chapter two
The name of the first means scatterer and of the second unholy, because
he scattered and defiled the precepts of the law by his traditions and
δευτερ σεις. And these are the two houses who did not accept the Saviour
who has become to them destruction and shame. (Comm. Isa. .–
[interpretation of Isaiah :–]; trans. Klijn & Reinink ).The interpretation of the name of Hillel indicates that the one who
was responsible for it was working with the Hebrew script since Hil-
lel becomes “unholy” if one reads the root as instead of .Pritz
has also pointed out that Telphon in Jerome’s quotation most likely
refers to Tarphon, who was one of Akiva’s students. This mistake is
also understandable only in an unpointed Hebrew text where vowels
are not indicated and a defective may resemble. A third indication
of Hebrew/Aramaic being the original language of the exposition is to
be found in the passage that is quoted below. There it is stated that the
“preaching became more dominant, that means the preaching was mul-
tiplied” (ingrauata est, id est multiplicata praedicatio). However, neither
“becoming more dominant” or “multiplied” fits the context very well.
Obviously, Jerome has here had difficulties in translating the Hebrew root
which can mean (in Hiphil) both “make heavy” and “make hon-
ored.” Jerome’s Vulgate opted for the first meaning in Isa : and that was
also his starting point when he was translating the Nazarene’s exposition.
However, the original meaning in the context of the Nazarenes’ exposi-
tions must have been “made honored,” which Jerome did not realize. Klijn
has also pointed out several connections between the Nazarenes’ exposi-
tions and Targumic traditions,^82 which is a further indication of the fact
thatthepassagesJeromequotedwerederivedfromAramaic-speaking
Christians.
The trick with the explanation of the name Shammai ()isthat
it is interpreted as being derived from the rootso that it becomes
“scatterer.” As a matter of fact, this pun has a clear connection to Jerome’s
Latin translation of the Old Testament. In the Vulgate,dissipare(“to
scatter”) is often usedto translate the Hebrew root. Thus, it is possible
that Jerome himself was responsible for this interpretation. Furthermore,
the sequence of the rabbis is incorrect since Meir should be the last
one on the list. This may indicate that the list was later enlarged with
(^82) Klijn , –. In addition to connections that Klijn has pointed out, it is to
be noted that the translationvectigales(see belowComm. Isa. :–) reflects the later
Hebrew meaning of the rootand the language of the Targums. See, BDB,(pp. –
).