Chananja (Amorae)

Chananja (also: Chanina ) was a third generation Amora in Palestine and lived and worked in the third and fourth centuries AD.

He was originally from Babylonia and is said to be a descendant of the high priest Eli. Already in his early youth he emigrated with his brother Hoschaja (= Hoschaja II., Later son-in-law of Samuel bar Isaak) from his homeland and settled in Tiberias , where they became disciples of Jochanan .

The brothers made their living by making shoes and were both legendarily glorified by posterity. So Hananiah is said to have lived in a disreputable street and, through his modest, strict life, earned the respect of even prostitutes who "swore by the life of the holy rabbi of Palestine" (Bab. Pess. 113 b).

Jochanan wanted to ordain both brothers , but this did not happen, so that because of their high esteem they were honored by the epithet "chabrehon de-rabbanan" (comrade of the scholars).

When Chanaja died on a half-holiday, they made his coffin for him in the street, despite the ban on work, in order to pay him special honors even after his death.

literature

• Zacharias Frankel , Introduction to the Jerusalem Talmud , Breslau 1870
• Heilprin , Seder ha-Dorot , Warsaw 1878 ff.
• Bacher , The Agada of the Palestinian Amorae , 1892
• A. Hyman , sefer toldot tannaim we-amoraim , 3 vols., London 1910
• Schulim Abi Todos, article CHANANJA , in: Jüdisches Lexikon , Berlin 1927 (Vol. I.)
• Hermann L. Strack and Günter Stemberger : Introduction to Talmud and Midrash . 7th edition, Beck, Munich 1982