PIRQE ABOTH. The work which bears this title (literally " Chapters of the Fathers "; but often trans lated " Sayings of the Fathers") may be described as a Hebrew classic. It has been honoured with a place in the Hebrew Prayer Book. The work is included in the Mishnah as the ninth tractate of the fourth series. Its purpose, as H. L. Strack says, is in the first place to prove the continuity and consequently the authority of tradition, and in the second place to give practical advice. The opening portion of the book professes to give in chronological order the names of the oldest scribes who were members of what is known as The Great Syna gogue (q.v.). The line is traced up to Hillel and Shammai. There follow sayings by men of the House of Hillel up to Gamaliel ben Jehudah (c. 230 A.D.), by Hillel himself, by HMO's disciple, Johanan ben Zakkai, and by Johanan's five disciples. The rest of the book contains a number of sayings by Tannhim (q.v.). some anonymous sayings, and sayings by Jehudah ben Tema, by Ben Bag Bag, and by Ben He He. The collection is probably to a considerable extent the work of Rabbi •Aqilia, but the original collection was supplemented.
The following is an example of one of the :sayings in the latter portion of the book. " Rabbi Jose ben Qosma said, ' Once I was walking along the road, when a man met me and greeted me and I returned his greeting. He said to me, Rabbi, what place do you come from? I said. I come from a great city, a city of sages and scribes. He *aid to me, Rabbi, if thou wilt consent to dwell with us in our place. I will give thee a million denary of gold and precious stones and pearls. I said to him. My son, if you were to give me all the silver and gold and precious stones and pearls in the world I could only dwell in a place where the Law is, for at the hour of a man's decease it is not silver or gold or precious stones or pearls that can accompanying him, but only the law and good deeds' " (vi. 9 b). In 1S77 Charles Taylor pbblished an edition of The Sayings of the Jewish Fathers with critical and illustrative Notes. H. L. Strack's edition, Die Sprilehe der Voter (1SSS), gives the Hebrew text with notes.