Abbahu

   c. 300. Palestinian amora. Abbahu lived in Caesarea when it was the administrative centre of the Roman rule over Palestine. He was an extremely handsome and well-built man but of great modesty. He refused to head the Caesarea academy in favour of a colleague of his from Acre who needed a livelihood. He himself held the position of dayan (judge) and sat in judgement alone instead of the usual practice of a court composed of three judges. The Romans liked and trusted him and regarded him as the spokesman of his people. He visited many Jewish communities abroad.

   He was a man of wide learning, both in aggadah and halachah. He believed in learning for women and taught his daughters mathematics and Greek. Although a tolerant man, he was bitterly opposed to all the sects prevalent in his time, particularly the Christians. He refused to recognize the Samaritans as Jews and decreed they must be regarded as gentiles in all religious matters. In spite of this he was extremely popular and when he died, he was mourned by Jew and Roman alike, so that it was said ‘even the marble pillars of Caesarea wept’.