Medieval Karaite Research Articles

A Medieval Karaite Interpretation of The Book of Job as an Edifying Example and Message of Hope for the Exiled

A Medieval Karaite Interpretation of The Book of Job as an Edifying Example and Message of Hope for the Exiled

Medieval Karaite Exegesis as Evidenced in Selected Examples from Yefet Ben Eli’s Commentary on the Book of Hosea

For many years, Karaite exegesis was relatively unknown to numerous Biblical scholars. This situation has been changing with an increasing access to source materials. As a result, more and more Karaite exegetical treasures representing the trends of Karaite Judaism have come to the fore. Among them, there is the Commentary on the Book of Hosea by Yefet ben Eli, one of the most significant representatives of Karaism in the tenth century. Yefet ben Eli exhibits a remarkable knowledge of Hebrew etymology, which enables him to provide unique answers to the interpretative problems in the Masoretic Text. His apologetic concern for prospective Muslim readers of his commentary is also noteworthy. Although, in general, Karaism sought to concentrate on the literal sense of the Scripture, Yefet ben Eli does not shy away from recourses to rabbinic oral tradition. Nevertheless, his exegetical contribution remains unique, as clearly demonstrated by the selected examples from his Commentary.

Islamic Influences on the Emergence of Historical Sensibilities among the Karaites: The Story of the Tower of Babel

Traditional Jewish interpretations of the story of the tower of Babel, as preserved in various midrashic collections, concentrated on sins committed by the builders on account of which they deserved divine punishment. The main purpose of such an approach was to draw from the scriptural account a moral lesson, regardless of the historicity of the narrated events, their dating, chronology, etc. In contrast, medieval Karaites living in the lands of medieval Islam shifted the main focus of their exegetical interest in this text to history, including the history of the text. Exploring historicizing tendencies in medieval Karaite commentaries on this biblical narrative, this essay ponders the seemingly simple question of what made the Karaite exegetes of the time discover history and read biblical stories as true histories. It demonstrates how the exegetes' novel approach to Scripture may have resulted from their engagement with the surrounding Muslim culture, which was concerned with establishing the historical context of the qur'anic revelation and investigating the reasons and circumstances of revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl). Tracing specific Islamic influences on the Karaites' reading of the story of the tower of Babel, the essay argues that they can be detected not in direct borrowings of specific interpretations, but on a meta level, owing to differences between Muslim and Jewish conceptualizations of revelation, which engendered diverging exegetical responses to Scripture in the two religions. Finally, the essay addresses the question of the Karaites' contribution to the history of Jewish exegesis of this chapter.

Selfness and Kinship in Medieval Karaite Incest Laws

Selfness and Kinship in Medieval Karaite Incest Laws

The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Yefet ben ‘Eli on the Book of Proverbs by Ilana Sasson

Reviewed by: The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Yefet ben ‘Eli on the Book of Proverbs by Ilana Sasson Marzena Zawanowska Ilana Sasson. The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Yefet ben ‘Eli on the Book of Proverbs. Volume 1. Edition and Introduction. Karaite Texts and Studies, volume 8 (Études sur le judaïsme médiéval 67). Leiden: Brill, 2016. xviii + 528 pp. One of the most acclaimed Karaite exegetes of the so-called Golden Age of Karaism (mid-tenth to early eleventh century) was Yefet ben ʻEli (Abū ‘Alī al-Ḥasan b. ‘Alī al-Laˉwī al-Baṣrī). He was also one of the most prominent and prolific Bible commentators who ever lived. His Arabic relational suffix (nisba) suggests that he, or his family, originally came from Basra in Iraq, but from the middle of the tenth until his death in the early eleventh century he resided in Jerusalem, where he was active in the famous Karaite “academy of [biblical] studies” (dār li-ʼl-‘ilm), opened there by Yūsuf ibn Nūḥ Yefet’s work is a singular example in the history of Jewish Bible exegesis of a running translation and commentary of all twenty-four books of Scripture. His interpretations are often highly innovative and original. Little wonder, then, that they so impacted later generations of Bible commentators, Karaite and Rabbanite alike, most famously Abraham ibn Ezra. Still, over time Yefet and his significant contribution to the history of scriptural exegesis gradually sank into oblivion. He was prone to generalizing and impressionable views and those who did venture to study his works denied him originality and labeled him a “mere compiler.” Only in the latter part of the twentieth century did [End Page 233] scholars begin to show specific interest in his unparalleled exegetical achievements, and reappraise his texts on the basis of in-depth, comparative analysis. Ilana Sasson’s The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Yefet ben ‘Eli on the Book of Proverbs is part of this trend. By shedding further light on this exceptional exegete and his amazingly diverse, rich, and comprehensive commentaries, this book enhances our understanding and appreciation of the originality of his interpretations. Based on Sasson’s doctoral dissertation (“Methods and Approach in Yefet ben ʻElī al-Baṣrīʼs Translation and Commentary on the Book of Proverbs” [Jewish Theological Seminary, 2010]), and subsequently significantly adapted, this volume consists of two parts, the second of which is entirely new and includes a critical edition of Yefet’s translation and commentary on the whole book of Proverbs (183–528). Reconstructing the oldest existing and most reliable version of the Judeo-Arabic text from numerous manuscripts and making it available to a wider scholarly public through a meticulous and rigorous, noneclectic edition is a great scholarly achievement, a major contribution to the study of Bible exegesis, and to the history of development and reception of medieval Karaite exegesis in particular. The only weakness of the book is that it does not include an English translation of the edited text; this is, however, being currently prepared and expected to be published as a second volume within the same series.1 Although at first glance the content of the first part of the book may seem similar to the dissertation, it was significantly reworked and expanded, the arguments were developed, and the state of the art updated. It includes an introduction, which consists of six chapters, the first five of which are analytical and offer an informative and interesting study of diverse aspects of Yefet’s hermeneutics. The first chapter surveys the exegete’s life and works, as well as previous (fragmentary) scholarly editions of his commentary on Proverbs. It also discusses the relationship between his commentary on this book and those of Saʿadiah Gaon, Jacob b. Reuben, and Abraham ibn Ezra. The section presents Yefet’s work as an invaluable, so far underestimated link in the history of Jewish interpretation of Proverbs (3–22). The second chapter focuses on Yefet’s unique style of Bible commentary, in comparison with the Arabic model of his time, with particular stress on the literary convention of prefacing works with introductions (muaqaddima), the rhetorical form of disputation...

A Medieval Karaite Pedagogical Grammar of Hebrew: A Critical Edition and English Translation of Kitab Al-’Uqud Fi Tasarif Al-Luga Al-’Ibraniyya, written by Nadia Vidro

A Medieval Karaite Pedagogical Grammar of Hebrew: A Critical Edition and English Translation of Kitab Al-’Uqud Fi Tasarif Al-Luga Al-’Ibraniyya, written by Nadia Vidro

The Ten Principles of Karaite Faith in a Seventeenth-Century Hebrew Poem from Troki

The ten principles of Karaite faith were originally compiled by medieval Byzantine Karaite scholars to sum up the basics of the Karaite Jewish creed. Early modern Karaites wrote poetic interpretations on the principles. This article provides an analysis and an English translation of a seventeenth-century Hebrew poem by the Lithuanian Karaite, Yehuda ben Aharon. In this didactic poem, Yehuda ben Aharon discusses the essence of divinity and the status of the People of Israel, the heavenly origin of the Torah, and future redemption. The popularity of Karaite commentaries and poems on the principles during the early modern period shows that dogma―and how to understand it correctly―had become central for the theological considerations of Karaite scholars. The source for this attentiveness is traced to the Byzantine Karaite literature written on the principles and to the treatment of the Maimonidean principles in late medieval rabbinic literature.

