What is the Talmud?

The Talmud is comprised of the Mishnah and the Gemara.

The Mishnah is a compilation of the Jewish oral law that was codified in 220 CE (Common Era). Orthodox Judaism believes that the oral law (corresponding to what the New Testament calls the "tradition of the elders") was given by G-d to Moses on Mount Sinai.

The Gemara completes the Talmud by providing commentary on the Mishnah.

The entire project was compiled between the second and fifth centuries CE. The English-only version of the Talmud (by Soncino Press) contains 20 volumes.