The Talmud, translated from Hebrew as ‘The Study’, is a central religious text for Judaism. It is studied by rabbis, men, women and children as well as a healthy community of historians and theologians. Written over the course of six centuries it is the original and definitive source of detail on the commandments or mitzvot given in the Torah. Any practitioner of the faith needs to know not only what he can or cannot do but how to achieve it in practice, a need that is as real today as it was at the inception of the work.<br> <br>Within the Talmud there is a rich source of ancient Jewish legislative tradition in the Mishna and a robust commitment to religious scepticism and debate in the Gernara, a rabbinical commentary on the interpretation and application of the law. Enshrining these two elements within the text allows the twin threads of Judaism’s monotheistic brand of certainty and the grounded practical approach to legal systems to shine through, and allows the spirit of the writers to truly be alive and the doctrine to remain applicable.<br> <br>This work is utterly relevant today, but the influence of tradition through the instructions within the Talmud on ceremonial practice, prayer positions and wordings clearly shows the ancient roots of Judaism as a cultural tradition and religious community.<br> <br>Ornamented by the romantic but eloquent musings of Epiphanious Wilson this edition of The Talmud, translated diligently and faithfully by Joseph Barclay will not disappoint. In Wilson’s own words ‘Hebrew literature contains some of the most profound and most influential productions of the human spirit. It constitutes a potent factor in modern civilization, and possesses merits which place it far above most other literatures of the world’.