Rabbinic Excerpts in Medieval Karaite Literature, Vol. 1 : Philological and Linguistic Studies; Rabbinic Excerpts in Medieval Karaite Literature, Vol. 2 : A Critical Annotated Scientific Edition of the Texts; Asceticism, Eschatology, Opposition to Philosophy: The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Salmon ben Yeroham on Qohelet (Ecclesiastes); Poetry and Memory in Karaite Prayer: The Secular Poetry of the Karaite Poet

Rabbinic Excerpts in Medieval Karaite Literature, <i>Vol. 1</i> : Philological and Linguistic Studies; Rabbinic Excerpts in Medieval Karaite Literature, <i>Vol. 2</i> : A Critical Annotated Scientific Edition of the Texts; Asceticism, Eschatology, Opposition to Philosophy: The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Salmon ben Yeroham on Qohelet (Ecclesiastes); Poetry and Memory in Karaite Prayer: The Secular Poetry of the Karaite Poet

In the Border-Land of Literalism: Interpretative Scripture Alterations in Medieval Karaite Translations of the Bible into Arabic

With a perfectly faithful translation being but a pipe dream, every interpreter exercises certain degree of freedom in choosing what he perceives as the most appropriate representation of the source text in the target language. This flexible dimension is discernible also in overall literalistic approach of medieval Karaite translators of the Hebrew Bible into Arabic. The article focuses on non-theological alterations demonstrated in their renderings of scriptural verses, which are intended to modify rather than clarify the original meanings. It pays special attention to distinct ways in which these exegetes cope with the descriptions of indecent, improper or irrational behavior from the revered Forefathers—Patriarchs, Matriarchs and prophets of the Jewish nation.

גנזי חז"ל בספרות הקראית בימי הביניים (Rabbinic excerpts in medieval Karaite literature) (review)

Reviewed by: גנזי חז"ל בספרות הקראית בימי הביניים (Rabbinic excerpts in medieval Karaite literature) Ahouva Shulman גנזי חז"ל בספרות הקראית בימי הביניים (Rabbinic excerpts in medieval Karaite literature). By Ofra Tirosh-Becker. Vol.1 Philological and Linguistic Studies; Vol. 2, A Critical and Annotated Scientific Edition of the Texts. Pp. Vol. 1, כב + 465 ; Vol. 2, טו + 814. Jerusalem: The Bialik Institute, 2011. Cloth. This comprehensive work is an invaluable contribution to the study of rabbinic literature. It provides an additional corpus of rabbinic literature, the rabbinic material cited in the writings of the Karaites. Rabbinic Excerpts in Medieval Karaite Literature is the result of very extensive research of approximately 200 Karaite manuscripts, written by fifteen Karaite scholars in Arabic and Hebrew from the ninth to the eleventh century. Karaite scholars were familiar with rabbinic literature, and in spite of their objection to the Oral Law, they often incorporated excerpts from it in their works. Rabbinic Excerpts in Medieval Karaite Literature reveals for the first time the scope of the Karaites' practice of including rabbinic passages in their writings, and the wide range of rabbinic sources from which they were taken. The book studies these excerpts and presents them in a scientific edition. The first volume is a philological and linguistic study of the rabbinic excerpts embedded in the Karaite manuscripts. The second volume is a critical and annotated scientific edition of these excerpts. The first volume consists of fourteen chapters. In chapters 1 to 11, Tirosh-Becker discusses and thoroughly analyzes the Karaite manuscripts. In the last three chapters, she explains the methodology of her research, reviews the manuscripts used in the scientific edition, and describes the process and methods of preparing the scientific edition. Rabbinic Excerpts in Medieval Karaite Literature contains a wealth of important and useful information about the rabbinic excerpts embedded in Karaite literature. It begins with a general discussion of the main periods of the Karaite movement, which was established in the ninth century, and experienced its "golden age" during the tenth and eleventh centuries. It introduces the Karaite scholars, their activities and their extensive works, which consists of diverse literary genres, such as biblical commentary, theological [End Page 416] and philosophical essays, grammars and more, written mostly in Arabic (chap. 1). The book also discusses the Karaites' attitude toward incorporation of rabbinic literature in their writings (chap. 2). Although their ideology was based on the centrality of the Hebrew Bible, and in spite of the ideological rivalry between the Karaites and the Rabbinate, the Karaites read rabbinic literature and studied it in order to fully understand their philosophical rivals, and in order to explain their own opinions to the Karaite community. Tirosh-Becker discusses the Karaite scholars' motivation to cite a great number of rabbinic passages in their writings, and she suggests four motives: 1). As evidence to support their own arguments in the debate with the Rabbinate; 2). They wanted to present a wide range of opinions about a specific question; 3). Sometimes the rabbinic source is the only evidence for matters that are not found in the Bible or in any other source; 4). The softening of the rivalry between the Karaites and the rabbis at the end of the eleventh century facilitated the Karaites' study and use of early rabbinic literature. Tirosh-Becker concludes that the Karaite scholars had many rabbinic manuscripts in their possession, as well as access to information through contacts with heads of the rabbinic communities. Chapter 3 deals with the origin, language, and script of the Karaite manuscripts. Most of the manuscripts used in this research are from two important libraries, the British Library in London and the Firkovitz Collection in the national Russian Library in Saint Petersburg. The manuscripts were written in Arabic and in Hebrew. Tirosh-Becker notes that the Karaites' Arabic manuscripts were written in Arabic letters, which was unusual at the time, and in contradiction to the common practice of the rabbis who used to write their Arabic essays in Hebrew letters. Another unusual practice was transliterating the Holy Bible into Arabic letters. According to Tirosh-Becker it was done in order to reflect the proper pronunciation of the biblical text, either for learning purposes or to enable those who were not familiar with the Hebrew script...

