The rabbis put this oral law into writing, in addition to composing commentaries on it, and then commentaries on the commentaries, all of which together became known as the Talmud.​—See box, page 221.

While much of the Talmud was highly legalistic, its illustrations and explanations reflected the clear influence of Greek philosophy. For example, Greek religious concepts, such as the immortal soul, were expressed in Jewish terms. Truly, in that new Rabbinic era, veneration of the Talmud​—by then a blend of legalistic and Greek philosophy—​grew among the Jews until, by the Middle Ages, the Talmud came to be revered by the Jews more than the Bible itself.