Chapter 03. How the seditious were destroyed; and how Aaron retained the priesthood. (Book 4. Journey from Sinai, up to the death of Moses) (Antiquities of the Jews) (Flavius Josephus)

1. When Moses had said this, the people left off the turbulent behaviour they had indulged and the suspicion they had of Moses and commended what he had said; for those proposals were good and were so esteemed of the people. At that time therefore they dissolved the assembly. But on the next day they came to the congregation, in order to be present at the sacrifice and at the determination that was to be made between the candidates for the priesthood. Now this congregation proved a turbulent one and the people were in great suspense in expectation of what was to be done; for some of them would have been pleased if Moses had been convicted of evil practices, but the wiser sort asked that they might be delivered from the present disorder and disturbance; for they were afraid, that if this sedition went on, the good order of their settlement would rather be destroyed; but the whole body of the people do naturally delight in clamours against their governors, and, by changing their opinions upon the harangues of every speaker, disturb the public tranquillity. And now Moses sent messengers for Abiram and Dathan and ordered them to come to the assembly and wait there for the holy offices that were to be performed. But they answered the messenger, that they would not obey his summons; indeed would not overlook Moss's behaviour, who was growing too great for them by evil practices. Now when Moses heard of this their answer, he asked the heads of the people to follow him and he went to the faction of Dathan, not thinking it any frightful thing at all to go to these insolent people; so they made no opposition, but went along with him. But Dathan and his associates, when they understood that Moses and the principal of the people were coming to them, came out, with their wives and children and stood before their tents and looked to see what Moses would do. They had also their servants about them to defend themselves, in case Moses should use force against them.

2. But he came near and lifted up his hands to heaven and cried out with a loud voice, in order to be heard by the whole people and said, �O Lord of the creatures that are in the heaven, in the earth and in the sea; for you are the most authentic witness to what I have done, that it has all been done by your appointment and that it was you that afforded us assistance when we attempted anything and showed mercy on the Hebrews in all their distresses; do you come now and hear all that I say, for no action or thought escapes your knowledge; so that you will not disdain to speak what is true, for my vindication, without any regard to the ungrateful imputations of these men. As for what was done before I was born, you know best, as not learning them by report, but seeing them and being present with them when they were done; but for what has been done of late and which these men, although they know them well enough, unjustly pretend to suspect, be you my witness. When I lived a private quiet life, I left those good things which, by my own diligence and by your counsel, I enjoyed with Raguel my father-in-law; and I gave myself up to this people and underwent many miseries on their account. I also bore great labours at first, in order to obtain liberty for them and now in order to their preservation; and have always showed myself ready to assist them in every distress of theirs. Now, therefore, since I am suspected by those very men whose being is owing to my labours, come you, as it is reasonable to hope you will; you, I say, who showed me that fire at mount Sinai and madest me to hear its voice and to see the several wonders which that place afforded you who commandedst me to go to Egypt and declare your will to this people; you who disturbest the happy estate of the Egyptians and gave us the opportunity of flying away from our under them and madest the dominion of Pharaoh inferior to my dominion; you who did make the sea dry land for us, when we knew not where to go and did overwhelm the Egyptians with those destructive waves which had been divided for us; you who did bestow upon us the security of weapons when we were naked; you who did make the fountains that were corrupted to flow, so as to be fit for drinking and did furnish us with water that came out of the rocks, when we were in want of it; you who did preserve our lives with [quails, which was] food from the sea, when the fruits of the ground failed us; you did send us such food from heaven as had never been seen before; you who did suggest to us the knowledge of your laws and appoint to us a of government, -- come you, I say, O Lord of the whole world and that as such a Judge and a Witness to me as cannot be bribed and show how I never admitted of any gift against justice from any of the Hebrews; and have never condemned a man that ought to have been acquitted, on account of one that was rich; and have never attempted to hurt this commonwealth. I am now and am suspected of a thing the remotest from my intentions, as if I had given the priesthood to Aaron, not at your command, but out own favour to him; do you at this time demonstrate that all things are administered by your providence and that nothing happens by chance, but is governed by your will and thereby attains its end: as also demonstrate that you take care that have done good to the Hebrews; demonstrate this, I say, by the punishment of Abiram and Dathan, who condemn you as an insensible Being and one overcome by my plans. This you do by inflicting such an open punishment on these men who so madly fly in the face of your glory, as will take them out of the world, not in an manner, but so that it may appear they do die after the manner of other men: let that ground which they tread upon open about them and consume them, with their families and goods. This will be a demonstration of your power to all and this method of their sufferings will be an instruction of wisdom for those that entertain profane sentiments of you. By this means I shall be a good servant, in the precepts you have given by me. But if the calumnies they have raised against me be true, mayst you preserve these men from every evil accident and bring all that destruction on me which I have imprecated upon them. And when you have inflicted punishment on those that have endeavoured to deal unjustly with this people, bestow upon them concord and peace. Save this people that follow your commandments and preserve them free from harm and let them not partake of the punishment of those that have sinned; for you know yourself it is not just, that for the wickedness of those men the whole body of the Israelites should suffer punishment."

3. When Moses had said this, with tears in his eyes, the ground was moved on a sudden; and the agitation that set it in motion was like that which the wind produces in waves of the sea. The people were all frightened; and the ground that was about their tents sunk down at the great noise, with a terrible sound and carried whatsoever was dear to the seditious into itself, who so entirely perished, that there was not the least appearance that any man had ever been seen there, the earth that had opened itself about them, closing again and becoming entire as it was before, insomuch that such as saw it afterward did not perceive that any such accident had happened to it. Thus did these men perish and become a demonstration of the power of God. And truly, any one would lament them, not only on account of this calamity that befell them, which yet deserves our commiseration, but also because their kindred were pleased with their sufferings; for they forgot the relation they bore to them and at the sight of this sad accident approved of the judgment given against them; and because they looked upon the people about Dathan as pestilent men, they thought they perished as such and did not grieve for them.

4. And now Moses called for those that contended about the priesthood, that trial might be made who should be priest and that he whose sacrifice God was best pleased with might be ordained to that function. There attended two hundred and fifty men, who indeed were honoured by the people, not only on account of the power of their ancestors, but also on account of their own, in which they excelled the others: Aaron also and Corah came forth and they all offered incense, in those censers of theirs which they brought with them, before the tabernacle. Hereupon so great a fire shone out as no one ever saw in any that is made by the hand of man, neither in those eruptions out of the earth that are caused by subterraneous burn-rags, nor in such fires as arise of their own accord in the woods, when the agitation is caused by the trees rubbing one against another: but this fire was very bright and had a terrible flame, such as is kindled at the command of God; by whose irruption on them, all the company and Corah himself, were destroyed, and this so entirely, that their very bodies left no remains behind them. Aaron alone was preserved and not at all hurt by the fire, because it was God that sent the fire to burn those only who ought to be burned. Hereupon Moses, after these men were destroyed, wished that the memory of this judgment might be delivered down to posterity and that future ages might be acquainted with it; and so he commanded Eleazar, the son of Aaron, to put their censers near the brazen altar, that they might be a memorial to posterity of what these men suffered, for supposing that the power of God might be eluded. And thus Aaron was now no longer esteemed to have the priesthood by the favour of Moses, but by the public judgment of God; and thus he and his children peaceably enjoyed that honour afterward.