person · P0030
Pinchas פינחס בן אלעזר
Grandson of Aharon, kohen and zealot of the wilderness generation. In Rambam's enumeration of the forty generations he is the link between Yehoshua and Eli — though the Rambam notes he also received directly from Moshe. His zealotry at Baal Peor earned him the "covenant of peace" and the eternal kehunah.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- פינחס בן אלעזר
- Also known as
- Pinchas ben Elazar, Phinehas
- Era
- bible
- Received the mesorah from
- Yehoshua
- Transmitted the mesorah to
- Eli
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 2430–2580 AM (wilderness era through the early Shoftim)
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈150 years
- Precision
- approximate
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Received the Oral Torah in the generation after Yehoshua and transmitted it to Eli — the third link in Rambam's forty-generation chain. Rambam adds that Elazar, Pinchas, and Yehoshua all received directly from Moshe.
Confidence is for the chain as stated by the Rambam. |
rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Turned back God's wrath at Baal Peor through his zealotry, and was granted "My covenant of peace" and a covenant of eternal priesthood.
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Pinchas was the son of Elazar and the grandson of Aharon; his mother was an unnamed daughter of Putiel. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| He headed the priestly delegation sent with ten tribal chiefs to investigate the altar built by the eastern tribes. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| In the war following the outrage at Gibeah, Pinchas son of Elazar son of Aharon is described as standing before the Ark of the Covenant and inquiring on Israel's behalf.
Whether Judges 20 intends the same Pinchas from the wilderness generation or reflects chronological compression is discussed by interpreters.
|
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Traditional placement c. 2430–2580 AM; born in Egypt before the Exodus (2448 AM) and active well into the era of the Shoftim. No traditional death date is given.
Schematic traditional dating. |
tradition reconstruction | ★☆☆☆☆ |