Simeon was born about 0120 B.C., the son of Setah bar Yossei but his mother is unknown. The place is not known.
He died about 0040 B.C.. The place is not known.
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Simeon ben Shetach |
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| Event | Date | Details | Source | Multimedia | Notes |
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| Birth | ABT 0120 B.C. |
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| Death | ABT 0040 B.C. |
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Note 1
In a significant case of an early witch-hunt, on a single day Simeon ben Shetach's court sentenced to death eighty women in Ashkelon who had been charged with sorcery. The relatives of these women, filled with a desire for revenge, brought false witnesses against Simeon's son, whom they accused of a crime which involved capital punishment; and as a result of this charge he was sentenced to death. While on the way to the place of execution, the witnesses recanted their testimony. Simeon ben Shetach sought to have the case reopened. Simeon's son protested that, according to the Law, a witness must not be believed when he withdraws a former statement, and he said to his father, "If you seek to bring about salvation, then consider me as a threshold [towards that goal]." The execution then proceeded. This sad event was probably the reason why Simeon issued a warning that witnesses should always be carefully cross-questioned.