Tanaaim

The Tannaim were generations of Jewish teachers active from roughly the first to the early third centuries CE. Their primary role was to transmit, debate, and refine interpretive teachings connected to the Torah. These teachings were passed on through memorization and instruction before being collected in written form. The work of the Tannaim provided the basic structure for later rabbinic literature, especially legal discussion and interpretive methods. They represent the formative stage of Rabbinic Judaism, when authority shifted from temple-centered leadership to learned teachers and textual interpretation.