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HISTORICAL CONTEXT Like the Babylonian Talmud, the purpose of the Jerusalem Talmud was to elaborate on the Jewish Oral Tradition as detailed in the 2nd-century Mishnah, following whose redaction many Jewish scholars living in Roman-controlled Palestine moved to Persia due to the harsh decrees against Jews enacted by the emperor Hadrian after the Bar Kokhba's Revolt . The remaining scholars who lived in the Galilee area decided to continue their teachings (at a time when learning Jewish texts or teaching them was forbidden) in the learning centers that had been around since Mishnaic times. The first people to do so were Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Osheya who started the composing the Jerusalem Talmud in the Galilee. Although the Jerusalem Talmud was progressing at a similar pace to the Babylonian Talmud, it was much more difficult to learn and teach under the Roman authorities. Schools where what would become the Jerusalem Talmud was being prepared had to be hidden. When the empire under Constantine began to endorse Christianity in 313 , decrees were enacted against the Jews and Christians gained control within the Galilee. During the reign of Emperor Theodosius II the Jewish community was badly stricken. Under the influence of his elder sister, Pulchera, the Byzantine Emperor was pushed towards Orthodox Christianity and an anti-Semitic view which led to the destruction of Jewish synagogues and places of learning. Following this the last great scholars of Palestine, Rav Mana and Rav Yosi redacted the Jerusalem Talmud in approximately the year 400 . COMPARISON TO BABYLONIAN TALMUD Without the time and freedom given to the production of the Babylonian Talmud, the Jerusalem Talmud exhibits less coherence in its discussions, making it often a difficult work to understand. It is more abstruse in language and it differs from the Babylonian Talmud in language (being written in Western, rather than Eastern Aramaic ), style, legal argumentation, and scope. The Jerusalem Talmud naturally has a greater focus on the Land Of Israel and the Torah 's agricultural laws pertaining to the land because it was written in the Land of Israel were the laws applied. Nonetheless, it lacks the order of Kodshim , which deals with sacrificial rites and the Temple, laws that were not directly applicable following the 70 CE destruction of the Second Temple , although the Babylonian Talmud does examine this content. In both talmuds, only one tractate of Tohorot is examined, since it also deals with Temple-related laws of ritual purity. The Babylonian Talmud has traditionally been studied more widely and has had greater influence on the Halakhic Tradition than the Jerusalem Talmud. A notable exception is the Romaniotes , who traditionally follow and learn the Jerusalem Talmud. With the Jewish Return to the land of Israel in modern times, the Jerusalem Talmud has taken on greater relevance and popularity with talmudic and rabbinical scholars. Another catalyst expected to increase study of the Jerusalem Talmud is its pending translation to English, to join the popular translation of the Babylonian Talmud in the Artscroll series, which was recently completed. TRANSLATIONS INTO ENGLISH ''Talmud of the Land of Israel: A Preliminary Translation and Explanation'' Jacob Neusner , Tzvee Zahavy , others. University of Chicago Press. This translation uses a form-analytical presentation which makes the logical units of discourse easier to identify and follow. ''Schottenstein Edition of the Yerushalmi Talmud'' Mesorah/Artscroll. This translation is the counterpart to Mesorah/Artscroll's Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud (i.e. Babylonian Talmud). Mesorah/Artscroll's website for the Schottenstein Edition of the Yerushalmi Talmud SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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