Encyclopedia Judaica 833-835
Hebrew – the President
NASI. In biblical usage, nasi signifies an important person, ranging from a king to a tribal chief or the head of a large family. The nesi’im are the leaders of the people in the wilderness (Ex. 16:22, 34:31), and are counted by name (Num. 1:5-16); they are sent to spy out the land and are charged with its apportionment (Num. 13:1-15, 34:16ff.);
They bring special gifts and sacrifices to the tabernacle/tentאֹהֶל
Transliteration: ōhel a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance):—covering, (dwelling) (place), home, tabernacle, tent – For more info click here (Ex. 35:27; Num. 7:1). This institution reflects the tribal covenant and declines with the conquest of Canaanכְּנַעַן
Transliteration:kᵊnaʿan – Pronunciation:ken-ah’-an Canaan = “lowland” Kenaan, a son a Ham; also the country inhabited by him:—Canaan, merchant, traffic, trafficker – For more info click here. Ezekielאֶסְתֵּר
Transliteration;yᵊḥezqē’l Pronunciation yekh-ez-kale’ “God strengthens” or ” God will strengthen” son of Buzi and a priest and prophet; author of the book by his name; taken captive with Jehoiachin and exiled in Babylon where he prophesied for the next 22 years, also a priest in charge of the 20th course in the time of David. For more info click here revives it, denoting the future ruler of the people. He also names the rulers of other small nations, but avoids the term “king” for the future ruler of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵל
Transliteration: yiśrā’ēl The name Israel (Septuagint Ancient Greek: Ἰσραήλ, Israēl, “El (God) persists/rules” or “God prevails”) refers to the patriarch Jacob who, according to the Hebrew Bible, was given the name after he successfully wrestled with the Angel of the Lord. The earliest known archaeological artifact to mention the word Israel as a collective is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated to the late-13th century BCE) for more info click here, possibly disapproving of monarchical absolutism. Jewish rulers during the Second Temple used the title “nasi,” asserting authority while avoiding kingship. I Macc 14:41 say that Simeon the Hasmonean was declared ethnarchThe governor of a province or people (as of the Byzantine Empire). (“ruler of the people”) by the people in 141 B.C.E., likely the Hebrewעִבְרִי
The biblical term Ivri Hebrew pronunciation: ib-ree’ , meaning “to traverse” or “to pass over”, is usually rendered as Hebrew in English from ever (עֵבֶר) ‘beyond, across’ (avar (עָבַר ‘he crossed, he traversed’), as a description of migrants ‘from across the river’ as the Bible describes the Hebrews. For more info click here original of “nasi.” Coins minted by Bar Kokhba during his abortive revolt against Rome bore the inscription “Shimon Nesi Yisrael,” demonstrating his self-identification as nasi. The title appears in letters credited to him.
While the rabbis understood certain biblical instances of the term to mean “king” (Hor. 3:3), they applied it to the president of the Sanhedrin and possibly to the heads of other bodies and orders. The secular head of the sect described in the Dead Sea Scrolls also bore the title (War Scroll, ed. Yadin, p. 184; in the English edition, p. 279).
Rabbinic sources cal one of the “pairs” (zugot), dating back to Yose b. Joezer (c. 165 B.C.E.), the nasi (Hag. 2: 2), and continued to use the term for the court head through amoraic times. Historians debate the reliability of these early sources: some claim the title is anachronistic, its actual usage starting with Judah ha-Nasi (fl. 190 C.E.); others believe it first appeared after 70 C.E. or in 30 B.C.E. at Hillel the Elder’s time; some accept the mishnaic testimony (the head of a Phoenician synodos is called nasi in 96 B.C.E.) and claim the office is pre-Maccabean. The office was held by Hillelite scions, but others held it briefly due to unusual circumstances, and it may have been unfilled during periods of turmoil, like the Hadrianic persecutions. The last Hillelite nasi was Rabban Gamaliel (VI), who died in 425.
The destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. elevated the nasi’s office. Onkelos mourned Rabban Gamaliel II as a king, suggesting Rome’s recognition (Eduy. 7:7). The Hillelite nasi was the Roman government’s political head (“Patriarch”), allowing effective control of Jewish subjects. From the Jewish perspective, the Patriarchate provided a sympathetic Roman official and placed power in rabbinic hands. The rabbis relaxed religious laws to ease the patriarch’s integration into Roman society. Internally, the nasi presided over the Sanhedrin, fixed the calendar, led public prayers, and ordained scholars. He maintained contact with Diaspora Jewish communities, sending apostles to preach, teach, establish courts, and raise funds. His courtheld legislative powers, attributing most takkanot to the nasi.
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