R. Hanina (or Hananiah) of Sepphoris (Hebrew: רבי חנניה דציפורין), read as Rabbi Hananiah DeTziporin; alternative Hebrew spelling: רבי חנינא דציפורי[1]) sometimes cited merely as R. Hanina [Hananiah] or Hanina (Hananiah) II, was an Amora of the Land of Israel (in Byzantine Galilee at the time), of the fifth generation of the Amora era.
[2] He gradually rose to his master's level and discussed with him as a "fellow student" many halakhic questions.
[4] When Mani also moved to Sepphoris (due to Roman persecutions in Tiberias), Hanina resigned the leadership in his favor—an act of self-abnegation extolled by the Rabbis as having few parallels.
As the persecutions became general and intolerable, he emigrated to Babylonia, where Ashi frequently sought information from him.
[7] Hanina's family accompanied him, and were highly respected in their adopted country.