Rabeina II "Sof hora'a" Rav Rav Huna Avina (רב אבינא בר רב הונא) Ravina bar Huna HaKohen Ravina II, Last Rosh Yeshiva at Sura Last Rosh Yeshiva at Sura Huna bar Avin HaKohen Huna ben Nathan, Mar Huna IV, 24th Exilarch Zutra "the Pious" ben Kahana, 25th Exilarch Mar Zutra I
There seem to be several conflicts between these three genealogies for Ravina II, Rav Avina Bar Rav Huna. I would like to try to get to the bottom of this. Would any of you be willing to share your source material for these genealogies? Can we independently confirm any of these details?
In discussing these differences/conflicts, I will call them:
1. “Rabeina” (“Rabeina II ‘Sof hora’a’ Rav Rav Huna Avina” from Jaim David Harlow)
2. “Ravina HaKohen” (“Ravina bar Huna HaKohen” from Rabbi Shraga Kahana)
3. “Ravina” (“Ravina II, Last Rosh Yeshiva at Sura Last Rosh Yeshiva at Sura” from Kate Muir)
Some thoughts in the order they came to me:
A. The third, Ravina, has the problem that he is the son of Nahman who is the son of Huna IV. This is surprising, since he is supposed to be Rav Avina bar Rav Huna, and I cannot make sense of it.
B. The second, Ravina HaKohen, unlike the other two, identifies Ravina as a Kohen, and the son of Rav Huna bar Rav Avin HaKohen. The other two show him as the son or grandson of Huna IV, the exilarch; thus, he couldn’t possibly be a Kohen, since the exilarchs are from the trible of Judah. But then, it’s surprising that he would never be identified as “HaKohen” in sources, since his purported father is identified that way.
C. Also regarding the second, Ravina HaKohen, his purported father Huna Bar Avin HaKohen was Palestinian, not Babylonian. So wouldn’t he be Rav Avina bar RABBI Huna instead of Rav?
D. Regarding the first, Rabeina II, he is shown as the son of 24th exilarch Huna IV and “Wife #1 ben Nathan.” Meanwhile, Rabeina I is identified as 25th exilarch Zutra ben Kahana (Zutra "the Pious" ben Kahana, 25th Exilarch Mar Zutra I).
But the Talmud, in Ketubot 100b (https://www.sefaria.org/Ketubot.100b.18-19?lang=bi), states that Rabeina II was the son of Rabeina I’s sister, whom Rabeina I adopted after the death of his parents. So it is surprising that this genealogy does not show Rabeina I and the mother as siblings. Additionally, it shows Rabeina I as personally taking wine to Sikhra to sell and consulting Rav Ashi on the status of Rabeina II’s wine that he had inherited. But it seems fairly implausible that the SITTING EXILARCH personally took wine to the market to sell.
Additionally, I believe most consider Mar Zutra and Rabeina I to be different people.
E. Also regarding the first, Rabeina II’s father, 24th exilarch Huna IV, is shown as dying in 442… AFTER Rabeina I/Mar Zutra, the “25th exilarch,” who it shows as dying in 413. So this Rabeina I couldn’t possibly have adopted Rabeina II.
F. Also, regarding the first, Rabeina II is shown as marrying his paternal half-sister, Havah bat Mar Huna, in violation of Lev. 18:9. This seems implausible.
Please let me know your thoughts, and please share any source you have for the genealogy of these individuals.