Elisha ben Abuyah

Elisha ben Abuyah
flourished AD 100

Jewish scholar and apostate.

Born before the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem (AD 70), he became a respected rabbi but then won notoriety for breaking Jewish laws and abandoning Judaism. He was well versed in Greek thought, and the motives for his apostasy may have been devotion to philosophy, membership in a Gnostic sect, or conversion to Christianity. He was denounced in the Talmud and was known as Aḥer ("the Other") because his apostasy made his name repugnant.

* * *

▪ Jewish scholar
byname  Aḥer 
flourished AD 100

      Jewish scholar who renounced his faith and who came to be regarded in later ages as a prototype of the heretic whose intellectual pride leads him to infidelity to Jewish laws and morals. In the Talmud (Talmud and Midrash), Elisha is not mentioned by name but is usually referred to as Aḥer (“the Other,” or “Another”). His renunciation of Judaism was considered doubly heinous because he was a tanna (scholar), one of a group of some 200 masters of the Oral Law that flourished in Palestine during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.

      The son of a rich Jew, Elisha was educated from childhood to be a scholar. Although he became a tanna, he lost faith in rabbinic authority and flouted Jewish law by such actions as openly riding through the streets on the most sacred Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). More seriously, the Talmud relates that Elisha betrayed Jews during a period of persecution by the Roman emperor Hadrian (AD 76–138).

      Different versions of the Talmud contain cryptic references to Elisha's heretical acts and the reason for his renunciation of Judaism. According to one tradition he became so interested in Greek culture and philosophy that he abandoned his heritage; another relates an incident that implies Elisha's belief in two gods. Later scholars, studying these passages, offered different, and sometimes contradictory, interpretations. Some concluded that Elisha was a follower of Philo of Alexandria, a philosopher whose theological views were considered heretical by contemporary Jews. Others saw Elisha variously as a convert to Christianity, a member of a Gnostic sect, or a Sadducee. Whatever the reason for his apostasy, Elisha's story became the subject of later literary works, among them the Hebrew drama Ben Abuyah.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Elisha ben Abuyah — (] whereas a man who broke the same law was not hurt in the least. This encounter, as well as the frightful sufferings of Jewish martyrs during the Hadrianic persecutions, led Elisha to the conclusion that there was no reward for virtue in this… …   Wikipedia

  • Ben — /ben/, n. a male given name, form of Benjamin. * * * (as used in expressions) Akiba ben Joseph Alfasi Isaac ben Jacob Alkalai Judah ben Solomon Hai Abba Mari ben Moses ben Joseph Israel ben Eliezer Ben Ali Zine el Abidine Ben Bella Ahmed Ben… …   Universalium

  • ben — ben1 /ben/, Scot. n. 1. the inner or back room of a two room cottage, esp. when used as a combined parlor and bedroom. adv., prep. 2. within; inside. adj. 3. inside; inner. [1400 50; late ME (Scots); as adv., unexplained var. of late ME bin, ME… …   Universalium

  • ben — ► sustantivo masculino BOTÁNICA Árbol o moringáceo, con tronco recto, flores blancas y cuyo fruto da por presión un aceite que no se enrancia y que se emplea en relojería y perfumería. (Moringa oleifera.) * * * ben1 (pl. «beni») Palabra árabe,… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Nehunya ben ha-Kanah — Rabbinical Eras Chazal Zugot Tannaim Amoraim Savoraim Geonim Rishonim Acharonim Nehunya ben ha Kanah (Hebrew: נחוניה בן הקנה) was a Tanna of the 1st and 2nd centuries. It appears from B. B. 10b that Neḥunya was a contemporary, but not a pupil, of …   Wikipedia

  • Akabia ben Mahalalel — Akavia redirects here. For the Israeli writer and translator, see Miriam Akavia. Rabbinical Eras Chazal Zugot Tannaim Amoraim Savoraim Geonim Rishonim Acharonim Akabia ben Mahalalel (Hebrew: עקביא בן מהללאל‎), was a Jewish religious teacher,… …   Wikipedia

  • Simeon ben Azzai — or simply Ben Azzai (Hebrew: שמעון בן עזאי) was a distinguished tanna of the first third of the 2nd century. His full name was Simon ben Azzai, to which sometimes the title Rabbi is prefixed. But, in spite of his great learning, this title did… …   Wikipedia

  • Matteya ben Heresh — Rabbinical Eras Chazal Zugot Tannaim Amoraim Savoraim Geonim Rishonim Acharonim 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… …   Wikipedia

  • Haninah ben Teradion — Rabbinical Eras Chazal Zugot Tannaim Amoraim Savoraim Geonim Rishonim Acharonim Rabbi Haninah ben Teradion or Hananiah ben Teradion (Hebrew: חנניה בן תרדיון) was a teacher in the third Tannaitic generation (2nd century). He was a contemporary of… …   Wikipedia

  • Hanina ben Hakinai — Rabbinical Eras Chazal Zugot Tannaim Amoraim Savoraim Geonim Rishonim Acharonim Hanina ben Hakinai or Hanania ben Hakinai (Hebrew: חנינא בן חכינאי) was a Tanna of the 2nd century; contemporary of Ben Azzai and Simon the Temanite (Tosef., Ber. iv …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”