...אָמַר רִבִּי יִרְמְיָה מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים זְקֵנִים וּמֵהֶם שְׁמוֹנִים וְכַמָּה נְבִיאִים הִתְקִינוּ אֶת הַתְּפִילָּה הַזֹּאת...
Circa 5th Century, Land of Israel
...Rabbi Jeremiah said: 120 elders, among them more than 80 prophets, instituted this tefillah (i.e., the Amidah)...
(א) משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה...
2nd Century, Land of Israel
(1) Moses received the Torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly...
...רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר: בְּכָל יוֹם וְיוֹם מִתְפַּלֵּל אָדָם שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר: מֵעֵין שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר: אִם שְׁגוּרָה תְּפִלָּתוֹ בְּפִיו — מִתְפַּלֵּל שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה, וְאִם לָאו — מֵעֵין שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: הָעוֹשֶׂה תְּפִלָּתוֹ קֶבַע — אֵין תְּפִלָּתוֹ תַּחֲנוּנִים...
...הָנֵי תַּמְנֵי סְרֵי?! תְּשַׁסְרֵי הָוְויָן! אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי: בִּרְכַּת הַמִּינִים בְּיַבְנֶה תִּקְּנוּהָ...
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שִׁמְעוֹן הַפָּקוֹלִי הִסְדִּיר שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה בְּרָכוֹת לִפְנֵי רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל עַל הַסֵּדֶר בְּיַבְנֶה. אָמַר לָהֶם רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל לַחֲכָמִים: כְּלוּם יֵשׁ אָדָם שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לְתַקֵּן בִּרְכַּת הַמִּינִים? עָמַד שְׁמוּאֵל הַקָּטָן וְתִקְּנָהּ. לְשָׁנָה אַחֶרֶת שְׁכָחָהּ,
2nd Century, Land of Israel
...MISHNA: Rabban Gamliel says: Each and every day a person recites eighteen.
Rabbi Yehoshua says: an abridged version of eighteen.
Rabbi Akiva says an intermediate opinion: If he is fluent in his prayer, he recites eighteen, and if not, he need only recite an abridged version of of eighteen.
Rabbi Eliezer says: One whose prayer is fixed, his prayer is not supplication and is flawed...
GEMARA:
Circa 7th Century, Babylonia
The Gemara wonders: Are these eighteen blessings? They are nineteen!
Rabbi Levi said: The blessing of the heretics, which curses informers, was instituted in Yavne and is not included in the original tally of blessings...
...The Sages taught: Shimon HaPakuli arranged the eighteen blessings before Rabban Gamliel, the Nasi of the Sanhedrin, in order in Yavne. Due to prevailing circumstances, there was a need to institute a new blessing directed against the heretics. Rabban Gamliel said to the Sages: Is there any person who knows to institute the blessing of the heretics, a blessing directed against the Sadducees? Shmuel HaKatan, who was one of the most pious men of that generation, stood and instituted it. The Gemara relates: The next year, when Shmuel HaKatan served as the prayer leader, he forgot that blessing, (continues below).
וְהִשְׁקִיף בָּהּ שְׁתַּיִם וְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁעוֹת, וְלֹא הֶעֱלוּהוּ...
and scrutinized it, in an attempt to remember the blessing for two or three hours, and they did not remove him from serving as prayer leader...
...דְּתַנְיָא: שִׁמְעוֹן הַפָּקוֹלִי הִסְדִּיר שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה בְּרָכוֹת לִפְנֵי רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל עַל הַסֵּדֶר בְּיַבְנֶה.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, וְאָמְרִי לַהּ בְּמַתְנִיתָא תָּנָא: מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים זְקֵנִים, וּבָהֶם כַּמָּה נְבִיאִים, תִּיקְּנוּ שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה בְּרָכוֹת עַל הַסֵּדֶר...
3rd Century, Land of Israel
...It is taught in a baraita: Shimon HaPakuli arranged the eighteen blessings of the Amida prayer before Rabban Gamliel in their fixed order in Yavne.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said, and some say that it was taught in a baraita: A hundred and twenty Elders and among them several prophets, established the eighteen blessings of the Amida in their order... (Continues below).
...וְכִי מֵאַחַר דְּמֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים זְקֵנִים וּמֵהֶם כַּמָּה נְבִיאִים תִּקְּנוּ תְּפִלָּה עַל הַסֵּדֶר, שִׁמְעוֹן הַפָּקוֹלִי מַאי הִסְדִּיר? שְׁכָחוּם, וְחָזַר וְסִדְּרוֹם...
7th Century, Babylonia
...Now, since the baraita teaches that a hundred and twenty Elders, including many prophets, established the Amida prayer in its fixed order, what is it that Shimon HaPakuli arranged in a much later period of time, as related by Rabbi Yoḥanan?
The Gemara answers: Indeed, the blessings of the Amida prayer were originally arranged by the hundred and twenty members of the Great Assembly, but over the course of time the people forgot them, and Shimon HaPakuli then arranged them again.
(א) (ב) ויאמר ה' מסיני בא וזרח משעיר, מגיד הכתוב שכשפתח משה לא פתח בצרכם של ישראל תחילה עד שפתח בשבחו של מקום
משל ללוטייר שהיה עומד על הבמה ונשכר לאחד לדבר על ידיו ולא פתח בצרכי אותו האיש תחילה עד שפתח בשבחו של מלך אשרי עולם ממלכו אשרי עולם מדיינו עלינו זרחה חמה עלינו זרחה לבנה והיו אחרים מקלסים עמו ואחר כן פתח בצרכו של אותו האיש וחזר וחתם בשבחו של מלך...
(ג) ואף שמנה עשרה ברכות שתיקנו נביאים הראשונים שיהו ישראל מתפללים בכל יום לא פתחו בצרכם של ישראל עד שפתחו בשבחו של מקום האל הגדול הגבור והנורא קדוש אתה ונורא שמך ואחר כך מתיר אסורים ואחר כך רופא חולים ואחר כך מודים אנחנו לך...
3rd Century, Land of Israel
(1) (Devarim 33:2) "And he (Moses) said: The Lord came from Sinai, and He shone forth from Seir to them": Scripture (hereby) relates that Moses did not open with the needs of Israel before he opened with the praise of the Lord. To what may this be compared?
To an advocate's standing upon the podium, having been hired by a man to speak in his behalf, and not opening with the needs of that man before opening with the king's praise first — "How exalted is our king! How exalted is our master! The sun has shone upon us! The moon has shone upon us!", all praising with him — after which he opens with the needs of that man, after which he concludes with the praise of the king...
(3) And, likewise, the Amidah, instituted by the early sages for Israel to pray — they did not open with the needs of Israel before they had opened with the praise of the Lord, viz. (Nechemiah 9:32) "the great, mighty, awesome G-d," "releasing the bound," "You are holy and awesome is Your name," followed by (petitions, such as) "Heal us," and concluded with "We acknowledge You"...
(Jeff adds: This source suggests that the structure of the Amidah is: Praise, Petitions, Praise. Divide our contemporary version of the Amidah according to this outline -- Which blessings correspond to each of these three divisions?
(א) מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכָל יוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כג כה) ״וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֵת ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם״. מִפִּי הַשְּׁמוּעָה לָמְדוּ שֶׁעֲבוֹדָה זוֹ הִיא תְּפִלָּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יא יג) ״וּלְעָבְדוֹ בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם״ אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים אֵי זוֹ הִיא עֲבוֹדָה שֶׁבַּלֵּב זוֹ תְּפִלָּה. וְאֵין מִנְיַן הַתְּפִלּוֹת מִן הַתּוֹרָה. וְאֵין מִשְׁנֶה הַתְּפִלָּה הַזֹּאת מִן הַתּוֹרָה. וְאֵין לַתְּפִלָּה זְמַן קָבוּעַ מִן הַתּוֹרָה:
(1) It is a positive Torah commandment to pray every day, as [Exodus 23:25] states: "You shall serve God, your Lord." Tradition teaches us that this service is prayer, as [Deuteronomy 11:13] states: "And serve Him with all your heart" and our Sages said: Which is the service of the heart? This is prayer.
The number of Amidot is not prescribed in the Torah, nor does it prescribe a specific formula for an Amidah. Also, according to Torah law, there are no fixed times for Amidot. (Jeff adds: Continue to the next passage).
(ג) אִם הָיָה רָגִיל מַרְבֶּה בִּתְחִנָּה וּבַקָּשָׁה וְאִם הָיָה עֲרַל שְׂפָתַיִם מְדַבֵּר כְּפִי יְכָלְתּוֹ וּבְכָל עֵת שֶׁיִּרְצֶה. וְכֵן מִנְיַן הַתְּפִלּוֹת כָּל אֶחָד כְּפִי יְכָלְתּוֹ. יֵשׁ מִתְפַּלֵּל פַּעַם אַחַת בְּיוֹם. וְיֵשׁ מִתְפַּלְּלִין פְּעָמִים הַרְבֵּה. וְהַכּל יִהְיוּ מִתְפַּלְּלִין נֹכַח הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה. וְכֵן הָיָה הַדָּבָר תָּמִיד מִמּשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ וְעַד עֶזְרָא:
Rambam, Mishneh Torah, 12th C., Egypt:
(3) A person who was eloquent would offer many prayers and requests. [Conversely,] a person who was inarticulate would speak as well as he could and whenever he desired.
