TORA TRANSLATIONS.

The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox ISBN 186046-142-5.

This is to date the best translation there is of the Tora. He is not influenced by Rabbinic understandings of the Halakha and intends to translate according to the plain meaning of the text. In his translation, he tries to reproduce in English the rhythm and the distinctive Hebraic quality of the Hebrew text.

For our bible reading schedule for the course please click here.

BIBLICAL HEBREW.

1) An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, by Thomas O. Lambdin, ISBN: 0232513694.  I highly recommend this book as it is probably the best there is on its subject. It has very few mistakes, I have only noticed about five, and other books on Biblical Hebrew are usually riddled with mistakes.

2) A History of the Hebrew Language by Angel Saenz-Badillos, ISBN 0-521-55634-1. A very thorough history of the Hebrew language.

3) The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, by C. Briggs, Francis Brown, S. Driver ISBN 1-56563-206-0. Probably the best Hebrew and English lexicon there is, a must.

KARAITE HISTORY AND THEOLOGY

1) As it is Written: The Brief Case For Karaism, by Lichaa, Rekhavi, Gordon, ISBN: 123456789789. A concise pamphlet detailing the foundations of Karaite Judaism.

2) Karaites in Byzantium: the formative years, 970-1100, by Zvi Ankori, ISBN:0-404-51597-5 / 040451597. The author is not a Karaite, hence the book should be used with caution.

3) History of the Karaites, by Nathan Schur, ISBN: 3-631-44435-4.  An interesting book with lots of facts, again written by a Rabbanite should also be used with caution especially the section on the origins of Karaism.

4) The Karaite Jews of Egypt from 1882-1986, by Mourad el-Kodsi, ISBN: 0962005207.  The author is himself an Egyptian Karaite.

5) Chapter VI, 'A new Light on the Rise of Karaism' p. 93 to 116 in  The Rise of the Karaite Sect, by Dr. Zvi Cahn. An orthodox Jew explores the history related to Karaite Judaism. Right click on hyperlink and use "save target as" to save the adobe version of this out of print, no longer subject to copywrite book.

COMPLETE KARAITE WORKS TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH.
 

1) Faith Strengthened: The Jewish Answer to Christianity by Isaac Troki (Author), Moses Mocatta (Translator) ISBN: 0872030229.  The author was a 15th Century Lithuania Karaite. The book is one of the best anti-missionary works ever written. He critically analyses every christological passage of the Mikra.Faith Strengthened: is available online at:
www.faithstrengthened.org

2) A Commentary on the Book of Daniel, by Yepheth ibn Ali the Karaite.

3) Jewish Sects and Christianity, by Ya'qub al-Qirqisani a translation by Bruno Chiesa and Wilfrid Lockwood, ISBN 3-8204-8061-7. This is not a complete work but a translation of the first section of Ya'qub al-Qirqisani's Book of Lights and Watchtowers.

4) Twenty Chapters: Ishrun Maqala (Ishrun Maqala), by  Dawud Ibn Marwain Al-Muqammis  Sarah Stroumsa  S. Stroumsa, ISBN:  9004092161.  Al-Muqammis (first half of the 9th Century) was a Karaite Bible commentator and philosopher. His book "Twenty Chapters" was the first Jewish work on Mutazilite (rational) philosophy.  

5) The Wisdom of Ben Sira 1916, by W. O. E. Oesterley, ISBN:  1417980621 and Ecclesiasticus: Sirach, by Douay  Rheims  Challoner, ISBN:  1576467759.  This is a Second Temple work the author was with out doubt a Sadducee as can be seen from the work itself. It is therefore one of the few surviving Sadducean works. The book can be found in the Apocrypha, but most translations are made from the Greek translation of the Hebrew original. If the translation contains a psalm that the first and every other line is "Give thanks...", inserted in the middle of chapter 51 or at the end of chapter 51 it is based on the Hebrew original.

KARAITE ANTHOLOGIES.

1) Karaite Anthology: Excerpts from the Early Literature,
by Leon Nemoy, ISBN: 0300039298. Recommended even if the author is a Rabbanite and does get some facts wrong.

3) Karaite Studies edited by Philip Birnbaum. An interesting anthology.

4) The Judean Scrolls and Karaism by Naphtali Wieder. Horovitz Publishing Co. Ltd London, East and West Library, 1962. xii, 296 pages. Index. The first chapter is not really relevant to Karaism but the rest is. I read this book while I was at Yeshiva and starting to go over to Karaism. This is the book that helped me to realize that Karaism is correct and to finally abandon Rabbanism.

BIBLE AIDS.

1) Ancient Israel its Life and Institutions by Roland de Vaux, ISBN 0-232-51219-1.  This is a good book but should be used with much caution. The author was a Catholic Monk, was originally in charge of the excavations at Qumran, he believed in the garbage of the J,E,P,D theory and was anti-Semitic, but it is still a good book.

