Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 2.pdf/456

410 THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Babylonia

academy

in Babylonia for Sura had ceased to exist. R. Papa, however, presently founded a new school in Naresh near Sura, which later on was removed to that city, where, under R. Ashi, it attained to high eminence. In the vigorous war which the emperor Julian

waged, and in which Mesopotamia and Babylonia proper were involved, it is probable that the Jews, in spite of the friendly attitude of the

Roman

ruler,

sided with their own sovereign. A small town, Birta called Bithra by Sozomen (iii. 20) was deserted by its inhabitants, who were Jews, and in retaliation the Romans burned the place. The same fate befell the more important city Firuz Shabur (P3 risabora), which also possessed a large Jewish population; Mahuza, too, near Ctesiphon, Raba's birthplace and the seat of his academy, was also laid in ashes, together no doubt with many other towns in which Jews dwelt. There were probably no other

—

—

r

enduring results of this Roman campaign, for Jewish records mention none. Julian honored the Jews in Haran (Charree), when, on a visit there, he witmysteries (Bar-Hebrteus, "Chronicum Syriacum," ed. Kirsch, i. 60). Of Sapor's successors, Yczdegerd I. (397-417, Justi 399-420, Noldeke) was at least not hostile to the Jews. The fact that the heads of Yezdegerd the academies, Amemar of Nehardea, Mar Zutra of Pumbedita, and Ashi of I. Sura, were rudely handled by the king's seneschal while waiting for audience in the palace (Ket. 61a, according to Rapoport's amended reading in " 'Erek Millin," p. 35, and 'Aruk), does not certainly indicate a very great degree of friend-

nessed

the



liness.

The Huna

b.

Nathan, whose girdle Yezde-

—





II.

cution of the

Jews which transcended they had hitherto ex-

in cruelty all that

perienced in Iran, and was a forerunner of still severer In the year 456 (in which boih the prin-

sufferings.

Academy, R. Nahman b. Huna and Nehumai] of Pumbedita, died), the

cipals of the Sura

R.

Rehumai

[or

king issued a decree forbidding all observance of the Sabbath. His early death prevented further perseThe Jewish chronicles relate that he was cution. swallowed by a serpent, upon the prayer of the heads of the academies, Mar b. R. Ashi and R. Zoma. Rapoport did not question the authority of this Jewish source; but new discoveries show that, according to the local tradition, this sudden death in reality befell Yezdegerd 1. and that only the Jews attributed ,

to their persecutor,

it

tion

was probably

Yezdegerd

instigated by the

The persecuMagi the Chris-

II.



and Manicheans having been persecuted five years earlier ("Revue Etudes Juives," xxxvi. 296). tians

this period is to be referred Amemar's discussion with a Magus (Sanh. 39a). Yezdegerd 's second son and successor, Firuz, or Perozes (459-486), continued the persecution on a larger scale. The Jews of Ispahan were accused of having flayed two Magi alive (Hamza, ed. Gottwaldt, p. 56) and one-half of the Jewish population were slaughtered and their children delivered over But in Babylonia too the to the fire-worshipers. persecution gained foothold; Firuz "the wicked" (Hul. 62J) put the exilarch Huna Man, son of Mar Zutra I., to death; and the Jews, coming under immediate Persian domination, underwent a year of

To



suffering, 468,

which

in the

Talmud

is

called " the

year of the destruction of the world " (see Brilll, " Jahrb." x. 118). From this year to 474 a series of violent acts followed, such as the destruction of synagogues, prohibition of the study of the Law, the forcible delivery of children to the Fire Temples, the imprisonment and exe-

Firuz.

—

gerd adjusted with a few flattering words a polite attention which was highly valued even by the eminent R. Ashi (Zeb. 19a) was no doubt the exilarch of that date, Graetz to the contrary notwithstanding. This incident probably took place in tins monarch's later on he became a strong religious earlier years fanatic, and in 414 ordered a bloody persecution of the Christians. It may have been the king's intention that the exilarchate should gradually lose its political importance, for the Talmud (Git. 59a) relates that Huna b. Nathan subordinated himself to R. Ashi while Sherira adds thereto the information that the "rigle," the public festivities given by the exilarch, were transplanted to Mata Mehasya This would show that (Sura), the home of R. Ashi. Nehardea had ceased to be the residence of the resh galuta, and that Sura had become the political cenWith R. Ashi, who united ter of Jewish Babylonia. in his person both rank and learning (Sanh. 36a), the position of the principal of the academy attained almost equal eminence with that of the exilarch. Bahram (Varaues) V. (420-438) left the Jews in peace; it is probably to his time that Tbeodoret (ii. 264) refers when he says that Babylonia was populated with Jews (Lagarde, "MittheiBahxam V. lungen," iv. 145). His successor YezYezdegerd degerd II. (438-457) instituted a perse-

410

cution of

and Meshershiya.

Amemar

b.

The destruction

Mar Yanuka

of Sura (Shab.

Mahzor 11a) possibly also took place at this time. Vitry (p. 483) states that Firuz suffered a violent death (result of an earthquake?) in 483, or, more correctly, 486. In 501 Rabina died, the last of the Amoraim; succeeding teachers were called Saboraim. The compilation and editing of the Babylonian Talmud, begun by R. Ashi, were completed by Rabina, though the Saboraim may also have worked upon it. The reduction of the traditional legal material to writing previously

—

The

forbidden— originated no doubt

in the anxiety caused by the continually it was no increasing persecution: longer safe to confine this prized material to the oral traditions of the academies; it must be set down Another permanently in writing for posterity. remarkable result of these persecutions was the emigration of Babylonian and Persian Jews to India

Talmud,

under Joseph Rabban.

The reign of Balash (Vologeses) was uneventful Jews but the long sway of Kobad or Kawad

for the



according to Noldeke, 488-531) brought mournful developments. About 501 appeared Mazdak, the founder of Zendicism, whose socialist doctrine of community of property and wives must have aroused horror among both Christians and Jews. All indications show that Mazdak was of Irak origin, seeing that his doctrines made most headway there. Zendicism must have made exist(490-531;