Symmachus ben Joseph ( Romanized: Sômǝkôs ben Joseph) was a Jewish Tanna sage of the fifth generation.

Biography

Rabbi Meir Rabbi Meir () was a Jewish sage who lived in the time of the Mishnah. He was one of the Tannaim of the fourth generation (139–163), and a disciple of Rabbi Akiva. He is the second most frequently mentioned sage in the Mishnah and is mentioned ...

is considered his main teacher.

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

Kiddushin 33a
/ref> After R. Meir died, and despite R.

Judah ben Ilai Judah beRabbi Ilai (Mishnaic Hebrew: יהודה בר' אלעאי), usually known as Rabbi Judah or Judah bar Ilai, was a rabbi of the 2nd century (fourth generation of Tannaim), and a disciple of Rabbi Akiva. Of the many Judahs in the Talmud, he ...

's reluctance to teach R. Meir's students (who were considered "vexatious" students), Symmachus joined R. Judah ben Ilai's class and debated halakhic matters with him. Symmachus' brilliance was described as follows:

Teachings

He is quoted five times in the Mishna: three times his teachings appear, and twice he quotes an opinion of Rabbi Meir. He is best known for the following disagreement about judgment in a case of monetary dispute: Later opinions differ on which situations Symmachus intended for his rule to apply.The Position of Sumchus: Mammon Ha-Mutal Be-Safek Cholkim
/ref>

Relation to other individuals named Symmachus

Some have tried to identify him with Symmachus the translator, but this view has been generally rejected. In Epiphanius' treatise ''

On Weights and Measures ''On Weights and Measures'' is a historical, lexical, metrological, and geographical treatise compiled in 392 AD in Constantia by Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 315–403). The greater part of the work is devoted to a discussion on Greek and Roma ...

'', a certain Symmachus is said to have converted to Judaism from the

Samaritan Samaritans (; ; ; ), are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Hebrews and Israelites of the ancient Near East. They are indigenous to Samaria, a historical region of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah that ...

religion at the time of the Roman Emperor

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

who is also called Verus.'' Epiphanius' Treatise on Weights and Measures - The Syriac Version'' (ed. James Elmer Dean), University of Chicago Press 1935, p. 32 Rabbi Meir would have been his contemporary.

References

{{Tannaim Mishnah rabbis