Karaite Judaism

Karaite Judaism is a Jewish religious movement that treats the Hebrew Bible as authoritative while rejecting rabbinic oral law as binding.

Hebrew Bible: The Jewish scriptural collection comprising the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. It is the shared scriptural authority on which Karaite interpretation centers.
Anan ben David: An eighth-century Jewish figure traditionally associated with the beginnings of Karaite opposition to rabbinic authority. Later accounts linked him to the movement's origins, though the connection is historically debated.
Karaite calendar: A Jewish calendar tradition that determines months through lunar observation and years through the agricultural season. Its method differs from the fixed rabbinic calendar and reflects Karaite readings of scripture.
Benjamin al-Nahawendi: A ninth-century Karaite scholar who helped shape early Karaite theology and biblical interpretation. His work helped distinguish Karaite thought from earlier anti-rabbinic movements.
Crimean Karaites: A Karaite community historically established in Crimea and neighboring regions. Their history shows how Karaite identity took distinct regional forms.
Rabbinic Judaism: The dominant form of Judaism, grounded in the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic interpretive tradition. Its authority for the Oral Torah marks the central disagreement with Karaite Judaism.
Abū ʿĪsā al-Iṣfahānī: An eighth-century Jewish messianic claimant whose movement emerged in the same broad era as early Karaism. His movement helps place early Karaite formation among competing Jewish currents.
Karaite Shabbat: The observance of the Jewish Sabbath according to Karaite interpretations of biblical law. Karaite readings produce distinctive rules for Sabbath boundaries and permitted activity.
Daniel al-Qumisi: A ninth-century Karaite scholar and commentator associated with the early Karaite community in Jerusalem. His writings advanced Karaite biblical interpretation and communal life.
Egyptian Karaites: Karaite Jewish communities with a long history in Egypt, especially Cairo. Their institutions and scholarship were central to medieval and modern Karaite life.

Linked from 14 pages