Talmud, Christian Writings & the Name

תָּא שְׁמַע: הַגִּילְיוֹנִין וְסִפְרֵי מִינִין אֵין מַצִּילִין אוֹתָן מִפְּנֵי הַדְּלֵיקָה, אֶלָּא נִשְׂרָפִין בִּמְקוֹמָן הֵן וְאַזְכָּרוֹתֵיהֶן. מַאי לָאו, גִּלְיוֹנִין דְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה? לָא, גִּלְיוֹנִין דְּסִפְרֵי מִינִין. הַשְׁתָּא סִפְרֵי מִינִין גּוּפַיְיהוּ אֵין מַצִּילִין, גִּלְיוֹנִין מִבַּעְיָא? הָכִי קָאָמַר: וְסִפְרֵי מִינִין הֲרֵי הֵן כְּגִלְיוֹנִים.

Therefore, come and hear a different resolution from that which was taught in another baraita: With regard to the blank folios and the Torah scrolls of heretics, one does not rescue them from the fire; rather, they burn in their place, they and the names of God contained therein. What, is this not referring to the blank folios of a Torah scroll? The Gemara rejects this: No, it is referring to the blank folios of the scrolls of heretics. The Gemara is surprised at this: Now, with regard to the scrolls of heretics themselves, one does not rescue them; is it necessary to say that one does not rescue their blank folios? Rather, this is what it is saying: And the scrolls of heretics are like blank folios.

גּוּפַהּ: הַגִּלְיוֹנִים וְסִפְרֵי מִינִין אֵין מַצִּילִין אוֹתָם מִפְּנֵי הַדְּלֵיקָה. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: בַּחוֹל קוֹדֵר אֶת הָאַזְכָּרוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶן וְגוֹנְזָן, וְהַשְּׁאָר — שׂוֹרְפָן. אָמַר רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן: אֲקַפֵּחַ אֶת בָּנַי, שֶׁאִם יָבֹאוּ לְיָדִי שֶׁאֲנִי אֶשְׂרוֹף אוֹתָם וְאֶת הָאַזְכָּרוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶן. שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ אָדָם רוֹדֵף אַחֲרָיו לְהוֹרְגוֹ, וְנָחָשׁ רָץ לְהַכִּישׁוֹ, נִכְנָס לְבֵית עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וְאֵין נִכְנָס לְבָתֵּיהֶן שֶׁל אֵלּוּ, שֶׁהַלָּלוּ מַכִּירִין וְכוֹפְרִין, וְהַלָּלוּ אֵין מַכִּירִין וְכוֹפְרִין. וַעֲלֵיהֶן הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר: ״אַחַר הַדֶּלֶת וְהַמְּזוּזָה שַׂמְתְּ זִכְרוֹנֵךְ״.

Apropos the scrolls of heretics, the Gemara analyzes the matter itself. With regard to the blank folios and the Torah scrolls of the heretics, one does not rescue them from the fire. Rabbi Yosei says: During the week, one cuts the names of God contained therein and buries them, and burns the rest. Rabbi Tarfon said in the form of an oath: I will bury my sons if I fail to do the following, that if these books come into my possession I will burn them and the names contained therein. As even if a person is pursuing him with the intent to kill him, and a snake is hurrying to bite him, one enters a house of idolatry and does not enter the houses of these heretics. The reason is that these heretics are aware of the greatness of the Creator manifest in the Torah and its mitzvot, and nevertheless, they deny the existence of God; whereas these idolators are not aware, and that is the reason that they deny the existence of God. And with regard to the heretics, the verse says: “And behind the door and the doorpost you place your memory” (Isaiah 57:8). Although they remember the word of God, they treat it contemptuously, as if casting it behind the door.

אָמַר רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל, קַל וָחוֹמֶר: וּמָה לַעֲשׂוֹת שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ אָמְרָה תּוֹרָה: שְׁמִי שֶׁנִּכְתַּב בִּקְדוּשָּׁה יִמָּחֶה עַל הַמַּיִם, הַלָּלוּ שֶׁמְּטִילִין קִנְאָה וְאֵיבָה וְתַחֲרוּת בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לַאֲבִיהֶן שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם — עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. וַעֲלֵיהֶם אָמַר דָּוִד: ״הֲלֹא מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ ה׳ אֶשְׂנָא וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ אֶתְקוֹטָט תַּכְלִית שִׂנְאָה שְׂנֵאתִים לְאוֹיְבִים הָיוּ לִי״. וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁאֵין מַצִּילִין אוֹתָן מִפְּנֵי הַדְּלֵיקָה, כָּךְ אֵין מַצִּילִין אוֹתָן לֹא מִן הַמַּפּוֹלֶת וְלֹא מִן הַמַּיִם וְלֹא מִדָּבָר הַמְאַבְּדָן.

Rabbi Yishmael said: The fact that the names of God in the scrolls of heretics may be burned can be derived through an a fortiori inference: Just as to make peace between a husband and his wife, the Torah says: My name that was written in sanctity shall be erased in the water in the framework of the ordeal of the sota; these, the heretics, who impose jealousy, and hatred, and conflict between the Jewish people and their Father in Heaven, all the more so it is proper to erase God’s names because of them. And with regard to heretics, David said: “For I hate those who hate You, God, and I fight those who rise against You. I hate them with the utmost hatred, they have become enemies to me” (Psalms 139:21–22). And just as they, the scrolls of heretics, are not rescued from the fire, neither are they rescued from a rockslide, nor from water, nor from any other matter that destroys them.

