Gamaliel III

Jewish scholar
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Quick Facts
Flourished:
3rd century ad
Flourished:
c.201 - c.249

Gamaliel III (flourished 3rd century ad) was the eldest son of Judah ha-Nasi, and the renowned editor of the Mishna (the basic compilation of Jewish oral law).

A direct descendant of the sage Hillel, Gamaliel became patriarch of the Jewish community in Palestine in approximately ad 220 and, consequently, head of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish legislative body of that time. Beyond the fact that Gamaliel helped complete the Mishna, almost nothing else is known about him. Three of his sayings were incorporated in Avot (“Fathers”), a treatise of the Mishna, and there are a few scattered references to him in other postbiblical sources.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.