Editing Priestly source (section)

==Background==
The history of exilic and post-exilic Judah is little known, but a summary of current theories can be made as follows:{{sfn|Min|2004|pp=63-65}}
*Religion in monarchic Judah centred around ritual sacrifice in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]]. There, worship was in the hands of priests known as Zadokites, meaning that they traced their descent from an ancestor called [[Zadok]], who, according to the [[Hebrew Bible]], was the high priest appointed by [[Samuel]].<ref>The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament, David C. Cook. p. 499.</ref> There was also a lower order of religious officials called [[Levite]]s who were not permitted to perform sacrifices and were restricted to menial functions.
*While the Zadokites were the only priests in Jerusalem, there were other priests at other centres. One of the most important of these was a temple at Bethel, north of Jerusalem. [[Bethel]], the centre of the "[[golden calf]]" cult, was one of the main religious centres of the  [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Northern Kingdom of Israel]] and had royal support until it was [[Assyrian captivity|destroyed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire]] in 721 BCE. Aaron was in some way associated with Bethel.
*In 587 BCE, the [[Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)|Neo-Babylonian Empire conquered Jerusalem]] and took most of the Zadokite priesthood into exile, leaving behind the Levites, who were too poor and marginalised to represent a threat to their interests. The temple at Bethel now assumed a major role in the religious life of the inhabitants of Judah, and the non-Zadokite priests, under the influence of the Aaronite priests of Bethel, began calling themselves "sons of Aaron" to distinguish themselves from the "sons of Zadok".
*When the Zadokite priests [[Return to Zion|returned from the Babylonian captivity]] after c. 538 BCE and began establishing the [[Second Temple]], they came into conflict with the Levites. The Zadokites won the conflict but adopted the Aaronite name, whether as part of a compromise or to out-flank their opponents by co-opting their ancestor.
*The Zadokites simultaneously found themselves in conflict with the Levites, who objected to their subordinate position. The priests also won this battle, writing into the Priestly document stories such as the rebellion of [[Korah]], which paints the challenge to priestly prerogative as unholy and unforgivable.