Jeshua ben Judah

Who is Jeshua ben Judah?

Jeshua ben Judah was a Karaite scholar, exegete and philosopher, who lived in eleventh-century Iraq or at Jerusalem.

He was pupil of Joseph ben Abraham ha-Ro'eh. Jeshua was considered one of the highest authorities among the Karaites, by whom he is called "the great teacher".

Like all the Karaite leaders, he was a very active propagandist; and his public lectures on Karaism attracted many inquirers. Among these was a Castilian Rabbinite named al-Taras, who, after having accepted the Karaite teachings, returned to his native country, where he organized a powerful propaganda by circulating Jeshua's writings. The greatest service, however, rendered by Jeshua to Karaism was his accomplishment of the reform of the laws concerning incest, a reform which had been advocated by his teacher.