Third Generation (130-160).—The disciples of R. Ishmael, of whom only two are known by their names (R. Joshia and R. Jonathan), whilst the others are usually quoted as ‘the Tanna of the school’ of R. Ishmael. The younger disciples of R. ‘Akiba are R. Meir, who continued the systematizing labours of his master, and is thus supposed to have laid the foundation of a Mishna ; R. Jehuda b. Iai, who is called ‘the first of the Speakers’; R. Shim‘on b. Yohai, of whom R. ‘Akiba said, ‘Be satisfied that I and thy Maker
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TALMUD
know thy powers’; R. Nehemiah, to whom, as to the two last-mentioned Rabbis, various Tannaitic compilations are attributed ; R.’Eleazar b. Shamua, round whom the greatest number of disciples gathered, and R. Jose b. Halaphta, to whom the book Seder ‘Olam (o?\y 779), containing a chronology of events and personages in the Bible, is attri- buted. Abba Shaul, compiler of a Mishna, and the Patriarch R. Shim‘on 11. b. Gamaliel II., are also included in the third generation.
Fourth Generation (160-220).—R, Nathan Hab- babhli, who emigrated from Babylon to Palestine, and there held under the last-mentioned Patri- arch an office in the Sanhedrin the nature of which is not quite known; Symmachos, the dis- ciple of R. Meir, and a great authority in matters of civil law; and various other Tannaim, sons and disciples of the authorities of the preceding generation. The most important among them is the Patriarch R. Jehuda Hannasi, also called Rabbéint hakkadésh (wyipa 122), ‘Our Master, the Saint,’ but more frequently Rabbi, ‘the Master,’ without adding his name. He was the son of the Patriarch R. Shim‘on 11, and the disciple of R. Shim‘on b. Yohai, and of R. ’Eleazar b. Shamua ; he presided over the Sanhedrin, which during this generation was, as it would seem, a migratory body, shifting from place to place, from Usha to Beth-shearim, and thence to Sepphoris and Tiberias. This R. Jehuda is said to have main- tained friendly relations with the Roman authori- ties of Palestine at that period. This fact, as well as the circumstances of his noble birth, great wealth, official position, saintly character, and his mastery of the contents of the Oral Law, gave him an authority over his contemporaries never enjoyed by any other Tanna, and gathered round him a band of distinguished disciples and colleagues which rendered possible his work as compiler and codifier of the Mishna.*
The literary productions of all these generations of Tannaim, as well as of their predecessors the ‘Pairs’ and the Séphérim, both in Hdlakhd and in Haggdadd, are, as far as they have been preserved, embodied in the following collections.
The Mishna 732 + (from 3), meaning a ‘ teach- ing,’ a ‘repetition,’ is a designation most ap- propriate for a work generally looked upon as the main depository of the contents of the Oral Law, which (in contradistinction to s1p9, reading matter, or the Scriptures) could be acquired only by means of constant repetition. . This work, com- piled (apart from some later additions) by R. Jehuda the Patriarch, is divided into 6 Orders (o’v~=o 7710 Avy), each of which contains several Massikhtéth (ninz99, sing. n27D (Aram. xn2D9), derived from 43, meaning ‘to weave’; cf. the Latin ¢eatus), or ‘texts’ (but more commonly called ‘ tractates’), whilst each tractate is divided into Pérakim (mp3, sing. p79), ‘joints’ or ‘sections,’ each of which, in its turn, consists of so many Halakhéth (in the sense of paragraphs). ‘Che number of the tractates is 63 (or, in another enumeration, 60), bearing the following titles, which are suggestive more or less of their varied contents, though extraneous
* Some authorities number five generations of Tannaim. For the purpose of brevity, we have accepted the plan of those who have condensed them into four, For the same reason, we have confined ourselves to the most important Zannaim, omitting many who deserve mention. Compare H. Strack’s excellent monograph Hinileitung in den Thalmud2, p. 76ff., and his bibliography appended to each Tanna. The references there given include those to Bacher’s works, which are the most im- portant contributions to the subject in any language other than Hebrew. =
+ St. const. nv. The Patristic devrépwois (See references in Schtrer, /.c. i. p. 88, n. 1) speaks for n3wid (second to the Torah), st. const. 7349. Both explanations are represented in Rab. literature. Cf. Arukh Completwn, s.v. 71v1.
matter that is in no way indicated by the title is everywhere introduced :—
I, Ziira‘im, OT] ‘Seeds.’
1. Bérakhoth, n\372 ‘Benedictions,’ treating of laws and regulations relating to the liturgy. 9 chapters.
2. P@d, 78D ‘Corner,’ treating of the laws relating to the corner of the field and the forgotten sheaves, ete., to be left for the poor (Ly 199, Dt 2419.21), 8 chapters.
3. Dammat, "97 (also *xi97) the ‘ Doubtful,’ respecting corn and other productions of the earth, of which it is doubtful whether the prescribed tithes had been paid. 7 chapters.
4, KiPayim, 0°87) ‘ Mixtures,’ i.e. mixtures of seeds, animals, and materials for cloth, prohibited by the Scriptures (Lv 1919, Dt 229-11), 9 chapters.
5. Shébvith, wy the ‘Sabbatical year’ (Ex 2311, Ly 251f, Dt 151#-), 10 chapters.
6. Tériméth, nin ‘Heave-Offerings,’ for the priest (Nu 188 and Dt 184). 5 chapters.
7. Ma dséroth, niwyid ‘Tithes’ (Nu 1821ff-), 5 chapters.
8. Ma'dsér Shéni, 39 “wyd ‘Second Tithe’ (Dt 1422). 6 chapters. ou