Zugot
Zugot (Hebrew: [zuˈɡot]; Hebrew: תְּקוּפַת) הַזּוּגוֹת), (təqûphath) hazZûghôth) refers to the period during the time of the Second Temple (515 BCE – 70 CE), in which the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people was in the hands of five successive generations of zugot ("pairs") of religious teachers.
Origin of the name
In Hebrew, the word "zugot" indicates a plural of two identical objects and refers to 5 pairs of scholars who ruled a Supreme Court Beit Din HaGadol. Afterwards the positions President Nasi and Chief Justice Av Beit Din remained, but they were not Zugot.
Historical background
The title of av beit din existed before the period of the zugot. His purpose was to oversee the Sanhedrin, the court of religious law (also known as the "beth din"). The rank of nasi (president) was a new institution that was begun during this period.
List of zugot
There were five pairs of these teachers:
who flourished at the time of the Maccabean wars of independence
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