Spurred on by the example in the Moham medan world, the Karaites held that they were not a new sect, that they represented true Juda ism, and that it is necessary to return to the purity in belief and practice of Moses and the Prophets, just as Mohammed insisted that he simply reintroduced the old religion of Abra ham. The Rabbinites he held were following the secession introduced by Jeroboam. The Sadducees had, it was further held, found out a part of the truth; but Anan was the first to reveal it in its entirety. The connection with the Sadducees seems undoubted, in spite of the fact that the later Karaites rejected the con nection, because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. This is seen in their adop tion of certain Biblical interpretations which are only to be found among the Sadducees or in the early Halakah which was superseded by that which became canonical, e.g., the meaning of the expression "on the morrow after the Sabbath° (Lev. xxii, 11), as the time for com mencing to wave a sheaf of the first fruits; the real meaning of the lex talionis (Deut. xix, 21) and the use of the flesh of an animal that was diseased before it was slaughtered. The older Halakah not only forbade one to kindle a light on the Sabbath day but even to allow it to burn — an interpretation followed by the Sadducees, the Samaritans and the Falashas. The early Karaites seem even to have had Sadduceean writings in their possession which are now lost, the authenticity of which not even their great opponent Saadia contested. Anan was an eclectic, and evidently tried to gather into his fold all manner of doctrine that was in any way opposed to the Rabbinical interpre tation. Thus he introduced the prohibition of eating meat or drinking wine during the exile of the Jews from the Holy Land; a theory up held by two minor sects, the followers of Abu Isa of Ispahan (685 to 705), and of Yugdan, a pupil of Abu Isa. But despite his opposition to the Rabbinites, Anan followed their teach ings in many things. He himself was a good Talmudist and he took over nearly all the rules of Biblical interpretation upon which the Tal mudists based their system. He was by nature something of an ascetic, and consequently was apt to follow in all cases the more stringent rather than the more lenient view in questions of practice. In fact, he may be said to have developed a tradition and a Talmud of his own. His immediate followers, who called them selves "Mourners for Zion," went to live in Jerusalem, where they gradually died out and were of very little influence upon the develop ment even of their own sect.
In the 10th and 11th cen turies Karaism took on quite a large follow ing. It spread notably in Babylonia, Persia, Syria, Palestine and Egypt. It found a sec ond home in Constantinople, and from here spread into Europe and certain parts of the Mediterranean littoral. We hear of Karaites in Salonica, and, what is of more importance, in Spain itself. One reason for this extension was undoubtedly the point d'appui that Karaism gave to all those who, for one reason or an other, were dissatisfied with Ratibinism. A more important reason Vas the supineness of the Jewish authorities in Babylon who were the nominal or spiritual heads of all the Jewish communities, but who were fast losing the direction of their affairs and prominence in scholarship. In a most surprising manner these Babylonian authorities misjudged the possible effects of the new schism. Even though prose lytes were made out of their own ranks, they must have persuaded themselves that the new movement could be killed by silence. The Gaon Natronai bar Hilai (ca. 857-867) is the first
one to busy himself with the new doctrine. In Spain it was otherwise. A Castilian Jew, Oid al-Taras, in 1054, journed to Jerusalem, where he became a convert to the new school. He returned and commenced to spread Kara ism among the Spanish Jews. There grew up communities in Carrion, Burgos, Toledo and Talavera, etc. The Rabbinites, however, were aroused, and even secured the aid of the secu lar arm. Both the religious and the civil power weighed heavily upon the Karaites. At the end of the 11th century, then again under Alfonso VIII (1126-56), and a third time under Al fonso IX (1158-1214), they suffered perse cution and the schism was nipped in the bud.
But without making use of secular weapons, a young scholar in Fostat (Old Cairo), Egypt, set out in a scientific way to demolish the foundations upon which Karaism was built up. Had it not been for Saadia ben Joseph (892 942), the heresy might have made great inroads into the Jewish body politic. Not only as a young man in Egypt, but later as Gaon at Sura, he devoted some of his best energies to refuting the works of Anan and to writing anti-Karaitic tracts. The refutation may be said to have been complete; for he set at rest any fear that the heresy might become dangerous to the real unity of m.
The polemics of Saadia naturally called forth replies on the part of the Karaites and produced the flower of Karaite literature. Karaite scholars were forced to defend their theological position, their peculiar interpreta tion of the Bible, and their knowledge of the Hebrew language. The chief Karaite writers of this period were the polemicist and Bible commentator, Solomon ben Jeruham (940); David ben Abraham al Fazi (950), the author of a Hebrew dictionary; Jacob al-Kirkisani (938), author of a commentary on the Pen tateuch; David ben Boaz (ca. 910), author of a commentary on the Pentateuch and a work on the principles of religion; Japhet ben Ali (ca. 1000), their most prolific commentator, and Sahl ben Masliah (ca. 980), the author of a work on the Biblical laws.
Further In the next period Con stantinople becomes the centre. Its most im portant Karaite scholar was undoubtedly Judah Hadassi (1149), the author of the ha Kofer,' an encyclopedic work in rhymed prose, giving a whole system of Karaite theology and treating of the most varied subjects. After him lived Aaron ben Joseph, the elder (1300), a native of the Crimea, who is known not only as a distinguished Bible commentator, but as the compiler of the prayerbook still used by the Karaites, and to which he contributed some notable poems of his own. Aaron ben Elijah, the younger (1300-69), wrote the most philo sophic treatise (Gan Eden) of any Karaite, as well as a commentary on the Pentateuch which is still very much in honor amon his fellow believers. He had studied thoroughly the writ ings of Maimonides, and he di his best to raise up Karaism out of the morass into which it had fallen through the heavy onslaughts of Saadia. To these must be added Elijah ben Moses Bashyazi, the systematizer of Karaite canon law (1420-90), his brother-in-law, Caleb Afendopulo (end of the 15th century), liturgical poet and writer of homiletic and theological works, and Moses ben Elijah Bash yazi (1544-72), a writer on theology. At the present day there are from 50 to 60 families in Constantinople concentrated in'the district Hass keui. Upon several occasions the Karaites procured Firmans from the Porte recogniz ing themselves as a religious body apart from the other Jews and with their own chief rabbi. In 1900 these Firmans were confirmed by an Irade.