'EDAH ḲEDOSHAH or ḲEHALA ḲADDISHA:
Two Hebrew appellations signifying respectively "holy congregation" and "sacred college"; the former being peculiar to the Palestinian sources, while the latter is used exclusively in the Babylonian Talmud. They designate a Palestinian association of scholars that flourished in the second century (last tannaitic generation), and of which Jose ben Meshullam and Simeon ben Menasya were members; but whether these two constituted the whole association, or merely formed part of a larger aggregation, can only be conjectured, the purport of the main sources relied upon in this instance being somewhat ambiguous and contradictory. The Palestinian Talmud (Ma'as. Sh. ii. 53d) asserts, "By 'Edah Ḳedoshah are meant R. Jose ben ha-Meshullam and R. Simeon ben Menasya."
- Zacuto, Yuḥasin, ed. Filipowski, p. 70;
- Heilprin, Seder ha-Doroṭ, ii., s.v. Shime'on b. Menasya;
- Frankel, Darke ha-Mishnah, p. 201;
- Brüll, Mebo ha-Mishnah, i. 238;
- Bacher, Ag. Tan. ii. 489 et seq.;
- Hamburger, R. B. T., ii. 368.
