text · B0003
Mishnah משנה
The foundational codification of the Oral Torah — the curriculum of the tannaim organized by subject rather than by Scripture. Redacted under Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi around 200 CE, it became the base text of both Talmuds and remains the spine of rabbinic law.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- משנה
- Era
- tannaim
II. When
- Traditional
- redacted c. 3960 AM
- Academic
- redacted c. 200 CE
- Precision
- approximate
IV. What
- Language
- Mishnaic Hebrew
- Redaction
- c. 200 CE, under Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi)
- Structure
- Six orders (sedarim): Zeraim, Moed, Nashim, Nezikin, Kodashim, Tahorot; 63 tractates.
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mishnah was arranged in the days of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, building on the earlier arrangements of Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Meir.
The Talmud itself never narrates the redaction; the classic account is Rav Sherira Gaon's epistle (10th c.). Academic scholarship accepts redaction c. 200 CE under Yehudah HaNasi while debating whether it was written or oral at that stage.
|
rabbinic tradition | ★★★★☆ | |
| Whether the Mishnah was committed to writing at redaction or transmitted orally for generations afterward is disputed (Rashi holds it remained oral; Rambam implies it was written). | tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |