Yechiel ben Joseph of Paris or Jehiel of Paris, called Sire Vives in French (Judeo-French: שיר ויויש) and Vivus Meldensis ("Vives of Meaux") in Latin,[2] was a major Talmudic scholar and Tosafist from northern France, father-in-law of Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil.
[4] Although the disputants were believed by at least some to have successfully defended Judaism, a decree was passed for the public burning of all available manuscripts of the Talmud—and on Friday, June 17, 1244, 24 carriage loads of written works were set alight.
The arguments and the contents of the debate were published in Thorn in 1873 under the title Vikuaḥ Rabenu Yeḥiel mi Paris[5] (Hebrew: ויכוח רבינו יחיאל מפריס).
[6] According to some sources, Yechiel arrived in Outremer around 1258 and settled in Acre, then ruled by the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, along with his son, Messire Delicieux (מישירא דילשיש) and a large group of followers.
[citation needed][clarification needed] According to Simha Emanuel [he] however, he never emigrated and died in France,[11] where a fragment of a funeral stone has been found bearing the inscription, מורנו י)יחיאל) לגן עד (translated: Our master Yehiel to the Paradise), which could be from Rabbi Yechiel.