Babylonian Talmud Gittin 57a Punishment of Jesus: Boiling Excrement
It is part of a larger narrative involving Onkelos (the famous convert and translator of the Torah into Aramaic), who uses necromancy to summon the spirits of three historical enemies of Israel to ask if he should convert to Judaism.
The three spirits he summons are Titus (the Roman general), Balaam (the biblical prophet), and finally, a figure identified in many manuscripts as Yeshu Ha-Notzri (Jesus the Nazarene).
According to the text, when Onkelos summons Jesus:
- The Question: Onkelos asks, “Who is most important in that [other] world?” Jesus responds that the Jewish people are the most important.
- The Advice: Onkelos then asks if he should join them (convert). Jesus advises him to seek their welfare and not their misfortune, stating that anyone who harms them is like one who touches the “apple of God’s eye.”
- The Punishment: Onkelos asks what his punishment is in the afterlife. Jesus replies that he is punished in “boiling excrement” (tzo’ah rotahat).
- The Reason: The Talmud explains this specific punishment by stating: “Whoever mocks the words of the Sages is punished with boiling excrement.” The text claims this was his sin—that he ridiculed the Rabbinic authorities of his time.