The Stains of Culture: An Ethno-Reading of Karaite Jewish Women (review)

Reviewed by: The Stains of Culture: An Ethno-Reading of Karaite Jewish Women Daniel J. Lasker The Stains of Culture: An Ethno-Reading of Karaite Jewish Women, by Ruth Tsoffar. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2006. 245 pp. $27.95. I am probably the wrong person to be reviewing Ruth Tsoffar's book. The reader is repeatedly reminded of the author's identity as a secular, Israeli, Mizrahi [oriental] Jewish woman, and I am not a woman, a Karaite, or an anthropologist. I have trouble understanding sentences such as: "A transgressed system, once it is represented within the rubric of the radical dramatization of the vulnerable body, with a bleeding vagina and dripping nipples, testifies to its inability to remain in control. Underlying this construction of the deviant, transgressed body is the unconscious prototypical conception of the body as a self-regulating system, closed and defined" (p. 166). Nevertheless, I have studied Karaism and am one of those who, the author says, "have written extensively on both medieval Karaite commentaries and Karaism's unique halakhic, legal, philosophical, and historical position" (p. 30). I am always interested in knowing more about contemporary Karaite practice and how it compares with the literary sources with which I am familiar. Thus, I approached this book in the hope of expanding my intellectual horizons. My first reaction was that Tsoffar would have benefited from more background on both Karaism and Rabbanism and should not have relied mostly on secondary literature, some of which is tendentious, outdated, or inaccurate. For instance, despite popular conceptions, Anan ben David (8th century) was not the founder of Karaism, and the authenticity of the motto attributed to him, "search Scriptures well and do not rely on my opinion," is questionable (p. 7). The Karaite prohibition of conversion to Judaism is a fairly recent innovation (p. 55). I am sure that the late second-, early third-century Church Father Clement of Alexandria would have been surprised to find out that he was a "Medieval Rabbanite scholar" (p. 188). I am unaware that anyone uses the Rabbinic term mayyim aharonim (water used to wash the hands before the grace after meals) to connote urine (p. 115). Tsoffar's goal, however, is not an historical overview of Karaism or Karaite law, but an examination of the place of Karaite menstrual purity practices (included those of the post-parturient women) in the lives of Egyptian Karaite women living in the San Francisco area. By observing Karaite practice, including the exclusion of menstruant women from certain rituals, and by engaging Karaite women in conversation about their experiences as Karaite women, in both their personal roles as wives and mothers and their public roles as members of a Karaite community, and by applying interpretative techniques derived from contemporary social sciences, the author presents conclusions about the larger significance of the Karaite rituals. If I understood correctly, [End Page 153] the author claims that Karaites use the laws of menstrual purity as a substitute for the better known Rabbanite dietary laws, specifically the separation of milk and meat, which are not part of Karaite religious practice. Feelings of inadequacy vis-à-vis the Rabbanite majority are compensated by strict menstrual separation, including the prohibition of the entrance of menstruating women into the synagogue, which would cause its ritual defilement, or the separation of menstruating women from family ceremonies, such as the Passover seder (Rabbanite Judaism requires a longer period of abstention from sexual relations but does not prevent menstruant women from participating in synagogal or other rituals). The women who uphold these practices feel that they contribute to the community's being "kosher" (p. 194: "The female body has become one of the last strategic sites in the 'koshering' and legitimizing of Karaite identity"). Tsoffar's conclusion would seem to corroborate statements found in traditional Karaite literature that accused the Rabbanites of dispensing with all ritual purity laws, not only menstrual ones, and replacing them with exaggerated dietary laws In light of Tsoffar's conclusions, one cannot help but ask questions not addressed by this research. For instance, the author gives indications throughout the book of widespread contemporary Karaite non-compliance with Jewish law even as understood by...

