Rabbi Akiva

R. Akiva was a student of R. Tarfon, R. Eliezer and R. Yehoshua, but quickly became their colleague. Coming from a simple family of converts, he began his study of Torah at age forty at the behest of his wife, Rachel. At the height of his glory, he is reputed to have had twenty-four thousand students. Yet these students died prematurely, and his prolific teachings were passed on by a small elite following. In the face of Roman persecution, he supported Bar Kochba's revolt and ultimately died as a martyr.