“The Man with the Nose is Wanted”: The Talmudic Story of Tineius Rufus and Rabban Gamliel (Taanit 29a)

For an analysis of a similar talmudic story, of a rabbi in the generation of Bar Kochba rebellion (~130) fleeing from the Romans (where I mention a different passage about Tineius Rufus as well), see my previous: “R' Meir's Suspicious Brushes with Sexual Indiscretions, and His Encounters with Roman Troops, as Depicted in the Talmud” (December 18, 2023). Compare also the famous, lengthy story of R’ Shimon bar Yochai fleeing from the Romans, in that same period, in Shabbat 33b (section # 5) - 34a (section # 4). 

The Passage

Taanit 29a (sections # 14-15)

This passage describes a historical event linked to the destruction of Jerusalem (apparently, the Bar Kochba rebellion, around the year 130 CE, but in a future post I'll discuss some historical issues). It begins with the Mishna stating that Jerusalem was plowed on the Ninth of Av, a day of mourning for the Jewish people.

The narrative then focuses on Rabban Gamliel II (of Yavne), the patriarch of the Jews (nasi, see discussion below). When the Roman official Tineius Rufus (טורנוסרופוס - see my discussion below) plowed the Sanctuary (היכל), a decree was issued for Rabban Gamliel's execution. To communicate this, a Roman official (הגמון) referred to Rabban Gamliel as "the man with the nose" (בעל החוטם) .

Rabban Gamliel went into hiding.

נחרשה העיר — 

תניא: 

כשחרש טורנוסרופוס הרשע את ההיכל,

נגזרה גזרה על רבן גמליאל להריגה. 

בא אותו הגמון ועמד בבית המדרש,

ואמר: בעל החוטם מתבקש, בעל החוטם מתבקש. 

שמע רבן גמליאל, אזל טשא מינייהו

§ The mishna taught that on the Ninth of Av the city of Jerusalem was plowed.

It is taught in a baraita:

When the wicked Turnus Rufus plowed the Sanctuary,

a decree was issued against Rabban Gamliel for execution.

A certain Roman officer came and stood in the study hall

and said surreptitiously: The man with the nose is wanted; the man with the nose is wanted. This was a hint that Rabban Gamliel, who stood out in his generation like a nose protruding from a face, was sought by the government.

Rabban Gamliel heard and went into hiding.

In an unexpected twist, the same Roman official who alerted him offered to save Rabban Gamliel, asking in return for assurance of a place in the World-to-Come (עלמא דאתי). Rabban Gamliel agreed and swore to this.

The official then committed suicide by jumping from a roof.

אזל לגביה בצנעא

אמר ליה:

אי מצילנא לך

מייתית לי לעלמא דאתי? 

אמר ליה: הן. 

אמר ליה: אשתבע לי. 

אשתבע ליה. 

סליק לאיגרא נפיל ומית

The Roman officer went to him in private,

and said to him:

If I save you from death,

will you bring me into the World-to-Come?

Rabban Gamliel said to him: Yes.

The officer said to Rabban Gamliel: Swear to me.

He swore to him.

The officer ascended to the roof, fell, and died.

The Talmud claims a tradition (גמירי) that according to Roman tradition, the death of an advisor following the issuance of a decree meant the decree should be canceled. Thus, the officer's death led to the annulment of the execution order against Rabban Gamliel, saving his life.

וגמירי,

דכי גזרי גזירתא

ומית חד מינייהו

מבטלי לגזרתייהו

יצתה בת קול ואמרה: אותו הגמון מזומן לחיי העולם הבא

And the Romans had a tradition

that when they issued a decree

and one of their advisors died,

they would cancel the decree. The officer’s sacrifice saved Rabban Gamliel’s life.

A bat kol emerged and said: That officer is designated for the life of the World-to-Come.

Reference to Rabban Gamliel as "the man with the nose" (בעל החוטם) - as a physical attribute

Re nicknames in the Talmud based on physical attributes, see my piece on names.¹ For example, we find epithets like ben nanas (Greek nanos - small/dwarf), samoka (Aramaic for red, likely meaning “red-haired”).

Compare also Wikipedia on Roman cognomens, where cutesy nicknames based on physical attributes were fairly popular in contemporary Roman names:

In contrast to the honorary cognomina adopted by successful generals, most cognomina were based on a physical or personality quirk; for example, Rufus meaning "red-haired" or Scaevola meaning "left-handed". 

