Eleazar ben Hanania ( he, אלעזר בן חנניה; grc, Ἐλεάζαρος υἱὸς Ἀνανία) was a Jewish leader during the

Great Revolt of Judea Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

. Eleazar was the son of the

High Priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rever ...

Hanania ben Nedebai and hence a political figure of the 1st century

Judaea Province Judaea ( la, Iudaea ; grc, Ἰουδαία, translit=Ioudaíā ) was a Roman province which incorporated the regions of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea from 6 CE, extending over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of ...

. Eleazar was the governor of the temple at the outbreak of the rebellion in 66 CE and following the initial outbreak of the violence in Jerusalem convinced the priests of the Jewish Temple to stop service of sacrifice for the Emperor. The action, though largely symbolic, was one of the main milestones to bring a full-scale rebellion in Judea. Jewish political activity had become more pronounced when, after the death of

Herod Agrippa Herod Agrippa (Roman name Marcus Julius Agrippa; born around 11–10 BC – in Caesarea), also known as Herod II or Agrippa I (), was a grandson of Herod the Great and King of Judea from AD 41 to 44. He was the father of Herod Agrippa II, the ...

, in 44 CE, Judea began to be treated more as a province of Rome and the

Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Aramaic: סַנְהֶדְרִין; Greek: , ''synedrion'', 'sitting together,' hence 'assembly' or 'council') was an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders (known as "rabbis" after the destruction of the Second Temple), ap ...

at Jerusalem was deprived of its jurisdiction. Numerous bands of

Zealots The Zealots were a political movement in 1st-century Second Temple Judaism which sought to incite the people of Judea Province to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Holy Land by force of arms, most notably during the First Jew ...

began to fan local rebellions; but were ultimately quashed by the Roman procurators. Then matters reached a climax under the procurator,

Gessius Florus Gessius Florus was the 7th Roman procurator of Judea from 64 until 66. Biography Born in Clazomenae, Florus was appointed to replace Lucceius Albinus as procurator by the Emperor Nero due to his wife Cleopatra's friendship with Nero's wife Popp ...

, whose actions (as well of those of his predecessors) precipitated a crisis which galvanized the Zealots in 66 CE. The then governor of the Temple, Eleazar ben Hanania refused to receive gifts from or offer sacrifice on behalf of Rome as had previously been agreed (dating at least back to

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

) and the Zealots now prevailed in political opinion. Another priest belonging to the

Shammaite The House of Hillel (Beit Hillel) and House of Shammai (Beit Shammai) were, among Jewish scholars, two schools of thought during the period of tannaim, named after the sages Hillel and Shammai (of the last century BCE and the early 1st century CE) ...

party, Zacharia ben Amphicalos, then supported Eleazar. Zealot

Menahem ben Judah Menahem ben Judah lived around the time of the First Jewish-Roman War and is mentioned by Josephus. He was the leader of a faction called the Sicarii who carried out assassinations of Romans and collaborators in the Holy Land. He was the son of Ju ...

seized the fortress Masada, and killed the Roman garrison stationed there. Then Zealot

Eleazar ben Simon Eleazar ben Simon () was a Zealot leader during the First Jewish-Roman War who fought against the armies of Cestius Gallus, Vespasian, and Titus Flavius. From the onset of the war in 66 CE until the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, he fo ...

really took the war of rebellion to the Romans."War" II, Chapter 17, §§ 2, 7, 10 The army of

Cestius Gallus Gaius Cestius Gallus (d. 67 AD) was a Roman senator and general who was active during the Principate. He was suffect consul for the second '' nundinium'' of the year 42 as the colleague of Gaius Caecina Largus. Gallus was the son of Gaius Cestiu ...

, who had brought the XII Fulminata legion to avenge the defeat of the Roman garrison at Masada, was annihilated by the rebel alliance including also Bar Giora and the Zealots and the Great Revolt of Judea was underway.

References

See also