Commentary for Avodah Zarah 20:16
אנטונינוס שמשיה לרבי אדרכן שמשיה לרב כי שכיב אנטונינוס א"ר נתפרדה חבילה כי שכיב אדרכן אמר רב
Antoninus attended on Rabbi. Artaban attended on Rav. When Antoninus died, Rabbi exclaimed: The bond has been undone. When Artaban died, Rab exclaimed:
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
This is the end of the Antoninus/Rabbi cycle of stories. Antoninus “serves” Rabbi—in other words, he acts as a disciple. A Persian general by the name of Artaban served Rav, the leader of Babylonian Jewry. But these types of relationships ended with their deaths.
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