Eleazar Maccabeus

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Miniature from a manuscript Speculum Humanae Salvationis. Eleazar kills the elephant and is crushed.

Eleazar Maccabeus, also known as Eleazar Hachorani/Choran(or Horani) (b. ???BC - d. 162 BC; Hebrew: אלעזר המכבי, אלעזר החורני Eleazar HaMakabi) was the youngest son of Mattathias and the younger brother of Judas Maccabeus. He was killed at the Battle of Beth-zechariah during the Maccabean revolt. (1 Macc. 6:43-46)

Very little is known About Eleazar, except his heroic death as was told. According to the scroll of Antichus, his father saw in him a Zealot among zealots, like Pinhas. In the book of 2 Maccabees is it told that Eleazar read from the Tanakh in front of the people before going into his last battle

Contents

Death

According to 1 Maccabees, during the Battle of Beth-zechariah, Eleazar identified a war elephant that he believed to carry the Seleucid King Antiochus V, due to the special armor the elephant wore. He decided to endanger his life by attacking the elephant and thrusting a spear into its belly. The dead elephant then collapsed upon Eleazar, killing him as well.[1] Despite this heroic effort, the smaller Jewish army was defeated in the battle. Josephus wrote that Eleazar, though killing many enemy soldiers, did not gain any real effect besides the name he made for himself. Another version of this story appears on the scroll of Antiochus, in which it is told that Eleazar was stamped on by a horde of elephants.

According to Josephus, Herod the Great was also of Maccabeen descent:

  • Eleazar Maccabeus called Auran brother of Judas Maccabeus {Josephus [Antiquity of the Jews] Book XII/Chapter 9/Section 4}
  • JAson son of Eleazar {Ditto: Book XII/Chapter 10/Section 6}
  • Antipater I son of Jason {Ditto: Book XIII/Chapter 5/Section 8}
  • Antipater II Antipas son of Antipater I {Ditto: Book XIV/Chapter 1/Section 3}
  • Herod

Commemoration

Eleazar's death was a popular subject for art in the Middle Ages, where it was given a typological significance as prefiguring Christ's sacrifice of himself for mankind [2] The chance to portray an elelphant was also welcomed by artists, although as most had never seen one, the results are often very strange. It is also portrayed in a painting of 19th century French artist Gustave Doré.

The Israeli settlement Elazar in Gush Etzion, near the site of the battle of Beth-zechariah, is named after him. Also there are streets named after him in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv.

References

  1. ^ Scullard, H.H The Elephant in the Greek and Roman World Thames and Hudson. 1974 pg 186
  2. ^ Speculum & commentary.

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleazar_Maccabeus"

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