iv. The “Amoraim oxox ‘Speakers,’ ‘Inter- preters’; a designation commonly applied to the authorities who flourished 220-500, and whose main activity consisted in expounding the Mishna. The seats of learning were no longer confined to Pales- tine, great schools having arisen, as in the time of the Zannaim, in various places in Babylonia, destined even to overshadow the former. The Babylonian teachers (who received ordination) bear as a rule the title Rab (22) in contradistinction to their Palestinian brethren who were called fabbi (22). The most important among the "Amora are the following :—
First Generation (220-280).—(a) Palestine: R. Jannai, of whom we have a saying in the Mishna ; R. Hiya and R. Hoshaya Rabba, the supposed com- pilers of the Tésephtd (see above); R. Joshua b. Levi, the subject of many legends, to whom various mystical treatises (descriptions of paradise and hell, etc.) are attributed; R. Johanan (b. Nappaha) of Sepphoris and Tiberias, disciple of R. Judah and the most prominent teacher in Palestine during the 3rd cent., and his brother-in-law R. Shim‘on b..Lakish. (6) Babylon: Abba Arikha (‘Long Abba’), commonly cited by his title Rab. He ‘went up’ (from Babylon) to Palestine together with his uncle R. Hiya (mentioned above) to study under R. Jehuda, and on his return founded at Sura the school over which he presided ; Samuel mxavny (the astronomer), a relative of Rab, and, like him, a disciple of R. Judah (though he did not receive ordination from him). He became head of the school in Nehardea.
Second Generation (280-300).—(a) Palestine: R. Eleazar b. Pedath, R. Simlai, R. Assi (also Issi and R. Ammi) (also Immi), and R. ’Abuha. The first four emigrated to Palestine from Babylon ; whilst R.’Abuha, who was a native of Palestine, taught in Cesarea, where he often had controversies with Christian teachers. The famous Haggadist R. Shamuel b. Nahmani also belongs to this genera- tion. (6) Babylon: R. Huna (Sura), R. Jehuda (b. Jeheskel), founder of the school of Pumbeditha ; R. Hisda, R. Shesheth, founder of a school in Shilhi. All these were disciples of Rab and Shamuel, or of one of them.
Third Generation (320-370).—This period marks the decay of the schools in Palestine, a consequence of the religious persecutions inaugurated under the reign of Constantine. (a) Palestine: Jeremia, R. Jona, and R. José. (6) Babylon: Rabbah (727) b. Nabmani (Pumbeditha), famous for his dialectical
skill and called ‘the mountain-mover’ ; his colleague R. Joseph, a great authority on Targum, whose wide acquaintance with all branches of the Law brought him the title of ‘Sinai’; their pupils “Abayi and Raha (x29), both famous for the ingenious methods exemplified in their controversies scattered all over the Bab. Talmud ; R. Papa, founder of a school in Nares.
Fourth Generation (375-427).—(a) Palestine: KR. Shamuel (b. Jose b. R. Bun) ; (6) Babylon: R. Ashi (Sura); R. Kahana 11. (Pumbeditha), and Amemar (Nehardea). The former is credited with having begun the compilation of the Bab. Talmud.
Lifth Generation (427-500).—Babylon: Mar bar R. Ashi; Rubbina (contraction of Rab Abina (Sura)), and R. Tosphaa(Pumbeditha), The two latter were greatly instrumental in accomplishing the work commenced by R. Ashi, finishing the compilation of the Bab. Talmud, and reducing it to writing.
The literary productions of these two schools are largely embodied in the two Talmuds bearing the title of their native countries: (4) Palestinian Talmud called the Talmud of Jerusalem, *2>vy ‘n, which is also more correctly called (since there were no schools in Jerusalem after the destruction of the temple) saiyot‘n 9st pyy‘n and N2Iyd °327 xIPa ‘the Talmud of (the children of) the Land of Israel,’ ‘ the Talmud (or the Gemara) of (the people of) the West.’ (B) The Babylonian Talmud °923 ‘n, which (though only occurring once) was also known under the title of nqip yin ‘mn ‘the Talmud of the people of the East.’* The main object of the Talmuds is the inter- pretation of the Mishna, tracing its sources, giving its reasons, explaining obscure passages, as wel as real or seeming contradictions, by the aid of parallel passages in the ‘external Mishnas,’ and illustrating its matter and expanding its contents (especially in the branches of civil law) by giving such cases as life and altered circumstances were constantly furnishing. It is perhaps in this latter quality that the text of the Talmud proper as distinguished from the Mishna is called Gémara N7D1, Meaning, according to some authorities, ‘Supplement’ or Complement to the Mishna.t+ The Talmuds differ in various minor respects. Thus, the non-Hebrew portions of the Jerus. Talmud are composed in the West Aram. dialect, whilst those of the Bab. Talmud are written in an East Aram. idiom, closely related to the Syr. and still more akin to the Mandaic language. The style of the Jerus. Talmud is more concise, its discussions less diffuse, than those of the Bab. Talmud. The former is altogether free from the casuistie and lengthy discourses on imaginary cases which form a special feature of the productions of the Eastern Rabbis. It should, however, be remarked that, so far as dialect and diction are concerned, the Bab. Talmud is not always uniform, there being various tractates, such as Nédarim, Nazir, Témira Mé‘tla, and Kérithéth, which betray certain grammatical forms and peculiarities of style, reminding us in some places of the diction of the Talmud of Jerusalem. Apart from the main object as de- scribed, the text of the Mishna serves sometimes (particularly in the Bab. Talmud) as a mere peg on which to fasten matter having hardly any connexion with the contents of the latter. E.g.