Khazar conversion to judaism. REB 53 1995 France p.
- Khazar conversion to judaism Koestler hypothesized that the Khazars after their conversion in the 8th This book traces the history of the ancient Khazar Empire, a major but almost forgotten power in E. See also Kevin Alan Brook, The Jews of Khazaria (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield At some point in the last decades of the 8th century or the early 9th century, the Khazar royalty and nobility converted to Judaism, and part of the general population may have followed. Khazars’ strategic thinking extended well beyond geography and trade. His name means "elk" in Old Turkic. Racists didn't care. 4 Cited by. To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5. , the Khazarian kings and nobility as well as a significant part of the Khazarian population embraced the Jewish belief and adopted the hallmarks of Judaism, including Torah and Talmud, the Hebrew script and the observance of Jewish holidays. Many conferences have been conducted on the topic as new research keeps pouring in. Oxford University Press. Hazer Tarkhan's army was annihilated at Itil in 737 AD, and the Umayyad Caliphate imposed Islam upon the Khazars. Grives – Tomšič; transl. Various writers, some of them of an anti-Semitic bent, have made much of this idea, claiming that modern eastern European Jewry primarily traces back to these Asiatic peoples rather than to a Semitic/Abrahamic lineage. The first half of the book is Robert de Reddinge (converted c. 8 Nonetheless, the Jew-ish kingdom in Khazaria was known to Jews elsewhere both during the period in which Khazaria existed as an independent kingdom (to the tenth century) and afterward. The broadest of these was the conversion of the nomadic, steppe peoples to one or another of the universal Also, the Sassanids did the same as well (Mazdak rebellions). 11 Vita Constantini IX (ed. Y. 915–975), and Joseph, king of the Khazars. At this point, he invited a group of Jewish scholars, with their The Khazar conversion to Judaism proceeded from the royal house to the ranks of the nobility and the upper classes, without ever including the broad masses of the Khazar people. In his theological masterwork the Kuzari, the great medieval philosopher and poet Rabbi Judah Halevi imagines a dialogue between a rabbi and the ruler of an exotic pagan emperor about religion, which concludes with the latter’s decision to convert to Judaism. See Omeljan Pritsak, “The Khazar Kingdom’s Conversion to Judaism,” Harvard Ukrainian Studies, 1978, 2; and Norman Golb and Omeljan Pritsak, Khazarian Hebrew Documents of the Tenth Century (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1982). 8 In A. A set of historical sources known as the Khazar Correspondence includes a letter in Hebrew sent to a rabbi in Cordoba, Spain, by the Khazar ruler Joseph. The PDF | A discussion of the context of the Khazar conversion to Judaism | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate This article critically examines the Khazar conversion's historical, spiritual, and cultural dimensions, addressing its impact on Jewish identity, the Talmud’s influence on We will begin with rumours and stories about Khazaria from 8th century Spain and the world of Jewish philosophers and allegorists. Did the Khazars convert to References to the Khazars adopting Judaism as their religion is found in Arabic, Christian and Jewish sources. [10] [11] The conversion did not seem to have impacted most of the population in the Khazar Khaganate: paganism remained as the religion of the majority of the population, and there were also notable Christian and Muslim groups. Hasdai ibn Shaprut learned of the Khazars through foreign The Jews of Khazaria explores the history and culture of Khazaria-a large empire in eastern Europe (located in present-day Ukraine and Russia) in the early Middle Ages noted for its adoption of the Jewish religion. Saint Cyril came to Khazaria in 860 in a Byzantine attempt to convert 1 "On the Date of the Khazar's Conversion to Judaism and the Chronology of the Kings of the Rus Oleg and Igor," Revue des ltudes Byzantines 53 (1995) 237-270. The Khazar Correspondence , along with other historical documents, are said to indicate a conversion of the Khazar nobility to Judaism. Harkavy ("Meassef Niddaḥim," i. It is possible that the Hungarian chieftains followed the Khazar religious example since they adopted many Khazar customs. The state was formed from a Turkic tribe, but it had one very unique aspect – it adopted Judaism. a. 143. 6 (New York: Universal Jewish Encyclopedia Co. Peter Benjamin Golden, Haggai Ben-Shammai, and András Róna-Tas, pp. ; Missionaries: Like other organized religions, Jews can send out missionaries to pagan realms. 2011, Vol 170, Num 3-4, pp 429-441, 13 p. Shaul Shtampfer, in his recent provocative paper presented during the Sefer conference (Moscow, 2011), insisted on the legendary character of all Geneticists such as David Goldstein, formerly of University College London and now of Duke University in the United States, have argued that the Ashkenazi communities of central and northern Europe were established by Jewish men who migrated from the Middle East, perhaps as traders, and married women from local populations who converted to Judaism. “The conversion Brief discussion of some of the sources for the Khazar conversion in the 8th century. King Joeph, in his letter to Ḥasdai ibn Shaprut (about 960), gives the following account of the conversion: (see Harkavy, "Soobshchenija o Chazarakh," in "Yevreiskaya Biblioteka," vii. Golden, Peter Benjamin. The Khazar khagan’s conversion to Judaism created a new division in Khazar society, as only those who converted to Judaism could be members of the privileged leading class, while the rest of the population consisted of an underprivileged class of pagans, Jewish children and Khazar women. He converted his pupil, prince Abba Saga, to Judaism and introduced The article, ‘Did the Khazars Convert to Judaism?’ appears in the latest issue of Jewish Social Studies. Google Scholar. Zuckerman, On the Date of the Khazars' Conversion lo Judaism and the Chronology of the Kings of the Bus Oleg and Igor. The Khazar royalty was descended from the Ashina Turk dynasty. k. The book is not considered a historical account of the Khazar conversion to Judaism, but many believe it is based on fact. The Diaspora of the Khazars 10. [9]Since the conversion to Judaism was Bulan (r. His When the Khazar Khaganate fell to external pressures from the Rus in the 10th century, many of these Jewish Khazars migrated into Europe, blending with local Jewish communities or establishing new ones. The historicity of this event is debated. Important segments of its population converted to Judaism in the mid-to-late eighth century. The date of his reign is unknown, as the date of the conversion is hotly disputed, though it is certain that Bulan reigned some The Khazars' conversion to Judaism can be dated ca 861. A semi-nomadic Turkic tribe, the Khazars The mystery of the Khazars. and abolished the diviners and idolaters in his lands. “s the religion was offered to the Khazar After their conversion, the Khazar people used Jewish personal names, spoke and wrote in Hebrew, were circumcised, had synagogues and rabbis, studied the Torah and Talmud, and observed Hanukkah, Pesach, and the Sabbath. Here, David Matsievich tells us the background to the Khazars, how the European Jewish state came into being, and how it ended. One of the major questions surrounding the Khazar conversion to Judaism is the motivation behind it. 5% of the Jewish citizens of Israel have zero lineage traceable to the Semitic Hebrews of ancient Judea and Israel in the Bible. The Khazars were a confederation of Slavic, Scythian, Hunnic–Bulgar, Iranian, Alans, and Turkish tribes who formed in the central–northern Caucasus one of most powerful empires during the See Starr, Joshua, “ Khazars, ” Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. The theory of Khazar conversion to Judaism as the ethnic source of significant portions of Ashkenazic Jewry has been the subject of scholarly and polemical debates for decades. The broadest of these was the conversion of the nomadic, steppe peoples to The rival explanation, the Khazarian Hypothesis, states that the Jewish-convert Khazars -- a confederation of Turkic, Iranian, and Mongol tribes who lived in what is now Southern Russia, north of Judaism. 153) Stampfer, an expert in Jewish history, analyzed material from various fields, but found no reliable source for the claim that the Khazars – a multiethnic kingdom that included Iranians, Turks, Slavs and Circassians – converted to Judaism. Zuckerman, On the Date of the Khazars' Conversion lo Judaism and the Chronology of the Kings of the Bus Oleg and Igor. Conversion of Khazars Encourages Sense of Jewish Mission. These migrations concentrated heavily in regions that would later become Germany, Poland, and France—the heartlands of Ashkenazi Jewry. It was said that the Lord appeared in a dream to Bulan (Haaretz) — The claim that today’s Ashkenazi Jews are descended from Khazars who converted in the Middle Ages is a myth, according to new research by a Hebrew University historian. However, no firm evidence exists for these conclusions and some of Tolstov's details The problem is the common source of the Khazarian conversion to Judaism, namely Muslim as well as Christian (in the information of Christian of Stavelot and the Primary Russian Chronicle)6 traditions. This is the only evidence corroborating the record of The conversion of the Khazars to Judaism continues to intrigue historians. The date of his reign is unknown, as the date of the conversion is hotly disputed, though it is certain that Bulan reigned some time between the mid-700s and the mid-800s. Yet, this matter still remains disputed and it is hard In short, the Khazars converted to Judaism in order to use the Jews to affect the political consolidation of their empire. The Thirteenth Tribe is a 1976 book by Arthur Koestler [1] advocating the Khazar hypothesis of Ashkenazi ancestry, the thesis that Ashkenazi Jews are not descended from the historical Judeans and Israelites of antiquity, but from Khazars, a Turkic people who allegedly mass-converted to Judaism. His main areas of research were Jewish history, Arab history, nations Khazars, also known as Khazaric, are seminomadic Turkic people who were born in Central Asia and speak Turkic language. A set of historical sources known as the Khazar The Khazar conversion to Judaism, an unusual, but not unique occur-rence, must be viewed within several larger contexts. While sources are scarce, some historians speculate that descendants of the Khazars who had converted to Judaism later migrated to eastern Europe, the Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, and Lithuania and contributed to Jewish populations already settled in those places. (See Stampfer, “Did the Khazars Convert to Judaism?,” Jewish Social The view that some or all of the Khazars, a central Asian people, converted to Judaism at some point during the ninth or tenth century is widely accepted. BROOK, THE JEWS OF KHAZARIA-WARD 525 dedicated translators (as noted in The point of Olsson's article is to try to ground this earlier conversion myth in a semblance of reality, based on three important facts: The one-time mint of Khazar coins with Jewish symbols in the early 830s, the unclear power structure of Khazaria in the 9th century based on outside accounts, and the evidence of unrest, famine, and invasion in the eighth century, the debate over the extent of the conversions, their timing, and the full nature of Khazar Judaism remains unresolved. His name means "elk" or "hart" in Old Turkic. When the number of such proselytes had in-creased, the king converted the rest of the Khazars to Judaism. “There never was a conversion by the Khazar king or the Khazar elite,” he said. Nor is it settled whether Bulan was the Bek or the Khagan of the Khazars. SCHECHTER, Jewish Theological Seminary of America INTRODUCTION ONE of the most interesting episodes in Jewish history is the story of the conversion of the Khazars to the faith of Israel, which, according to some au-thorities, took place some time about the middle of the eighth century, according to others, early 1 "On the Date of the Khazar's Conversion to Judaism and the Chronology of the Kings of the Rus Oleg and Igor," Revue des ltudes Byzantines 53 (1995) 237-270. * Anyway, most of the . The popular notion that the Khazars converted to Judaism in the 9th century CE is a widespread common assumption. Obadiah was the name of a Khazar ruler of the late eighth or early ninth century. It is this theory which Koestler expounds, expands and exploits in The Thirteenth Tribe. New York: Schocken, 1967. to be sought among the Khazars, who had earlier converted to Judaism, and who, as their own kingdom declined and disinte grated, laid the foundations for the emerging Jewry of Eastern Europe. Hasdai (or Chasdai) i Yehudah Halevi’s The Kuzari describes how a wise Khazar king convened representatives of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism to pub-licly debate the merits of their respective religions. Some sources (such as the first century CE Jewish historian Josephus) suggest that a Jewish leader named John Hyrcanus forcibly "converted" the residents of Idumea to Judaism during the middle of the second century BCE, though others have pointed to natural affinities Jews from the Khazar Empire and the former Iranian Empire plying the old Roman trade routes (Rabinowitz, 1945, the Silk Roads also provided the motivation for widespread conversion to Judaism by populations eager to participate in the extremely lucrative trade, which had become a Jewish quasi-monopoly along the trade routes (Rabinowitz Schwab: Yes, exactly. now The date of 740 AD is often used as the historical marker specifying when Khazar Khaganate King Bulan converted to Judaism though many accounts maintain that Judaism never really took hold amongst the people other than the ruling aristocratic class of Khazaria. Halevi’s framing device was based on what he thought to be a true story of Yiddish World Myth about the Khazar kingdom converting to Judaism is symbol of pride in this city Astrakhan, near Kazakhstan, is the place where, according to the story, a nomadic king and his The Khazar Kingdom's conversion to Talmudism under King Bulan is a unique and pivotal moment in religious history. Ashkenazi as Khazar was put forth to discredit Jews as "not real Jews". The letter states that in the early days after Khazars' conversion to Judaism, some Alanians already practised Judaism, to a degree that Alania came to save Khazaria from its enemies (lines 52–53). — This study dwells on several key issues in the history of the Khazars : the date of their conversion to Judaism — which is set in 861 or very soon afterwards — , the constitutional changes in the Khazar state, its According to Ha Levi s account, the conversion of the Khazars to Judaism was a gradual one, radiating outward from the king to his associates, filtering down from there to the rest of the Khazars II . Polak or Poliak; born 2 September 1910, died 5 March 1970) was an Israeli historian, a professor at the Tel Aviv University since its inception, professor of medieval history and founder of the department of Middle-Eastern History. 237-270 C. Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform. The details pst this are a bit hard, particularly because a lot of antisemites have said a lot of bullshit about the khazars over the years, but in this period their Judaism is very well attested to, including by Eldad the Danite (maybe one of the coolest Jewish historical The Khazars certainly existed, though not much is known about them. " In The World of the Khazars: New Perspectives - Selected Papers from the Jerusalem 1999 International Khazar Colloquium, eds. ] But the King-may his soul be bound up in the bundle of life With the Lord his God-being wise, sent for a learned Israelite. He let a widely-attested fact of recent history make the case for him—the conversion of the Khazar kingdom to Judaism almost four centuries earlier. [1] King Joseph's Reply claimed that Obadiah strengthened Rabbinic Judaism and Hebrew The Khazars played a pivotal role in world history. Shaul Stampfer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This argument has also been taken up by Jonathan Shepard and Kevin Brook, who state that the first record of Khazarian Judaism dates only to about the year 864, and The Khazar conversion to Judaism, an unusual, but not unique occur-rence, must be viewed within several larger contexts. The conversion of the Khazars to Judaism is an emotionally charged topic in Israel, [note 69] and two scholars, Moshe Gil (2011) and Shaul Stampfer, (2013) have challenged the authenticity of the medieval Hebrew documents and But following an exhaustive analysis of the evidence, a researcher has concluded that such a conversion, “while a splendid story,” never took place. Yet, this matter still remains disputed and it is hard to draw a concrete conclusion. This reminded me of something I had once heard concerning the arguments of a 2. Discussion/Questions 1. After their conversion, the Khazars were ruled by a succession of Jewish kings and began to adopt the hallmarks of Jewish civilization, including the Torah and Talmud, the Hebrew script, and 5. Four kings, Hezekiah, Menasheh, Isaac and another Menasheh, reign from the 860s to ca The 8 th-century leaders of the Khazar Empire, famously, converted from their shamanistic religion and worship of a deity named Tengri to Judaism. Scholars immediately disproved the nonsense through studies such as language, architecture, etc. Given this, the supposed conversion would have likely been limited to the royalty and nobility. Khazaria but hid the fact of their conversion until they were able to convince a number of select people, a few at a time, to adopt the new religion. The date of his reign is unknown, as the date of the conversion is hotly disputed, though it is certain that Bulan reigned some But from an academic standpoint, the theory that European Jewry is an offshoot of the converted Khazars has been repeatedly rejected by comprehensive genetic studies as well as linguistic research. 737 the capital was already the city of al-Baidã'(- Sãriydin); see Bulan was a Khazar king who led the conversion of the Khazars to Judaism. The Khazars, an obscure people from the steppes that converted to Judaism many centuries ago, stand out as an exceptional example of how geography, economy, and religion can be used to advance geopolitical interests. E. This book sheds new light on many unanswered, but fundamental questions regarding the Khazar Empire, so important in medieval Eurasia. "The Conversion of the Khazars to Judaism. This spurred antisemitic beliefs that they were building a secret empire which sought widespread control through financial gains. According to the medieval Jewish historians Judah Halevi and Abraham ibn Daud, the khaganate’s ruling elite converted to Judaism in the 700s. Four kings, Hezekiah, Menasheh, Isaac and another Menasheh, reign from the 860s to ca According to the medieval Jewish historians Judah Halevi and Abraham ibn Daud, the khaganate’s ruling elite converted to Judaism in the 700s. The Khazar conversion to Judaism, an unusual, but not unique occurrence, must be viewed within several larger contexts. However, the story (or myth) of their conversion to Judaism has seized the imagination of generations of writers, from Judah Halevi, whose 12 th-century classic The Kuzari is a philosophical dialogue between a Khazar king and the rabbi who convinces him of the truth of Judaism, to Michael Chabon, who Doak, Brian R. The Khazar DID THE KHAZARS CONVERT TO JUDAISM? Author GIL, Moshe 1 [1] University of Tel Aviv, Israel Source. e. In the 9 th century c. However, it has been 97. The story was well known, even if less stirring than it was when it first circulated in Spain. Bujnoch 73–74). It's relatively accepted now that some members of the Khazar nobility actually converted to Judaism, but the majority of the nomadic Khazar society didn't really do so - the conversion of nomadic peoples has always been a difficult process throughout history, settled peoples are easier to convert. ” Revue des Études Byzantines 53 (1995): 237 –70. ; Jewish rulers may receive Ashkenazi or Sephardi courtiers to their realm (). According to the Geniza Letter (the Schechter Letter), the first khagan was a sage of Israel appointed by the Khazars. Nicolas Soteri | Published in History Today Volume 45 Issue 4 April 1995. I shall leave the matter of conclusion to the scholars and will focus on presenting my The eastward male-driven migrations from Europe to Khazaria solidified the exotic Southern European ancestry in the Khazarian gene pool , and increased the genetic heterogeneity of the Judeo–Khazars. In our upside-down world, Semitic Hebrews of the Bible are actually the Palestinian victims today being slaughtered by the non-Semitic Ashkenazi Jews, descended from the onetime Kingdom of AN UNKNOWN KHAZAR DOCUMENT1 BY S. ISBN 978-0-19-069061-8. 1275); Abba Sabra, fifteenth-century Ethiopian Orthodox monk who joined the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community. Europe, which in the Dark Ages became converted to Judaism. Later more scholars used genetics and newer While the theory that Jews are descended from Khazars has been discredited, many historians think that the aristocracy of the Khazar empire did in fact convert to Judaism in seventh-century C. 650–ca. 1 Not much is known about the culture and society of the Khazars. Ancient Israel's Neighbors. As such, they would certainly not be unique or even exceptional, either in the Jewish or in the general medieval con-text. It is pretty far away. Many of the most reliable contemporary texts that mention Khazars King Obadiah later established synagogues and Jewish schools in Khazaria. to become a Khazar khagan. A Study of the Anonymous Khazar Letter from the Genizah of Cairo,” Revue des études byzantines 53, 1995, pp. (2020). The view that some or all of the Khazars, a central Asian people, converted to Judaism at some point during the ninth or tenth century is widely accepted. Khazaria was finally wiped out by the forces of Genghis Khan, but evidence indicates that the Khazars themselves migrated to Poland & formed the cradle of Western Jewry. Jews wouldn’t adjust their rituals to make it easier to convert to Judaism; and 3. 2 They did not leave literary remains, and the It seems like the evidence is that between 740 and 920 the Khazar royalty and nobility converted to some for of Judaism. The Decline and Fall of the Khazar Empire 9. I shall leave the matter of conclusion to the scholars and will focus on presenting my Judaism is an organized religion in its own religious group (Israelite), along with its heresies (Karaite and Samaritan). Khazarian Trade 6. Another author who triggered Tolochko’s ire is Michael (Menashe) Goldelman. Dunlop quite correctly points out that the Judaising of the At least some of the Khazar elite apparently converted to Judaism, [9] but this might not have included Kabars. A careful examination of the sources, however, shows that some of them are pseudepigraphic, and the rest are of questionable reliability. It is not inconceivable that the Khazars became more and more exposed to the religion and decided to convert for political reasons. Revue des études juives. The Khazar Khaganate was a state based around modern day Ukraine from the 7th to 10th centuries AD. BROOK, THE JEWS OF KHAZARIA-WARD 525 dedicated translators (as noted in As Shaul Stampfer of Hebrew University has argued, the sources that mention the alleged conversion are highly problematic from a historical point of view. He explains that the Khazars, a nomadic The Khazar Qaghan is said by Judah Halevy to have converted in 740 to Judaism, but Halevy’s work, The Book of Khuzari, is a purely polemical and philosophical work and the date he sets for the The Khazars' Conversion to Judaism in History and the Diaspora: Eastern and Central European Jews after the Tenth Century is presented. The Khazar- Jewish dynasty turns out to be shorter than one has previously believed. While the letter of King Joseph to Hasdai ibn Shaprut emphasizes a Nicholas Soteri reflects on the often-overlooked Jewish kingdom of Khazaria, and the vital role they played in balancing Christian and Muslim power in the early medieval period. By the 8th or 9th century, antisemitic conspiracy theories began forming around the Khazars’ reported conversion to Judaism. The 10th century Persian historian Ibn al-Faqih reported that “all the Khazars are Jews. It is written by Prof. Khazaria was one of the largest-sized political formations of its time, an economic and cultural superpower connected to several important trade routes. Khazar sources do not exist and no archaeological evidence has been found. The broadest of these was the conversion of the nomadic, Bulan was a Khazar king who led the conversion of the Khazars to Judaism. They would fit in among the stories of the ten lost tribes,6 of Jews Shaul Stampfer, “Did the Khazars Convert to Judaism?,” Khazar royalty converted to Judaism to sidestep the proselytizing (torture, sanctions, etc) and maintain trade. Eastern and Central European Jews after the Tenth Century Appendix A: Timeline of Khazar History Appendix B: Glossary Appendix C: Native Khazarian Personal The Khazar Empire (ca. 12 Golden, The Conversion of the Khazars to Judaism 130 13 Cited after Brook, The Jews of A post falsely claiming “the real Jewish homeland” is Khazaria and not Ancient Israel. This is supported by physical evidence such as the Moses Coin found in Sweden, and textual evidence from not just Khazar sources such as those found in the Cairo Geniza but also from contemporary neighbors and other people that knew about them. The classical sources about them are mostly Muslim descriptions of the region which reference the Khazar's Judaism, and the Jewish work Kitaab al-Khazari (also known by the title of its Hebrew translation "Sefer haKuzari", or by the Arabic-Hebrew mashup In the 9th century, the Khazarian royalty and nobility as well as a significant portion of the Khazarian Turkic population embraced the Jewish religion. “ On the Date of the Khazars’ Conversion to Judaism and the Chronology of the Kings of the Rus Oleg and Igor. 62-66. This article critically examines the Khazar conversion's historical, spiritual, and cultural dimensions, addressing its impact on Jewish identity, the Talmud’s influence on Rabbinical Talmudism, and the evolving narratives surrounding Zionism. The date of the actual conversion to The Khazar Correspondence is a set of documents, which are alleged to date from the 950s or 960s, and to be letters between Hasdai ibn Shaprut, foreign secretary to the Caliph of Cordoba, and Joseph Khagan of the Khazars. Jewish Biography as History by Dr. The Khazars, who lived in what is now southern Russia and Ukraine in the eighth century, "Khazaria and Judaism. Some important stage must have Here is a list of Jewish sources that preserve knowledge of the Khazars' conversion to Judaism: Elchanan the Merchant a. Baron, on the other hand, contends that the Khazars, in fact, accepted a watered-down syncretistic Judaism — not Karaism — which simply resulted from an ignorance of Talmudic law. Dan D. ), the conversion took place in 620; according to others, in 740. We will continue through history and see how the concept of a 'Khazarian Mafia' developed and The Khazars' conversion to Judaism can be dated ca 861. 1 Now we can date the conversion more or less precisely, for recently Khazar dirhams minted in 837–838, found in Sweden, which bear the Arabic inscription la Ilâha illâ-LLâh wa Mûsâ rasûlu ALLâh (“there is AN UNKNOWN KHAZAR DOCUMENT1 BY S. Eldad the Danite - 9th century For more information about the above sources, plus citations and quotes from other kinds of sources for the Khazar conversion (by Karaite, Zoroastrian, and Byzantine writers), According to Benjamin Freedman the Khazars' conversion to Judaism was first precipitated by their monarch's abhorrence of the moral climate into which his kingdom had descended. p. Muslim travelers to Khazaria, as well as Muslim THE KHAZAR KINGDOM'S CONVERSION TO JUDAISM* OMELJAN PRITSAK I The Khazar Kingdom was ruled by the A-shih-na dynasty of Western Turks (Türküts), who, after losing both Turkestans to the Chinese, took History of the Jewish Khazars, pp. You can concubine-decision convert to Judaism if the game made Jewish couriers The kings of the Khazar kingdom converted to Judaism in the late eighth or early ninth century. The History of the Jewish Khazars. The Kender-Khagan (deputy beg) was the third in command, the Kender’s deputy, and was believed to be 3 On the circumstances and the political consequences of the Khazars’ conversion, see C. Freedman has claimed -- and other historians confirmed -- that the "primitive" Khazars engaged in extremely immoral forms of religious practices, among them phallic Khazaria became one of the great trans-Eurasian trading terminals connecting the northern forest zones with Byzantium and the Arabian Caliphate. Jewish rulers have access to the Holy War casus belli. Being monotheistic would have the advantage of making it harder for those powers to justify invasion/assimilation of the Khazars and choosing Judaism would have Bulan was a Khazar king who led the conversion of the Khazars to Judaism. ;xistence of Khazar Karaites speaking a Turkish dialect at a later period in Eastern Europe. The Khazar conversion to Judaism, an unusual, but not unique occur-rence, must be viewed within several larger contexts. The conversion of Khazar to Judaism has been a point of debate among renowned scholars. I shall leave the matter of conclusion to the scholars and will focus on presenting my This book traces the history of the ancient Khazar Empire, a major but almost forgotten power in Eastern Europe, which in the Dark Ages became converted to Judaism. Henry Abramson Claiming descent from the long-lost Ten Tribes of Israel, Eldad was a ninth-century traveler with a fantastic story: beyond the “River Kush” lay an intact civilization of Jews who enjoyed political sovereignty, in preparation for their eventual return to the Land of Israel in messianic times. Unique decisions: This conversion is confirmed by Jewish, Persian, Arab and Byzantine sources. We have very little firm documentation of the Khazars. 10 An assessment of the available sources is a common feature of the secondary literature on the Khazar conversion, and the reader is advised to consult Dunlop, The History of the Jewish Khazars; Zuckerman, “On the Date of the Khazars’ Conversion”; Golden, “The Conversion of the Khazars to Judaism”; and the relevant historiographical articles in the World of the Khazars KHAZAR CONVERSION TO JUDAISM. H. It began, as so often was the case, at the top, with the ruling house, perhaps episodically as early as the mid-eighth century, but not extending at that stage much beyond the ruling strata. Zuckerman, “On the Date of the Khazars’ Conversion to Judaism and the Chro-nology of the Kings of the Rus Oleg and Igor. The two most powerful neighbors of the Khazars were the Muslim Abbasid Caliphate and the Christian Byzantine Empire. The third edition of this modern classic features new and updated material throughout, including new archaeological findings, new genetic evidence, and new AN UNKNOWN KHAZAR DOCUMENT1 BY S. The most famous of these are the Jewish-Khazar correspondence from the mid-tenth century (the letter of the Khazar king Joseph about the conversion of the Khazars to Judaism), the “Risale” by Ahmed ibn Fadlan on the conversion of the Volga Bulgars to Islam in the 920s, and the “Russian Primary chronicle” (RPC), known as “The Tale of But according to Constantine Zuckerman of the Collège de France (Paris), the Khazars' conversion to Judaism probably took place in the 9th century rather than in the 8th century. SCHECHTER, Jewish Theological Seminary of America INTRODUCTION ONE of the most interesting episodes in Jewish history is the story of the conversion of the Khazars to the faith of Israel, which, according to some au-thorities, took place some time about the middle of the eighth century, according to others, early REB 53 1995 France p. The books of the Mishnah, Talmud, and Torah thus became important to many Khazars. A careful examination of the sources, however, shows that some of them are pseudepigraphic, and the Here, we would not to examine the questions on why-how-when did the Khazars embrace the Judaism; but to try to illuminate the issues about their ruling system, so-called “Dual Kingship/Royal According to A. 965/68), one of the largest states of medieval Eurasia, dominated a region from the Ukrainian steppes to lands approaching the Ural River and from the Middle Volga region to the North Caucasus and Crimea. Note: this particular topic attracts an unusual amount of inappropriate The conversion of Khazar to Judaism has been a point of debate among renowned scholars. The date of his reign is unknown, as the date of the conversion is hotly disputed, though it is certain that Bulan reigned some time between the mid-8th and the mid-9th centuries. The idea was taken over from Arab sources, and enthusiastically received by Jews during the Middle Ages and even in Bulan was a Khazar king who led the conversion of the Khazars to Judaism. It's sometimes hypothesized that the Khazars formed a substantial The stories about the Jewish Khazars could simply be regarded as fantastic tales or legends. Prof. It was especially notable for its religious tolerance, and in the 9th century, a large portion of the royal family converted to Judaism. Jews weren’t even called Jews until the 18 th century. Khazaria was finally wiped out by the forces of Genghis Khan, but evidence indicates Abraham Nahum Polak (Hebrew: אברהם פולק)(sometimes referred to as A. The Khazars’ Conversion to Judaism 7. A well-known proponent of the Jewish-Khazar theory was Arthur Koestler, who wrote in The Thirteenth Tribe: The Khazar Empire and Its Heritage: "It would of course be foolish to deny that Jews of different The Khazars have for a long time been considered to have converted to Judaism. 237-270 ; C. CrossRef Google Scholar. " Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi 3 (1983): 127-156. However, the most famous account is found in the letters known as the Khazar Correspondence, exchanged between Rabbi Hasdai ibn Shaprut (c. And that leads to one of the two ideas of, the fact that it was so separate from everything else and it seems like there’s very little connection, means that whatever Judaism was being practiced The competing “Khazarian hypothesis” considers Eastern European Jews to be the descendants of Khazars (supplementary note S1, Supplementary Material online). Conversion probably took place in stages. So there were many Jewish people and traders in the region and the Caspian Sea steppe was very prosperous at the time with numerous established cities. 123-162 The Khazar conversion story holds a unique place in Jewish history, not only for its historical significance but also for its evolving reception and interpretation over time. D. Views of this conversion vary wildly, between viewing the narrative as entirely fiction to a mass conversion of Khazar society to the conversion of elements of the upper social echelons of Khazar society. The The refugees were responsible not only for the Khazar conversion to Judaism but also, through setting aside the original Khazar khāqān and making their chief, *Būlān, the real ruler of Khazaria, responsible for the establishment of the Khazar dual kingship. Relations between the Khazars and Other Peoples 8. 8 th century) – Khazar khagan who converted to Judaism circa 740 C. This seems to be a response to pressure from Orthodox Christians and Muslims (surrounding them). He is described as coming from among "the sons of the sons" of Bulan, but whether this should be taken literally to mean that he was Bulan's grandson, or figuratively to imply a more remote descent, is unclear. 237–270; cf. Excerpts from CHAPTER 1: I was asked to state what arguments and replies I could bring to bear against the attacks of philosophers and followers of other religions, and also against [Jewish] sectarians who attacked the rest of Israel. His name means "elk" [1] or "hart" in Old Turkic. The religious conversion of the Khazars encompassed most of the empire’s citizens and subordinate tribes and lasted for the next 400 years The Khazars didn't definitely convert, but there's a decent chance they did. 1 19/A. Menorah engraving found at the ruins of the Sarkel Fortess on the Don River The Khazar conversion fits The Kuzari takes place during a conversion of some Khazar nobility to Judaism. — This study dwells on several key issues in the history of the Khazars : the date of their conversion to Judaism — which is set in 861 or very soon afterwards — , the constitutional changes in the Khazar state, its The conversion of Khazar to Judaism has been a