Monday
www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudMap/Mishnah.
html
Overview
• 70-700 CE
Oral Torah
Rabbinic Judaism
In wake of rebellions
to
Rise of Islam
70 ce to 700 ce.
Centre moves
• Jerusalem destroyed…
• Yavneh then Babylon.
• Jews live all over Mediterranean world and
Middle East
Christianity
• Begins as a Jewish sect around Jesus of
Nazareth as “Messiah” or “Christ”
• by 2nd century bce, “Nazarenes” take
Gospel to non-Jews
• Christianity becomes independent
– Lingering associations with Judaism.
Political changes
• 0- 4th
Palestine / Mediterranean
century
Rome
Pagan
• 4th century
Rome
• 7-8th century
South / East: Islam
Christian
Political Changes
Mesopotamia / Babylonia
• to 3rd century:
Parthians
• 3rd to 7th centuries
Sassanian (Persian)
Zoroastrians
Islam
• 7-8th century
Islam
• Prophet Muhammad
• 570 to 632
• Saw himself as the final prophet of the
same God worshipped by Jews and
Christians.
Rapid Arab expansion
• 7th century: Arab Muslims capture
considerable territory
• Many Jews now live under Islamic rule.
Rabbinic Judaism
• Developed 150 bce to 700 ce
• TALMUD completed about the time of
Muhammad.
70 to 700
• Massive Political Change
• Massive Religious Change
3 religions
• Islam 620-30’s
• Christianity 1st century
• Rabbinic Judaism 1st century b
Early development of R. Judaism
TWO TORAHS
Torah that is in Tanakh
Oral Torah: Rabbinic teachings.
“TANNAIM”
Early Oral Torah teachers
• Tanna – Singular
• Ca. 150 bce. to second century ce.
• Influenced by Pharisaic ideas.
• Bible and Mishnah
After 70 c.e.
New form of Judaism
Without temple
On Pharisee / Tannaim model
“Oral Torah” collected to preserve teachings
offer alternative to temple.
Yohanan ben Zakkai
• Pharisaic teacher
• Made peace with Rome
• Gathered surviving Jewish scholars after
70 ce.
Yavneh / Jamnia
New Centre of Jewish
learning.
Tannaim
• “Repeaters” of Torah tradition.
New Scholars
“Rabbis”
• Preserve
– Old traditions
– Memories of temple
– Teachings of great scholars
Ben Zakkai:
• Yavneh is equal to Jerusalem.
• Temple rites now symbolized in new rites in
Yavnah
Scripture
• Increased accent on Scripture / Study
• Temple holiness transferred to individual.
Synagogues
• Assume new role
• Surrogate Temple
– Shofar
Yavneh Sanhedrin
• New Leadership
• Innovation and Tradition
No alternative
• “Old” form of Judaism beyond recovery.
• No temple
Diaspora life for almost all Jews.
132-135 bce
Second rebellion
• Attempt to rebuild temple results in
disastrous war.
• Simon Bar Kokhba
Claims priesthood
• “Messiah”
Oral Torah
• Basis of new Judaism alongside Tanakh
• Oral Torah is Written down
TANNAIM
Rabbi Akiba
Judah HaNasi
• Judah compiled the writings & teachings of
Akiba and others.
MISHNAH
• First major text of the Oral Torah.
• 170-220 bce
• Judah HaNasi.
Love / justice, not offerings
• Hosea 6:6
• Micah 6:6-8
• Psalm 51:16-17
Teachers, not priests
• Rabbi,
– by education and ordination, not birth
– Remembered as “sages”
Diaspora
• Alexandria
• Babylon
• Contact with Sanhedrin.
Midrash = traditions attached to
Bible
Mishnah = independent
Mishnah:
“Repetition”
“Memorized”
Major part of ORAL TORAH
Written in land of Israel
Mishnah
Late 2nd Cent. early 3rd.
–6
“ORDERS”
– 63
“TRACTATES”
• Chapters
• Sections “Mishnah”
Mishnah
• REMEMBERS TEMPLE
• TORAH INTERPRETATION
• TEACHINGS OF SAGES
Legitimization
God  Moses  …  Sages 
Hillel + Shammai  J. b. Zakkai