10
CE marked the end of Hillel’s 40 year reign as nasi. He was the founder of
a school of legal religious thought and dynasty that led Jewish life in Judea
for the next four centuries.
Hillel
was born to a wealthy family in Babylonia, but came to Jerusalem without the
financial support of his family and supported himself as a woodcutter. It
is said that he lived in such great poverty that he was sometimes unable to pay
the admission fee to study Torah, and because of him that fee was
abolished.
Hillel
was known for his kindness, gentleness, and his concern for humanity.
Another
popular teacher at that time was Shammai. He was known for the strictness of
his views. He was reputed to be dour, quick-tempered, and
impatient. Shammai and his teaching were more popular in Israel before the
destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. The views of Hillel and Shammai represent positions
in the range of interpretations of Jewish law and instructions.
Hillel's
teachings and interpretations of the Torah prevailed and laid the foundation of
Jewish thought that played a major role in the survival of Judaism during the
period between the destruction of Temple and the creation the Mishnah – the Oral Law – upon which Rabbinic Judaism emerged after 200 CE.
Hillel,
a Babylonian Jew that made his way to Jerusalem probably during the reign of
Herod, ultimately became the founding father of a school of rabbinic teaching
that still influences Judaism today.
Unknown
to many Christians, Hillel’s influence was an important factor in the
development of Yeshua as a teacher of the Jewish Scriptures.
And when Yeshua was
twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the
feast of Passover. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the young
boy Yeshua lingered behind in Jerusalem, but Joseph and his mother did not know
it. Supposing him to have been in the group, they traveled for a day and looked
him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they
returned to Jerusalem, searched for him. After three days they found him in the
temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking
them questions. And all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and
answers. (Luke 2:41-47)
Yeshua
was born around 6 BCE, about two years before the death of King Herod. It would
have been 6 CE when twelve-year old Yeshua sat in a crowd at the temple and listened
to what would have no doubt been “the super stars” of Jewish teachers, one of
which would have been Hillel. It is clear that Hillel’s strong influence on the
boy Yeshua continued and is seen in Yeshua’s teachings, actions and movement.
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The Real Yeshua was about doing the right things,
not believing the right doctrines.
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