Yechiel of Paris
Encyclopedia
Yechiel ben Joseph of Paris (Jehiel of Paris) was a major Talmud
ic scholar and Tosafist from northern France, father-in-law of Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil
. He was a disciple of Rabbi Judah Messer Leon, and succeeded him in 1225 as head
of the Yeshiva
of Paris
, which then boasted some 300 students; his best known student was Meir of Rothenburg
. He is the author of many Tosafot
.
held at the court of Louis IX
, where he argued against the convert Nicholas Donin
. This was the first formal Christian-Jewish disputation held in medieval Christendom. In defence of accusations of slanderous quotes in the Talmud against the founder of Christianity, Yechiel argued that the references to Yeshu
in fact refer to different individuals. Yechiel deliniates them as Jesus himself, executed for sorcery (b.Sotah
47a), another "Yeshu haNotzri", also from Nazareth (b.Sanhedrin
107b), and a third "Yeshu" of the boiling excrement in b.Gittin 47a. Berger (1998) writes "Whatever one thinks of the sincerity of the multiple Jesus theory, R. Yehiel found a way to neutralize some dangerous rabbinic statements, and yet the essential Ashkenazic evaluation of Jesus remains even in the text of this disputation." Yechiel's argument was followed by Nachmanides at the Disputation of Barcelona
1263, but not by Profiat Duran
at the Disputation of Tortosa
1413-1414.
Although the disputants successfully defended Judaism, a decree was passed, to publicly burn all available manuscripts of the Talmud - and on Friday, June 17, 1244, twenty-four carriageloads of written works were set alight.
, along with his son and a large group of followers. There he established the Talmudic academy
Midrash haGadol d'Paris. He is believed to have died there between 1265 and 1268, and is buried near Haifa, at Mount Carmel
.
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic scholar and Tosafist from northern France, father-in-law of Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil
Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil
Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil was a French rabbi and Tosefist who flourished in the second half of the thirteenth century....
. He was a disciple of Rabbi Judah Messer Leon, and succeeded him in 1225 as head
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of the Yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, which then boasted some 300 students; his best known student was Meir of Rothenburg
Meir of Rothenburg
Meir of Rothenburg was a German Rabbi and poet, a major author of the tosafot on Rashi's commentary on the Talmud...
. He is the author of many Tosafot
Tosafot
The Tosafot or Tosafos are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes...
.
Disputation of Paris
Yechiel of Paris is best known as the main defender of Judaism in the 1240 Disputation of ParisDisputation of Paris
The Disputation of Paris took place in 1240 in the court of the reigning king of France, Louis IX . The disputation had four rabbis defending the Talmud against the accusations of a Franciscan Order member.-Disputers:...
held at the court of Louis IX
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
, where he argued against the convert Nicholas Donin
Nicholas Donin
Nicholas Donin of La Rochelle, a Jewish convert to Christianity in early thirteenth-century Paris, is known for his role in the 1240 Disputation of Paris, which resulted in a decree to publicly burn all available manuscripts of the Talmud....
. This was the first formal Christian-Jewish disputation held in medieval Christendom. In defence of accusations of slanderous quotes in the Talmud against the founder of Christianity, Yechiel argued that the references to Yeshu
Yeshu
Yeshu is the name of an individual or individuals mentioned in Rabbinic literature. The oldest works in which references to Yeshu occur are the Tosefta and the Talmud, although some scholars consider the references to Yeshu to be post-Talmudic additions....
in fact refer to different individuals. Yechiel deliniates them as Jesus himself, executed for sorcery (b.Sotah
Sotah
Sotah deals with the ritual of the Sotah - the woman suspected of adultery as described and prescribed in the Book of Numbers in...
47a), another "Yeshu haNotzri", also from Nazareth (b.Sanhedrin
Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Biblical Land of Israel.The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel made of 71 members...
107b), and a third "Yeshu" of the boiling excrement in b.Gittin 47a. Berger (1998) writes "Whatever one thinks of the sincerity of the multiple Jesus theory, R. Yehiel found a way to neutralize some dangerous rabbinic statements, and yet the essential Ashkenazic evaluation of Jesus remains even in the text of this disputation." Yechiel's argument was followed by Nachmanides at the Disputation of Barcelona
Disputation of Barcelona
The Disputation of Barcelona was held at the royal palace of King James I of Aragon in the presence of the King, his court, and many prominent ecclesiastical dignitaries and knights, between Dominican Friar Pablo Christiani, a convert from Judaism to Christianity, and Rabbi Nachmanides The...
1263, but not by Profiat Duran
Profiat Duran
Profiat Duran , also known as Efodi ; also known as Isaac ben Moses ha-Levi; was a physician, philosopher, grammarian, and controversialist in the 14th century. It is not known whether he was born at Perpignan, where he lived for some years, or in another Catalonian town...
at the Disputation of Tortosa
Disputation of Tortosa
The Disputation of Tortosa, one of the famous disputations between Jews and Christians of the Middle Ages, was held in the years 1413–1414 in the city of Tortosa, Spain....
1413-1414.
Although the disputants successfully defended Judaism, a decree was passed, to publicly burn all available manuscripts of the Talmud - and on Friday, June 17, 1244, twenty-four carriageloads of written works were set alight.
Arrival in Acre
In 1260, Yechiel arrived and settled in Acre, Palestine, then ruled by the Crusader Kingdom of JerusalemKingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
, along with his son and a large group of followers. There he established the Talmudic academy
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
Midrash haGadol d'Paris. He is believed to have died there between 1265 and 1268, and is buried near Haifa, at Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
.