[Avodah] Is the term "He died before his time" correct?

[Danny Schoemann]

RMB asked:

:On Wed, Oct 08, 2008 at 02:30:05PM +0200, Daniel Eidensohn wrote:
:: Miriam, the women's hairdresser!31 He went and brought him Miriam, the
:: children's nurse. Said he to him:32 I told thee Miriam, the women's
:: hairdresser. He answered: If so, I will take her back....

: BTW, I thought this story was a veiled reference to Christianity.
: As in Mary Madgaddlela (Mary the hairdresser).

Correct. The last Tosafos ("Hava Shachiach") on that page (Chagiga 4b)
says: Miriam Megadla Neshaya - who lived in the time of the 2nd Bayis
- was the mother of Ploni.

This Tosafos is missing from older versions of Shas; recent editions
(including http://www.e-daf.com) all seem to have it.

She apparently was the wife of Papus ben Yehuda (of "Rabbi Akiva and
the fox" fame), as is recorded elsewhere in Shas, if I understood my
Magid Shiur correctly. Papus wasn't the "evil guy" he seems to be,
apparently.

- Danny