Statement

The title rabbi ('my master') seems to come from the Second Temple period, when disciples used it to address esteemed teachers; in the New Testament that is how people speak to Jesus. The rabbis gave it a use of their own, deciding who deserved it and keeping it for sages after the Temple's destruction; Hillel, for example, is not given the title.

References

1. p. 132

   supports · main text · ch. 5

   Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman. The Jews: A History. 3rd edition. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.

   Section: The Emergence of Rabbinic Culture

   Verification anchor recorded · checked against the page text