30. Heroism Leads to Hilarious Death
Eleazar Avaran (died 162 BC) pulled off a heroic deed in battle, only for it end in a fatal oops moment. Eleazar was the younger brother of Judas Maccabeus, leader of the 167 – 160 BC Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. The revolt was caused by decrees from the Seleucid king, Antiochus IV, banning Jewish religious practices and ordering the worship of Zeus instead.
The father of Eleazar and Judas sparked a rebellion by killing a Hellenized Jew who sacrificed to Greek idols. He then fled into the wilderness with his five sons, and began a guerrilla campaign. After his death, his son Judah took over the revolt, and in 164 BC, he entered Jerusalem and restored Jewish worship at its temple – an event commemorated in the feast of Hanukah.