The following is a brief excerpt from folio 29a of Masechet Ta'anit in the Babylonian Talmud
It is clear from the context that it was Rabban Gamaliyel who was being referred to, but why call him "the snout-man"? Unusually, Rashi is little help in this case: all he says is בַּעַל קוֹמָה וְצוּרָה, to which he adds לְשׁוֹן אַחֵר: גְּדוֹל הַדּוֹר. Could בַּעַל הַחוֹטֶם ("the man with the snout") possibly be an attempt to translate the Latin vir nasi (the "Nasi-Man", but literally "the man of/with the nose") into Hebrew?נֶחְרְשָׁה הָעִיר - תַּנְיָא כְּשֶׁחָרַב טוּרְנוּס רוּפוּס הָרָשָׁע אֶת הַהֵיכָל נִגְזְרָה גְּזֵרָה עַל רַבָּן גַּמֲלִיאֵל לַהֲרִיגָה; בָּא אוֹתוֹ הֶגְמוֹן וְעָמַד בְּבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ וְאָמַר: בַּעַל הַחוֹטֶם מִתְבַּקֵּשׁ, בַּעַל הַחוֹטֶם מִתְבַּקֵּשׁThe city was ploughed up - It has been taught: around the same time as the wicked Turnus Rufus ploughed up the Sanctuary, a death-warrant was issued against Rabban Gamaliyel; a certain official came and stood in the study-house and announced, "The snout-man is wanted! The snout-man is wanted!".....
