''Amoraim'' ( , singular ''Amora'' ; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen") refers to

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500 CE, who "said" or "told over" the teachings of the

Oral Torah According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law () are statutes and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah (), and which are regarded by Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jews as prescriptive ...

. They were primarily located in

Babylonia Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...

and the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine. The definition ...

. Their legal discussions and debates were eventually codified in the

Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemore) is an essential component of the Talmud, comprising a collection of rabbinical analyses and commentaries on the Mishnah and presented in 63 books. The term is derived from the Aram ...

. The ''Amoraim'' followed the ''

Tannaim ''Tannaim'' ( Amoraic Hebrew: תנאים "repeaters", "teachers", singular ''tanna'' , borrowed from Aramaic) were the rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 10–220 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also refe ...

'' in the sequence of ancient Jewish scholars. The ''Tannaim'' were direct transmitters of uncodified oral tradition; the ''Amoraim'' expounded upon and clarified the oral law after its initial codification.

The Amoraic era

The first Babylonian ''Amoraim'' were

Abba Arikha Rav Abba bar Aybo (; 175–247 CE), commonly known as Abba Arikha () or simply as Rav (), was a Jewish amora of the 3rd century. He was born and lived in Kafri, Asoristan, in the Sasanian Empire. In Sura, Arikha established the systematic st ...

, respectfully referred to as ''Rav'', and his contemporary and frequent debate partner, Shmuel. Among the earliest ''Amoraim'' in Israel were

Johanan bar Nappaha :''See Johanan (name) for more rabbis by this name''. Johanan bar Nappaha ( Yoḥanan bar Nafḥa or Napaḥa), also known simply as Rabbi Yochanan or Johanan bar Nafcha (180–279 CE), was a leading rabbi and second-generation '' Amora'' duri ...

and Shimon ben Lakish. Traditionally, the Amoraic period is reckoned as seven or eight generations (depending on where one begins and ends). The last ''Amoraim'' are generally considered to be

Ravina I Ravina I (; died c. AD 420) was a Babylonian Jewish Talmudist and rabbi, of the 5th and 6th generation of amoraim. Biography His father seems to have died before he was born or at an early age, and it was necessary for his mother informed him of s ...

and

Rav Ashi Rav Ashi () ("Rabbi Ashi") (352–427) was a Babylonian Jewish rabbi, of the sixth generation of amoraim. He reestablished the Academy at Sura and was the first editor of the Babylonian Talmud. The original pronunciation of his name may h ...

, and

Ravina II Ravina II or Rabina II (Hebrew: אבינא בריה דרב הונא or רבינא האחרון; died 475 Common Era, CE or 500 CE) was a Babylonian rabbi of the 5th century (seventh and eighth generations of amoraim). Rabina is a traditional portm ...

, nephew of Ravina I, who codified the

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewi ...

around 500 CE. In total, 761 amoraim are mentioned by name in the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds. 367 of them were active in the land of Israel from around 200–350 CE, while the other 394 lived in Babylonia during 200–500 CE. In the Talmud itself, the singular ''amora'' generally refers to a lecturer's assistant; the lecturer would state his thoughts briefly, and the ''amora'' would then repeat them aloud for the public's benefit, adding translation and clarification where needed.

Prominent Amoraim

The following is an abbreviated listing of the most prominent of the (hundreds of) ''Amoraim'' mentioned in the Talmud. More complete listings may be provided by some of the external links below. ''See also

List of rabbis This is a list of prominent rabbis, Rabbinic Judaism's spiritual and religious leaders. ''See also'': List of Jews. Mishnaic period ( 70–200 CE) * Hillel (? – 10 CE), an early sage, known for his lenient rulings during hlalkhic dispu ...

.''

First generation (approx. 230–250 CE)

(d. 247), known as ''Rav'', last ''Tanna'', first ''Amora''. Disciple of

Judah haNasi Judah ha-Nasi (, ''Yəhūḏā hanNāsīʾ‎''; Yehudah HaNasi or Judah the Prince or Judah the President) or Judah I, known simply as Rebbi or Rabbi, was a second-century rabbi (a tannaim, tanna of the fifth generation) and chief redactor and e ...

. Moved from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia (219). Founder and Dean of the

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

Sura A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' ( al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while the ...

