3. Possibly identical with No. 1, is mentioned in Photius's Bibl. Cod. v as having written a Liber pro Basiiio adv. Eunnmium. The name is also found in lists of the patriarchs of Alexandria and Constantinople. See Fabric. Bibl. Grwc. (ed. Harl.), ix, 158 sq.
Sor, in Persian mythology, is the personification of a deadly drought and heat. He is an evil deva. created by Ahriman and opposed to the devas of Ormuzd. for the purpose of hindering the growth of plants, and thus to cause famine and misery. — VoUmcr, Worierb. d. Mythol. s. v.
SORA
884
SORBON
Sora, calloil also Aftitta .\ferhijssia, a town on the Eu|ilirnit'salMiiit i\vt'nt_v-twoi)arasangs south ori'iimba- liitha. ir< I'.'iinous in .Ii-wifh hii^tury as the seal of a re- iiowiK-il acadeniy, wliiih was inaiiicuratoil A.L). "JIU by Aliltti .1 It L-a, more coiiiinoiily kiiuwn by his scholastic title of Hab (q. v.). Kab ilieii in 247 at Sora, where for twenty-ei;;ht years he hail presided over the Soraiiic schiHil. remarkable for the |iieasantness of its site and accommodations, and numiierinj;, at times, from a thou- sand to twelve hundred students. Kab's successor in .S>ra was H. //»«</ (bum aliout '2V1: died in 297), a dis- tiiifrui.-lied sidiolar of Kab's. Ilis learning contributed to sustain the reputation of the school, which could, un- der him. yet mimber eight hundred students. After an administration of forty years Huna died, and the rector- ship was tilled by Jtlimhih bar-Jechtskd. who died in 2i'y. Iliir-.lecheskel was succeeded by K. Chusda of Kaphri (born in 217; died in o09), a scholar of Kab. Althougii the colleague of Huna for many years, he was lar advanced in life — eighty years of age — when he at- tained the rectorship, the duties of which he discharged for tell years, and died in 3li;i at the age of ninety-two. Chasda. who was the last of the men who had been per- sonally instructed by Kab, was succeeded by a scholar of hia own,
liahha bar-Hiina Mare, in the rectory, and when A.D. he died the college was without a rector for
nearly fifty years 309-320
Athi ben-Sima'i, siirn;iined liabbami (our teacher), resuscitated the college of Sora, and was its rector ilfty-two years, during which time seven rectt)rs died in 'Pnmb.-idiiha.- Ashi immortal- ized his name by collecting the Babylonian Tal- mud 375^27
Ji. Jtniiar,nr Mar-Jemar, contracted Maremar, suc- ceeded It Ashi as rector of the college 427^32
R. hii biir-Abin, his successor 432-452
li. Sachman bar-Hrnui, who is not once mention- ed in the Talmud, held the office 452-455
ilarhar-H. y)«/ii, cotitiniied collectiuij the Talmud,
which his fntlier bcL'-iii. and otViciated 465-46S
Ralba Tiixjihnh succcccUmI M.ir bar-K. A^hi 46S-4T4
Sora, where one ()ftheoUle>t Jewish jicademies flood, was now destroyed by the Persian king Fiiuz. AfuT the death of Firuz (4S5), the academy was re- opened, and Rnbina occupied the rectory of Soia 4SS-499
Iucoin)eclion with K. Jose ol'Puinbaditha, and other scholars of that time, they completed the Talmud Dec. 2, 4'.t'.». For the next one hundred and fifty years Jewish chronology leaves us in the lurch, as this period was rather troublesome for the Jews; and from the middle of ihe 7th cen- tuiv the presidents of the Soranic school are Myled Onim — i. e. Excellence — a word which is either of Arabic or Persian origin. The first gaoii is —
Slur liuuie cir. C57-G70
He was succeeded by —
R. Ilunai e'O-G'SO
Mar Shcsbnn ben-Tnchlipha 6S(i-G8!l
War Chaniiiai of Nehar Pakir 689-6!t7
Nahllai llalevi of Nares 697-715
Jacob of Nahar-Pakor 71!5-732
Mar ben-Samuel 73;i-T.M
Mari lia-koheu 75I-7.'>'.>
R .\rUa ft few months
R. Jehudah the HIind 759-762
Arhunjn Kahana bi-ii-Papa 762-765
Chuninai Kahana beii-lluna 765-775
M.iri Ha-I,evi bcn-MesharshaJa 77.%-77'<
Hehal llalevi ben-Abba 77<-7SSi
Hllai hen .Mari 7S;S-797
Jnrob ben-Mardocai 797-811
Abuniai ben-Mardocai Sn-SI9
Ziidok. or Isaac ben-Ashi 819-821
Ililai iM-n-Chaniiiai <(21-824
KirnoJ ben-Ash! 824-827
Mofeo hen-Jacob 827-837
lutrrniiinnn 837-S39
Miir Cnhin Znirk /, t>rn-A bii>ia~i S39-849
the ainhor of the firnt cdleclion of the Jewish order of prayers (IIT^ZJ).
ilnr Stir-Slinlmii lifii- IIimik 849-859
Satrima, II, iHni-llilnl, the first uaon who nsed the
Arable langunu'e in his correspondence .. 859-809
ilar A iiirinii brti-Shenhnn 869-8S1
Sm-liithitii lifu-Zailiik (i|. v.) 881-889
Mnr y.fniarh Itett-Chnjiin 889-8'.l5
it. M)tlrhi,ii only one month
ll.i, i,.„.\„.l..h..„ 89^-900
The Sornnic academy loses its importance un- der I lie next president —
Uilai beii-Mhtlntd 90C-914
It liii^rers on, but without any outside influence. The study of the Talmud had so diminished at this academy that there was no Talnuidic au- thority wortiiy of being invested wilh the gaon- ate, or presidency. In order not to give up this school entirely,
Jwob ben-Xatroiial-Awram was elected 914-926
For want of a learned man, a weaver was elect- ed as the next incumbent —
Jom-Tuh Kahana ben-Jacob-Ha~i-ben-Kimai 926-92S
-Against the customary usage, afier Jom-Tob's death, an outsider was "elected for the rectorship,
Saaiiia ben-Joxeph (q. v.) 92S-932
Under Saadia the Soranic high-school revived agai?). Saadia, unwilling to become a blind to<d in the hands of those who called him to his po- sition, was deposed in 9.30 through the jealousy ofothers and his own unflinching integrity ; aud an anti-fjaon in the jierson of
Joxrph beii-Jamb beii-Sntia was elected 930-932
Saadia, however, retained his office in the jires- ence of an anti-gaon for nearly three years more (98(1-933), when he had to relinquish his dignity altogether. His opponent,
Joseph hen-Jacob ben-Satia was now sole gaon 933-937