Jesus in the Talmud

The Torah Teacher 49liest evidence of this motif. 38 There, it is not directed, however, againstJesus himself but against his followers. We will see that this particular variationtallies with the fragments of anti-Christian polemics quoted by earlyChristian authors of the second century C.E. 39 In any case, this strand ofthe Eliezer story is very close to what was perceived as the historical realityof the emerging Jewish Christianity.(2) The second strand—aptly emphasized by Boyarin, following Lieberman40 and Guttmann 41 —is more indirect and becomes obvious only whenwe have a closer look at the rabbinic persona of R. Eliezer b. Hyrkanos.R. Eliezer is famous for his clash with his rabbinic colleagues regarding acomplicated but relatively minor halakhic question, the structure of theAkhnai oven. When his colleagues disapprove of his argument, he resortsto some “unorthodox” methods:It has been taught: On that day R. Eliezer used every imaginable argument,but they [his colleagues] did not accept them from him.He said to them: “If the Halakha agrees with me, let this carobtreeprove it!” [Whereupon] the carob-tree was uprooted from itsplace a hundred cubits—others report, four hundred cubits. They retorted:“No proof can be brought from a carob-tree!”Again he said to them: “If the Halakha agrees with me, let thestream of water prove it!” [Whereupon] the stream of water flowedbackwards. They retorted: “No proof can be brought from a streamof water!”Again he said to them: “If the Halakha agrees with me, let thewalls of the schoolhouse prove it!” [Whereupon] the walls of theschoolhouse inclined to fall. But R. Yehoshua rebuked them, saying:“When the scholars are engaged in a halakhic dispute, what haveyou to interfere?” Hence they did not fall, in honor of R. Yehoshua,nor did they resume the upright, in honor of R. Eliezer; and they arestill standing thus inclined.Again he said to them: “If the Halakha agrees with me, let it beproved from heaven!” [Whereupon] a heavenly voice (bat qol) criedout: “Why do you dispute with R. Eliezer—because in all mattersthe Halakha agrees with him!” [Whereupon] R. Yehoshua arose andsaid: “She [the Torah] is not in heaven” (Deut. 30:12). What does it