person · P0134
Rabban Gamliel of Yavneh רבן גמליאל דיבנה
Grandson of Rabban Gamliel HaZaken and son of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel I, he succeeded Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai as Nasi at Yavneh. He forged the scattered post-destruction community into a single halakhic body: standardizing the Amidah, asserting central control of the calendar, and enforcing majority rule with a severity that led to his temporary deposition in favor of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- רבן גמליאל דיבנה
- Also known as
- Gamliel II, Rabban Gamliel II, Gamliel of Yavneh
- Era
- tannaim
- Generation
- T2
- Received the mesorah from
- Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel I
- Transmitted the mesorah to
- Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel II
- Parents
- Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel I
- Colleagues
- Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiah, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas, Shmuel HaKatan
- Children
- Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel II
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3810–3878 AM
- Academic
- c. 50–118 CE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈68 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Yavneh
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under his presidency at Yavneh, Shimon HaPakuli arranged the eighteen blessings of the Amidah in order before him, and he asked for a sage to compose the birkat haminim, which Shmuel HaKatan composed. | rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Asserted the Nasi's authority over the calendar: when Rabbi Yehoshua disputed his acceptance of the new-moon witnesses, he decreed that Rabbi Yehoshua appear before him with staff and money on the day that fell as Yom Kippur by Rabbi Yehoshua's reckoning — and Rabbi Yehoshua complied. | rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| After repeatedly humiliating Rabbi Yehoshua (in the dispute over whether the evening prayer is obligatory), he was deposed from the office of Nasi and Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah was appointed in his place; he was later restored, sharing the office.
The deposition narrative is told with aggadic elaboration; the restoration arrangement (Rabban Gamliel expounding three weeks, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah one) is per the Bavli's version.
|
rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Traveled together with Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Akiva; the Bavli depicts the company hearing the tumult of the city of Rome from a great distance.
Aggadic travel narrative; the journey is traditionally connected with a delegation to Rome, though the sugya itself does not state its purpose.
|
rabbinic | ★★★☆☆ | |
| His sister was Imma Shalom, the wife of Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus.
The identification is stated directly, within an aggadic story about a corrupt judge.
|
rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Traditional placement c. 3810–3878 AM (c. 50–118 CE): heir of the Hillelite line who led Yavneh in the generation after the destruction and died before the Bar Kokhba revolt.
Schematic traditional dating. |
tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |