ABSTRACT
The Sasanian era witnessed the emergence of new leadership structures among the Jews of Babylonia. While in many ways, these were inspired by changing leadership practices among the Palestinian Jews, they evolved largely in imitation of the existing Persian leadership structures, as reflected in the contemporary literature and, in particular, through replicating the Sasanian royal court culture. With the Babylonian Talmud as our foremost source of information on Babylonian Jewish society, this chapter describes these developments. It focuses on the exilarchate, the rabbinic movement, its educational configuration, heads and academies, and literary images of the heavenly court.
