ABSTRACT
The biblical stories of Aaron and the tenth-century-BCE king of Israel, Jeroboam, and the golden calves reflect profound resistance in ancient Israel to the written Law and, therefore, to literacy. Aaron and Jeroboam are totally different characters, respectively High Priest and king of Israel, separated chronologically by at least two-and-a-half centuries. Both Aaron and Jeroboam act in a sacerdotal capacity, Aaron in preparing for calf worship, and Jeroboam in the sacrificial service itself. Aaron’s sons die because they burn incense and ‘a strange fire’ – presumably an idolatrous act – before the Lord, while Jeroboam is similarly guilty, of offering incense at the calf altar in Bethel. It is possible that Jeroboam imitated Aaron, using a northern tradition of Aaron’s involvement in the bull cult. The Zadokites told the story of Aaron and the golden calf in order to discredit the northern kingdom and its bull cult.
