Karaite Judaism and Historical Understanding

Scholars in the early Karaite Jewish sect relied on scripturalism in their descriptions of the past, rather than on the rabbinic tradition of describing history as a moralistic transmission of divine knowledge and authority from generation to generation. Astren (Jewish studies, San Francisco State U.) describes how scholarship constructs the past from its various traditions and contexts, particularly when those contexts are sectarian. He examines the Islamic contexts of Jewish history from the seventh through the eleventh centuries, early Karaite Judaism and its continuation in Byzantium-Turkey and thence to Eastern Europe, spanning eleven centuries. He includes an index to biblical and rabbinic literature. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)