בָּעֵי מִינֵּיהּ יוֹסֵף בַּר חָנִין מֵרַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: הָנֵי סִפְרֵי דְבֵי אֲבִידָן, מַצִּילִין אוֹתָן מִפְּנֵי הַדְּלֵיקָה אוֹ אֵין מַצִּילִין? אִין וְלָאו וְרַפְיָא בִּידֵיהּ. רַב לָא אָזֵיל לְבֵי אֲבִידָן, וְכׇל שֶׁכֵּן לְבֵי נִצְרְפֵי. שְׁמוּאֵל לְבֵי נִצְרְפֵי לָא אָזֵיל, לְבֵי אֲבִידָן אָזֵיל. אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ לְרָבָא: מַאי טַעְמָא לָא אָתֵית לְבֵי אֲבִידָן? אֲמַר לְהוּ: דִּיקְלָא פְּלָנְיָא אִיכָּא בְּאוֹרְחָא, וְקָשֵׁי לִי. נִיעְקְרֵיהּ. דּוּכְתֵּיהּ קָשֵׁי לִי. מָר בַּר יוֹסֵף אָמַר: אֲנָא מִינַּיְיהוּ אֲנָא, וְלָא מִסְתְּפֵינָא מִינַּיְיהוּ. זִימְנָא חֲדָא אֲזַל, בְּעוֹ לְסַכּוֹנֵיהּ. רַבִּי מֵאִיר הֲוָה קָרֵי לֵיהּ ״אָוֶון גִּלְיוֹן״. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן הֲוָה קָרֵי לֵיהּ ״עֲווֹן גִּלְיוֹן״.

Yosef bar Ḥanin raised a dilemma before Rabbi Abbahu: With regard to these books of the house of Abidan, does one rescue them from the fire or does one not rescue them? There were sacred Jewish texts in that house, which were used in debates and discussions on matters of faith. Rabbi Abbahu did not give him a clear answer but said yes and no, and the matter was uncertain to him. Rav would not go to the house of Abidan for conversation, and all the more so he would not go to the house of Nitzrefei, the Persian fire-temple. Shmuel, to the house of Nitzrefei he did not go, but to the house of Abidan he did go. The gentile scholars said to Rava: Why did you not come to the house of Abidan? He evaded their question with an excuse and said to them: There is a certain palm tree on the road, and that makes the path difficult for me. They said to him: We will uproot it. He said to them: Nevertheless, the resulting pit in its place will be difficult for me. Mar bar Yosef said: I am one of them, we are friends, and I do not fear them. Still, one time he went and argued with them and they sought to endanger his life. Rabbi Meir would call the Christian writing, the Evangelion, the wicked folio [aven gilyon]; Rabbi Yoḥanan called it the sinful folio [avon gilyon].

אִימָּא שָׁלוֹם, דְּבֵיתְהוּ דְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, אֲחָתֵיהּ דְּרַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הֲוַאי. הֲוָה הָהוּא פִילוֹסְפָא בְּשִׁבָבוּתֵיהּ

116b

דַּהֲוָה שְׁקִיל שְׁמָא דְּלָא מְקַבֵּל שׁוּחְדָּא. בְּעוֹ לְאַחוֹכֵי בֵּיהּ. עַיַּילָא לֵיהּ שְׁרָגָא דְּדַהֲבָא, וַאֲזוּל לְקַמֵּיהּ. אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: בָּעֵינָא דְּנִיפְלְגוּ לִי בְּנִכְסֵי דְּבֵי נָשַׁי. אֲמַר לְהוּ: פְּלוּגוּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ, כְּתִיב לַן: בִּמְקוֹם בְּרָא, בְּרַתָּא לָא תֵּירוֹת. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מִן יוֹמָא דִּגְלִיתוּן מֵאַרְעֲכוֹן, אִיתְנְטִילַת אוֹרָיְיתָא דְּמֹשֶׁה וְאִיתִיְהִיבַת עֲווֹן גִּלְיוֹן, וּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ: בְּרָא וּבְרַתָּא כַּחֲדָא יִרְתוּן.

The Gemara relates: Imma Shalom, the wife of Rabbi Eliezer, was Rabban Gamliel’s sister. There was a Christian philosopher [pilosofa] in their neighborhood who disseminated about himself the reputation that he does not accept bribes. They wanted to mock him and reveal his true nature. She privately gave him a golden lamp, and she and her brother came before him, approaching him as if they were seeking judgment. She said to the philosopher: I want to share in the inheritance of my father’s estate. He said to them: Divide it. Rabban Gamliel said to him: It is written in our Torah: In a situation where there is a son, the daughter does not inherit. The philosopher said to him: Since the day you were exiled from your land, the Torah of Moses was taken away and the avon gilyon was given in its place. It is written in the avon gilyon: A son and a daughter shall inherit alike. (Shabbat.116a.1-116b.9)