Hillel
The Great Teacher
Hillel was one of the most influential Jewish scholars and rabbis in the period just before the time of Jesus. He was known for his gentle and compassionate interpretation of the Torah, and founded the Pharisaic school Bet Hillel. Although he is not mentioned by name directly in the Bible, his teachings shaped the religious landscape in which Jesus and the early apostles operated.
Familia
Hechos clave
Hillel's Golden Rule
Hillel formulated a version of the golden rule: "What you hate, do not do to your neighbor." This principle is reflected in Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.
18You shall not take revenge or bear a grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
לֹֽא־תִקֹּ֤ם וְלֹֽא־תִטֹּר֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י עַמֶּ֔ךָ וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃
12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you; for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Πάντα οὖν ὅσα ⸀ἐὰν θέλητε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς· οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται.
Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai
Hillel founded a rabbinical school known as Bet Hillel, which often adopted more liberal and compassionate interpretations of the law compared to the stricter Bet Shammai school.
3Some Pharisees came to test him. "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" they asked.
Καὶ προσῆλθον ⸀αὐτῷ Φαρισαῖοι πειράζοντες αὐτὸν καὶ ⸀λέγοντες· Εἰ ἔξεστιν ⸀ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπολῦσαι τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν;
4He answered, "Haven't you read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female,
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς ⸀εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε ὅτι ὁ ⸀κτίσας ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς
5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?
καὶ εἶπεν· ⸀Ἕνεκα τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ ⸀κολληθήσεται τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν;
6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."
ὥστε οὐκέτι εἰσὶν δύο ἀλλὰ σὰρξ μία. ὃ οὖν ὁ θεὸς συνέζευξεν ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω.
7They said to him, "Why then did Moses command a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Τί οὖν Μωϋσῆς ἐνετείλατο δοῦναι βιβλίον ἀποστασίου καὶ ἀπολῦσαι ⸀αὐτήν;
8He said to them, "Because your hearts were hard, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives. But it was not this way from the beginning.
λέγει αὐτοῖς ὅτι Μωϋσῆς πρὸς τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἐπέτρεψεν ὑμῖν ἀπολῦσαι τὰς γυναῖκας ὑμῶν, ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς δὲ οὐ γέγονεν οὕτως.
9And I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ⸀ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην μοιχᾶται ⸂καὶ ὁ ἀπολελυμένην γαμήσας μοιχᾶται⸃.
Gamaliel – Hillel's Legacy in the New Testament
Hillel's grandson Gamaliel was a member of the Sanhedrin and advised moderation toward the early Christians, and was also Paul's teacher.
34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and ordered that the men be taken outside for a little while.
ἀναστὰς δέ τις ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ Φαρισαῖος ὀνόματι Γαμαλιήλ, νομοδιδάσκαλος τίμιος παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, ἐκέλευσεν ἔξω ⸀βραχὺ τοὺς ⸀ἀνθρώπους ποιῆσαι,
35Then he said, "Men of Israel, be careful what you intend to do with these men.
εἶπέν τε πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἄνδρες Ἰσραηλῖται, προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις τί μέλλετε πράσσειν.
36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
πρὸ γὰρ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀνέστη Θευδᾶς, λέγων εἶναί τινα ἑαυτόν, ᾧ ⸀προσεκλίθη ⸂ἀνδρῶν ἀριθμὸς ὡς⸃ τετρακοσίων· ὃς ἀνῃρέθη, καὶ πάντες ὅσοι ἐπείθοντο αὐτῷ διελύθησαν καὶ ἐγένοντο εἰς οὐδέν.
37After him Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and drew people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
μετὰ τοῦτον ἀνέστη Ἰούδας ὁ Γαλιλαῖος ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς ἀπογραφῆς καὶ ἀπέστησε ⸀λαὸν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· κἀκεῖνος ἀπώλετο καὶ πάντες ὅσοι ἐπείθοντο αὐτῷ διεσκορπίσθησαν.
