Jose ben Jochanan

Who is Jose ben Jochanan?

Jose ben Jochanan was Nasi of the Sanhedrin in the 2nd century BCE. He was a native of Jerusalem. He and Jose ben Joezer were the successors and, it is said, the disciples of Antigonus of Sokho, and the two together formed the first of a series of duumvirates that transmitted the traditional law; in each pair one, according to tradition, was a prince and a president, and the other vice-president, of the Sanhedrin. One of Jose's sayings was: "Let thy house be opened wide; and let the needy be thy household; and prolong not converse with woman". A disagreement between the two colleagues with regard to halakhic decisions gave rise to the formation of two different schools. Both men were opposed to Hellenism, and both belonged to the Hasideans. Jose ben Joezer and Jose ben Johanan were the last of the "eshkolot", or "wise men".