. * Shmuel (d. 254), a disciple of Judah haNasi's students and others. Dean of the Yeshiva at

Nehardea Nehardea or Nehardeah ( "river of knowledge") was a city from the area called by ancient Jewish sources Babylonia, situated at or near the junction of the Euphrates with the Nahr Malka (the Royal Canal), one of the earliest and most prominent ce ...

. *

Joshua ben Levi Joshua ben Levi or Yehoshua ben Levi (220 – 250 CE) was an amora—a scholar of Jewish law during the period in which the Gemara was codified—who lived in the Land of Israel in the first half of the third century. He lived and taught in the ...

(early 3rd century), headed the school of

Lod Lod (, ), also known as Lydda () and Lidd (, or ), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephelah on the east and the coastal plain on the west. The ci ...

. *

Bar Kappara Bar Kappara () was a Jewish scholar of the late second and early third century CE (i.e., during the period between the tannaim and amoraim). He was active in Caesarea Maritima, the capital of the Roman province of Syria Palaestina, from around 18 ...

Rav Karna He was a colleague of Samuel of Nehardea and Rav, serving as a rabbinic judge. The term "judges of the Exile" in the Babylonian Talmud is associated with Karna and Samuel of Nehardea. He composed a compilation of Baraitas for Seder Nezikin, known as Nezikin of the School of Karna. He earned his living by testing wine quality.

Second generation (approx. 250–290 CE)

Rav Huna Rav Huna (Hebrew: רב הונא) was a Jewish Talmudist and Exilarch who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the second generation and head of the Academy of Sura; he was born about 216 CE (212 CE according to Gratz) and died in 296–297 ...

(d. 297), disciple of Abba Arikha and

Samuel of Nehardea Samuel of Nehardea or Samuel bar Abba, often simply called Samuel (Hebrew: שמואל) and occasionally Mar Samuel, was a Jewish Amora of the first generation; son of Abba bar Abba and head of the Yeshiva at Nehardea, Babylonia. He was a teach ...

. Dean of the Yeshiva at Sura. *

Judah ben Ezekiel Judah bar Ezekiel (220–299 CE) () often known as Rav Yehudah, was a Babylonian amora of the 2nd generation. Biography Judah was the most prominent disciple of Rav, in whose house he often stayed, and whose son Hiyya b. Rav was his pupil. Af ...

(d. 299), disciple of Abba Arikha and Samuel of Nehardea. Dean of the

Pumbedita Academy The Pumbedita Academy or Pumbedita Yeshiva (; sometimes ''Pumbeditha'', ''Pumpedita'', ''Pumbedisa'') was a Talmudic academy in Pumbedita, an unidentified location in modern Iraq, during the Amoraic and Geonic eras. It was founded by Judah bar ...

. *

Adda bar Ahavah Adda bar Ahavah or Adda bar Ahabah (רב אדא בר אהבה) is the name of two Jewish rabbis and Talmudic scholars, known as Amoraim, who lived in Lower Mesopotamia, a region known in Jewish texts as "Babylonia". The amora of the second gene ...

, (3rd and 4th centuries), disciple of Abba Arikha. *

Hanan bar Rava Ḥanan bar Rava (חנן/חנא/חנין בר רב/א) or Ḥanan bar Abba (חנן בר א/בא) was a Talmudic sage and second-generation Babylonian Amora. He lived in Israel, moved to Babylonia with Abba b. Aybo, and died there ca. 290 CE. He ...

, disciple of Abba Arikha. *

Hillel, son of Gamaliel III Hillel, son of Gamaliel III, was a Jewish scholar in the 3rd century CE (second generation of amoraim). Biography He was son of Gamaliel III, brother of Judah II, and probably a pupil of his grandfather Judah I. Of his early history nothing is ...

(fl. early 3rd century), disciple and grandson of Judah haNasi, and younger brother of

Judah II Judah II or Nesi'ah I was a Jewish sage who lived in Tiberias in the Land of Israel, in the middle of the third century CE. He is mentioned in the classical works of Judaism's Oral Torah, the Mishnah and Talmud. There he is variously called "Jud ...

. *

(fl. early 3rd century), disciple and grandson of Judah haNasi, and son and successor of Gamaliel III as

Nasi Nasi may refer to: Food Dishes Nasi Goreng is an Indonesian and Malay word for ''cooked rice'', featured in many Southeast Asian dishes *Nasi goreng, a popular rice dish often simply called ''nasi'' *Other Southeast Asian ''nasi'' dishes: ** Nasi ...

. Sometimes called ''Rabbi Judah Nesi'ah'', and occasionally ''Rebbi'' like his grandfather. * Shimon ben Lakish (d. late 3rd century), student of

Yohanan ben Zakkai Yohanan ben Zakkai (; 1st century CE), sometimes abbreviated as for Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, was a tanna, an important Jewish sage during the late Second Temple period during the transformative post-destruction era. He was a primary cont ...

Rabbi Yannai Rabbi Yannai (or Rabbi Jannai; ) was an ''Amoraim, amora'' who lived in the 3rd century, and of the first generation of the ''Amoraim'' of the Land of Israel. Biography Genesis Rabbah says he is descended from Eli (biblical figure), Eli the priest ...

and others, and colleague of

. *

(d. 279 or 289), disciple of Judah haNasi and Rabbi Yannai. Dean of the Tiberian Academy. Primary author of the

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...

. *

Samuel ben Nahman Samuel ben Nahman (), or Samuel arNahmani (), was a rabbi and amora mentioned throughout the Talmud and Midrashic literature who lived in the Land of Israel from the beginning of the 3rd century CE until the start of the 4th century CE. Biograp ...

* Shila of Kefar Tamarta * Rabbi Isaac Nappaha * Anani ben Sason

Third generation (approx. 290–320 CE)

* Rabbah (d. 320), disciple of

and Rav Yehudah. Dean of the Yeshiva at Pumbedita. *

Rav Yosef Rav Yosef bar Hiyya (), or simply Rav Yosef, was a Babylonian rabbi of the third generation of amoraim. Biography Yosef was a student of Judah bar Ezekiel and was Abaye's teacher, and a scholarly disputant (''bar plugata'') of Rabbah bar Nahm ...

(d. 323), disciple of Rav Huna and Rav Yehudah. Dean of the Yeshiva at Pumbedita. * Rav Zeira (Israel) *

Rav Chisda Rav Ḥisda () was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Kafri, Asoristan in Lower Mesopotamia near what is now the city of Najaf, Iraq. He was an amora of the third generation (died c. 320 CE at the age of ninety-twoMoed Kattan 28a), and is menti ...

(d. 309), disciple of Rav, Shmuel, and Rav Huna. Dean of the Yeshiva at Sura. * Shimon ben Pazi * Rav Sheshet *

Rav Nachman Rav Nachman bar Yaakov (; died 320) was a prominent Jewish Talmudic sage ( Amora) of the third generation, who lived in Babylonia. He is generally identified with the figure referred to simply as ''Rav Nachman'' in the Babylonian Talmud. He was ...

(d. 320), disciple of Rav, Shmuel, and Rabbah bar Avuha. Did not head his own yeshiva, but was a regular participant in the discussions at the Yeshivot of Sura and

Mahuza Al-Mada'in (, ; ''Māḥozā''; ) was an ancient metropolis situated on the Tigris in what is now Iraq. It was located between the ancient royal centers of Ctesiphon and Seleucia, and was founded by the Sasanian Empire. The city's name was used ...

. * Rabbi Abbahu (d. early 4th century), disciple of

Rabbi Yochanan :''See Johanan (name) for more rabbis by this name''. Johanan bar Nappaha ( Yoḥanan bar Nafḥa or Napaḥa), also known simply as Rabbi Yochanan or Johanan bar Nafcha (180–279 CE), was a leading rabbi and second-generation '' Amora'' duri ...

. Dean of the Yeshiva in

Caesarea Caesarea, a city name derived from the Roman title " Caesar", was the name of numerous cities and locations in the Roman Empire: Places In the Levant * Caesarea Maritima, also known as "Caesarea Palaestinae", an ancient Roman city near the modern ...

. *

Hamnuna Hamnuna (Hebrew: המנונא) is the name of several rabbis from the period of the Talmud, among them: * Hamnuna Saba ("the elder"). Second generation Babylonian amora (mid third century CE). A pupil of Rav. After Rav, he became the head of t ...

— Several rabbis in the Talmud bore this name, the most well-known being a disciple of Shmuel (fl. late 3rd century). *

Judah III Judah III (or Nesi'ah II; Hebrew: יהודה נשיאה; יודן נשיאה), Yudan Nesiah, was a prominent Jewish sage, who held the office of ''Nasi (Hebrew title), Nasi'' of the ancient Jewish Sanhedrin between about 290 and 320 CE (fourth gene ...

