KABASILAS, ka-ba'si-las: Two metropolitans
of Thessalonica during the fourteenth century.
Nilos, the elder, lived about 1340 under John
Cantacuzenus, and belonged to the strict anti-Roman
party, so that his writings were first noticed among
the Protestants (e.g., De primatu papae, ed. M.
Flacius Illyricus, Frankfort, 1553). Far more im-
mentaries quoted many passages from his opponent. He paid special attention to grammar, and in lexicographical respects his commentaries, which are extant on the entire Old Testament, are very instructive. Like Benjamin Nahawendi, he referred Isa. liii. to the Messiah and his sufferings, in opposition to the Rabbinical exegetes, who, on account of their hostility to Christianity, referred the chapter to the people of Israel. Yafith lived about 915-1008, and wrote his commentaries in the last quarter of the tenth century, apparently composing his Sefer ha-Mizwot before his commentaries. In the first half of the eleventh century lived Abu al-Faraj Harun of Jerusalem, the author of a grammatical work entitled Mushtamil ("The Comprehensive"), in which he compared Hebrew with Arabic. He also wrote an Arabic commentary on the Bible, in which he explained all difficult words and sometimes entire sentences. To the middle of the eleventh century belongs Jacob ben Reuben, the author of commentaries on the Bible, composed chiefly of compilations from older authorities.
3. Religious Philosophy
With the first half of the tenth century began the first epoch of Karaite religious philosophy which was based upon the Arabic scholastic theology of the kalam (literally "word"; cf.
logos), a system developed in the second century of the Hejira, and intended, according to the statements of the Arabs themselves, to harmonize tradition with philosophy. It therefore afforded a means of defending religious doctrines by arguments based on reason, and was primarily directed against the tenets of the heterodox sects, and secondarily against the teachings of the philosophers. Thus Aaron ben Elijah (see below, § 5) could contrast the Mutakallamun ("teachers of the word"), with the "philosophers," or the Aristotelians, whereas the main elements of the kalam were evolved from the Peripatetic philosophy. The Mutakallamun also include the Mohammedan sect of the Mutazilites ("Separatists, Dissenters"; see MOHAMMEDANISM), who were founded by Wasil ibn Ata (b. 699/700; d. 748, 749), a contemporary of Anan and the founder of an Islamitic religious philosophy which professed a rationalistic formu lation of Mohammedan dogmas in opposition to the liberal belief of traditional orthodoxy. The Karaites were closely allied to this sect, and their teachers even called themselves Mutakallamun.The first religious and philosophical work of Karaism was the Kitab al-Anwar ("Book of Lights"), written by Jacob al-Kirkisani in 937, and devoted to a summary of the marriage law of the Karaites, so far as it deviated from the rabbinical system. He also wrote a commentary on the Pentateuch, and was followed in the eleventh century by Joseph ben Abraham ha-Roeh, who is mentioned by Maimonides in his Moreh Nebukim as a representative of the kalam and an opponent of Hai Gaon. Joseph was the author of Kitab alMuhtawi, a philosophical work on "the roots of religion." Hitherto the Karaites, interpreting Gen. ii. 24 to mean that husband and wife form a unit, had made it almost impossible for them to marry among themselves. This theory was abolished by
Joseph and his pupil Joshua ben Judah (Abu alFaraj Furkan), although an exaggerated application of the method of analogy prohibited marriage within many degrees of affinity which were permitted by the rabbinical Jews. About the middle of the eleventh century Joshua ben Judah wrote an extensive commentary on the Pentateuch and a treatise on the law of marriage. According to his pupil Ibn al-Taras, the works of Joshua promoted Karaism in Spain, although they were soon counteracted by rabbinical Judaism.
4. Egypt and the Crimea.
In the twelfth century Egypt took the place of Jerusalem as the center of Karaism, and this century also marks decay of Arabo-Karaite literature, for its last representative was the physician Daniel, who wrote a work in 1682 in imitation of the Hobot ha-Lebabot ("The Duties of the Hearts "), composed by Bahya of Saragossa in the eleventh century, while Egypt was also the home of the Hebrew poet Moses Dari. There were also many congregations of Karaites in the Crimea, where a community is said to have existed in 1279. Crimean Karaite literature was extremely scanty, and little of it has been preserved, although it is known that the Karaites of the Crimea applied themselves diligently to the study of the law. Since they laid great stress on a sojourn in Jerusalem, which could easily be reached by way of Constantinople, several books of travel were written by Karaites, including Samuel ha-Kadosh ben David (1641-42), Moses ben Elijah ha-Levi (1654-1655), and Benjamin ben Elijah of Koslov (1785-86). About the middle of the eighteenth century there were 500 families in the Crimea, represented by four communities at Kala, Koslov, Kafa, and Manguf. In the Crimea the Karaites enjoyed special privileges, as when, in 1796, the Empress Catharine remitted half the poll-tax for every young man and also exempted them from military service.
