Ben Asai

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Schim'on ben Asai , mostly just called Ben Asai ( Hebrew בן עזאי or בן עזיי, name variants: Simon Ben Asaj , Simeon ben Asai , Ben Asa'i etc. - abbreviation from Azarja ), was an ancient and Jewish scholar belonged to the younger group of the so-called second generation of the Tannaites (second century AD).

Despite the greatest erudition he was not ordained and remained a Talmid , but with regard to erudition he was shown as a shining example ( bKidd. 49b). He was closely related to the directors of the Jabne School of Scholars . He closed the Bible canon with the inclusion of Shir ha-Shirim and Ecclesiastes .

Ben Asai was a pupil of Yehoshua ben Chananja , passed on in his name against Rabbi Akiba ( Jeb. 4,13, Joma 2,3), as his pupil and friend he otherwise saw himself - he was also engaged to Akiba's daughter. However, he soon devoted himself exclusively to studying the Torah without ever getting married. As the only known Talmud teacher he remained unmarried, which in turn earned him criticism (b. Jebamoth 63b).

Ben Asai studied with such diligence and perseverance that when he died it was said: "With the death of Ben Asai, perseverance in study ceased" ( Sota 9:15). He is portrayed as a symbol of piety and was one of the most astute scholars. He also dealt with mystical questions ("has entered the Pardess "), what is said to have caused him a premature death ( bChag. 14 b, 15 b): He belonged to the Ten Martyrs ( Echa Rabbati II, 2). His fame later rose so high that both Jochanan bar Nappacha , the greatest Amorae of Palestine, and Rav , the greatest Amorae of Babylonia, are said to have exclaimed, "Here I am Ben Asai!" ( jBikk. II, 65a; bPea VI, 19c).

Ben Asai held fast to traditional Judaism and argued against the Christianity propagated by Paul (Echa R. I, 1).

In Aboth the following sayings have come down to us (IV, 2–3):

"Be hurry to the easiest commandment and flee from every sin, for one commandment leads to another, and one sin leads to another; for the wages of one commandment is a commandment, and the wages of a sin is a sin ...
Do not despise any human being and do not consider any thing to be too remote, for there is no human being who does not have an hour and there is no thing which does not have a place. "

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Shalom Ben-Chorin: Brother Jesus. The Nazarene from a Jewish perspective . 3. Edition. Munich 1979, p. 104 .
personal data
SURNAME Ben Asai
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shim'on Ben Asaj; Simon Ben Asaj; Simeon ben Azzai; Ben Azzai; Ben Asai
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Jewish scholar (Tannait)
DATE OF BIRTH 1st century or 2nd century
DATE OF DEATH 2nd century or 3rd century