Eleazar (2 Maccabees)

Eleazar was a Jewish martyr who died during the persecution of Judaism in Judea ordered by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside because of their long acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use, and to pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal that had been commanded by the king (...) But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old age and the grey hairs that he [Eleazar] had reached with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly, telling them to send him to Hades.The books of Maccabees describe a period of intense persecution of traditional Judaism by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, King of the Seleucid Empire that ruled Judea at the time (around 168–166 BCE).

As part of the persecution, Jews were forbidden from keeping Jewish dietary law (kashrut); to break the practice, leading members of the community were required to publicly engage in performances of pork-eating.

The following chapter, 2 Maccabees 7, describes the martyrdom of the woman with seven sons, and is an immediate "answer" to Eleazar's concerns of setting a poor example: it shows seven Jewish youths remaining firm in their Judaism.

In the narrative of 2 Maccabees, the wrath of God in allowing the persecution turns to mercy after the example of the martyrs, resulting in the eventual success of the Maccabean Revolt.