For the source text click/tap here: Avodah Zarah 76
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Shevor Malka – Shapur – was the name of a number of Persian kings. Our final Daf in Avodah Zara appears to be referring to the first king Shapur, who continued his father’s success in wars against the Roman Empire, capturing the city of Netzivim and arriving at the border of Syria.
In the course of a number of attacks, he not only defeated the Roman emperor Valerian, but he captured him and held him until his death.
With regard to internal matters, he was an open-minded leader and allowed a good deal of freedom of religion. As is apparent from our Gemara, he was knowledgeable regarding Jewish customs.
We explore the figure of Shapur in rabbinic literature who represents far more than historical documentation; he functions as a multifaceted character through whom the rabbis explored, articulated, and transmitted their sophisticated understanding of minority survival strategies. Through carefully crafted narratives involving this Persian monarch, the Talmudic sages encoded lessons about diplomatic finesse, the preservation of religious integrity under foreign rule, and the transformation of apparent powerlessness into moral authority.