KARAITES. - In the 9th century, through the impetus of Binjamin da Nahāwend, the Jewish sect that broke away from traditional rabbinism designated its adherents with the significant appellation Bānā Miqrā ("sons of the Bible"), which later became qārā'im, K., that is, "biblicists." The origins of this sect are obscure; it is generally held, given the doctrinal affinity, that it derives from ancient Sadduceeism. With this, in fact, it agrees in the rejection of oral tradition and in the tenacious attachment to the letter.
The movement is traced back to 'Ānān ben Dāwīdh of Baghdad (8th century), and some see in it a repercussion of the Islamic schism, then taking shape, between Sunnites and Shi'ites. At first the K. were strongly opposed by traditional rabbinism. Soon in Babylonia they lost almost all authority; but they spread elsewhere, especially in Palestine. In the 9th-12th centuries the K. constituted themselves into a homogeneous and powerful body, having spread throughout all the countries along the Mediterranean, as far as Spain, although their principal center was Egypt and generally the Arabic-speaking countries. There flourished then the doctors Solomon ben Jerusām (885-960), Joseph ben Abhrāhām Haroch (910-930), Judah ben Elijah Hadassi (1075-1160). Subsequently the K. were found especially in Greece, at Constantinople, in the Crimea and in Russia. The doctors Aaron ben Elijah (1300-1360) and Elijah ben Mosù Bašjazi (14th century) are remembered.
Then Karaism declined ever more, as its adherents passed over to orthodox rabbinism or to Islam. In the last century Abhrāhām Firkowitsch (1786-1874) sought to give new life to the K., particularly in the Crimea. With much research and falsification he illustrated the history of this sect, obtaining official recognition from the Russian government. Before the recent political events, the K. were reckoned at about 12,000, of whom the majority were in Russia (about 10,000).