In this list I will briefly refer to the topic of the gladiator arena in relation to the literature of the Sages. This branch, the competition between arena fighters among themselves, between them and between prey animals and between the prey animals themselves, occupied a dominant place in Roman sports, which is considered contemptible and assigned because of disgust in the classical Greek worldview
about Wrestling in Sage literature I have already discussed before (Hidan, 14.1.2007) and there also appeared an allusion referring to boxing.
In this list I will briefly refer to the topic of the gladiator arena in relation to the literature of the Sages. This branch, the competition between arena fighters among themselves, between them and prey animals and between the prey animals themselves, occupied a dominant place in Roman sports, which was considered contemptible and assigned because of disgust in the classical Greek worldview.
This branch had motives from this and consequences from this in the social, economic and political context, and these were at the center of Herod's considerations to build such an arena in Caesarea, and perhaps, to a certain extent, in Jerusalem as well. A number of such facilities have been uncovered in Israel, such as Beit Gubrin (Elautropolis), where the remains of a Roman amphitheater dating back to the third and fourth centuries were found, with seating for six thousand spectators and the remains of a clear arena for gladiators.
In XNUMX, the researcher Esther Dvorzetsky published an article concerning the term "Kfar Agon", when she claims, following the research of the renowned sports historian H.A. Harris and following my research, that sports competitions were held in the village of Egon and within the boundaries of the city of Polis Gedera (Geder), which is near the southern edge of the Sea of Galilee.
The term "agon" in Greek refers to sports activity, and originates from the great effort and suffering involved in physical activity and even the mental activity that accompanies it. This term creates a clear divider between the Greek and the Roman ideology in the sports contexts.
This researcher brings an interesting archaeological find (1987) to support the above assumption: a collection of carved stones and amulets from Gedera, which teaches about sports activities that characterized the city. Horses, riders, chariots, athletes, an arena (which is the gladiatorial arena), a warship and rowers are described there, dating back to the first-third centuries AD.
The coins of Ir Gedera excel in the abundance of maritime symbols such as a ship, battering ram, rowers and more, which may be associated with a naval combat arena as part of a sporting display in a clear Roman style. In honor of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, a naval battle of Meboi - Naumachia - was held in Gedera, and we learn about it from medallions minted in his honor.
In Tiberias, which had an abundance of sports facilities in the Greek and even Roman style, quite a few Jews visited those facilities, and the fact that this city from the end of the second century AD was a dominant Sanhedrin center, and into the third century, in which Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, better known by his nickname "Rish Lakish", was active , and Rabbi Yochanan bar Nafha, both editors of the Jerusalem Talmud (the Tiberian, as it is more appropriate to put it), gave us interesting testimonies on this matter. And it is enough if we mention the fact that Rish Lakish, beyond his Sanhedrin activity, was an arena fighter - loader - for hire and became famous for his physical strength, when his physical activity did not stem from financial difficulties, but from awareness and personal interest.
In Midrash Shemot Rabbah Rish Lakish is quoted as saying: "A parable of two athletes, one weak and one a hero. The hero defeated the weak and took a crown on his head" (XNUMX:XNUMX). This sage alludes to the lack of separation in body weights between the contestants, as was customary in the Greek competitions. And certainly in these circumstances the one with the better body and/or the more skilled will have the highest chances of winning, and the prize of victory is the crown braided from the olive branch, laurel or sycamore.
Another incident mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud is as follows: "... a parable of two athletes, who would stand and wrestle before the king. If the king wanted to interpret, and he didn't want to interpret..." (Suta Ma, p. XNUMX). This quotation hints at the well-known involvement of the supreme Roman ruler - Caesar, and in a local context - the commissioner in the province, who had the power to pardon or order the death of one of the gladiatorial competitors. Such testimonies and many similar to them show the personal observation of the aforementioned owners of the Greek and Roman sports events in the province of Judea.
One of the keys we use to crack conditional and Talmudic sayings is "from a rule we learn about them". In other words, the instructions of the Sages, sometimes forbidding the viewing of gladiatorial contests, show that this was a phenomenon that the leadership asked for a fence and a seige, such as: "Let our rabbi: we do not go to tartiats and circuses because from Mezbulin (sacrifices) there is a zibul (sacrifice) to the worship of the stars - the words of Rabbi Meir ” (Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zerah XNUMX p. XNUMX). It is worth noting that the mention of the Halacha by the minority, in this case Rabbi Meir, who lived in the second half of the second century AD, indicates that the majority disagreed with him. Moreover, Rabbi Meir's reasoning in the ritual context and not in the anti-corporeal context also teaches something important.
An interesting quote from the following Talmud opens as follows: "Going to the itzdinin (circus of arena fighters)? permitted! Because he screams and rescues... one does not go to the acetdinin because of a lyitzim seat, and Rabbi Natan permits because of two things: one - because he screams and rescues, and one because a woman testifies to the ecstasy" (Avodah Zerah, ibid.).
First - the reasoning of Moshav Litzim is repeated here, or to borrow it - cancellation of time, and the prohibition does not concern an anti-sporting position; Second - what is the matter of rescue for the subject of our discussion? Well, it's a Roman practice that allows the audience to save the life of one of the gladiators by shouting, or giving a thumbs up. So what is the matter of salvation the subject of the sages' discussion? This is probably a Jewish arena fighter who deserves to be saved in terms of mental control, and there were probably quite a few of them, because for one and only one sage would not bother to discuss and rule on the matter, and it turns out that not only Rish Lakish was involved in the aforementioned Roman sport; Thirdly - in the Ludrian arena much blood was of course spilled and sometimes both fighters would be killed in the duel between them, and in order to emphasize the deadly vision they allowed a married woman whose husband was an arena fighter to marry, since it was testified that a victim fell and died only through eyewitness testimony. A similar case, although far from the issue of sports but close to the issue discussed in the examination of the absoluteness of lethality, was connected with the attempt of Jews to break through the Roman siege line (the exact one) during the rebellion of Ben Kosba, and the sages, without seeing it in their eyes, allowed the release of the moorings of their wives. That is, they died with absolute certainty.
Indeed, Safra and Saifa.
The Muscle Song XNUMX to the places where he ran
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