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Is it mentioned anywhere in all of the Mishna or the Talmud that Rabban Gamliel converted to Christianity?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamaliel

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    You won't find that in the Talmud or Mishnah. Why? Because it never happened!
    – ezra
    Commented Aug 28, 2017 at 1:48
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    Is this somehow a joke? Do you have any sources in order to question something like this?
    – Renato S. Grun
    Commented Aug 28, 2017 at 1:58
  • @ezra, Christians have many mesorot which go against Chaza"l. That a Nasi would become a meshumad would be the ultimate coup against Torah and the Mesorah.
    – Noach MiFrankfurt
    Commented Aug 28, 2017 at 2:14
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    @ezra, their canon includes biographical information which states that Paul learned under Rabban Gamliel before he apostatised. The Christians have historically venerated him and consider him a saint. Following this, it would make sense that they believe that Rabban Gamliel would have had to apostatise, so as to become eligible for beatification.
    – Noach MiFrankfurt
    Commented Aug 28, 2017 at 2:18

2 Answers 2

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We can assume he did not.

Although it would be hard to prove a negative, the fact of the matter is that the talmudic rabbis never shied away from mentioning when a great and respected religious leader left the fold. See for instance about Yochanan Kohen Gadol and Elisha Ben Abuya.

In a similar vein, mention is also made of Rabbis who lost their minds such as Ben Zoma in that second link, or Rabi Yochanan seen here (bottom of 84a) leading us to assume that the other rabbis in the talmud did not.

So we can safely claim that Raban Gamliel did not become an apostate or lose his mind.

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  • The question is not whether Raban Gamliel converted, it is whether it is mentioned anywhere in the Talmud that he converted.
    – Gershon Gold
    Commented Aug 29, 2017 at 20:22
  • Correct. How would someone prove that he didn't without linking every time his name is mentioned and showing that none of those passages mention anything about him converting?
    – user6591
    Commented Aug 29, 2017 at 20:25
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No. This is purely and completely untrue.

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  • This does not provide an answer to the question. To critique or request clarification from an author, leave a comment below their post. - From Review
    – DonielF
    Commented Aug 28, 2017 at 2:25
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    @donielf this is a clear answer. The answer is no.
    – Gershon Gold
    Commented Aug 28, 2017 at 11:48
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    Have you studied the whole Talmud? How do you know?
    – mevaqesh
    Commented Aug 29, 2017 at 20:14
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    @Mevaqesh: If you prove me wrong I will remove my answer. I am confident it is correct.
    – Gershon Gold
    Commented Aug 29, 2017 at 20:20
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    Sourcing is very important on this site. See here: judaism.meta.stackexchange.com/a/3887/8775 to learn more w about that.
    – mevaqesh
    Commented Aug 29, 2017 at 20:23

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