Professor Wilhelm Bacher's contribution to the study of the intellectual world of the Amora'im

In this article I will argue that Wilhelm Bacher (1850-1913) established a new perspective in the field of intellectual history and the methods of study used by Jewish sages in antiquity, and that his scholarly studies laid the foundation for future work in these fields. These aspects of his work have not yet been discussed in the scientific reviews of his oeuvre. My focus will be on his primary findings and their implications, as they are expressed in his books on amoraic aggadot - the pinnacle of his scholarly work. At the end of this article, I will briefly survey advances that have been made in our understanding of the halakhic and exegetical methodology of Babylonian amora'im and the impact that this field has had on other fields. This survey confirms the value of Bacher's contribution to the field of talmudic scholarship and the relevance that his work continues to have to this day.