(d. early 4th century), disciple of Rabbi Johanan bar Nappaha. Son and successor of Gamaliel IV as NASI, and grandson of Judah II. * Rabbi Ammi * Rabbi Assi * Hanina ben Pappa * Raba bar Rav Huna * Rami bar Hama * Rav Shmuel bar Yehudah * Rav Kruspedai (כרוספדאי; referred to in the Jerusalem Talmud as קריספא), student of Rabbi Yochanan.

Fourth generation (approx. 320–350 CE)

Abaye Abaye () was an amora of the fourth generation of the Talmudic academies in Babylonia. He was born about the close of the third century and died in 337. Biography Abaye, according to Talmudic tradition, was the head of the Pumbedita Academy unt ...

(d. 339), disciple of Rabbah,

, and

. Dean of the Yeshiva in Pumbedita. * Abba b. Bizna, haggadist * Rava (d. 352), disciple of Rabbah, Rav Yosef, and Rav Nachman, and possibly Rabbi Yochanan. Dean of the Yeshiva at Mahuza. *

Hillel II Hillel II (Hebrew: הלל נשיאה, Hillel the Nasi), also known simply as Hillel, was an '' amora'' of the fifth generation in the Land of Israel. He held the office of '' Nasi'' of the Sanhedrin between 320 and 365 CE. He was the son and succ ...

(fl. c. 360). Creator of the present-day

Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar (), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance and as an official calendar of Israel. It determines the dates of Jewish holidays and other rituals, such as '' yahrze ...

. Son and successor as Nasi of Judah Nesiah, grandson of Gamaliel IV. * Abba the Surgeon * Bebai ben Abaye (fl. c. 4th century)

Fifth generation (approx. 350–371 CE)

Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak :''You might be looking for Nachman bar Huna or Nachman bar Yaakov.'' Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak (Hebrew: רב נחמן בר יצחק; died 356 CE) was a Babylonian rabbi, of the fourth and fifth generations of amoraim. It is generally accepted t ...

(d. 356), disciple of

and Rava. Dean of the Yeshiva at Pumbedita. *

Rav Papa Rav Pappa () (c. 300 – died 375) was a Babylonian rabbi, of the fifth generation of amoraim. Biography He was a student of Rava and Abaye. After the death of his teachers he founded a school at Naresh, a city near Sura, in which he officiat ...

(d. 371 or 375), disciple of Abaye and Rava. Dean of the Yeshiva at Naresh. * Rav Kahana, teacher of

* Rav Mesharshiya, student of Rava, son-in-law of Rav Kahana; colleague of Rav Papa. * Rav Hama * Rav Huna berai d'Rav Yehoshua

Sixth generation (approx. 371–427 CE)

(d. 427), disciple of Rav Kahana. Dean of the Yeshiva in Mata Mehasia. Primary redactor of the

. *

(d. 421), disciple of Abaye and Rava. Colleague of Rav Ashi in the Yeshiva at Mata Mehasia, where he assisted in the redaction of the Babylonian Talmud.

Seventh generation (approx. 425–460 CE)

Mar bar Rav Ashi Mar bar Rav Ashi () (d. 468) was a Babylonian rabbi who lived in the 5th century (seventh generation of amoraim). He would sign his name as Tavyomi (or ''Tabyomi'', ), which was either his first name or his nickname. Biography According to Abraha ...

Eighth generation (approx. 460–500 CE)

(d. 475 or 500), disciple of Ravina I and Rav Ashi. Dean of the Yeshiva at Sura. Completed the redaction of the Babylonian Talmud.

Stammaim

''Stammaim'' is a term used by some modern scholars, such as David Weiss Halivni, for the rabbis who composed the anonymous (''stam'') statements and arguments in the Talmud, some of whom may have worked during the period of the ''Amoraim'', but who mostly made their contributions after the amoraic period. See also ''

Savoraim ''Savora'' (; Aramaic language, Aramaic: סבורא, "a reasoner", plural ''Savora'im'', ''Sabora'im'' , סבוראים) is a term used in Jewish law and history to signify one among the leading rabbis living from the end of period of the ''Amora ...

''.

References

External links

Gemara in the Talmud Map
– University of Calgary
Jewish Encyclopedia article for Amora

The Network of Talmud Rabbis
{{Authority control 3 Chazal Articles which contain graphical timelines