person · P0018
Shemaiah שמעיה
Nasi of the fourth zug, with Avtalyon. Taught: love work, hate lordship, and do not become overly familiar with the ruling power.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- שמעיה
- Era
- zugot
- Received the mesorah from
- Yehudah ben Tabbai, Shimon ben Shatach
- Transmitted the mesorah to
- Hillel, Shammai
- Colleagues
- Avtalyon
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3660–3740 AM
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈80 years
- Precision
- approximate
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Avtalyon, received from the third zug; taught "love work, hate positions of mastery, and do not make yourself known to the government." | rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Mishnah Chagigah pairs Shemaiah with Avtalyon in the festival-semikhah dispute and identifies Shemaiah, the first named, as Nasi.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Yoma tells that the people left the high priest after Yom Kippur to follow Shemaiah and Avtalyon; when insulted as descendants of gentiles, they answered that descendants of gentiles may act like Aaron while a descendant of Aaron may not.
The cited source supports this summary; minor wording or identification details are interpretive.
|
rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Traditional placement c. 3660–3740 AM (Herodian era approaches).
Schematic traditional dating. |
tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |