what is tanna'im and amora'im in Judaism? which one has more authority and why?

Answer 1

The tannaim (teachers) were a group of Rabbis that lived between the years 100 BCE and 200 BCE.

These Rabbis as those before them taught and explained to their students the Oral Torah which complements the Written one.

This Oral Torah was latter and then redacted by one of the last Tannas Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi.

This compilation of work was called the Mishna, which made up first part of the Talmud.


Afterwards between the years 200-500 CE the Amorim (explainers) expounded on the work of the Misnah and this is what is called the Gemmora. These two works make up the Talmud.

As for why the Tannaim have more athourity than the Amorim that goes back to a concept in Judaism that as the gennerations move further from the time of Mt Sinai that the tradition becomes less and less clear because it goes though so many gennerations.

That is why because the Tannaim were closer in history to that time they have more authority.

Their are also other periods after the amorim

including the Savorim, Gonim, Reshonim, and Achronim

Answer 2

Basically, A Tanna is a Rabbi (or great learned Scholar, some didn't get smicha yet), who lived from about 70 CE to 200 CE (thats AD for you people using the other way). A Tanna is older and is more closer to the generation of Sinai, and therefore is a bit more holier, per se, than the Amoraim. The Amoraim came much later, around 200 - 500 CE. They were the people who wrote down and codified the Mishna, who the Tannaim taught over.

The Tannaim have more authority simply because they are older and are more closer to the Torah taught by Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses). Its the same Torah we have today, but its in terms of the 'oral experience' -- they learned it orally before the Amoraim did.

Both of their wikipedia articles are in the source section below, they are very informative and give some great information.