Aaron in later Jewish and Christian thought. Aaron continued to live as a symbol of Jewish religion and traditions, and the position of the priests was strengthened after the exile. Also in the Qumran sect, a Jewish community that flourished in the era immediately before and contemporary with the birth of Christianity, Aaron was a symbol for a strong priesthood, as can be seen from the Dead Sea Scrolls. At the end of time, men of the community should be set apart, as a select group in the service of Aaron.
Only the sons of Aaron should “administer judgment and wealth,” and according to the Manual of Discipline two messiahs were expected, one of Aaron, the priestly one, and one of Israel. According to a fragment found near Qumran, the priest would have the first sent in the banquets in the last days and bless the bread before the Messiah of Israel. Here” the sons of Aaron” have the highest position.
In Talmud and Midrash (Jewish commentative and interpretative writings), Aaron is seen less as a symbol that as the leading personality at the side of Moses. The relationship between the two brothers is painted as prototypical in the Haggada (“Narrative”-the non legal parts of Talmud and Midrash). Rabbi Hillel, the great liberal sage, praised Aaron as peace loving, a man of goodwill, who wanted to teach his fellow men the Law.
