A later Rabbi, Zeira, was equally noted for his feeble, unprepossessing figure and his nimble, ingenious mind.

Another contemporary of Jochanan, Joshua, the son of Levi, is the hero of many legends.

He was so tender to the poor that he declared his conviction that the Messiah would arise among the beggars and cripples of Rome.
Simlai, who was born in Palestine, and migrated to Nehardea in Babylonia, was more of a poet than a lawyer.

His love was for the ethical and poetic elements of the Talmud, the _Hagadah_, as this aspect of the Rabbinical literature was called in contradistinction to the _Halachah_, or legal elements.

Simlai entered into frequent discussions with the Christian Fathers on subjects of Biblical exegesis.
The centre of interest now changes to Babylonia.