Simeon ben Hillel

Rabbinical Eras
Chazal Zugot Tannaim Amoraim Savoraim Geonim Rishonim Acharonim

About Shimon ben Hillel very little is known. He was the son of Hillel the Elder, and when Hillel died, Shimon took over his place as the president of the Sanhedrin (Nasi). It is assumed that Shimon did not live long after this, and was quickly succeeded by his son, Gamaliel I.

The relation to Gamaliel I and Simeon ben Gamaliel I is debated.^[1][2][3][4]

Some Christian writers identify him with the Simeon who blessed the infant Jesus,^[5] though the text of Luke suggests that the Simeon mentioned there was an officiating priest.

References

1. Studying classical Judaism: a primer - Page 75 Jacob Neusner - 1991 "But Gamaliel I, Hillel's successor as the head of his school (probably a son of Hillel), had also become a member of the Jerusalem aristocracy. He was a member of the Jerusalem sanhedrin who became famous for his wisdom (and as such he ...
2. The rabbinic traditions about the Pharisees before 70 Jacob Neusner - 1971 Bacher accounts for the absence of attributions of materials to Simeon the son of Hillel and to Gamaliel I and Simeon b. Gamaliel I : "Evidently the destruction of the Temple and the end of the authority of the Sanhedrin caused the ..."
3. Neusner on Judaism: Literature - Page 162 Jacob Neusner - 2005 104 JACOB NEUSNER Two Halakas of our tractate (III, 1 and the last part of IV, 1) are given in the Tosefta (Yoma I, 13; ... But Rabban Gamaliel I was the grandson, perhaps the son, of Hillel, whom he had succeeded immediately, ...
4. A history of the Mishnaic law of Holy Things: Volume 2 - Page 199 Jacob Neusner - 1978 "... had been received by him from "Miyyasha who had received it from Abba, who had received it from Shammai and Hillel, the last Zug." But Rabban Gamaliel I was the grandson, perhaps the son, of Hillel, whom he had ..."
5. Journal of Bible and Religion Vol. 34, No. 1, Jan., 1966 Does the Simeon of Luke 2 Refer to Simeon the Son of Hillel www.jstor.org/stable/1460564 A Cutler - 1966 "Simeon and Hillel's son without any kind of surname (patronymic or other) ... Simeon the son of Hillel was alive at this time, for Hillel probably became the ..."