Amoraim (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic:אמוראים[ʔamoraˈʔim], singularAmoraאמורא[ʔamoˈra]; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen")[1] refers toJewish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500CE, who "said" or "told over" the teachings of theOral Torah. They were primarily located inBabylonia and theLand of Israel. Their legal discussions and debates were eventuallycodified in theGemara. TheAmoraim followed theTannaim in the sequence of ancient Jewish scholars. TheTannaim were direct transmitters of uncodified oral tradition; theAmoraim expounded upon and clarified the oral law after its initial codification.
The first BabylonianAmoraim wereAbba Arikha, respectfully referred to asRav, and his contemporary and frequent debate partner,Shmuel. Among the earliestAmoraim in Israel wereJohanan bar Nappaha andShimon ben Lakish. Traditionally, the Amoraic period is reckoned as seven or eight generations (depending on where one begins and ends). The lastAmoraim are generally considered to beRavina I andRav Ashi, andRavina II, nephew of Ravina I, who codified theBabylonian Talmud 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.[2]
In the Talmud itself, the singularamora generally refers to a lecturer's assistant; the lecturer would state his thoughts briefly, and theamora would then repeat them aloud for the public's benefit, adding translation and clarification where needed.
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 alsoList of rabbis.
Abba Arikha (d. 247), known asRav, lastTanna, firstAmora. Disciple ofJudah haNasi. Moved from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia (219). Founder and Dean of theYeshiva atSura.
Samuel of Nehardea (d. 254), a disciple of Judah haNasi's students and others, and Dean of the Yeshiva atNehardea.
Judah II (fl. early 3rd century), disciple and grandson of Judah haNasi, and son and successor of Gamaliel III asNasi. Sometimes calledRabbi Judah Nesi'ah, and occasionallyRebbi like his grandfather.
Rav Nachman (d. 320), disciple of Rav, Shmuel, andRabbah bar Avuha. Did not head his own yeshiva, but was a regular participant in the discussions at the Yeshivot of Sura andMahuza.
Ravina I (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.
Stammaim is a term used by some modern scholars, such asDavid 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 theAmoraim, but who mostly made their contributions after the amoraic period.[4] See alsoSavoraim.
