I didn’t know Lieberman was the leading Talmudist of the last generation. I always thought it was Louie Ginsberg.
Yochanan Kohen Gadol was meshemash as Kohen Gadol for 80 years and then became a tzeduki.
Elisha ben Avuya was one of the greatest talmudists of his time too. So was Shabsai Tzvi.