JOSEPH B. CHIJA (N"ri le1,1), also called Yoseph Coecus '1D, great in light, a euphemic antiphrasis for a pious blind man, in the Talmud is simply styled R. yoseph. This dis tinguished president of the College at Pumbadita, and reputed translator of the Hagiographa into Chaldee, was born in Babylon about A. D. 27o. He was a disciple of Jehudah b. Jecheskel, founder and president of the College at Pumbadita, and fellow student of the celebrated Rabba b. Nachmani, commonly called Rabba, the reputed author of the Mia'rask Rabba, or the traditional commentary on Genesis, with whom he formed an intimate friend ship which lasted all their lifetime. At the death of their teacher (A.D. 299) both disciples were named by the students as successors to the presi dency of the college, but both of them declined the honour, whereupon Chasda was elected, and when, after occupying this high position for two years, Chasda died, Rabba and Joseph were again respect ively urged to take this office. Joseph again refused the office, but his friend Rabba accepted it (A.D. 3o9), and when, after holding it for about twenty-two years, he died, Joseph at last yielded and was installed as president of the College at Pum badita about 330 ; but he was not permitted to occupy long this distinguished position, for he died in the third year of his Rectorate, about A. D. 333 [EDUCATION]. I I iS learning was so extensive, and his knowledge of the traditional lore was so pro found, that he obtained the appellation of Sinai (TD), that is, one who is acquainted with all the traditions in succession since the giving of the Law on Sinai (Horajoth 14, a ; Sanhedrim 42, a). One of his favourite studies was the Jewish Theosophy, the mysteries of which, being con tained in the vision of Ezekiel respecting the throne of God onn-in %In), he endeavoured to propound (Chagiga 18, a). Another depart ment of his studies, which is of great interest to the Biblical student, was the rendering of the Hebrew Scriptures in Chaldee. From the twelve passages of his version which are quoted in the Talmud (comp.: Moed Katon 26, a ; Pesachim 68, a ; Menachoth to, a ; Joma 32, b ; 77, b ; Aboda Sara 44, a ; Kiddushin 13, a ; 72, b ; Nedarim 38, a ; Baba Kama 3, b ; Berachoth 28, a) it is evident that he translated Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, and Zechariah, since these passages are from these books, and are distinctly cited with the declara tion '1D1' annniz, as R. Yoseph has rena'cred it into Chaldee. These renderings are almost exactly the same that are given in the Targum of Jonathan b. Uzziel, a fact which has led some to
suppose that this Targum ascribed to Jonathan is in reality Joseph's. But there is no necessity for such a conclusion, since we are expressly told that Jonathan's Targum embodied the traditional ren derings of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi [JONA THAN B. UZZI EL], and that Joseph also was the depository of the ancient traditions. The identity of the renderings.is therefore to be ascribed to the identity of the ancient source from which both para. phrasts drew their information. That a Chaldee pamphrase of the Prophets existed before Joseph made his, is moreover evident from the fact that he himself declares on several occasions, when dis cussing the meaning of a difficult passage in the Scriptures, 8)3,14nIn N9 Nip wri wvinn nnxr) if we had not the Targum on this sage we should not know what it means' (Sanhedrin 94, a ; Moed Katon 28, b ; Megilla 3, a). But though the quotations in the Talmud from Joseph's Chaldee paraphrase are restricted to the Prophets, yet the version in our Rabbinic and Polyglott Bibles, which is now ascribed to him, is that of the Hagio grapha, e., Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. Rashi on Kiddushin 13 a, and Tossafoth on Baba Kama, indeed deny that he made any Chaldee para phrase at all, and say that he was simply conver sant with the Targum of Jonathan b. Uzziel on the prophets firm, arm) UV.= ciannz +pz rwri $N,ty in), but this is contrary to the meaning of the phrase '1014 xi anrini:, as Yoseph translates, with which the quotations from his Targum are always introduced. In his advanced life Joseph became totally blind and also lost his memory, which greatly afflicted him and ruffled lais temper, as he could not remember his own sayings about the traditions of the fathers (Erub. io, a ; Nedarim 41. a ; Baba Bathra 134, b ; Pesachim 113, b ; Succa 29, a).
His paraphrase on the Hagiographa is contained in all the Rabbinic Bibles, and is given with a Latin translation in the Polyglotts of Antwerp (1572), Paris (1645), London (1657), etc. Comp. Bar tolocci, L'ibliothcca Magna Rabbinica, vol. iii., p. 814 ; Wolf, Bibliotheca Hebroa, vol. ii., p. 1171 HSI ; Zunz, Die Gottesdienstlichen Vortrage der yuden, Berlin 1832, p. 65, etc.; Fiirst, Xidtur und Literaturgeschichte der yuden in Asien, Leipzig 1849, p. 144-155 ; Gmetz, Geschichte der yuden, vol. iv., Berlin 1853, p. 408, ; 551 ff ; Lebrecht and Cassel, in Ersch und Gruber's Allgenzeine Encyklopadie, sec. ii., vol. xxxi., p. 75 ; Stein schneider, Catalogus Libr. Hebr. in Bibliatheca Bodleiana, col. 169.-C. D. G.