Abba bar Abba (father of Samuel) was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, distinguished for piety, benevolence, and learning. He is known chiefly through his son Mar Samuel, principal of the Academy of Nehardea, and is nearly always referred to as "Samuel's father." Abba traveled to Palestine, where he entered into relations with R. Judah I, the patriarch, … Wikipedia
The definitive Wikipedia entry for Abba Bar Abba. Wikipedia is the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abba_bar_Abba_%28father_of_Samuel%29