R. Jose ben Zimra was Jewish Tanna

Tannaim

The Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years...

 of the sixth generation of the Tannaic era, during the transition period between the Tannaim Jewish sages era and the Jewish Amoraim sages era. He came from a privileged background family and his son married Judah haNasi

Judah haNasi

Judah the Prince, or Judah I, also known as Rebbi or Rabbeinu HaKadosh , was a 2nd-century CE rabbi and chief redactor and editor of the Mishnah. He was a key leader of the Jewish community during the Roman occupation of Judea . He was of the Davidic line, the royal line of King David, hence the...

's daughter. Some are in the opinion that he was a descendant of King David. Most of his papers deal with the Aggadah

Aggadah

Aggadah refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash...

, and most of them were delivered by his pupil Eleazar ben Pedat

Eleazar ben Pedat

Eleazar ben Pedat was a Jewish Talmudist, known as an amora, in the Land of Israel, of the 4th generation . He was his father's pupil and the assistant lecturer of R. Assi...

, in the name of Zimra.