BEYOND METHUSELAH—WHO IS OLD?

someone unwilling to defer to the majority decision made through due deliberation; he continues to teach and act according to his own decision and refuses to bow to the will of the majority.'* Again, we are provided with no definition of age, so we must consider this status as applying to any mature adult. Punishment for such rebelliousness theoretically had to be severe; the death penalty could be invoked, although there is a great deal of discussion of whether it should actually be carried out, as other punishments might be more appropriate. The discussions also concern the question of whether the expression of contrary opinions is enough to be declared“rebellious” or are actions and possibly the incitement to acts by others necessary before punishment can be contemplated. Should such individuals perhaps be considered as sectarians or among those who had rejected Judaism and/or God ?

For our purposes, we should note that the rebellious“elder,” an older or mature advisor or teacher was considered dangerous; this demonstrates the potential for power within a portion of the older or mature population. Any adult in a position of authority might be so designated.

The talmudic academies that produced the ruling stratum of Jewish society in this period were governed by a group of senior scholars. The apogee of the Jewish semiautonomous community was the Exilarch, an appointee of the Persian government. Age was not a prerequisite for appointment: a few Exilarchs remained in the position until quite old. We also know of some later Gaonic scholars who reached their eighties and nineties and continued to work. The term“elder” is used as earlier to designate community leaders who occupied positions of power. This designation conveys maturity, not necessarily old age.

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