institution · I0001
Zekenim (the Elders) זקנים
The Elders who outlived Yehoshua, and the judges who followed them — the corporate body carrying the Torah from Yehoshua to the prophets. Individual figures of this era in the atlas include Pinchas (Pinchas), Devorah (Devorah), and Eli (Eli), who — per the Rambam — received from the Elders and from Pinchas; the sanctuary at Shilo (Mishkan Shilo) was the era's institutional center.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- זקנים
- Era
- bible
- Received the mesorah from
- Yehoshua
- Transmitted the mesorah to
- Eli, Nevi'im (the Prophets)
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 2488–2830 AM (era of the Elders and Judges)
- Duration
- ≈342 years
- Precision
- approximate
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Elders received the Torah from Yehoshua and transmitted it to the Prophets. | rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| "Israel served God all the days of Yehoshua and all the days of the Elders whose days extended beyond Yehoshua." | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| The date range shown spans the traditional era of the Elders and Judges; it is a schematic band, not a dated institution.
Schematic traditional dating. |
tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |
Referenced by: Torah SheBaal Peh