That isn’t my impression: to me, his words reek of sarcasm—especially when he calls the Rabbanĭm “those precious men” and says that they “loved God with all their hears [sic] and to the best of their knowledge”. Implying that their knowledge was faulty and he knows far better than they?

http://mordochai.tripod.com - פרופ' מָרְדֳּכַי בֶּן-צִיּוֹן, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל