Judah III is a famous Jewish sage mentioned in the classical works of Judaism's oral law, who lived during the third and beginning of the fourth century. He figures in the Mishnah and Talmud. He was the son of Gamaliel IV, and grandson of Judah II. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... An oral law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or other regroupement, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, or the single rule that is verbally transmitted. ... The Mishnah (Hebrew משנה, Repetition) is a major source of rabbinic Judaisms religious texts. ... The first page of the Talmud, in the standard Vilna edition. ... Judah II was a famous Jewish sage who lived in Tiberias in the middle of the third century CE. He is mentioned in the classical works of Judaisms oral law, the Mishnah and Talmud. ...

It is often difficult to know when the Mishna and Talmud are referring to Judah II or Judah III; they do not clearly distinguish between them. Since the title "Nesi'ah" was borne by both, which of the two in any citation is meant by "Judah Nesi'ah" can be gathered only from internal evidence, especially from the names of the scholars mentioned in the context.

Judah III held the office of patriarch probably during the close of the third and the beginning of the fourth century. He was a pupil of Johanan (Mishnah) (d. 279); in a question regarding the time of the new moon, which he sent to Ammi (Mishnah), he introduces a sentence taught to him by Johanan with the words: "Know that R. Johanan has taught us thus all his life long" (R. H. 20a).

Judah III. commissioned Johanan's pupils Ammi and Assi, who directed the Academy of Tiberias after Eleazar's death, to organize the schools for children in the Palestinian cities (Yer. Ḥag. 76c; Pesiḳ. 120b); Ammi especially appears as his councilor in haggadic questions (Beẓah 27a; M. Ḳ. 12b, 17a; 'Ab. Zarah 33b).