Commentary for Avodah Zarah 35:9
אמרו לא היו ימים מועטים עד שנפטר רבי יוסי בן קיסמא והלכו כל גדולי רומי לקברו והספידוהו הספד גדול ובחזרתן מצאוהו לרבי חנינא בן תרדיון שהיה יושב ועוסק בתורה ומקהיל קהלות ברבים וס"ת מונח לו בחיקו
They said that not many days passed before R. Yose b. Kisma died and all the great men of Rome went to his burial and offered a great eulogy for him. On their return, they found R. Hanina b. Tradion sitting and occupying himself with the Torah, publicly gathering assemblies, and keeping a Sefer Torah in his lap.
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
The beginning of this story is fascinating for the contrast it offers between R. Yose b. Kisma and R. Hanina. The former is certainly a rabbi, assumedly one who studied Torah. Yet not only did the Romans not persecute him, they attend his burial and offer eulogies for him. Again, I am not reading this tale to try to determine what happened in actual history. I read it as an ideological statement. The author/editor of this story seems to be implying that one can be a rabbi and still get along with the Romans. R. Hanina was not simply a rabbi—he was provoking a fight. While we do have some sympathies for him, he is an ambiguous character.
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