10. THE KARAITES. A Jewish sect which took its rise in southern Mesopotamia in the second half of the 8th century and which has persisted to the present day. Several causes have contributed to its origin and continuance, some purely personal, others depending upon a difference of view in regard to some of the essential features of Rabbinical Judaism.
Origin.— The development of what is known as Rabbinical Judaism, which commenced after the destruction of the second Hebrew com monwealth, has not been as one-sided as is popularly imagined. In addition to the written law, the basis of all religious and all civil de % elopment, an unwritten law had naturally grown up which by its interpretation of the written law fitted that law to the changing times and to different needs. In this manner a large mass of traditions interpreting and enlarging the law has come into being. This mass is known as the oral law, and it gradually acquired a sanction and a sanctity second only to that of the canon. This oral law was not necessarily rigid; for as long as the schools maintained their vigor a natural and healthy development took place. Custom, however, came to the aid of the oral law and in a natural process was itself then regarded as law. The development, however, was not homogeneous. There were at all times within the Jewish polity freer spirits who rebelled against the trammels which a fixed interpretation 'of the Biblical laws naturally induced. They imagined that by basing themselves wholly upon the word of Scripture they would free themselves, for getting that they were running the risk of worshiping the letter instead of the spirit which manifested itself in the development of the oral law. From time to time sects arose, having as their principal object the negation of the official tradition. Of such a kind were the Samaritans, though their opposition to the Sews was more political than religious, and in a large measure the Sadducees. To such sects the Karaites belong; but they represent the only sect that has had a long and important existence and against which Rabbinical Judaism had continually to be on the alert.
Anan and the Early Karaites.— The sect was thus to a certain extent the outcome of the opposition to the official oral law. A per sonal element entered into this opposition. The founder of the sect was a certain Anan ben David, said by some to have been a de scendant of Bostani, a celebrated head of the captivity. His followers and certain Moham
medan writers assert that he himself was an exilarch; this is undoubtedly a falsehood. His uncle, however, did occupy that position; and when he died in 760 Anan had a certain right to expect the appointment. A younger brother, Josiah by name, was preferred. Whatever may have been the reason for this preferment, Anan resented it and out of pique had himself proclaimed exilarch in 767. This appeared to the Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur as treason, seeing that the regular exilarch had been confirmed by himself. Anan was imprisoned, and only released by heavy bribes given to the officials. He then started out to build up a following of his own. His immediate followers, who must be clearly distinguished from later Karaites, were called Ananites. This was no difficult matter at that period and in those regions. The Mohammedan world itself was in a fer ment, due largely to the pretensions raised by the various followers of Ali. Numerous Mo hammedan sects raised their heads, and their example cannot have been lost upon the Jews living in their neighborhood. The influence of Mohammedan thought upon the Jews was great at all times; and it cannot be doubted that this influence was strongly exerted in the formation of Karaism. The central doctrine of Anan's philosophical or theological rebellion was his denial that the oral law was divine. According to him all portions of the Bible are of equal value. One must delve deep into it in order to take out its secret and its hidden meaning. No fixed rules are to govern this study; each individual must find out for him self what is the law. To a greater or less de gree similar controversies were raging in the Mohammedan world. The Shiites in a measure denounced tradition (Sunnah) as much as Anan did; and even among the orthodox the i question as to the right of individual specula tion occasioned bitter controversies. The founder of one of the four chief Mohammedan legal systems, Abu Hanifah, was the one who upheld this doctrine of the right of individual speculation; and it cannot be merely a chance circumstance that he lived in the same place and at the same time as did Anan. In fact it is said that he was imprisoned together with Anan. Undoubtedly the two systems have their basal thought in common.