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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

AKIBA*, RABBI

Jewish leader, prominent about AD 110–135. Akiba came from a humble background and began his scholarly training at the age of 40. Having attained recognition in rabbinical study, he taught at his own school in Bene-berak, near Jaffa. During the Jewish uprising against the Romans in AD 132–135, Akiba was arrested for teaching the Jewish laws and willingly suffered a martyr’s death. He had strongly supported the revolutionary leader Bar-Kochba, holding him to be the long-awaited Messiah. Akiba’s rabbinical activities fall into three categories.

Akiba was at Jabneh (Jamnia) when discussions were held there (c. AD 90) concerning books to be included in the Jewish Scriptures and those to be left out. The discussions were less concerned with admitting new books than with reaffirming the canonical status of books that had come into question, especially Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs.

Akiba had a view of biblical interpretation that differed from other rabbis. For example, Rabbi Ishmael held that the language of Scripture was to be treated as ordinary human language, following the same grammar, word meanings, etc. In contrast, Akiba insisted that Scripture was to be interpreted in a way that was not applicable to ordinary language. Ordinary language might allow different spellings of the same word with no difference in meaning, for example; but if such a thing happened in Scripture, to Akiba there had to be some reason. Other schools of interpretation accused him of twisting language to force his own interpretations on Scripture. Akiba encouraged a scholar named Aquila to make a Greek translation of the Scriptures that would embody his principles of interpretation. Aquila’s translation was therefore overliteral; because it disregarded standard principles of grammar, it cannot be said to be acceptable Greek.