ELEAZAR (Heb. 'El'āzār, "God Has Helped"). - Name of various biblical figures.
1. - Third son of Aaron, brother of Moses (Ex. 6:25). He was consecrated priest by Moses together with his father and his three brothers, Nadab, Abihu (v.) and Ithamar (Lev. 8:1 ff.). From this moment E., with the other members of the family, appears in the biblical narrative with priestly functions. After the tragic fate of his elder brothers (Lev. 10:1 ff.), the right of primogeniture passed to E., which entailed succession to the high priesthood after his father Aaron. Raised to that office at the death of Aaron (Num. 20:26 ff.), E. exercised it under the guidance of Moses until his death, which occurred at Gabaath (Josh. 24:33), after the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua had already entered the Promised Land. He was succeeded by his son Phineas.
2. - Son of Abinadab, guardian of the Ark of the covenant in his father's house at Kiriath-jearim (1 Sam. 7:1).
3. - Son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of David's most valiant warriors (2 Sam. 25:9; 1 Chron. 11:12).
4. - Son of Phineas, a Levite, charged by Ezra (Ezra 8:33) with verifying the weight of the gold, the silver and the vessels brought from Babylon.
5. - Priest who took part in the solemn dedication of the walls of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah (Neh. 12:42).
6. - Father of Jason (1 Macc. 8:17), hardly identifiable with the son of Mattathias (v. MACCABEES).
7. - One of the leaders of the Jewish rebellion against Rome (66-70 A.D.). Having taken refuge in the fortress of Masada near the Dead Sea, he ceased resisting only after a long siege. In order not to fall into the hands of the Roman commander, Flavius Silva, he killed himself together with his fanatical companions (Fl. Josephus, Bell. Jud., VII, 253 ff.).
8. - Celebrated scribe or doctor of the Law, who suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (167 B.C.). Of his death 2 Macc. 6:18-31 gives a detailed account.
An old man of 90, E. was ordered to eat meat forbidden by the Mosaic Law, so as to demonstrate thereby his apostasy from the national religion. The resolute refusal of the scribe, who also rejected the pretense proposed to him by his disciples and admirers, brought upon him the death penalty, inflicted on him with the torture of the tympanum. In the narrative the place of the martyrdom is not indicated. Generally Jerusalem or Antioch in Syria is thought of; the latter city seems better to correspond to the historical context (cf. 2 Macc. 1:57-65). Of E., besides 2 Macc., Jewish writings speak, late or spurious, such as 4 Macc. 5:1 ff., where the narrative of the canonical book is repeated, adding legendary elements to it.
Angelo Penna