Rabbis Incognito: Generic, Anonymous, and Group Referents in the Talmud
“Rabbis”, “Sages”, “Masters”, “Elders”, and more
Intro
Within the Talmud, various referents are used to attribute statements, teachings, and opinions. These referents can be generic, anonymous, or represent groups rather than individuals.1
Outline
Rabbanan (רבנן) - Rabbis
Chachamim (חכמים) - Sages
Mar (מר) - [the] Master
V'yesh Omrim (ויש אומרים) - And Some Say
Beit Midrash of Rabbi/Rav (דבי רבי / דבי רב) - The School of Rabbi/Rav
Acherim (אחרים) - Others
Savi/Zekeni (סבי / זקני) - The Elders
B'Maarava (במערבא) - In the West
No identifier at all
Rabbanan (רבנן) - Rabbis
The term "רבנן" (Rabbanan) is best translated as "the Rabbis" and is used to refer to a collective group of rabbinic authorities. This referent typically signifies a consensus or a commonly accepted view among the sages of the Talmud.
For example, "תנו רבנן" (Tanu Rabbanan) introduces a baraita (a teaching outside the Mishnah), and it appears ~2.5k times in the Talmud.
Examples:
תנו רבנן
רבנן אמרי
Chachamim (חכמים) - Sages
Similar to Rabbanim, "חכמים" (Ḥakhamim) refers to the anonymous, majority opinion. It's essentially the earlier, Hebrew equivalent, used especially in the Mishnah
Examples:
וחכמים אומרים (appears ~1450 times in the Talmud)
Mar (מר) - [the] Master
The title "מר" (Mar) is an honorific used to address or refer to a respected teacher or master.
This term is sometimes used to refer back to a statement made previously (compare the term גופא), but in many cases, it introduces a new statement.
Examples:
אמר מר; והאמר מר
V'yesh Omrim (ויש אומרים) - And Some Say
The phrase "ויש אומרים" (V'yesh Omrim - “and some say” - appears ~830 times in the Talmud) introduces an alternative opinion or interpretation. This is often used to present a minority view or a dissenting opinion within the rabbinic debate.
Examples:
ויש אומרים
Beit Midrash of Rabbi/Rav (דבי רבי / דבי רב) - The School of Rabbi/Rav X
"דבי רבי / רב" (meaning “House / School of Rabbi/Rav”, followed by the name of the specific sage whose school it comes from) refers to the disciples or the teachings emanating from a specific rabbinic academy. This term is especially associated with R’ Yishmael.
Examples:
תנא דבי רב - appears ~530 times in the Talmud
אמרי בי רב - appears ~890 times in the Talmud
Acherim (אחרים) - Others
The term "אחרים" (Aḥerim) means "others" and is used to refer to anonymous scholars. Similar to יש אומרים, this term can sometimes imply a group of lesser-known or minority opinions.
Examples:
אחרים אומרים (appears ~1100 times in the Talmud)
Savi/Zekeni (סבי / זקני) - The Elders
"Savi" (סבי) or "Zekeni" (זקני or זקנים) meaning “(the Elders”) are terms that refer to the older, more experienced scholars.2
Examples:
סבי דפומבדיתא
B'Maarava (במערבא) - In the West
The phrase "במערבא" (B'Maarava) means "In the West" and refers to the rabbinic academies and scholars in Eretz Yisrael, as opposed to Babylonia.
Examples:
במערבא אמרי (appears ~130 times in the Talmud)
No identifier at all
The Talmud also contains anonymous statements, where the speaker or source is not referred to with any identifier at all. These anonymous teachings, often referred to in the Talmud as "Stam”.3
For more on formulas like this in the Talmud, with further examples, see my piece “Signposts”.
Examples:
תנן - appears ~2700 times in the Talmud
תניא - appears ~4900 times in the Talmud
תא שמע - appears ~1500 times in the Talmud
מיתיבי
במתניתא תנא
תני [רבי / רב X]
Referents the Talmud uses for anonymous statements
תנא קמא - “first tana" - appears ~660 times
סתם משנה - " anonymous Mishna”- appears ~80 times
רבים - meaning, “the majority [opinion]”, the term כְּרַבִּים appears ~20 times in the Talmud)
Related to this, but not something I'll discuss in this piece: many of the most commonly found names in the Talmud are likely not personal names, but honorifics:
רבי - traditionally identified with R’ Yehuda Hanasi
רב - traditionally identified with Abba Aricha
רבא
אביי
רבין
I hope to elaborate on this in a later piece.
Equivalent to the Biblical “Zekenim”.
And compare Roman Senate, from “senatus”: “From senex (“old”) + -ātus; literally, a chamber of elders”.
“סתם”; this should not be confused with the modern academic term for the anonymous stratum of the Talmud, which uses the same word, referring to the editorial voice of the compilers of the Talmud.