"This comprehensive book provides an introduction to Rabbinic Judaism, defined as the Judaism built on the story of God's revelation to Moses of the Torah at Sinai." "Jacob Neusner outlines and examines the four stages in which the initial period of the historical development of Rabbinic Judaism divides, beginning with the Pentateuch and ending with its definitive and normative statement in the Talmud of Babylonia. He traces the development of Rabbinic Judaism by exploring the relationships between and among the cognate writings which embody its formative history."--BOOK JACKET.