Ursicinus and the burned Torah scroll
Date:
360 CE to 400 CE
Place:
Syria Palaestina
Language:
Hebrew and Aramaic
Category:
Jewish
Literary genre:
Talmud
Title of work:
Jerusalem Talmud
Reference:
Megillah 3:1, 74a
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Megillah 3:1, 74a
Jerusalem Talmud Megillah 3:1, 74a
Author(s) of this publication: Yael Wilfand
Publishing date: Tue, 12/04/2018 - 08:35
URL: https://www.judaism-and-rome.org/jerusalem-talmud-megillah-31-74a
Visited: Wed, 04/30/2025 - 22:19
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Ursicinus was a Roman general who served the empire in the mid-fourth century. In 351-352 CE, Gallus sent him to Palestine to subdue Jewish violence there. The severity of this outbreak is unclear. This text discusses a case that arose after a Torah scroll was damaged by this general. The sages prohibit reading this book in a liturgical setting. However, the Talmud notes that halakhah actually permit its usage but the sages forbade it because the condition of this scroll caused ongoing sadness to the community; therefore, they deemed it preferable for a replacement scroll to be acquired. See the discussion of this text in the commentary on Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 3:3, 21b (= Shevi’it 4:2, 35a).