Unraveling a Talmudic Enigma: The Dialogue of Cleopatra and Rabbi Meir

A Royal Inquiry into the Resurrection: The Talmudic Passage

The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 90b) preserves a fascinating exchange between a figure of note and a revered sage

:שאלה קליאופטרא מלכתא את רבי מאיר. אמרה: ידענא דחיי שכבי, דכתיב ״ויציצו מעיר כעשב הארץ״. אלא כשהן עומדין, עומדין ערומין או בלבושיהן עומדין? אמר לה: קל וחומר מחיטה. ומה חיטה שנקברה ערומה יוצאה בכמה לבושין, צדיקים שנקברים בלבושיהן – על אחת כמה וכמה.

Translated, it reads:

“Cleopatra the Queen asked Rabbi Meir: ‘I know the dead will live, as it is written, “They shall blossom from the city like grass of the earth” (Psalm 72:16). But when they rise, will they stand naked or clothed?’ He replied: ‘An inference from a wheat grain: If a grain buried naked emerges with many garments, how much more so the righteous, buried in their garments!’”

This dialogue introduces a theological question with profound implications, setting the stage for historical and interpretive scrutiny.

A Temporal Disconnect: The Anachronism

Coin with Marc Antony and Cleopatra

The mention of "Cleopatra" instantly evokes Cleopatra VII, the famed Queen of Egypt, whose life ended dramatically in 30 BCE—a story immortalized by Shakespeare and others. Yet, a glaring anachronism emerges when we consider the timeline:

Cleopatra VII died in 30 BCE.
Rabbi Meir, a prominent Tanna, lived around 130–160 CE—nearly two centuries later.

This significant chronological gap prompts a deeper investigation into the identity of the "Cleopatra" in this Talmudic account.

Seeking Historical Footing: Exploring Potential Candidates and Textual Variants

Given the anachronism, scholars and interpreters have proposed several theories to reconcile the figures in this passage. Below, we explore these possibilities systematically.

A. Shalshelet HaKabbalah: A Dismissed Earlier Rabbi Meir?

The 16th-century chronicle Shalshelet HaKabbalah suggests there were two Rabbi Meirs, positing that Cleopatra interacted with an earlier one closer to the first century CE. However, this theory lacks corroboration in earlier Talmudic or historical sources, rendering it an unlikely solution for this analysis.

B. Textual Variant of Gamliel: Still Chronologically Challenged

The Midrash HaGadol substitutes “Rabbi Meir” with Rabban Gamliel. Two candidates emerge:

Rabban Gamliel I (d. c. 50 CE): Closer to Cleopatra VII’s time (d. 30 BCE), but still slightly misaligned, with no historical evidence of contact.
Rabbi Gamliel II (d. c. 118 CE): His timeline aligns better with a later Cleopatra (e.g., of Herod Agrippa II), though no interaction is documented.

This variant shifts the rabbinic figure but fails to fully resolve the anachronism with Cleopatra VII.

C. Cleopatra of Herod Agrippa II: A Royal Figure Closer in Time

A compelling candidate is a daughter of Herod Agrippa II, a client king under Roman rule (c. 50–100 CE).

Identity and Status: Herod Agrippa II, the last Herodian ruler, had a daughter named Cleopatra. As a royal descendant, she held significant influence, though not as a sovereign queen.
Chronological Overlap: Born between 50–70 CE, she could have lived into Rabbi Meir’s era (130–160 CE), perhaps encountering him in her later years as a young sage rose to prominence.
The Title "Queen" (Malketa): The Talmud’s use of malketa (מלכתא, "queen") might reflect her royal lineage rather than literal queenship, a plausible semantic stretch.
Caveat: No direct evidence confirms this interaction, leaving the theory speculative but intriguing.

D. A Different Cleopatra or Honorific Term

Perhaps the Talmud refers to another Cleopatra—a local noblewoman or influential figure from Rabbi Meir’s time. Alternatively, "Cleopatra" could be a symbolic or honorific term for a powerful woman. The challenge lies in the title malketa, which implies royalty and complicates a non-royal interpretation.

E. Bacher’s Emendation: Samaritan “Patricus”

Wilhelm Bacher suggests that קליאופטרא (Cleopatra) is a scribal error for פטריקוס (Patrikus), a Samaritan title. This aligns with:

Parallel Debates: Rabbi Meir debates resurrection with a Samaritan in Kohelet Rabbah 5:12.
Samaritan Theology: Samaritans typically denied bodily resurrection, fitting the dialogue’s tension.
Challenges: The emendation requires significant textual alteration, and malketa (queen) clashes with the male connotation of "Patrikus."

Allegorical Interpretation: Spiritual Garments and חלוקא דרבנן

When historical reconciliation proves elusive, an allegorical lens reveals deeper meaning in this exchange.

A. Cleopatra’s Symbolic Role: Earthly Attachment

Cleopatra VII’s legend—epitomized by Plutarch’s account of her death in royal garb (Life of Antony 85–86)—casts her as a symbol of earthly power and physical identity. Her question, “Naked or clothed?” reflects a concern with mortal trappings in the afterlife.

B. Rabbi Meir’s Kal V’Chomer: Spiritual Continuity

Rabbi Meir’s response uses kal v’chomer (light-to-heavy reasoning):

Premise: A wheat grain, buried naked, emerges clothed in husks.
Inference: If nature provides such renewal, the righteous—buried in their deeds—will rise adorned in spiritual garments.

C. Kabbalistic Parallel: The Garment of the Sages

This resonates with Kabbalah’s concept of חלוקא דרבנן ("garment of the sages"), where mitzvot (good deeds) clothe the soul (Zohar III:168a). Rabbi Meir’s analogy prefigures this:

Physical decay mirrors the grain’s burial.
Spiritual merits endure as eternal attire in resurrection.

D. Polemical Subtext: Merit Over Materialism

Cleopatra’s regal imagery contrasts with Rabbi Meir’s emphasis on inner merit, subtly critiquing materialism in favor of spiritual worth.

Conclusion

The Cleopatra-Rabbi Meir dialogue defies simple historical resolution. Theories—ranging from a Herodian Cleopatra to a Samaritan misnomer or a symbolic figure—offer plausible but unproven solutions. Yet, the Talmud’s aggadic brilliance shines through its use of Cleopatra’s mythos to explore resurrection, identity, and spiritual legacy. Rabbi Meir’s kal v’chomer underscores that the righteous rise not merely revived, but adorned with their mitzvot—their חלוקא דרבנן. This passage, more literary than literal, invites reflection on life’s enduring values.

Postscript: Henry Abramson from Touro University proposes an intriguing theory. In his view, Cleopatra in this instance refers to a 3rd to 4th century Alexandrian philosopher known as Cleopatra the Alchemist. She was sometimes referred to as Queen Cleopatra. See Cleopatra the Alchemist - Wikipedia

References

Shalshelet HaKabbalah (Gedaliah ibn Yahya, Venice 1586), 15b.
Plutarch, Life of Antony 85–86.
Zohar III:168a; Tikkunei Zohar 69.
Soncino Talmud, Sanhedrin 90b, Footnote 33.
Judaism Stack Exchange: Who is Queen Cleopatra in Sanhedrin 90b?

עד דלא ידע

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