St Boniface Catholic Church, Southampton

Moses and Aaron in Egypt

Many experts would maintain that the story of Israel in Egypt is not historical at all, but is a moral fable. At the very least, however, Israel was influenced by Egyptian practice. Perhaps that is what is meant when we are told that Joseph was married to the daughter of an Egyptian priest.

We know that the Egyptian priests were a powerful class, possessing substantial land rights, and able to overthrow the plans of some of the Pharaohs.

Moses was the child of parents of the tribe of Levi – and in later history the Levites rose to prominence as the priesthood of Israel. We are told Moses married the daughter of a priest, but a pagan priest of the people of Midian, named Jethro.
Moses was not a priest, but his older brother Aaron is later described as the ideal high priest of his people. However, in the earliest stories Aaron does not do what priests do: rather, he acts as a spokesman for Moses and performs a number of wonders.

Moses and Aaron told the Pharaoh that their people needed to leave Egypt in order to make sacrifice to the Lord. This was probably simply an excuse, and certainly according to the Bible once the Exodus was under way the people did not pause to make any sacrifice to God; they were too busy complaining. Ironically, a thanksgiving sacrifice was only made when Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, caught up with them and brought them to their senses – yet Jethro was a pagan priest! The Jewish priesthood certainly seems to be developing in a very halting way.