5. Constantinople.
The Karaite community which existed at Constantinople in the early part of the eleventh century, and numbered 500 families in the second half of the following century, is important for the history and literature of the sect. There is no doubt
that Karaites lived in Constantinople
at the time of Judah Hadassi (b. at
Jerusalem 1075; d. at Constantinople
1160), who began his
Eshkol ha-Kofer
(also called
Sefer ha-Peles)
in 1148. He classified
all religion on the basis of the ten commandments
and sought to oppose all heresies known to him.
In natural history he had no superior among his
contemporaries and he gave an extended and valuable account of the progress of philosophy, a subject which he also treated in his
Sefer Teren biTeren
on Hebrew homonyms. Karaite literature
was especially promoted by two scholars named
Aaron. The first of these was Aaron ben Joseph,
whose literary activity falls between 1270 and
1300. He was a physician and wrote commentaries
on the Pentateuch the earlier and later prophets,
and the Psalms. His most important work was
his commentary on the Pentateuch, entitled
Mibhar
(" Choice ") and completed in 1294. Aaron was
likewise the author of a grammatical and exeget-
teries, (see TEPHILLIN) and the calendars, while less essential differences concern the celebration of the feasts, especially Passover, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Feast of Tabernacles, as well as the fasts and religious exercises. The earliest Karaite teachers formed the liturgy by omitting all rabbinical additions, so that religious customs have been exempt from change or discussion. The rigor with which the Karaites observe all their customs has had a deep influence on their lives. They are not content with religious worship on festivals and on semi-festivals like Purim, but refrain from work even on the intermediate days, while on fast-days they abstain from all commercial pursuits. The laws of ritual purity are also extremely exaggerated, and their strictness in the observance of legal obligations extends to the moral duties. They attend to their avocations in quiet simplicity, and generally wear dark clothing in their aversion for everything which pleases the sight.
The main principles of the religious system were fixed as early as the time of Hadassi, and were formulated in ten articles by Elijah Bashyazi and his pupil Caleb Afendopolo, as follows: (1) The universe was created (made out of nothing); (2) there is a Creator, who was neither created by any other power nor self-created; (3) he has no form, is one in every respect,-and is like none of his creations; (4) God sent Moses, our teacher; (5) through him God revealed the Torah, which contains the absolute truth; (6) every Jew is bound to read the Torah in the original; (7) God also revealed himself to the other prophets; (8) God will raise the dead on the Day of Judgment; (9) God will recompense every one according to his deeds; (10) God will deliver Israel from their affliction and send to them the son of David. On the whole it may be said that the Karaites agree with the rabbinical Jews in fundamental doctrines, but differ from their opponents in carrying them out.
(VICTOR RY88ELt.)BIBLIOGRAPHY: A minute, critical and extensive guide to literature concerning the Karaites, including the productions of their leaders, is given in Hauck-Herzog, RE, x. 54-60, cf. 881-882. Consult also: 8. Pinaker, Liillcute $adhmoniot, Vienna, 1860 (in Hebrew, on Karaite history and literature); A. Neubauer, in JA, 1865, i. 534542; Idem, Aua der Peteraburger Bibliothek; Beitrage and Dokumente zur Geschichte des Karaerthuma, Leipsic, 1866; G. Karpeles, Geschichte der judiachen Litteratur, pp. 404412 et passim, Berlin, 1886; The Anti-Karaite Writings of Saadiah Gaon, in JQR, x (1898), 238-276; A Commentary on the Book of Daniel by Jephat ben Ali the Karaite, ad. in Arabic with tranal. by D. S. Margoliouth, in Anecdota Oxonienaa, 3d ser., i., part 3, Oxford, 1889.
On the history consult: J. M. Jost, Geachichte des Judentumm8 and seiner Sekten, 3 vols., Leipsic, 1857-59; J. FOrst Geachichte des Karltertums, 3 vols., ib. 1862-69 (to be used with caution); A. Gottlober, Bikkoret letoledot Karaim, Vilna, 1865; J. Gurland, Ginse Yiarael, St. Petersburg, 1865-66; W. H. Rule, Hiat. of as, Karaite Jews, London, 1870; A. Harkavy,. Denkmtdler aua der Krim, St. Petersburg, 1876; M. Steinschneider, Polemische Literatur,- Lelpsic, 1877; idem, Arabische Literatur der Juden, Frankfort, 1902; H. Grate, Geachichle der Juden, especially v. 163-204, Leipsic, 1895, Eng. transl., London, 1892; Semitic Studies in the Memory of Rev. Dr. A. Kohut, pp 435-456 Berlin, 1897; David,ben Sa'del, Ibn al-Hili'a Arabic Chronicle of karaite Doctors, tranal. by G. Margoliouth, London, 1897; Ersch and Gruber, EncYclopddae, section II., vole. xxvii., xxxiii.; JE, vii. 438-447.
gARENS. See BURMA.