Byzantine Karaism and Christian Thought

• In Event: Christian Influences on Medieval Jewish Philosophy and Theology

Abstract

Greek speaking Byzantine Jews were unique among medieval Jews in that they were able to read ancient Greek philosophy in the original language. In addition, unlike most Jews living in Latin Europe, they were able to read compositions written by their neighbors, meaning that they had direct exposure to Byzantine Christian thought. Thus, it would seem that medieval Byzantine Jews were well situated to incorporate Christian Greek philosophy into their own thought systems, and Dov Schwartz has argued for such influence. Looking specifically at Byzantine Karaites (eleventh to sixteenth centuries), we see that the earlier Karaites incorporated Greek terms, in Hebrew letters, into their works, most notably Judah Hadassi (flourished 1148-1149), in his magnum opus, Eshkol ha-kofer (Cluster of Henna Blossoms). Hadassi also gives evidence of familiarity with Greek and Christian thought. Later Byzantine Karaites, however, from the late thirteenth century, almost completely ignored the Greek context in which they worked, and they used very few Greek words and almost no Byzantine philosophical or theological notions. The lecture will focus on the extent to which one can detect Christian influences on Byzantine Karaite philosophy and theology.

Author

• Daniel J. Lasker, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev