The Prophet Aaron: The Un-Post

I did not, of course, fail to notice that my patron Saint, the Prophet Aaron, the High Priest and brother of the Prophet Moses, was listed for 12 March on my favourite online Orthodox calendar as well as the St Herman calendar, along with St Gregory the Great and others (not the least of whom was St Symeon the New Theologian, about whom I shall have to blog on another day soon). As I have already indicated, however, I myself have elected to celebrate my nameday on 4 September, the feast of the Prophet Moses, since it is close to my birthday. I only recently learned of the Chapel of the Prophet Aaron at Mt Sinai, and I have not yet learned when the fathers there celebrate the feast day of the chapel, or what sort of akolouthia they have for the feast. But if anyone has come to Logismoi today thinking that surely here of all places they will find something on the Prophet Aaron, I apologise. Feel free to read or reread my posts on being named for the Prophet Aaron here and here. Then check back on 4/17 September. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with George Herbert’s beautiful poem, ‘Aaron’ (taken from this lovely site):

HOLINESS on the head,

Light and perfection on the breast,

Harmonious bells below raising the dead

To lead them unto life and rest.

Thus are true Aarons drest.*

Profaneness in my head,

Defects and darkness in my breast,

A noise of passions ringing me for dead

Unto a place where is no rest:

Poor priest! thus am I drest.

Only another head

I have another heart and breast,

Another music, making live, not dead,

Without whom I could have no rest:

In Him I am well drest.

Christ is my only head,

My alone only heart and breast,

My only music, striking me e'en dead;

That to the old man I may rest,

And be in Him new drest.

So holy in my Head,

Perfect and light in my dear Breast,

My doctrine tuned by Christ (who is not dead,

But lives in me while I do rest),

Come, people; Aaron's drest.

* Exodus xxviii. 29-37.

Source:

Herbert, George. The Works of George Herbert in Prose and Verse.
New York: John Wurtele Lovell, 1881. 276-277.