GAMLIʾEL THE ELDER (fl. first half of the first century CE), properly Rabban ("our teacher") Gamliʾel the Elder; the first Jewish teacher with this title. Gamliʾel was a son or grandson of Hillel and likewise was regarded in rabbinic tradition as a nasiʾ (head of the court). He is designated "the Elder" in Talmudic literature apparently to distinguish him from Gamliʾel of Yavneh (Gamliʾel II) with whom he is often confused, and he is referred to as a Pharisee and "teacher of the Law" in Acts of the Apostles (5:34).

Gamliʾel appears frequently in tannaitic sources, where his various taqqanot (enactments) are recorded. The following examples from Mishnah Gitṭin (4.2–3) were considered "for the general welfare":

1. A man who wishes to invalidate a divorce document that he has already sent to his wife...