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expand with genetics.
'''Aaron''' (Hebrew '''אַהֲרֹן''') was the older brother of [[Moses]] and the first High Priest of the [[Israelite|Israelites]]. Aaron's children became the [[Kohanim]], the caste of Israelites responsible for offering sacrifices in the [[Tabernacle]] and later the Temple. Aaron had four children Eleazar, Itamar, Nadab and Abihu. Nadab and Abihu died after offering incense in a problematic way to God.
'''Aaron''' (Hebrew '''אַהֲרֹן''') was the older brother of [[Moses]] and the first High Priest of the [[Israelite|Israelites]]. Aaron's children became the [[Kohanim]], the caste of Israelites responsible for offering sacrifices in the [[Tabernacle]] and later the Temple. Aaron had four children Eleazar, Itamar, Nadab and Abihu. Nadab and Abihu died after offering incense in a problematic way to God.
In the early 1990s, genetic studies found strong evidence for the tradition that [[Kohanim]] are actually descended from Aaron was supported by [[genetic testing]]. Since the kohanic status is passed down through the male line and males pass on their common [[Y chromosome]] to their male children, testing was done across sectors of the Jewish population to see if there was any commonality between their Y chromosomes. Most of the people who self-identified as Kohanim were found to share a common male ancestor about 3000 years ago, as would be expected if the tradition were true. Christians and Jews have pointed to the so-called "Kohain Gene" as evidence for the truth of the Biblical accounts. Further genetic testing with the relevant haplotype has supported the claims of the [[Lemba]], an African tribe who claim that they were in fact descended from one of the ten lost tribes of Israel.