Similarly, the number of prayers was dependent on each person's ability. Some would pray once daily; others, several times.
Everyone would pray facing the Holy Temple, wherever he might be. This was the ongoing practice from [the time of] Moshe Rabbenu until Ezra. (Jeff adds: Continue to the next passage, which is the very next paragraph in the Mishneh Torah).
(ד) כֵּיוָן שֶׁגָּלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּימֵי נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר הָרָשָׁע נִתְעָרְבוּ בְּפָרַס וְיָוָן וּשְׁאָר הָאֻמּוֹת וְנוֹלְדוּ לָהֶם בָּנִים בְּאַרְצוֹת הַגּוֹיִם וְאוֹתָן הַבָּנִים נִתְבַּלְבְּלוּ שְׂפָתָם וְהָיְתָה שְׂפַת כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מְעֹרֶבֶת מִלְּשׁוֹנוֹת הַרְבֵּה וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהָיָה מְדַבֵּר אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְדַבֵּר כָּל צָרְכּוֹ בְּלָשׁוֹן אַחַת אֶלָּא בְּשִׁבּוּשׁ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (נחמיה יג כד) ״וּבְנֵיהֶם חֲצִי מְדַבֵּר אַשְׁדּוֹדִית״ וְגוֹ׳ (נחמיה יג כד) ״וְאֵינָם מַכִּירִים לְדַבֵּר יְהוּדִית וְכִלְשׁוֹן עַם וְעַם״. וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה כְּשֶׁהָיָה אֶחָד מֵהֶן מִתְפַּלֵּל תִּקְצַר לְשׁוֹנוֹ לִשְׁאל חֲפָצָיו אוֹ לְהַגִּיד שֶׁבַח הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ עַד שֶׁיֵּעָרְבוּ עִמָּהּ לְשׁוֹנוֹת אֲחֵרוֹת. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁרָאָה עֶזְרָא וּבֵית דִּינוֹ כָּךְ עָמְדוּ וְתִקְּנוּ לָהֶם שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה בְּרָכוֹת עַל הַסֵּדֶר. שָׁלֹשׁ רִאשׁוֹנוֹת שֶׁבַח לַה׳ וְשָׁלֹשׁ אַחֲרוֹנוֹת הוֹדָיָה. וְאֶמְצָעִיּוֹת יֵשׁ בָּהֶן שְׁאֵלַת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵן כְּמוֹ אָבוֹת לְכָל חֶפְצֵי אִישׁ וָאִישׁ וּלְצָרְכֵי הַצִּבּוּר כֻּלָּן, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ עֲרוּכוֹת בְּפִי הַכּל וְיִלְמְדוּ אוֹתָן וְתִהְיֶה תְּפִלַּת אֵלּוּ הָעִלְּגִים תְּפִלָּה שְׁלֵמָה כִּתְפִלַּת בַּעֲלֵי הַלָּשׁוֹן הַצֶּחָה. וּמִפְּנֵי עִנְיָן זֶה תִּקְּנוּ כָּל הַבְּרָכוֹת וְהַתְּפִלּוֹת מְסֻדָּרוֹת בְּפִי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא עִנְיַן כָּל בְּרָכָה עָרוּךְ בְּפִי הָעִלֵּג:
(4) When Israel was exiled in the time of the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, they became interspersed in Persia and Greece and other nations. Children were born to them in these foreign countries and those children's language was confused.
The speech of each and every one was a concoction of many tongues. No one was able to express himself coherently in any one language, but rather in a mixture [of languages], as [Nehemiah 13:24] states: "And their children spoke half in Ashdodit and did not know how to speak the Jewish language. Rather, [they would speak] according to the language of various other peoples."
Consequently, when someone would pray, he would be limited in his ability to request his needs or to praise the Holy One, blessed be He, in Hebrew, unless other languages were mixed in with it. When Ezra and his court saw this, they established eighteen blessings in sequence.
The first three [blessings] are praises of God and the last three are thanksgiving. The intermediate [blessings] contain requests for all those things that serve as general categories for the desires of each and every person and the needs of the whole community.
Thus, the prayers could be set in the mouths of everyone. They could learn them quickly and the prayers of those unable to express themselves would be as complete as the prayers of the most eloquent. It was because of this matter that they established all the blessings and prayers so that they would be ordered in the mouths of all Israel, so that each blessing would be set in the mouth of each person unable to express himself.
(Jeff adds:
1-Number the historical stages of the development of the Amidah according to Rambam.
2-Do the final three blessings of the Amidah fit Rambam's category of Thanksgiving? Which, if any, do not?