Die Mischna

The Mishnah, whose development began during the time of the Second Temple, was formally recorded around 200 CE by Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi as a summary of rabbinic scholarship. It serves, as a record of the orally transmitted tradition (especially the commentaries on the Torah), alongside the Pentateuch, as the central source of Jewish religious laws. Thus, the Mishnah became the foundation of the Talmud and all subsequent legal works of rabbinic Judaism. In addition to regulations, the Mishnah also contains historical material from the time of the Second Temple and the New Testament, as well as wisdom literature and moral teachings. Therefore, the Mishnah represents the first major culmination of rabbinic thought and outlines what Judaism signifies in its initial stage of development, influencing all later developments to this day.