Church History · About AD 200 to 500

The Mishnah and the Talmud

After the temple fell in AD 70, Jewish rabbis gathered their oral teachings into the Mishnah about AD 200. Commentary on it grew into the Jerusalem Talmud about 400 and the much larger Babylonian Talmud about 500 to 600. These books became the heart of rabbinic Judaism, and a few passages appear to mention Jesus.

Read it in the Bible: Mark 7:1-13 Matthew 19:3-9 John 5:39 Romans 3:2

The Mishnah and the Talmud are the central books of rabbinic Judaism after the Bible. When the Romans destroyed the temple in AD 70, Jewish life could no longer center on sacrifice in Jerusalem. The rabbis turned to study of the law. Around AD 200, Rabbi Judah the Prince gathered their oral teachings into the Mishnah. Over the next few centuries, discussion of the Mishnah grew into the Jerusalem Talmud, about AD 400, and the much larger Babylonian Talmud, finished about 500 to 600. For Christians, these books help explain the Jewish world of Jesus, and a few passages appear to mention Him.

What Is the Mishnah?

Rabbinic Judaism teaches that God gave Moses two Torahs at Sinai. One was written, the five books of Moses. The other was oral, a body of explanation passed down by teachers. The Pharisees of Jesus' day held to these traditions, and the rabbis after AD 70 carried them on.

After two disastrous revolts against Rome, in 66 to 70 and 132 to 135, rabbis worried that the oral teaching could be lost. Rabbi Judah ha Nasi, meaning Judah the Prince, organized it into a written book around AD 200. That book is the Mishnah, from a Hebrew word meaning repetition or study.

The Mishnah is divided into six orders, covering farming, holy days, marriage, civil and criminal law, temple sacrifice and ritual purity. Each order is split into tractates, 63 in all. It's mostly in Hebrew and is written as a record of rabbis' rulings and debates.

What Is the Talmud?

Once the Mishnah was written, rabbis in two main centers began discussing it line by line. Their discussion is called the Gemara, meaning completion. The Mishnah plus the Gemara together make up the Talmud, from a word meaning study or learning.

The Jerusalem Talmud, also called the Palestinian Talmud, was put together by rabbis in Galilee, especially at Tiberias. Most scholars date its completion to around AD 400.
The Babylonian Talmud was put together by rabbis in the Jewish communities of Babylonia, in what is now Iraq. Tradition dates its completion to around AD 500, and many scholars say it was finished during the 500s or a little later.

When people say the Talmud, they usually mean the Babylonian one. It is enormous. The standard printed edition fills about 2,700 double sided pages in 20 or more large volumes, around 2.5 million words. It really is the size of an encyclopedia set. It's written mostly in Aramaic and Hebrew, and its back and forth style takes real training to follow. It was first printed in full by Daniel Bomberg in Venice in 1520 to 1523.

How Do the Mishnah and Talmud Help Christians Read the Bible?

Even though these books were written after the New Testament, they preserve debates and customs that go back to the time of Jesus. Christian scholars use them to understand the world of the Gospels. For example:

The Mishnah records the debate between the schools of Hillel and Shammai on divorce, which helps explain the question the Pharisees asked Jesus in Matthew 19.
It describes the Passover meal in detail, which sheds light on the Last Supper.
It records rules about the Sabbath, ritual hand washing and temple worship that come up in the Gospels.

Jesus Himself engaged with these traditions. He honored the law and also challenged traditions He believed were missing its heart.

You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me, John 5:39

One caution: the Mishnah was written down around 170 years after Jesus, so not every detail can be assumed to describe the early first century.

What Does the Talmud Say About Jesus?

A handful of passages mention a man called Yeshu, and scholars debate whether they refer to Jesus of Nazareth. The best known is in the Babylonian Talmud, in the tractate Sanhedrin, page 43a. It says Yeshu was executed on the eve of Passover for practicing sorcery and leading Israel astray. Other passages make insulting claims about his birth and his fate after death.

Scholars read these texts in different ways:

Many, including the scholar Peter Schäfer in his 2007 book Jesus in the Talmud, think the passages do refer to Jesus. Schäfer sees them as later Jewish responses to Christian claims, written mostly in the 200s to 400s, during a time of rivalry.
Others think some passages refer to different people named Yeshu, a common name, and were only later linked to Jesus. Jewish scholars in the Middle Ages often made this argument.
Most historians agree these passages are late and tell us little reliable about the life of Jesus.

For Christians, the most interesting detail is that even a hostile source agrees Jesus was executed at Passover and was known for doing wonders. It explains the wonders differently, but it doesn't deny them. Exhibit A on this site looks at this and other evidence for Jesus outside the Bible.

Honesty also requires saying that Christians did great harm here. In 1242, after a public trial of the Talmud in Paris, cartloads of copies were burned. Church authorities in later centuries censored or banned it. Many Jewish people still remember this, and it is right for Christians to remember it too.

Why the Talmud Matters for You Today

The Mishnah and Talmud show a people working hard to stay faithful to God after their temple was gone. Christians and Jews share the Hebrew Scriptures and a deep love for God's law. We part ways on the question of who Jesus is.

For Christians, the answer to the loss of the temple is Jesus Himself, the One who said He was greater than the temple. Paul felt this deeply and longed for his own people to know their Messiah.

Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. Romans 3:2

That is a reason for respect, gratitude and prayer, never for contempt.

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Questions People Ask

What is the difference between the Mishnah and the Talmud?

The Mishnah is the written collection of rabbinic oral law, finished about AD 200 by Rabbi Judah the Prince. The Talmud is the Mishnah plus the Gemara, a long commentary and discussion of it. There are two Talmuds, the Jerusalem Talmud from about 400 and the Babylonian Talmud from about 500 to 600.

When was the Talmud written?

The Jerusalem Talmud was completed around AD 400, and the Babylonian Talmud around AD 500 to 600. Both grew out of centuries of discussion on the Mishnah, which was written down around AD 200. Rabbinic Judaism traces the oral teaching back to Moses.

Does the Talmud mention Jesus?

A few passages mention a man called Yeshu, and many scholars believe they refer to Jesus. The best known, Sanhedrin 43a, says Yeshu was executed on the eve of Passover for sorcery and leading Israel astray. Others argue some passages refer to different people, and most historians see them as late and polemical.

How big is the Talmud?

The Babylonian Talmud is about 2.5 million words. The standard Vilna edition has about 2,700 double sided folio pages in many volumes. It covers 63 tractates arranged in six orders.

Sources

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