Thursday, June 08, 2017

Karaites and biblical exegesis

KARAITE WATCH: Biblical Exegesis as a Source of Jewish Pluralism: The Case of the Karaites (Prof. Daniel J. Lasker, TheTorah.com).
Karaism is often characterized by its rejection of the Talmud in favor of a super-literalist interpretation of the Torah. But Karaism is better understood as an alternate, parallel form of Judaism based on the Bible.
The Karaites are a non-rabbinic community of Jews whose origin goes back at least to the early Middle Ages. They reject the rabbinic concept of the Oral Torah.

This essay gives a very thorough exposition of Karaite religious thought and practice.

For many past PaleoJudaica posts on the Karaites, start here and follow the links.