Karaimska mniejszość wyznaniowa na Litwie i w Polsce

Abstract

The Karaim religion originated, similarly to Christianity and Islam, from Judaism. Its beginnings go back to the 7th century A.D., when amongst the Babylonian adherents of Judaism (today Iraq), who were under the rule of theu Abbasid caliph Abu Ja'far al-Mansur, there appeared opposition against Judaism, centered around Annan Ben David of Basra (754-775). The opposition stood up to the growing attachment to the Talmud. Its members were first called the Annanites or Bene Mikra, that is, the “Sons of the Order” or the “Sons of the Holy Scripture” While for the Jews, the Talmud has the greatest legislative value, for the Karaites it is a code of hatred, not law. It can be said that Karaism recognizes only the authority of the Hebrew Bible and rejects the Talmud. The Karaites believe in God, whose law cannot be changed or supplemented. The paper presents the history of the Karaimes in Poland.