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The first introduction to Karaite history, practice, thought, and custom in the English language.An ideal book for anyone interested in Karaite Judaism as a living religion, from the perspective of an insider. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Brief but complete!
This book, as its title shows, is a brief material about Karaite Judaism; its just an introduction. The person that is looking for basic information concerning this Jewish denomination can find in this work his/her perfect guide.

Este libro, como muestra su título, es un material breve sobre el Judaísmo Caraíta, es sólo una introducción. La persona que busca información básica sobre esta denominación judía puede encontrar en esta obra su guía perfecta.

A good place to start
If you want to know more about Karaism, what Karaites believe, and have believed, etc., this is a good place to start.The book is systematic.It starts with Karaite history (starting with ancient Jewish history), then proceeds to cover Karaite thought, belief, and practice.It seems a little sparse on some of the details for the holidays (mostly for Yom Teruah - aka Rosh HaShannah, and Yom Kippur), but other than that it is pretty thorough.

A great introduction
I thought this was a very good introduction to Karaite Judaism for the beginner.It covers most of the topics that someone who knowns nothing about Karaism would want to know.I especially liked the fact that the book focused on what Karaite Judaism is, rather than what it isn't, and how it differs from mainstream Judaism.A lot of books out there on Karaism seem to want to spend a lot of time telling you how Karaism and "Rabbanism" differ.Not this book.It is focused, to the point, and thorough, for an introduction.

A useful work on Karaite doctrine
This book fills a long-standing gap in Karaite studies. It is a very useful exposition of Karaite doctrine and practices, written by Karaites themselves. The reader, however, should be aware that the authors are Karaites from the Egyptian community and tradition, and therefore they do not have the background or linguistic ability to provide information on the customs of the Eastern European Karaites - specifically those of the Crimea, Lithuania, and Poland, whose books and journals were written in Karaim (a Turkic language), Russian, Lithuanian, and Polish.

There are also some questionable - or at least debatable - statements made in the book about the history of the Karaites in general, and the connections of the Crimean Karaites (Karaims) with the Khazars in particular.

Although the book is well printed and bound, there are, unfortunately, a great many typographical errors which should have been corrected during proofreading before publication.

Readers interested in further information on the Karaites should look for the English translation of a work by Simon Szyszman, the greatest Karaite scholar of the twentieth century, entitled "Karaism: Its Doctrines and History," which is due to be published this year. ... Read more

Product Description
The Karaites, a small Jewish sect that arose twelve centuries ago and still exists today, was at one time the most outspoken and productive schismatic division in Judaism. The Karaites contributed much to the Jewish literature of the Middle Ages, for they developed their own corpus of theological dogmas, liturgy, juristic exegesis, metaphysical concepts, secular poetry, apologetics, and sermons. This anthology-the first of its kind in any language of the West-provides excerpts from the early Karaite literature (down to about the year 1500) representing the full range of their thought and belief. All extracts have been translated directly from Arabic, Aramaic, and Hebrew original sources. "This book marks the first attempt in any language to present a chronological exposition of seven centuries of evolution of this interesting Jewish sect through a selection of excerpts from the writings of its spokesmen...[A] pioneering achievement."-Zvi Ankori, Jewish Social Studies "Will be of real interest...to historians of religion, sociologists of religion, students of Judaism, Talmudic scholars, students of comparative religious law, and scholars interested in the relation between Islam and Judaism in the Middle Ages."-Maurice S. Friedman, The Journal of Religion "The book is an important addition to Qaraite literature in English."-Isis "The texts are wisely chosen, carefully edited, and supplied with copious notes. An excellent introduction to each writer is given. The book is successful from every point of view."-Edward Robertson, The Royal Asiatic Society "The commentaries of [the] scholars...are important additions to Jewish scholarly research."-Jewish News ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Precious
The is a fine collection of Karaite writings. The volume gives you an ample survey of Karaism's finest scholars and their works on scripture

A Classic
This book is a classic, written by one of the most important scholars of Karaism in the last 100 years.It is a wonderful, accessible introduction to the thought of some of the most important early Karaite scholars.I don't agree with everything Nemoy says, especially some of his comments about Karaite poetry, however, in general, he is right on. ... Read more

