Dr. Raanan Eichler thinks the Zadokite priests may have approved of Asherah poles:
Aaron’s Flowering Staff: A Priestly Asherah?
The story of Aaron’s staff reads like an etiological tale, explaining a holy object in the Temple. The description of the object as a stylized tree suggests a connection with the asherah, a ritual object forbidden by Deuteronomy.Dr. Rabbi David Frankel thinks that the Zadokites may have appropriated a tradition about the election of the tribe of Levi:
The Flowering Staff: Proof of Aaron’s or the Levites’ Election?
The story of the flowering staff in its current form and context, confirms YHWH’s previous designation of the Aaronides as priests. Originally, however, the story presented YHWH’s selection of the tribe of Levi as his priestly caste.I blog, you decide.
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