The battle of beth zechariah in light of a literary study of 1 maccabees 6:32-47

The famous depiction of Eleazar’s heroic death under an elephant - the story of the battle of Beth Zechariah - is found in only one nearcontemporary source, 1 Maccabees. 2 Maccabees relates a similar story and some later sources, Josephus, Megillat Antiochus and Josippon, retell the renowned battle narrative. On the basis of one or more of these sources, scholars have recently proposed bold claims regarding the topography of the battle site, the historicity of a similar battle at Modein and the credibility of a late source’s account of Eleazar drowning in feces. With the help of a close reading of the sources I critique these claims, arguing that the sources teach much about the literary constructions of the battle but little about the battle itself.