Rabbinic Literature

The earliest known rabbinic document is the Mishnah, which dates to around 200 C.E. (Segal RC 1986, 117).

This period around 200 C.E. is associated with Rabbi Judah the Prince? and his activity is considered the foundation of rabbinism. This Mishnah is viewed by Judaism as the "first canonical, analytically organized codification of law outside the Bible for the Jewish community" (Segal RC 1986, 133).