Commentary for Avodah Zarah 33:1
והנאך ועליו נתפסת אמר לו עקיבא הזכרתני פעם אחת הייתי מהלך בשוק העליון של ציפורי ומצאתי אחד ומתלמידי ישו הנוצרי ויעקב איש כפר סכניא שמו אמר לי כתוב בתורתכם (דברים כג, יט) לא תביא אתנן זונה [וגו'] מהו לעשות הימנו בהכ"ס לכ"ג ולא אמרתי לו כלום
and for that you were arrested He exclaimed: “Akiva, you have reminded me. I was once walking in the upper-market of Tzippori when I came across one [of the disciples of Jesus the Nazarene] Jacob of Kefar-Sekaniah is his name, who said to me: ‘It is written in your Torah, “You shall not bring the hire of a harlot . . . into the house of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 23:19). Can one use this money be to build a toilet for the High Priest?’ I did not say anything back.
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
Now R. Eliezer remembers that indeed he did have a conversation with a student of Jesus.
A few notes about this conversation. First of all, it is interesting that the rabbis portray one of their greats as being intrigued by a Christian Jew’s teaching. Second, the teaching itself may be a sort of slur on Christianity. Jesus is associated here with a harlot and with a toilet. Third, the question is a typical type of rabbinic question, but is a farce of sorts. The story teller may be mocking both R. Eliezer and Jesus at the same time. Fourth, the midrash on Micah is also very typical of rabbinic style.
The final midrash is R. Eliezer’s words, where he quotes a source that interprets the “harlot” in Proverbs 5:8 as being the embodiment of illicit Jewish sects, particularly Christianity. This may imply that the authors of this story feared that Jews found Christianity to be seductive.
A few notes about this conversation. First of all, it is interesting that the rabbis portray one of their greats as being intrigued by a Christian Jew’s teaching. Second, the teaching itself may be a sort of slur on Christianity. Jesus is associated here with a harlot and with a toilet. Third, the question is a typical type of rabbinic question, but is a farce of sorts. The story teller may be mocking both R. Eliezer and Jesus at the same time. Fourth, the midrash on Micah is also very typical of rabbinic style.
The final midrash is R. Eliezer’s words, where he quotes a source that interprets the “harlot” in Proverbs 5:8 as being the embodiment of illicit Jewish sects, particularly Christianity. This may imply that the authors of this story feared that Jews found Christianity to be seductive.
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