also be argued that the division indicates two different ritual states of the participants ("More Help from Syria: Introducing Emar to Biblical Studies," BA 58/3 [1995]: 143-144). 3 Concerning the relationship between Exod 29 and Lev 8 one can find three main viewpoints in the literature: (1) Lev 8 is the older document and therefore Exod 29 is dependent on Lev 8. See B. A. Levine, "The Descriptive Ritual Texts of the Pentateuch," JAOS 85 (1965): 311-312; K. Elliger, Leviticus, HAT 4 (Tiibingen:J. C. B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1966), 107ff.; and M. Noth, Das dritte Buch Mose: Leviticus, 4th ed., Am 6 (G6ttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1978),56. (2) There exists an intricate interrelationship between Exod 29 and Lev 8 suggesting some kind of literary dependence, but-in line with modern communication theory-there is no benefit in separating "earlier" and "later" sources. This mediating position is held by H. Utzschneider, Das Heiligtum und das Gesetz: Studien zur Bedeutung der sinaitischen Heiligtumstexte (Exod 25-40; Lev 8-9), OBO 77 (Fribourg: Universit:itsverlag, 1988), 37; and J. E. Hartley, who assume that both Exod 29 and Lev 8 were dependent on an