person · P0213
Rav Papa רב פפא
Student of Abaye and Rava who founded his own academy at Naresh, near Sura, and headed it for nineteen years (fifth generation, Bavel). Famous for compromise rulings that uphold both sides of earlier disputes; wealthy from brewing date-beer. His generation is the bridge between Rava and Rav Ashi.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- רב פפא
- Era
- amoraim
- Generation
- A5
- Received the mesorah from
- Abaye, Rava
- Teachers
- Abaye, Rava
II. When
- Traditional
- d. 4135 AM (Seleucid 687 = 375/376 CE, per the Iggeret)
- Academic
- c. 300–375 CE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈75 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Naresh
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| His attendance on Abaye is preserved in exchanges like "Rav Papa said to Abaye: why did miracles happen for the earlier generations and not for us?" — one instance of the constant talmudic record of his study before both Abaye and Rava.
The Rambam's chain skips his generation (jumping Rava→Rav Ashi); the edges here rest on the pervasive talmudic attestation of his studenthood under both masters.
|
rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| "Rav Papa was at Naresh, near Sura; he reigned nineteen years and died in the Seleucid year 687" (375/376 CE). | tradition | ★★★★☆ | |
| Rav Papa manufactured beer and attributed his wealth to that business.
A variant in the same passage attributes the statement to Rav Chisda, but Rav Papa is the primary attribution.
|
rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Rav Papa and Rav Huna bar Yehoshua engaged together in commercial activity and were men of substantial means.
The commercial partnership is talmudic; the encyclopedic article synthesizes their means.
|
rabbinic external | ★★★★☆ |