Eleazar Avaran, also known asEleazar Maccabeus,Eleazar Hachorani/Chorani (Hebrew: אלעזר המכביEleazar HaMakabi, אלעזר החורניEleazar HaChorani; died 162 BC) was the fourth son ofMattathias and the younger brother ofJudas Maccabeus. He was killed at theBattle of Beth-zechariah (1 Maccabees 6:32–33) during theMaccabean revolt.
Little is known about Eleazar, except his heroic death as was told. According to the scroll of Antiochus, his father saw in him aZealot among zealots, likePinhas. In2 Maccabees 8:21–23 it is told that Eleazar read from theTanakh in front of the people just before the last battle began in3 Maccabees 6:1–15.
According to1 Maccabees 6:43–46, during theBattle of Beit Zechariah, Eleazar identified awar elephant that he believed to carry theSeleucid KingAntiochus 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. In another variation of this story which appears in theMegillat Antiochus, Eleazar's body is discovered after sinking in the excrement of an elephant.[2]
All of the members of the family ofMattathias were given nicknames in addition to theirpersonal names as can be seen in1 Maccabees 2:1–5 (For example,Judas was given the name 'ha'Makabi', meaning 'the Hammer'.) Eleazar was given the name 'Avaran' ("Sauran" in the Alexandrian version of the book of 1 Maccabees), which has been taken to mean 'the Piercer' (in reference to his death) or 'to be white' (referring to his light complexion).[3] Other versions are "Horan", possibly derived from "Hor"="hole", similar to the "piercer" designation; and "Eran" (alert, vigorous).[4]
Eleazar's death was a popular subject for art in theMiddle Ages, where it was given atypological significance as prefiguring Christ's sacrifice of himself for mankind.[5] The chance to portray an elephant was also welcomed by artists, although as most had never seen one, the results are often very strange.[citation needed] It is also portrayed in a painting of 19th century French artistGustave Doré.[citation needed] TheIsraeli settlement,Elazar, inGush Etzion, near the site of thebattle of Beth-zechariah, is named after him. Streets are named after him inJerusalem and inTel Aviv.[citation needed]
