INTRODUCTION
19
the consequent cessation of all the ritual and cere-
monial of worship, reduced the precepts connected
therewith to a branch of archeology ; while on the
other hand, it increased the need of defining, with
the utmost precision the right practice in those
matters, so that it might not be forgotten if ever
the
time should come for the resumption of the Temple
services. And, if some are inclined to thin lightly
of the time and thought spent upon questions which
could have no practical outcome for those who de-
bated them, there is still a pathetic and even a heroic
aspect in the toil which preserved a sacred memory
so that it might keep alive a no less sacred hope.
The Mishnah, then, became in its turn the subject
of commentary, interpretation and expansion. The
name given to this superadded commentary is
Gemara, which means
'
completion.' But, whereas
there is only one Mishnah, there are two Gemaras.
The Mishnah was studied not only in the schools of
Palestine, but also in those of Babylonia. And by
the labours of these two groups of teachers there was
developed a Palestinian Gemara and a Babylonian
Gemara. In course of time the same need for
codification of the growing mass of Tradition began
to be felt in regard to the Gemaras which had
previously led to the formation of the Mishnah.
The Gemara of Palestine was ended,-not com-
pleted,-towards the close of the fourth
century ;
while it was not until the sixth century that the
Gemara of Babylonia was reduced to the form in
which we now have it. The name Talmud is given
to the whole-
corpus
of Mishnah
plus
Gemara ; and
thus it is usual to distinguish between the Palestinian
 |  |  |