Eleazar Ben Simon - Historical Interpretations

Historical Interpretations

As time passed, the perception of Eleazar ben Simon and the Zealots shifted from the tyrannical despot whom Josephus portrays to a dedicated leader with flawed tactics. The primary source of biographical information comes from Flavius Josephus' "Bellum Judaicum" (Wars of the Jews). In this history of the Jewish revolt, Josephus portrays Eleazar ben Simon as a murderous and impulsive Zealot who regarded his own personal ambitions above the well being of the Jewish people. He blames the defeat of Jewish War on "unrepresentative and over-zealous fanatics" including Eleazar. Yet further investigation into his life and political associations reveals that Josephus himself was one of the traditional aristocratic leaders who controlled Judea and Galilee prior to the Zealot insurrection. He allied himself with the moderate Jewish leaders under Ananus ben Ananus. At the onset of the war, John of Gischala, Eleazar's future ally, disobeyed Josephus' orders not to attack a Roman granary, thus sparking a bitter hatred between the two leaders. By association with John, Eleazar inherited much of Josephus' hatred of his political partner and became a victim of harsh and bitter desecration in Bellum Judaicum.

With this knowledge of Josephus' conflict of interest, contemporary historians view Eleazar with less reproach and bitterness. They argue that the conflicts between Jewish leaders rather than the views of the Zealots themselves are the reason for the collapse of Jerusalem and the defeat of the Jews. Although not vindicated from misguided leadership, Eleazar (and for that matter most of the Zealots) are no longer seen as violent tyrants who destroyed the city before the Romans got to Jerusalem.