Matteya ben Heresh
Encyclopedia
Matteya ben Heresh or Mattithiah (Hebrew: מתיא בן חרש) was a Roman tanna
of the 2nd century. He was born in Judea
, probably a pupil of R. Ishmael, and certainly a contemporary and friend of his pupils R. Josiah and R. Jonathan.
After his ordination Mattithiah went to Rome, apparently on account of the persecution by Hadrian
; there he founded a school and a Jewish court which soon became prominent. Halakic sentences by him have been preserved which show his desire to make the Sabbath
laws less rigorous insofar as their fulfillment by the sick was concerned. He seems, however, to have devoted himself chiefly to the Aggadah
; a number of his homiletic sentences, especially to the Book of Exodus, are extant. He has a maxim in the Pirḳe Abot: "Meet each man with friendly greeting; be the tail among lions rather than the head among foxes" (iv. 15). He associated with the Judean scholars who visited Rome
and sought instruction from them—from R. Simeon bar Yoḥai
and R. Eleazar ben Jose, for instance. A later legend in the Midrash Abkir
represents him as victoriously resisting a temptation placed in his path by Satan
.
Tannaim
The Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years...
of the 2nd century. He was born in Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
, probably a pupil of R. Ishmael, and certainly a contemporary and friend of his pupils R. Josiah and R. Jonathan.
After his ordination Mattithiah went to Rome, apparently on account of the persecution by Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
; there he founded a school and a Jewish court which soon became prominent. Halakic sentences by him have been preserved which show his desire to make the Sabbath
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
laws less rigorous insofar as their fulfillment by the sick was concerned. He seems, however, to have devoted himself chiefly to the Aggadah
Aggadah
Aggadah refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash...
; a number of his homiletic sentences, especially to the Book of Exodus, are extant. He has a maxim in the Pirḳe Abot: "Meet each man with friendly greeting; be the tail among lions rather than the head among foxes" (iv. 15). He associated with the Judean scholars who visited Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and sought instruction from them—from R. Simeon bar Yoḥai
Simeon bar Yohai
Simeon bar Yochai, , also known by his acronym Rashbi, was a famous 1st-century tannaic sage in ancient Israel, active after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE...
and R. Eleazar ben Jose, for instance. A later legend in the Midrash Abkir
Midrash Abkir
Midrash Abkir is one of the smaller midrashim, the extant remains of which consist of more than 50 excerpts contained in the Yalḳuṭ and a number of citations in other works...
represents him as victoriously resisting a temptation placed in his path by Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- Z. Frankel, Darke ha-Mishnah, pp. 130 et seq.;
- Heinrich Grätz, Gesch. 3d ed., iv. 285;
- W. Bacher, Ag. Tan. i. 385 et seq.;
- Hermann Vogelstein and Paul RiegerPaul RiegerPaul Warren Rieger QSO JP was Mayor of Palmerston North from 1985 to 1998. He is currently deputy chairman of Horizons Regional Council.-References:...
, Geschichte der Juden in Rom, i. 110 et seq
External links
- Jewish Encyclopedia article for Matteya ben Heresh, by Ismar ElbogenIsmar ElbogenIsmar Elbogen was a Jewish-German rabbi, scholar and historian....
et al.