38So in this case I tell you: keep away from these men and let them alone. For if this plan or this work is of human origin, it will collapse;
καὶ τὰ νῦν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπόστητε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τούτων καὶ ⸀ἄφετε αὐτούς· (ὅτι ἐὰν ᾖ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἡ βουλὴ ⸀αὕτη ἢ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο, καταλυθήσεται,
39but if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God." They were persuaded by him,
εἰ δὲ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐστιν, οὐ ⸀δυνήσεσθε καταλῦσαι ⸀αὐτούς·) μήποτε καὶ θεομάχοι εὑρεθῆτε. ἐπείσθησαν δὲ αὐτῷ,
3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city. I was trained at the feet of Gamaliel in the strict observance of the law of our fathers, and I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
⸀Ἐγώ εἰμι ἀνὴρ Ἰουδαῖος, γεγεννημένος ἐν Ταρσῷ τῆς Κιλικίας, ἀνατεθραμμένος δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιήλ, πεπαιδευμένος κατὰ ἀκρίβειαν τοῦ πατρῴου νόμου, ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τοῦ θεοῦ καθὼς πάντες ὑμεῖς ἐστε σήμερον,
Hillel's Seven Rules of Interpretation
Hillel developed seven hermeneutical rules (middot) for interpreting Scripture, which became foundational for Jewish and early Christian biblical interpretation. Paul uses similar interpretive methods in his letters.
12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all people, because all sinned—
Διὰ τοῦτο ὥσπερ διʼ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου ἡ ἁμαρτία εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσῆλθεν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ θάνατος, καὶ οὕτως εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὁ θάνατος διῆλθεν ἐφʼ ᾧ πάντες ἥμαρτον—
13for sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged to anyone's account where there is no law.
ἄχρι γὰρ νόμου ἁμαρτία ἦν ἐν κόσμῳ, ἁμαρτία δὲ οὐκ ἐλλογεῖται μὴ ὄντος νόμου,
14Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression—Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
ἀλλὰ ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνατος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωϋσέως καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντας ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδάμ, ὅς ἐστιν τύπος τοῦ μέλλοντος.
15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὡς τὸ παράπτωμα, οὕτως καὶ τὸ χάρισμα· εἰ γὰρ τῷ τοῦ ἑνὸς παραπτώματι οἱ πολλοὶ ἀπέθανον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ δωρεὰ ἐν χάριτι τῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐπερίσσευσεν.
16Nor is the gift like the result of the one man's sin: the judgment followed one trespass and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
καὶ οὐχ ὡς διʼ ἑνὸς ἁμαρτήσαντος τὸ δώρημα· τὸ μὲν γὰρ κρίμα ἐξ ἑνὸς εἰς κατάκριμα, τὸ δὲ χάρισμα ἐκ πολλῶν παραπτωμάτων εἰς δικαίωμα.
17For if by the trespass of the one man death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflowing grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
εἰ γὰρ τῷ τοῦ ἑνὸς παραπτώματι ὁ θάνατος ἐβασίλευσεν διὰ τοῦ ἑνός, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ τὴν περισσείαν τῆς χάριτος καὶ τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς δικαιοσύνης λαμβάνοντες ἐν ζωῇ βασιλεύσουσιν διὰ τοῦ ἑνὸς Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
18So then, just as one trespass brought condemnation for all people, so one act of righteousness brought justification and life for all people.
Ἄρα οὖν ὡς διʼ ἑνὸς παραπτώματος εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἰς κατάκριμα, οὕτως καὶ διʼ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἰς δικαίωσιν ζωῆς·
Humility and Patience as Ideals
Hillel was known for his extreme patience and humility, qualities that are also found in Jesus' teaching on gentleness and mercy.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ὅτι αὐτοὶ χορτασθήσονται.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται.
29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς καὶ μάθετε ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν·