Pt1 The 40-stage, 1800-year chain of transmission of the Oral Law From Sinai to the Redaction of the Talmud According to Maimonides’ Introduction to Mishneh Torah

From Moses (c. 13th century BCE) to Rav Ashi (c. 5th century CE)

This is the first part of a two-part series. The outline of the series is below.¹

Maimonides in the introduction to his Mishneh Torah presents a stylized outline of the 40-stage chain of transmission of the Oral Law (תורה שבעל פה). It traces the passage of Torah Shebe’al Peh from Moses at Sinai down to Rav Ashi and Ravina, the final redactors of the Babylonian Talmud, covering approximately 1,800 years.²

Maimonides builds his list on earlier sources, particularly Avot 1-2, but expands and systematizes the names, adding biblical prophets, lesser-known transmitters, and sages of the Talmudic academies. Each figure in the list is said to have “received” the tradition³ from a previous authoritative court or teacher, forming an unbroken chain of legitimate transmission.

The chain begins with Moses,⁴ who transmits the Oral Law to Joshua (39), along with Elazar and Pinchas. From there, it continues through biblical judges, prophets, and kings, including Samuel (36), David (35), Elijah (33), Isaiah (27), Jeremiah (21), and finally Baruch ben Neriyah (20), who hands it to Ezra (19). Ezra and his court, the Members of the Great Assembly, consolidate and formalize the tradition (i.e. the Oral Law) in the early Second Temple period.

Next comes the era of the Zugot (“pairs” of scholars), beginning with Antignos of Socho (17) and culminating in Hillel and Shammai (12). Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai (11) and his disciples anchor the transition to the Tannaim, who transmit to R. Akiva, R. Meir, and eventually to R. Yehuda HaNasi (6), the redactor of the Mishnah.

R. Yehuda HaNasi’s disciples form the bridge to the Amoraim, including Rav, Shmuel, and R. Yochanan (5). These sages teach the next generation, including Rav Huna (4), Rabbah (3), Abaye and Rava (2), and finally Rav Ashi (1), credited with the redaction of the Babylonian Talmud in the late 5th century CE.

This chain isn’t merely historical, it’s ideological. Maimonides uses it to validate his legal system, arguing that the authority of halakhah rests on a continuous, communal transmission going back to Sinai. By carefully naming each link, Maimonides reinforces the legitimacy of the Oral Law while bypassing the later Geonic tradition,⁵ presenting his Mishneh Torah as the direct heir to Talmudic authority.

Outline

Intro

The Passage - The 40-stage, 1800-year chain of transmission of the Oral Law From Sinai to the Redaction of the Talmud According to Maimonides’ Introduction to Mishneh Torah

(Transmission_of_the_Oral_Law.4-11)

Moses to Men of the Great Assembly

1. Moses (40) to Joshua (39) [13th c. BCE]

2. Joshua to Achiah of Shiloh (34) [thru 10th c. BCE] - A List of 5

3. Prophets: Elijah (33) to Ezra (19) [thru 5th c. BCE] - A List of 15

4. Ezra and the Men of the Great Assembly [thru 3rd c. BCE] - A List of 6

5. Shimon HaTzadik (18) [3rd c. BCE]

Zugot: Antignos of Socho (17) to and R' Shimon (11), the son of Hillel the elder [thru mid-1st c. CE] - A List of 7

Tannaim

1. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai’s students [c. 100 CE; 2nd generation Tannaim] - A List of 5

2. R' Akiva, R' Yishmael, and R' Meir [early 2nd century CE; 3rd generation Tannaim]

3. R' Meir’s Circle - A List of 8 [4th generation Tannaim]

4. R' Akiva's Circle - A List of 3

5. The Patriarchate: Rabban Gamliel the Elder (10) to R' Yehudah HaNasi (6) - A List of 5

6. R’ Yehuda HaNasi’s Circle (Transmission_of_the_Oral_Law.16-20) [early 3rd century CE; 5th generation Tannaim / 1st generation Amoraim] - A List of 10

Amoraim

1. R' Yochanan, Rav, and Shmuel (5) [mid-3rd century CE; 1st/2nd generation of Amoraim]

2. Tannaitic Literature and the Jerusalem Talmud - Rav’s Sifra and the Sifre, R' Chiyya’s Tosefta, Baraitot of R' Hoshaia and Bar-Kapara, R' Yochanan and the Jerusalem Talmud

