The formation and character of the Babylonian Talmud

doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521772488.035

33 - The formation and character of the Babylonian Talmud

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 March 2008

Richard Kalmin

Edited by

Steven T. Katz

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Richard Kalmin: Affiliation:
Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York
Steven T. Katz: Affiliation:
Boston University

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THE COMPOSITION OF THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD

The Babylonian Talmud, or Bavli, was composed by rabbis who flourished from the third to the sixth or seventh centuries ce. Babylonian rabbis lived under Sasanian Persian domination between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in what corresponds to part of modern-day Iraq. The Bavli consists primarily of tannaitic, amoraic, and unattributed statements (stam), although many post-talmudic comments were added to the text during the lengthy course of its transmission from late antiquity to the present.

Tannaitic statements, or baraitot, comprise the Bavli’s earliest layer, dating from the first century ce until the early third century ce. Virtually all tannaitic statements derive from Palestine, although a small number of Tannaim lived in Babylonia. Amoraic statements derive from rabbis who lived between the early third and the early sixth centuries ce in Babylonia, and between the early third and the late fourth centuries ce in Palestine. Unattributed materials in the Bavli tend to be later, to post-date the amoraic layer, although some of this material may derive from the amoraic period, particularly from the mid-fourth century ce and later. Identification of the unattributed materials is facilitated by their unique stylistic characteristics, most notably their character as lengthy, Aramaic argumentation. Tannaitic and amoraic materials, in contrast, are often in Hebrew and tend to be prescriptive and interpretive. In addition, tannaitic and amoraic argumentation tends to be relatively brief.

Keywords

Palestinian rabbis rabbinic audience Babylonian Talmud Mishnah sugya

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge History of Judaism , pp. 840 - 876

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521772488.035 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2006

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33 - The formation and character of the Babylonian Talmud

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