The Karaite Tradition of Arabic Bible Translation: A Linguistic and Exegetical Study of Karaite Translations of the Pentateuch from the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries CE

This volume deals with the medieval Karaite practice and concept of Arabic Bible translation. It is based on a linguistic analysis of Karaite versions of the Pentateuch written in Palestine during the 10th and 11th centuries C.E. Trends and tendencies in the Karaite translations are discussed in the light of individual Karaite statements on the art and purpose of Bible translation, and in comparison with Saadiah Gaon's translation methodology, in an attempt to reconstruct the possible origins and historical background of the Karaite translation tradition. The exegetical study is especially relevant to the Bible scholar and medieval philosopher, while the linguistic study will also interest the comparative Semitist, translation theorist and all those concerned with Judaeo-Arabic language and literature.

Medieval Karaite Methods of Translating Biblical Narrative into Arabic

Au Moyen Age, les Qaraites decident d'avoir leur propre version du texte arabe de la Bible dans un but didactique : pour accompagner la lecture et l'enseignement de la Bible hebraique. L'A. expose l'art de la narration des Qaraites. Leur approche est innovante et originale car elle s'eloigne des perceptions traditionnelles en decouvrant de nouvelles dimensions de la traduction notamment en ce qui concerne la syntaxe, le lexiques et les ellipses. Dans son appendice, il propose les traductions hebraiques de Yeshu'ah et de Yefet de Genese 2 : 15-25 dans une presentation synoptique ainsi que la traduction anglaise.

The Medieval Karaite Tradition of Translating the Hebrew Bible into Arabic: Its Sources, Characteristics and Historical Background

The expansion of Islam and the proliferation of the Arabic language and culture throughout the Near East during the seventh and eighth centuries created a growing need amongst Jews living within the Muslim empire for translating the Hebrew Bible into Arabic, their spoken tongue and the lingua franca of their age.

Medieval Karaite Views on Translating the Hebrew Bible into Arabic

L'A. presente quelques unes des conceptions karaites en matiere de traduction arabe de la Bible. Les karaites furent les premiers a s'interesser au repertoire litteraire juif medieval. Ils placerent la Bible au sommet de la hierarchie litteraire. Chez eux, l'autorite etait basee sur la competence linguistique. Pourtant, il n'y a pas eu d'exclusivite dans cette entreprise de traduction. Un autre trait essentiel des traductions karaites reside dans le litteralisme. Il ne s'agit pas seulement d'une tentative d'imitation de la source hebraique, mais d'un principe didactique

History or Philosophy? the Construction of the Past in Medieval Karaite Judaism

History or Philosophy? the Construction of the Past in Medieval Karaite Judaism

On the question of script in Medieval Karaite manuscripts: new evidence from the Genīzah

Etude de la lettre T-S K25.230 de la collection Genizah de Taylor-Schechter relative aux travaux de l'erudit karaite Yeshu'ah ben Yehudah (XI e siecle). L'A. montre que les Karaites du Moyen Age maniaient aussi bien l'ecriture arabe que l'ecriture hebraique. Il y a meme de bonnes raisons de croire que l'usage de l'ecriture arabe pour transcrire la langue arabe fut davantage motivee par l'opposition sectaire des Karaites envers les Rabbanites que par leur integration plus marquee dans la culture islamique