Product Description
Setting: The Crimean peninsula, the borderland between Europe and Asia, where East meets West. Become a guest of one of the Crimea's most enigmatic inhabitants: the Crimean Karaites.The Karaites are Jews who rely solely on the Hebrew Bible.Their enigmatic past still engenders debate and discussion:their supposed descendancy from the ancient Judeans, their association with the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel and the nomadic Khazars, and the heated controversy surrounding their legal separation from the larger Jewish population in Russia fill the pages of this volume with the drama of intrigue, excitement, mystery, and redemption. Karaites Through the Travellers' Eyes makes you an eyewitness to the riveting story of the Karaites in the Crimea, through the words of those who witnessed this mystifying people first hand. ... Read more

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Notions of history and the past contained in literature of the Karaite Jewish sect offer insight into the relationship of Karaism to mainstream rabbinic Judaism and to Islam and Christianity. Karaite Judaism and Historical Understanding describes how a minority sectarian religious community constructs and uses historical ideology. It investigates the proportioning of historical ideology to law and doctrine and the influence of historical setting on religious writings about the past.

Fred Astren discusses modes of representing the past, especially in Jewish culture, and then poses questions about the past in sectarian—particularly Judaic sectarian—contexts. He contrasts early Karaite scripturalism with the literature of rabbinic Judaism, which, embodying historical views that carry a moralistic burden, draws upon the chain of tradition to suppose a generation-to-generation transmission of divine knowledge and authority. Karaites in the medieval Islamic world eschewed historical thinking, in concert with their rejection of the rabbinic concept of tradition. One important medieval Karaite, al-Qirqisani, however, constructed a sophisticated historical argument as part of his philosophical exposition of Karaism, demonstrating theological and philosophical strategies common in Islam and Christianity.

The center of Karaism shifted to the Byzantine-Turkish world during the twelfth through sixteenth centuries, when a new historical outlook unoblivious of the past accommodated legal developments influenced by rabbinic thought. Reconstructing Karaite historical expression from both published works and previously unexamined manuscripts, Astren shows that Karaites relied on rabbinic literature to extract and compile historical data for their own readings of Jewish history, which they recorded in an encyclopedic literature similar to contemporary Byzantine Christian Orthodox writing. Astren documents how as the Karaites moved toward a concept of tradition and echoed rabbinic historical formulations, they developed a version of the chain of tradition to link archaic biblical history to their own community.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Karaite scholars in Poland and Lithuania collated and harmonized historical materials inherited from their Middle Eastern predecessors. Astren portrays the way that Karaites, with some influence from Jewish Renaissance historiography and impelled by features of Protestant-Catholic discourse, prepared complete literary historical works that maintained their Jewishness while offering a Karaite reading of Jewish history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I learned something about Karaism
I knew a little bit about Karaism from pages here and there in other books- mostly that the Karaites were Biblical literalists who repudiated rabbinic tradition and who went without heat on Shabbat (although as this book points out, they eventually moved away from this harsh view).This book fills in a few blanks.

During the Karaites' early period, there was no unified Karaite halachah- obviously an impractical way of functioning.Instead, Karaites were expected to do their best to interpret the Torah themselves, and to ignore rabbinic tradition. For example, the opinions of Anan (who may or may not have founded Karaism) were by no means universally accepted.Astren implies that the need to create functioning communities forced them to create more uniformity of practice, which in turn forced them to create a chain of interpretive tradition.And if Karaites were going to rely on tradition rather than on their own judgment, why not at least adopt some of the traditions of the Jewish mainstream?In fact, by the 15th century the Karaites had moved towards mainstream Jewish halachic positions on a wide variety of issues, and in some parts of the world (the Ottoman Empire in particular), the Karaites had relatively good relationships with mainstream Jewry.(On the other hand, in Russia the Karaites became totally severed from Jewry, mainly to avoid Tsarist oppression of Jews).

I suspect that the growth of Karaite tradition destroyed the rationale for Karaism - which is perhaps why Karaism dwindled; to have uniformity, they had to be able to agree on rules other than those suggested by literal interpretation of the Torah, yet the logic behind Karaism was that the Torah should take priority over tradition.

Another factor that led to the Karaite evolution towards tradition may have been the movement of many Karaites from Jerusalem to Christian Byzantium after the Crusades.In the early Islamic empire "a claim to historical anteriority was of negligible value.Islam itself was dominant, yet historically recent."By contrast, in a Christian environment "the Karaites were considered immigrant newcomers, whose pedigree was highly questionable." (p. 148)So once Karaites moved into Christian areas, they had a strong incentive to claim that they too had a chain of tradition in order to avoid Christian hostility.

Astren also speculates on how Karaism came about.In the centuries before the Talmud, Jewish communities outside Israel and Babylon become more isolated and autonomous.When the Muslims swept through the Middle East in the 7th and 8th centuries, centralization of political power increased communications, which in turn made the Talmud more available to Jews.Karaism may have began with Jews unhappy with Talmudic centraliztion of Jewish law.

One small thing I did not like about this book: because its focus is so narrow, it sometimes throws in obscure terms without any explanation.For example, the book repeatedly refers to Jewish sects more obscure than the Karaites (such as Mishawites and Tiflisites) without explaining who they were and what they believed. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1913.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: Philadelphia [Press of Cahan printing co.]; Publication date: 1913; Subjects: Jewish law; Karaites; Talmud; Tradition (Judaism); Karaite law; Halacha; Religion / Judaism / General; Religion / Judaism / Rituals ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1908.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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

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The book focuses on the history, ethnography, and convoluted ethnic identity of the Karaites, an ethnoreligious group in Eastern Galicia (modern Ukraine). The small community of the Karaite Jews, a non-Talmudic Turkic-speaking minority, who had been living in Eastern Europe since the late Middle Ages, developed a unique ethnographic culture and religious tradition. The book offers the first comprehensive study of the Galician Karaite community from its earliest days until today with the main emphasis placed on the period from 1772 until 1945. Especially important is the analysis of the twentieth-century dejudaization (or Turkicization) of the community, which saved the Karaites from horrors of the Holocaust. ... Read more

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This volume consists of an edition, translated into English and with an extensive introduction, of the Arabic translation and commentary on the book of Esther by one of the preeminent litterateurs of the Karaite "Golden Age" (10th-11th centuries), Yefet ben 'Eli ha-Levi. Yefet's text represents the first completely extant, devoted commentary on Esther and, consequently, provides fascinating insight into the history and development of exegetical thought on this book, both among the Karaites as well as the Rabbanites. Various facets of Yefet's exegesis which we explore in our introduction include his rationalistic method, compilatory tendency, relationship to the doctrines of the Islamic Mu'tazila, and his influence both by and upon other Jewish exegetes (Karaite and Rabbanite). We also assess Yefet's Arabic translation technique and include a survey of all extant Karaite commentaries on Esther, both in Arabic as well as Hebrew. ... Read more

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Portrays the experiences of Egyptian Karaites in the San Francisco Bay Area as it explores the relationship between text and everyday life, between literal reading and its translation into bodily practices—especially as related to the female body. ... Read more

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The Jewish Bible commentary was created in the Islamic East during the tenth century by scholars seeking a rational, systematic approach to Scripture. Among its earliest champions were the Karaites, scripturalists who denied rabbinic authority. Seeking to restore Judaism to its biblical roots, they wrote numerous commentaries in Judeo-Arabic. Through the investigation of key topics, this book traces the contours of early Karaite biblical exegesis. Subjects covered include: halakhic indeterminacy; dream interpretation; the Song of Songs as salvation history; Psalms exegesis as liturgical commentary; and inter-religious polemics. The exegetes discussed include Ya'qub al-Qirqisani, Salmon b. Yeruhim, Sahl b. Masliah, and above all, Japheth b. Eli. Extensive selections from unpublished manuscripts are presented in English translation and the original Judeo-Arabic. ... Read more

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Title: British Museum Karaite Mss. : Descriptions and Collation of Six Karaite Manuscripts of Portions of the Hebrew Bible in Arabic Characters : With a Complete Reproduction of the Autotype Process of One, Exodus I, 1-Viii, 5, in 42 FacsimilesPublisher: London : Williams and NorgatePublication date: 1889Subjects: British LibraryBritish LibraryBritish LibraryBibleBibleManuscripts, KaraiteNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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This volume contains a collection of articles that present studies of medieval Karaite texts. The articles in the volume concern primary manuscript sources, the majority of which have not been published so far. They examine various topics in Biblical exegesis and grammar. ... Read more

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Karaism is a Jewish religious movement of a scripturalist and messianic nature, which emerged in the Middle Ages in the areas of Persia-Iraq and Palestine and has maintained its unique and varied forms of identity and existence until the present day, undergoing resurgent cycles of creativity, within its major geographical centres of the Middle-East, Byzantium-Turkey, the Crimea and Eastern Europe.

This Guide to Karaite Studies contains thirty-seven chapters which cover all the main areas of medieval and modern Karaite history and literature, including geographical and chronological subdivisions, and special sections devoted to the history of research, manuscripts and printing, as well as detailed bibliographies, index and illustrations. The substantial volume reflects the current state of scholarship in this rapidly growing sub-field of Jewish Studies, as analysed by an international team of experts and taught in various universities throughout Europe, Israel and the United States. ... Read more