How did the Babylonian Talmud become the more authoritative of the two Talmuds?

The Babylonian Talmud became the more authoritative of the two Talmuds primarily because it emerged as the standard of reference for judicial precedent and theological doctrine for Jewish communities throughout the High Middle Ages.1

Several factors contributed to its preeminence:

• Institutional Influence: The Babylonian academies, particularly Sura and Pumbedita, served as the central authorities for Jewish life. Under the leadership of the geonim—the heads of these academies—the Babylonian rabbinate actively promoted their version of the law, eventually replacing Palestinian usage with Babylonian practice and texts.2
• Intellectual Scope: While the Jerusalem Talmud focuses on specific cases and literal meanings, the Babylonian Talmud is characterized by its theoretical abstraction, investigating premises and principles to uncover the "law behind the laws." This approach allowed it to address diverse issues and actions by conforming them to single, governing principles.3
• Historical Context: As historical circumstances made Babylonia the mediator of Jewish tradition to communities across the Diaspora, the Babylonian version became synonymous with normative Judaism and the measure of authenticity. By the 8th century, the Babylonian Talmud was established as the unrivaled standard, to the point that the term "Talmud," when used without qualification, refers exclusively to the Babylonian corpus.12