Shimo'n ha-Sadiq in his Historical Contexts

The identity and chronology of Shim῾on ha- Şadiq have been a subject of ongoing controversy for centuries. Three possible candidates have been suggested as Shim ῾on ha- Şadiq: Shim ῾on I and Shim῾on II� Şadoqite high-priests at both ends of the third century BC, as well as Shim ῾on the Hasmonean. A re-examination of the evidence shows that the rabbinic Shim῾on ha- Şadiq cannot be identified exclusively with any of these candidates. Rather, he is a mythical persona based, to varying degrees, on all three. Rabbinic Shim ῾on ha- Şadiq thus represents the swansong of the Şadoqite dynasty in Jerusalem, and the rare respite from major violent conflict, enjoyed by the inhabitants of Eretz-Israel for the most part of the third century. It is the mythical nature of Shim ῾on that enabled later rabbinic authors to connect his name with other, much later, historical events.