Wikipedia's first sentence called it “fourth generation jewish tanna sage”. Today it says “fourth generation tanna”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2015
Abba Saul and his wife Abba Saul ( , Abba Shaul ) was a fourth generation Tanna (Jewish sage). His elder contemporary was Akiva ben Joseph . Many Masoretes in the Talmud cite him engaging in the topics of the Temple in Jerusalem and the holy work done there. He was tall at sight, and the Talmud ( Babylonian , Tractate "Niddah" 61a) depicts R. Tarfon reaching only up to R. Saul was a grave-digger . ( Babylonian , Tractate Niddah 24b) In the Talmud, Tractate "Yebamoth" ( Levirate marriage ), Abba Saul was stringent, and demanded that a levir (a "Yabbam", the brother of the deceased) should have pure-sacred intentions: Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tomb of Abba Saul . "Abba Saul said, ‘If [a levir] married his sister-in-law on account of her beauty, or in order to gratify his desires, or with any other ulterior motive, it is as if he has infringed [the law of] incest; and I am even inclined to think that the child [from such a union] is a bastard [ Mamzer ]’." — Babylonian Talmud , Tractate "Yebamoth", 109a Abba Saul opined that in his days there was nowhere to be found a levir with a mitzvah (commandment) intention, and thus he revokes the commandment of the yibbum , replacing it with the Halizah . Tana Abba Saul was a proponent of Judaism's version of imitatio dei .1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 660185356.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Abba Saul ( , Abba Shaul ) was a fourth Generation Jewish Tanna sage. His elder contemporary was Akiva ben Joseph . Many Masoretes in the Talmud cite him engaging in the topics of the Temple in Jerusalem and the holy work done there. He was tall at sight, and the Talmud ( Babylonian , Tractate "Niddah" 61a) depicts R. Tarfon reaching only up to R. Saul was a Grave-digger . ( Babylonian , Tractate Niddah 24b) In the Talmud, Tractate "Yebamoth" ( Levirate marriage ), Abba Saul was stringent, and demanded that a levir (a "Yabbam", the brother of the deceased) should have pure-sacred intentions: "Abba Saul said, ‘If [a levir] married his sister-in-law on account of her beauty, or in order to gratify his sexual desires ‘or with any other ulterior motive, it is as if he has infringed [the law of] incest; and I am even inclined to think that the child [from such a union] is a bastard [ Mamzer ]’." — Babylonian Talmud , Tractate "Yebamoth", 109a Abba Saul opined that in his days there was no where to be found a levir with a Mitzvah (Commandment) intention, and thus he revokes the Commandment ( Mitzvah ) of the Yibbum , replacing it with the Halizah .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 363372087.
The opening as it stood in 2020 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Tomb of Abba Saul and his wife Abba Saul ( , Abba Shaul ) was a fourth generation Tanna (Jewish sage).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 891535386.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Tomb of Abba Saul and his wife Abba Saul ( , Abba Shaul ) was a fourth generation Tanna (Jewish sage).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1167503278.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Tomb of Abba Saul and his wife Abba Saul ( Hebrew : אבא שאול , Abba Shaul ) was a fourth generation Tanna (Jewish sage).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1253365624. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “fourth generation jewish tanna sage”. Today it says “fourth generation tanna”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
fourth generation jewish tanna sage
Now
fourth generation tanna
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
