Shammai: Edit history

Life

Shammai's life is known almost entirely from later rabbinic literature, namely the Mishnah and the Talmud, so the exact years of his birth and death are unknown. The Mishnah tractate Pirkei Avot ("Sayings of the Fathers") presents him as a teacher of the law paired with Hillel, listing the two as the last of the "five pairs" (zugot) who handed down the tradition of the law from generation to generation. According to tradition, Hillel served as president (nasi) of the Sanhedrin and Shammai as its vice president (av beit din). Scholars, however, question whether this division of offices is historical. Because a Talmudic anecdote depicts him holding a builder's measuring rod, some have suggested that he earned his living in construction.

Teaching and Contributions

Shammai is known as a strict interpreter of the law within the Pharisaic tradition. The disciples who followed his teaching formed the "School of Shammai" (Beit Shammai). This school differed from the School of Hillel (Beit Hillel) on numerous legal questions, and the debates between the two schools are recorded throughout the Mishnah.

A representative example is the debate over divorce. According to Mishnah Gittin 9:10, the School of Shammai interpreted "some uncleanness" in Deuteronomy 24:1–4 narrowly as sexual immorality and restricted divorce to such cases. The School of Hillel, by contrast, interpreted the passage broadly and held that divorce was permissible even for trivial reasons.

The Talmud (Shabbat 31a) preserves a well-known anecdote. When a Gentile said, "I will convert if you teach me the entire law while I stand on one foot," Shammai drove him away with the builder's measuring rod he was holding. Hillel is said to have replied to the same man, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole law; the rest is commentary." Pirkei Avot 1:15 attributes the following saying to Shammai: "Make your study of the law a fixed practice. Say little and do much. Receive every person with a cheerful countenance."

Influence on Korean Churches

As a figure in Judaism, Shammai had no direct influence on Korean churches. He is, however, frequently mentioned in preaching and biblical exposition in Korean churches to explain the background of New Testament passages. A prominent example is Matthew 19:3–9, where the Pharisees ask whether it is lawful for a man "to put away his wife for every cause." Many commentators read this question in light of the divorce debate between the Schools of Shammai and Hillel, and for this reason the passage is often introduced in discussions of divorce and remarriage. The anecdote about Shammai is also cited in explanations that compare Jesus' Golden Rule with Hillel's "negative Golden Rule."

Assessment

Rabbinic tradition generally accepted the interpretations of the School of Hillel as the legal standard. Consequently, Shammai has long been portrayed as a strict and impatient man. Modern scholars, however, point out the following:

• Most stories about Shammai were recorded after the School of Hillel had become dominant, so they may present a one-sided portrait of him.
• The Mishnah also preserves cases in which the School of Shammai actually issued the more lenient ruling.

Some scholars hold that the School of Shammai was more uncompromising toward Roman rule, but this too remains a matter of debate.