Jesus in the Talmud

160 Notes to Chapter 4Kohut Memorial Foundation, 1933, p. 298), zaqen can also mean “scholar, sage”and does not necessarily refer to old age and grey hair.19. Maier, Jesus von Nazareth, pp. 152–154. Maier does not understand thefirst part as a question but rather as a statement, but the meaning is the same.The weakness of this interpretation, as Richard Kalmin rightly points out, is thatthe governor suddenly refers not just to R. Eliezer but to a whole group of suspectsand that it remains open why the accusers were mistaken. One could respondthat it was only R. Eliezer who was caught or that the governor wanted tomake an example of (the old and respected) R. Eliezer—and that the Tosefta didnot intend anyway to give a record of the court’s proceedings.20. Justin, Dialogue with Trypho, 10:1; Tertullian, Apology, 7 and 8; (seebelow, pp. 99ff.). That the accusation of sexual promiscuity as a prominent featureof Christians/Jewish Christians was well known also in rabbinic literature becomesevident from a story about R. Yonathan, a Palestinian amora of the first generation,in QohR 1:25 on Eccl. 1:8 (1:8 [4]), immediately following our story aboutR. Eliezer (translation according to Visotzky, Fathers of the World, p. 80, which isbased on the critical edition of Marc G. Hirshman: “One of R. Yonathan’s studentsfled to them [the Jewish Christians?]. He went and found that he had[indeed] become one of those evil ones. The heretics sent [a message toR. Yonathan]: Rabbi, come share in deeds of loving-kindness for a bride. Hewent and found them occupied [sexually] with a young woman. He exclaimed:This is the way Jews behave?! They replied: Is it not written in the Torah: Throwin your lot among us, we will have one purse (Prov. 1:14)? He fled and they hurriedafter him until he got to the door of his house and slammed it in their faces.They taunted him: R. Yonathan, go boast to your mother that you did not turnand you did not look at us. For had you turned and looked at us, you’d be chasingafter us more than we have chased after you.”21. QohR 1:24 on Eccl. 1:8 (1:8 [3]).22. Presumably a metaphor for a male prostitute.23. The Soncino translation suggests that the Halakha not to listen to thewords of a min escaped him, but it is much more likely that R. Eliezer refers tothe Halakha regarding income gained from prostitution.24. In the biblical context, Temple prostitution, but here used in the widercontext of money gained from any (female and male) prostitution.25. It concludes, however, the unit with Eliezer’s own dictum: “One shouldalways flee from what is ugly (ki