2) The Prophets by Abraham J. Heschel, ISBN:0061315575. This book is excellent. The words of the Prophets pulsate through it.

3) Theology of the Old Testament, by Walther Eichrodt, ISBN 334-01632-0.  This a good book but should be used with caution. The author was a Protestant Theologian and believed in the documentary hypothesis theory.

4) Plants of the Bible, by Michael Zohary, ISBN 0521-24926-0. This is a good book and is very helpful in determining the correct translation for the flora mentioned in the Mikra.

5) The Modern Bible Atlas, by Yohanan Aharoni and Michael Avi-Yonah. ISBN 0-04-22008-3.

RELATED TOPICS.

1) Near Eastern Mythology: Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, by John Gray, ISBN:0600036383.  The book is a good introduction to the Religions and Mythologies of Mesopotamia and Canaan. Knowledge of the religions of these places enables us to understand certain miswoth of the Tora that are against idol worship and why YHWH finds these religions so detestable.

2) History of the Arabs, by Philip K. Hitti. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-09871-4. One of the best works on Arab history. The bulk of the book concentrates on the Medieval Period and it is therefore a good source for the political and cultural environment that Karaism found itself in during its "Golden Age".

 COUNTER-MISSIONARY WORKS.

1) The Disputation, ISBN: 0714543179 the author is anonymous, Scholarly Publications England. A very good work.

2) Jesus Versus Christianity, by Alfred Reynolds, ISBN 0-946101-03-5.  This is a very good counter-missionary work written by a former Christian.

TORA AND SCIENCE.

1) Genesis and the Big Bang, by Gerald L. Schroeder, Ph.D. ISBN 0-553-07083-5.  The author is a religious Rabbanite.

2) In the Beginning... Biblical Creation and Science, by Nathan Aviezer, ISBN 0-88125-328-6. The author is a religious Rabbanite.

3) God and Evolution by R.J Berry, Hodder and Stroughton ISBN 0-340-34249-8. The author is a devout Christian and therefore should be used with caution.

4) Life after Life, by Raymond A. Moody M.D, Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-20433-5. This is an excellent book, I read it at Yeshiva, and it was another book that influenced me. The author proves by case records that life after physical death is a reality. A must.

SCHOLARLY WORKS RECOMMENDED BY HAKHAM NEHEMIA GORDON:

L. Nemoy, "The Pseudo-Qūmisī an Sermon to the Karaites", Proceedings of the American Academy of Jewish Research 43 (1976), pp.49–105

M. Polliack, "Major Trends in Karaite Biblical Exegesis in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries", in: M. Polliack (ed.), Karaite Judaism: A Guide to its History and Literary Sources, Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2003 [The readers attention is directed to an article by Hakham Magdi Shamuel]

M. Polliack, The Karaite Tradition of Arabic Bible Translation, pages 23-32, E.J. Leiden: Brill 1997

HAKHAM NEHEMIA GORDON'S ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED READING LIST:

L. Lockwood (translator), “The First Section of the Book of Lights and Watchtowers by Abū Yūsuf Ya‘qūb al-Qirqisānī”, in: B. Chiesa and W. Lockwood, Ya‘qūb al-Qirqisānī on Jewish Sects and Christianity, Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1984, pp. 91–188 

Jacob al-Kirkisānī, “Principles of Biblical Exegesis”, in: L. Nemoy, Karaite Anthology, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1952, pp. 53–68

H. L. Strack and G. Stemberger, Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 19962

D. Frank, Search Scripture Well: Karaite Exegetes and the Origins of the Jewish Bible Commentary in the Islamic East, Leiden: Brill, 2004

M. Polliack and E. Schlossberg, “Historical-Literary, Rhetorical and Redactional Methods of Interpretation in Yefet Ben ‘Eli's Introduction to the Minor Prophets”, in: G. Khan (ed.), Exegesis and Grammar in Medieval Karaite Texts, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001, pp. 1–39

 N. Wieder, “The Doctrine of the Two Messiahs Among the Karaites”, Journal of Jewish Studies 6 (1955) pp. 14–23

B. Walfish, The Mourners of Zion (“’Avelei Siyyon”): Karaite Aliyah Movement of the Early Arab Period”, in: M. Mor (ed.), Eretz Israel, Israel and the Jewish Diaspora: Mutual Relations, Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1991, pp. 42–52

H. Ben-Shammai, “The Karaite Controversy: Scripture and Tradition in Early Karaism”, in: B. Lewis and F. Niewöhner (eds.), Religionsgespräche im Mittelalter, Wiesbaden: O. Harrassowitz, 1992, pp. 11–26

H. Ben-Shammai, “Fragments of Daniel al-Qūmisī’s Commentary on the Book of Daniel as a Historical Source”, Henoch 8 (1991) pp. 259–281

Y. Erder, “The Karaites’ Sadducee Dilemma”, Israel Oriental Studies 14 (1994) pp. 195–226

Neriah HaRoe's Reading Suggestion: