[2] According to a genealogical chart found at Jerusalem, he was a descendant of Jonadab ben Rechab.
[3] He was one of Rabbi Akiva's five principal pupils, called "the restorers of the Law,"[4] who were afterward ordained by Judah ben Baba.
[19] He exemplified Abtalion's dictum, "Love work";[20] for he was a tanner,[21] a trade then commonly held in contempt.
He was opposed to controversy, declaring that the antagonism between the schools of Shammai and Hillel made it seem as if there were two Torahs.
The conversation which he had with a Roman matron, resulting in her conviction of the superiority of the Jewish religion,[29] shows his great skill in interpreting Biblical verses.
"[30] This work, though incomplete and too concise, shows Jose's system of arranging material in chronological order.
Jose is known for his ethical dicta, which are characteristic, and in which he laid special stress on the study of the Torah.
When his companion Judah desired to exclude Meïr's disciples from his school, Jose dissuaded him.
[33] One of his characteristic sayings is, "He who indicates the coming of the Messiah, he who hates scholars and their disciples, and the false prophet and the slanderer, will have no part in the future world.