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How did Julius Wellhausen interpret Aaronâs place in the Yahwist source?
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Aaron
Aaron, detail of a 3rd-century fresco from the synagogue at Doura-Europus, Syria; in the National Museum, Damascus
According to the German biblical scholar Julius Wellhausen, the Yahwist source is the oldest layer of the Pentateuch. Regarding the figure of Aaron, Wellhausen maintained that he was not mentioned at all within the original Yahwist narrative. He suggested that any references to Aaron found in those passages were likely inserted by later redactors rather than being part of the source's original composition.1