ELEAZAR BEN AZARIAH

flourished , late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD Jewish rabbinic scholar, one of the Palestinian tannaim (those who compiled the Jewish Oral Law), whose practical maxims constitute some of the best-known sayings of the Talmud. Eleazar was a wealthy, learned, and highly esteemed resident of Jabneh who traced his descent through Ezra, the legendary spiritual leader of Palestine. He served for a short time as head of the local Sanhedrin (the Jewish legislative body) after the deposition from that post of Rabban Gamaliel II of Jabneh. Eleazar was an expert in the Scriptures and in all aspects of Jewish Law. He favoured a direct and literal interpretation of the Scriptures, and he formulated the principle that a biblical verse can be interpreted in the context of the verses that precede or follow it.