For a medieval rabbi (R' Yitzchak of Corbeil, author of Mitzvot Katan, popularly called by its acronym, Semak) who also had the nickname "with the nose" (בעל החוטם), see the Hebrew Wikipedia entry on him (my translation), see there for citations:

He is also called 'Rabbi Isaac Baal HaChotem' (a nickname that appears already in the Babylonian Talmud (Taanit 29a) and is interpreted as a title of honor). Some say that the reason he was given this nickname is because he had a large nose, or because hairs grew on his nose.²

Of course, there’s the famous stereotype of the Jewish nose, which is unrelated:

The Jewish nose, or Jew's nose, is an ethnic stereotype that refers to a hooked nose with a convex nasal bridge and a downward turn of the tip of the nose. The Jewish nose was singled out as a hostile caricature of Jews in mid-13th century Europe and has since become a defining and persisting element of the Jewish stereotype. In modern times, it has also been adopted by many Jews as a part of their ethnic identity.

"The man with the nose" as a bilingual pun

See my previous piece, in the footnote, where I quote Gary Rendsburg on bilingual puns in the Bible: “Basilica, Stoa, and Cathedra: A Historical and Linguistic Analysis of the Talmudic Passage on the Synagogue of Alexandria (Sukkah 51b)“

A fascinating, and convincing, explanation of the term "of the Nose" in this talmudic sugya, is given by Tovia Preschel. He explains it as a bilingual pun, playing on Hebrew nasi (prince/patriarch - referring to Rabban Gamliel) and Latin naso (nose, cognate with modern English nose, via Proto-Indo-European):

לפירושו של הכינוי "בעל החוטם"

The usage of Turnusrufus (which can also be analyzed phonetically as Turanus-rufus³) for Tineius Rufus, is also likely using a bilingual pun: The ‘r’ added by the Talmud to make it Tineius to Turnus is likely a play on tyrannus (cognate with modern English tyrant). See the Hebrew Wikipedia entry on Tineius Rufus > section “In the Talmud“:

In the Babylonian Talmud, his name is mentioned as a cruel commander under the rule of Hadrian during the rebellion. His name was changed to Turnus Rufus (probably from the Greek word tyrannus - a cruel tyrant), and he was given the epithets "wicked" (רשע) and "his bones should be ground" (שחיק עצמות) - meaning, a wish for the erasure of his memory and the grinding of his bones. In the Jerusalem Talmud, his name is mentioned as "Tunus Rufus."

1. “From Abba to Zebedee: A Comprehensive Survey of Naming Conventions in the Mishnah, Talmud, and Late Antique Midrash”, requires registration), p. 61 (section “Physical Trait”

2. See also:

מה הסיבה שכינו את אחד מהראשונים "בעל החוטם"? - דרשו

בסדר הדורות (ה' אלפים ל') מביא שבעל מחבר ס' הסמ"ק רבי יצחק מקורביל כינו אותו ר' יצחק "בעל החוטם", משום שהיה לו חוטם גדול. אולם בספר קורא הדורות (דף כד) כ' שקראו אותו "בעל החוטם" לפי שהיו לו שערות על החוטם.

Mentioned also by R’ Neriah Gutel (p. 8, available at ת"ת כנגד כולם) 

(נריה גוטל, "הכלמת תלמידים – ערך חינוכי?!")

בספר תשב"ץ קטן (סימן כה) כותב תלמיד מהר"ם מרוטנבורג: "אומר ר' יצחק בעל החוטם, דסעודה שלישית בשבת אדם יוצא במיני תרגימא". ומיהו אותו ר' יצחק, ומדוע קראוהו "בעל החוטם"? תשובה בהירה ומפורשת ניתנת בהקדמת ספר מצות קטן: "… ה"ר יצחק מן קורביל חתנו של רבי יחיאל מפריש, וקראו אותו בעל החוטם, לפי שהיו לו שערות על החוטם, לכך קראו אותו הר' יצחק בעל החוטם". חד וחלק. כאן הדברים כתובים שחור על גבי לבן ובלא כחל וסרק: "קראו אותו בעל החוטם, לפי שהיו לו שערות על החוטם, לכך קראו אותו הר' יצחק בעל החוטם".

3. Meaning, the resh is vocalized with a patach, in terms of later Hebrew vocalization. This in fact is the mostly likely pronunciation, from a historical linguistics perspective. In later pronunciation, the patach ("[a]") is often turned into a shva na (absence of a vowel (/Ø/)). In general, Hebrew writing is relatively ambiguous, due to the relative lack of vowels, compared to alphabets descended from Greek. See more at my “Waves from the West: Uncovering some Greco-Roman Undercurrents in the Sea of Talmud“ (May 21, 2023) > “Original Pronunciation“.