Bibliographic information:
Carmen Joy Imes, “Between Two Worlds: The Functional and Symbolic Significance of the High Priestly Regalia,” in Dress and Clothing in the Hebrew Bible: “For All Her Household are Clothed in Crimson,” LBS (ed. Antonios Finitsis; T&T Clark: New York, 2019) 29-62.
Description:
Description
Abstract: The detailed descriptions of clothing prescribed for Aaron and his sons in Exodus 28 dwarf any other description of clothing in the Hebrew Bible. This essay assembles what can be known about these garments from the biblical text, comparing them with royal, priestly, and cultic garments of other ANE cultures with whom Israel had contact, and considering the ritual occasion on which Aaron was first qualified to wear them as well as the ongoing rituals which he was thereby eligible to oversee. In so doing it draws on exegetical, archaeological, and ritual studies to demonstrate that Aaron’s garments uniquely qualified him for his role as cultic intermediary between the Israelite nation and their God, YHWH. Aaron represented YHWH to Israel and Israel to YHWH, a reality elucidated by the design of his garments and the occasions on which he wore or did not wear them. The significance of the high priestly regalia thereby extended beyond Aaron’s cultic duties and became constitutive of his role as representative of both parties.
Publisher:
T&T Clark (website: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/dress-and-clothing-in-the-hebrew-bible-9780567686404/)