| Popis: |
This chapter studies Karaite biblical exegesis, the most significant characteristic of which is a rejection of the authority of the textual interpretations embodied in what rabbinic Judaism calls the oral Torah. Biblical interpretation is one of the outstanding contributions of Karaism to Jewish civilization. The first verse-by-verse biblical commentaries were written by Daniel al-Qumisi. The Karaite emphasis on the contextual-literary meaning of the text, based on rigorous philological methodology, challenged Rabbanite thinkers, who felt obligated to defend the exegesis that they had received through inherited tradition and which was the basis of their religious observance. Karaite exegetes were well aware of Rabbanite teachings, which they criticized, and Rabbanite exegetes reacted to Karaite disapproval of their biblical interpretations by sharpening their own exegetical tools. There was, however, more to the relation between Karaite and Rabbanite commentators than polemical exchanges; exegetes on each side learned from their colleagues on the other side. The give and take between the two groups had the effect of enriching both. |