point of debate among renowned scholars. Shapira Ramat Gan ICONOCLASTS AND KHAZARS, A NOTE The date of the Khazar conversion to Judaism has been a ma 4 er of debate for a long time. One of his primary argu The link between the two is the Khazar Empire, whose political elite converted to Judaism. , 1942), 375 –78Google Scholar. This study dwells on several key issues in the history of the Khazars: There is evidence that the Khazar nobility had converted to Judaism by the 10th century. Among the key artifacts are an apparent exchange of letters between the Spanish Jewish leader Hasdai ibn Shaprut and Joseph, king of the Khazars; an apparent historical account of the Khazars, often called the Cambridge Document or the Schechter Document; various descriptions by historians writing in Arabic; and many others. It is known that the Hungarian tribes at one point were under the supremacy of the Khazars. Chapter 1 Acknowledgments Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 The Origins of the Khazars Chapter 4 The Cities and Towns of the Khazars Chapter 5 The Structure of the Khazar Government Chapter 6 The Khazar Way of Life Chapter 7 The view that some or all of the Khazars, a central Asian people, converted to Judaism at some point during the ninth or tenth century is widely accepted. A careful examination of the sources, however, shows that some of them are pseudepigraphic, and the There's some evidence that a portion of the Khazars converted to Judaism. In the ninth century, the Khazars converted to Judaism. The famous conversion to Judaism seems to have occurred about this time. ” Much has been written and said about the conversion of the Khazars (a Turkic people) to Judaism and the consequences of this conversion. N. Their sectarian orientation was evidently rabbinical rather than karaitic, since the Khazarian king Joseph wrote that his predeces sor King Obadiah learned the Mishnah and Talmud, which express oral laws The answer to your first question is that most modern scholarship accepts that a leading portion of the Khazars converted to Judaism. ISSN 0484-8616 Scientific domain The best source we have for the Khazar conversion is referred to as the Khazar Correspondence, a series of letters exchanged between an influential Jewish official in the court of the Umayyad Caliphate in Al-Andalus named Hasdai ibn Shaprut and the reigning Khagan of the Khazars, Joseph. As for the After the Khazars were converted Judaism by the Khazar khagan Bulan, only Jews were allowed to become the Khazar khagan. Key words: Khazars, conversion, Hasdai ibn Shaprut, historiography From the middle of the seventh century until sometime in the tenth century, the K hazars ruled an empire that spanned the steppes between the Caspian and Black Seas. Although the origin of the term Khazar and the early history of the Khazar people are obscure, it is fairly certain that the Khazars were originally located in the northern The Khazar Empire (ca. Nor is it settled whether Bulan was the Bek or the Khagan of the 13 10 Golden, The Conversion of the Khazars to Judaism 156; Noonan, Some Observations on the Economy of the Khazar Chaganate 233–240; Brook, The Jews of Khazaria 107–108. the Jews insisted on really persuading gentiles and having real motives for conversion so that, for instance, when the Jews were persecuted, they simply found it difficult to accept that gentiles The Medieval Jewish Kingdom of the Khazars, 740-1259 [The Byzantines and Arabs hoped to stop the raids of the Khazars by converting them. [4] Nevertheless, the Caliphs could not adequately garrison Khazaria, and within a few years the Khazars were once again independent. the King searched, inquired, and investigated carefully and brought the sages Ultimately, Halevi opted for a novel, yet entirely appropriate, solution. The correspondence is one of only a few documents attributed to a Khazar author, and potentially one of only a small number of primary sources on Khazar, member of a confederation of Turkic-speaking tribes that in the late 6th century ce established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia. The broadest of these was the conversion of the nomadic, steppe peoples to REB 53 1995 France p. For perspective, see especially Omeljan Pritsak, “The Khazar Kingdom’s Conversion to Judaism,” Harvard Ukrainian Studies, 1978, 2; and Norman Golb and Omeljan Pritsak, Khazarian Hebrew Documents of the Tenth Century (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1982). One interpretation is that only a thin, elite segment of the The Khazar conversion to Judaism, an unusual, but not unique occurrence, must be viewed within several larger contexts. ON THE DATE OF THE KHAZARS' CONVERSION TO JUDAISM AND THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE KINGS OF THE RUS OLEG AND IGOR A Study oΖ the AnonyΝous Khazar Letter ΖroΝ the Genizah oΖ Cairo Constantine Though the adoption of Judaism by the Khazar nobility was probably a well-considered 'third option' in the face of Christian and Muslim antagonists, it would make sense to be able to pick from all three - with some extra probability for the AI to pick Judaism. 1. Under pressure from both powerful entities to choose their religion, they could have picked Judaism as a declaration of neutrality. nnjbgg kadl uemlg asfnh jzcq elp aswdeuv dlbo mzbel qhzzy