3. Students of Rav and Shmuel - including Rav Huna (4) [2nd generation of Babylonian Amoraim] - List of 4

4. Students of R' Yochanan [3rd generation Amoraim of Eretz Yisrael] - List of 5

5. Students of Rav Huna & Rav Yehuda, Rabbah (3) & Rav Yosef, Abaye & Rava (2), and Rav Ashi (1) and Ravina [thru 5th century CE; 3rd-6th generation Babylonian Amoraim]

List summarizing the 40-stage, 1800-year chain of transmission of the Oral Law (Transmission_of_the_Oral_Law.21)

Appendix 1 - Table summarizing 40-stage, 1800-year chain of transmission of the Oral Law as described in Maimonides's introduction to the Mishneh Torah, from Moses (c. 13th century BCE) to Rav Ashi (c. 5th century CE)

Appendix 2 - All Figures Explicitly Mentioned by Maimonides in this Passage - A List of 96 Names

(Transmission_of_the_Oral_Law.4-11)

Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Transmission_of_the_Oral_Law.4-11

Moses to Men of the Great Assembly

Moses (40) to Joshua (39) [13th c. BCE]

(See footnote.)⁶

אף על פי שלא נכתבה תורה שבעל פה,

למדה משה רבנו כלה בבית דינו לשבעים זקנים;

1. ואלעזר

2. ופינחס

3. ויהושוע --

שלשתן קבלו ממשה.

וליהושוע שהוא תלמידו שלמשה רבנו, מסר תורה שבעל פה

וצוהו עליה;

וכן יהושוע, כל ימי חייו למד על פה.

Even though the Oral Law was not transcribed,

Moses (40), our teacher, taught it in its entirety in his court⁷ to the 70 Elders (שבעים זקנים).

1. and Elazar,

2. and Pinchas (38),

3. and Joshua (39) --

all three received [the tradition] from Moses.

[In particular, Moses] transmitted the Oral Law to Joshua, who was his [primary] disciple,

and instructed him regarding it.

Similarly, throughout his life Joshua taught the Oral Law.

Joshua to Achiah of Shiloh (34) [thru 10th c. BCE] - A List of 5

1. וזקנים רבים

   1. קבלו מיהושוע,

2. וקבל עלי מן הזקנים ומפינחס;

3. ושמואל

   1. קבל מעלי ובית דינו,

4. ודויד

   1. קבל משמואל ובית דינו.

5. ואחיה השילוני, מיוצאי מצרים היה ולוי היה, ושמע ממשה, והיה קטן בימי משה;

   1. והוא קבל מדויד ובית דינו.

1. Many Elders (זקנים רבים)

   1. received [the tradition] from Joshua.

2. Eli (37)

   1. received [the tradition] from the Elders and from Pinchas.

3. Samuel (36)

   1. received [the tradition] from Eli and his court.

4. David (35)

   1. received [the tradition] from Samuel and his court.

5. Achiah of Shiloh (34) was one of those who experienced the Exodus from Egypt. He was a Levite and heard [teachings] from Moses. He was, however, of low stature (or: young) in Moses' age.

   1. [Later,] he received [the tradition] from David and his court.

Prophets: Elijah (33) to Ezra (19) [thru 5th c. BCE] - A List of 15

(See footnote.)⁸

1. אליהו

   1. קבל מאחיה השילוני ובית דינו,

2. ואלישע

   1. קבל מאליהו ובית דינו,

3. ויהוידע הכוהן

   1. קבל מאלישע ובית דינו,

4. וזכריהו

   1. קבל מיהוידע ובית דינו,

5. והושע

   1. קבל מזכריה ובית דינו,

6. ועמוס

   1. קבל מהושע ובית דינו,

7. וישעיהו

   1. קבל מעמוס ובית דינו,

8. ומיכה

   1. קבל מישעיה ובית דינו,

9. ויואל

   1. קבל ממיכה ובית דינו,

10. ונחום

    1. קבל מיואל ובית דינו,

11. וחבקוק

    1. קבל מנחום ובית דינו,

12. וצפניה

    1. קבל מחבקוק ובית דינו,

13. וירמיה

    1. קבל מצפניה ובית דינו,

14. וברוך בן נריה

    1. קבל מירמיה ובית דינו,

15. ועזרא ובית דינו

    1. קבלו מברוך ובית דינו.

1. Elijah (33)

   1. received [the tradition] from Achiah of Shiloh and his court.

2. Elisha (32)

   1. received [the tradition] from Elijah and his court.

3. Yehoyada, the priest (31),

   1. received [the tradition] from Elisha and his court.

4. Zechariah (30)

   1. received [the tradition] from Yehoyada and his court.

5. Hoshea (29)

   1. received [the tradition] from Zechariah and his court.

6. Amos (28)

   1. received [the tradition] from Hoshea and his court.

7. Isaiah (27)

   1. received [the tradition] from Amos and his court.

8. Michah (26)

   1. received [the tradition] from Isaiah and his court.

9. Yoel (25)

   1. received [the tradition] from Michah and his court.

10. Nachum (24)

    1. received [the tradition] from Yoel and his court.

11. Chabbakuk (23)

    1. received [the tradition] from Nachum and his court.

12. Tzefaniah (22)

    1. received [the tradition] from Chabbakuk and his court.

13. Jeremiah (21)

    1. received [the tradition] from Tzefaniah and his court.

14. Baruch ben Neriyah (20)

    1. received [the tradition] from Jeremiah and his court.

15. Ezra (19) and his court

    1. received [the tradition] from Baruch and his court.⁹

Ezra and the Men of the Great Assembly [thru 3rd c. BCE] - A List of 6

(See footnote.)¹⁰

בית דינו שלעזרא, הם הנקראין אנשי כנסת הגדולה.

והם:

1. חגי זכריה ומלאכי,

2. ודניאל

3. חנניה מישאל ועזריה,

4. ונחמיה בן חכליה,

5. ומרדכי,

6. וזרבבל;

והרבה חכמים עמהם,

תשלום מאה ועשרים זקנים.

[The members of] Ezra's court are referred to as the Men of the Great Assembly.

They are:

1. Chaggai, Zechariah, Malachi,

2. Daniel,

3. Chananiah, Mishael, Azariah,

4. Nechemiah ben Chakaliah,

5. Mordechai,

6. Zerubavel

and many other sages -

120 Elders in all.

Shimon HaTzadik (18) [3rd c. BCE]

האחרון מהם הוא שמעון הצדיק,

והוא היה מכלל המאה ועשרים,

וקבל תורה שבעל פה מכלן;

והוא היה כוהן גדול, אחר עזרא.

The last [surviving] member of this group [=Members of the Great Assembly], was Shimon the Just (18).

He was included among the 120 Elders [=Members of the Great Assembly]

and received the Oral Law from all of them.

He served as the High Priest after Ezra.

Zugot: Antignos of Socho (17) to and R' Shimon (11), the son of Hillel the Elder [thru mid-1st c. CE] - A List of 7

(See footnote.)¹¹

1. אנטיגנוס איש שוכו ובית דינו

   1. קבלו משמעון הצדיק ובית דינו,

2. 1. ויוסף בן יועזר איש צרדה

   2. ויוסף בן יוחנן איש ירושלים ובית דינם

      1. קבלו מאנטיגנוס ובית דינו,

3. 1. ויהושוע בן פרחיה

   2. ונתאי הארבלי ובית דינם

      1. קבלו מיוסף ויוסף ובית דינם,

4. 1. ויהודה בן טבאי

   2. ושמעון בן שטח ובית דינם

      1. קבלו מיהושוע ונתאי ובית דינם.

5. 1. שמעיה

   2. ואבטליון גרי הצדק ובית דינם

      1. קבלו מיהודה ושמעון ובית דינם.

6. 1. והלל

   2. ושמאי ובית דינם

      1. קבלו משמעיה ואבטליון ובית דינם.

7. 1. ורבן יוחנן בן זכאי

   2. ורבן שמעון בנו שלהלל

      1. קבלו מהלל ובית דינו.

1. Antignos of Socho and his court (17)

   1. received [the tradition] from Shimon the Just and his court.

2. 1. Yosse ben Yo'ezer of Tzreidah

   2. and Yosef ben Yochanan of Jerusalem (16) and their court

      1. received [the tradition] from Antignos and his court.

3. 1. Yehoshua ben Perachiah

   2. and Nittai of Arbel (15) and their court

      1. received [the tradition] from Yosse ben Yo'ezer and Yosef ben Yochanan and their court.

4. 1. Yehudah ben Tabbai

   2. and Shimon ben Shatach (14) and their court

      1. received [the tradition] from Yehoshua ben Perachiah and Nittai of Arbel and their court.

5. 1. Shemayah

   2. and Avtalion (13), [who were] converts (גרי הצדק), and their court

      1. received [the tradition] from Yehudah and Shimon and their court.

6. 1. Hillel

   2. and Shammai (12) and their court

      1. received [the tradition] from Shemayah and Avtalion and their court.

7. 1. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai

   2. and R' Shimon (11), the son of Hillel the elder,

      1. received [the tradition] from Hillel [and Shammai] and his [their] court[s].

1. Compare my recent pieces on tractate Avot, upon which much of Maimonides’ outline is based.

And compare also my piece on medieval Jewish chronologies of Tannaim and Amoraim (more relevant to Part 2 of this series): “Two Major Medieval Sources on Amoraic Chronology: R' Avraham ibn Daud's Sefer HaKabbalah and Meiri's 'Intro' to Commentary on Avot“.

The Meiri’s outline there is based on that of Maimonides’ here.

And compare my other series on passages from the beginning of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah: “The Celestial Spheres According to Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah (Laws of Foundations of the Torah 3:1-9)“, final part here.

2. Compare the intriguing Talmudic statements in my “Moses, R' Yehuda HaNasi, and Rav Ashi: The Pinnacles of Torah and Secular Authority (Gittin 59a)“:

ואמר רבה בריה דרבא,

ואיתימא רבי הילל בריה דרבי וולס:

מימות משה ועד רבי,

לא מצינו תורה וגדולה במקום אחד

[…]

אמר רב אחא בריה דרבא:

אף אני אומר:

מימות רבי ועד רב אשי,

לא מצינו תורה וגדולה במקום אחד

Rabba, son of Rava, says,

and some say that it was R' Hillel, son of R' Volas, who says:

From the days of Moses and until the days of R' Yehuda HaNasi

we do not find unparalleled greatness in Torah knowledge and unparalleled greatness in secular matters, including wealth and high political office, combined in one place (תורה וגדולה במקום אחד), i.e., in a single individual.

[…]

Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, says:

I also say something similar,

that from the days of R' Yehuda HaNasi and until the days of Rav Ashi,

we do not find unparalleled greatness in Torah knowledge and unparalleled greatness in secular matters, including wealth and high political office, combined in one place, i.e., in a single individual.

3. In Maimonides' introduction, the term 'received' consistently serves as shorthand for 'received the tradition of the Oral Law', much like in tractate Avot (and based on that), where 'received' stands for 'received the Torah'.

4. Stage 40. Stage 40 refers to the numbering based on Maimonides’ own summary list of 40 transmitters, at the end of his introduction. I’ll cite that list in Part 2 of this series.

That summary is at Transmission_of_the_Oral_Law.21; the figures are listed in reverse chronological order.

Screenshot of how the original Hebrew list appears at Sefaria:

That list of Maimonides is formatted and each figure hyperlinked at Hebrew Wikipedia, “שלשלת הקבלה“, section “רשימת ראשי הקבלה“.

The number 40 here is clearly idealized and typological. The number 40 is a common “magic number” in classical rabbinic literature. See the extensive list in Wikipedia, “40 (number)“, section “Judaism“.

In our context, the closest—and likely inspiration—is “Moses spent three consecutive periods of ‘forty days and forty nights’ on Mount Sinai“ (see Wikipedia, ibid.).

And see also ibid., the first item:

In the Hebrew Bible, forty is often used for time periods, forty days or forty years, which separate "two distinct epochs".

And see also the corresponding Hebrew Wikipedia entry for additional items, “40 (מספר)“, sections “ביהדות“, see especially sub-section “בחז"ל“.

Maimonides’ attempt to structure the transmission of the Oral Torah into 40 stages is somewhat analogous to his massive effort to categorize all the commandments as exactly 613 (first in his Sefer HaMitzvot and then in the introduction to Mishneh Torah).

5. Maimonides famously downplays the Bablylonian Geonim, using the term “geonim” in a generic way, later in the intro, section 36:

כל החכמים שעמדו אחר חבור התלמוד

ובנו בו,

ויצא להם שם בחכמתם –

הם הנקראים גאונים.

וכל אלו הגאונים שעמדו

1. בארץ ישראל

2. ובארץ שנער

3. ובספרד

4. ובצרפת

למדו דרך התלמוד

והוציאו לאור תעלומותיו

ובארו עניניו,

לפי שדרך עמוקה דרכו עד למאוד

All the Sages who arose after the composition of the Talmud

and comprehended (or: built upon) it

and they gained a reputation (שם) for their wisdom

are called “geonim”.

All these geonim that arose

1. in Eretz Yisrael,

2. Babylonia (ארץ שנער),

3. Spain,

4. and France

taught the Talmud’s manner (דרך התלמוד - literally: “way of the Talmud”),

revealing its secrets (תעלומותיו)

and explaining its matters (עניניו),

since [the Talmud's] manner is very deep (i.e. complicated/complex)

6. This list is based on the Mishnah in tractate Avot, see my recent piece here, section “The Transmission of Torah from Sinai: Moses, Joshua, The Elders, The Prophets, and Men of the Great Assembly (1:1)“.

And compare also the baraita quoted in Eruvin.54b.11-12, which gives a detailed account of how Moses taught the Torah to Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and the Elders.

7. בית דינו.

The formula “so-and-so and his court (beit din - literally: “house of judgement”)” is a recurring one throughout Maimonides’ intro, having the connotation of “circle of sages, academy”.

The formula is found in the Talmudic literature, including for biblical figures, compare the mention of “Samuel’s court” in Yevamot.77a.1:

כך מקובלני מבית דינו של שמואל הרמתי:

• ״עמוני״, ולא עמונית.

• ״מואבי״, ולא מואבית

This is the tradition that I [=Amasa] received (מקובלני) from the court (בית דינו) of Samuel from Rama:

• An Ammonite man is prohibited from entering into the congregation, but not an Ammonite woman;

• a Moabite man is prohibited from entering into the congregation, but not a Moabite woman.

Compare also the mentions in Talmudic literature of historical late Second Temple courts: “Hasmonean court”, “priestly court”, “Zadokite court”; see discussion in Heiman, בית דין של חשמונאים and בית דין של צדוקים. As well as the many mentions of the Sanhedrin, which is viewed as a form of supreme court (בית דין הגדול - literally: “great beit din”).

The formula is especially common for members of the Patriarchate, namely Rabban Gamliel and R’ Yehuda HaNasi, see search results here.

Worth noting: in all these cases, 'court' refers to a judicial body (beit din), or more broadly a scholarly or legal assembly. It shouldn’t be confused with the other English meaning of 'court' as in 'courtyard' or a 'royal court'. In Hebrew, “courtyard” is hatzer (חצר), and in later Ashkenazi Hebrew, this word came to have the broader connotation of ‘royal court’, as in European languages, and even later used as the circle/retinue around a Hasidic leader. (Compare Yiddish hoyf.)

8. While Maimonides doesn’t say this outright, nearly all the figures in his list are prophets. See the Wikipedia page “Template: Prophets in the Hebrew Bible”, screenshot below. I marked a red tick above those who appear in Maimonides’ count of the formal transmission stages of the Oral Torah:

Others in that template are mentioned by Maimonides but aren't included among the formal numbered stages in his list of the Oral Torah's transmission.

See especially in section “Ezra and the Men of the Great Assembly [thru 3rd c. BCE] - A List of 6“, where Maimonides lists the following additional prophets: Chaggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Daniel, and Mordechai.

9. It’s worth noting that this stage is particularly problematic; Jeremiah—and thus his secretary Baruch—was active during the final decades of the First Temple (late 7th–early 6th century BCE). Ezra appears a century later, active during the Persian restoration (mid-5th century BCE).

This may explain why, in this case alone in this section (Prophets: Elijah (33) to Ezra (19) [thru 5th c. BCE] - A List of 15), he adds the phrase "and his court" to the first clause — "Ezra (19) and his court received from Baruch and his court" — whereas for the other 14 transmissions listed in this section, "and his court" appears only in the second clause, as in "B received from A and his court."

As a general point, as mentioned earlier, Maimonides’ model of transmission is highly idealized.

10. Compare the similar list of biblical figures in Megillah.15a.4, citing a baraita:

1. ברוך בן נריה

2. ושריה בן מעשיה,

3. ודניאל

4. ומרדכי בלשן

5. וחגי, זכריה ומלאכי —

כולן נתנבאו בשנת שתים לדריוש. .

1. Baruch ben Neriah

2. Seraiah ben Mahseiah

3. Daniel

4. Mordecai Bilshan

5. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi —

all prophesied in the 2nd year of the reign of Darius.

11. This list is based on the transmitters cited chronologically in the first chapter of Mishnah tractate Avot, see my recent series: “Tripartite Aphorisms: From The Men of the Great Assembly to Rabban Gamaliel’s Dynasty (Mishnah Avot 1:1-2:4)“, final part here.

And see my outline of the names and chronology in my intro to Part 1, section “List of all the named individuals mentioned in the chapter, in order of appearance“.