Mar Zutra (, died 417 CE) was a

Babylon Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...

ian rabbi, of the sixth generation of

amoraim ''Amoraim'' ( , singular ''Amora'' ; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen") refers to Jewish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500 CE, who "said" or "told over" the teachings of the Oral Torah. They were p ...

Biography

He was a student of

Rav Papa Rav Pappa () (c. 300 – died 375) was a Babylonian rabbi, of the fifth generation of amoraim. Biography He was a student of Rava and Abaye. After the death of his teachers he founded a school at Naresh, a city near Sura, in which he officiat ...

, whom he frequently quoted, and Rav Papi. His closest colleagues were

Rav Ashi Rav Ashi () ("Rabbi Ashi") (352–427) was a Babylonian Jewish rabbi, of the sixth generation of amoraim. He reestablished the Academy at Sura and was the first editor of the Babylonian Talmud. The original pronunciation of his name may h ...

and

Amemar Amemar () was a Babylonian rabbi of the fifth and sixth generation of amoraim. His name is a compound word formed from the personal name ''Ammi'' and the title ''Mar'' "master". Biography Amemar was one of the leading sages of his generation. ...

. The three of them are described together in their studies, meals, and visits to the court of

Yazdegerd I Yazdegerd I (also spelled Yazdgerd and Yazdgird; ) was the Sasanian King of Kings () of Iran from 399 to 420. A son of Shapur III (), he succeeded his brother Bahram IV () after the latter's assassination. Yazdegerd I's largely-uneventful reig ...

.Ketuvot 63b; Brachot 44b, 50b; Pesachim 103b; Ketuvot 61a He headed the

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

Pumbedita Pumbedita ( ''Pūm Bəḏīṯāʾ'', "Mouth of the Bedita"See The river "Bedita" has not been identified.) was an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq. It is known for having hosted the Pumbedita Academy. History The city of Pumbedita was s ...

, and according to the book "Seder Tannaim ve-Amoraim", previous to Rav Aha b. Rava. In the ''Iggeret Rav

Sherira Gaon Sherira bar Hanina (), more commonly known as Sherira Gaon (; ), was the gaon of the Pumbedita Academy in Lower Mesopotamia. He was one of the most prominent geonim of the period. His son Hai succeeded him as gaon. He wrote the '' Iggeret of ...

'' (French version), he is not mentioned as a head of a

, but in later sources he is noted as Mar Zutra, Head of a Yeshiva.

References

Talmud rabbis of Babylonia Rabbis of Academy of Pumbedita {{MEast-rabbi-stub