GĒ'ONIM (sing. Gā'ōn). - Title of the heads (cf. Ps. 47, 5), the “pride” of the house of Jacob, of the Talmudic academies of Sūrā and Pumbēdītā in the period 589–1040 A.D.; in the 10th and 11th centuries also of the heads of the Palestinian schools; and in the 12th and 13th centuries also of those of Baghdad, Damascus, and Egypt.
The gaonic dignity was conferred by the exilarchs, who sometimes preferred candidates devoted to them. From 825 A.D. onward, the power of the exilarchate declined, and thus it was the scholars themselves who elected the g. The g. applied the Talmud to legal practice for all Judaism in the form of “responsa” to questions. The communities throughout the diaspora, in turn, offered the schools their financial support. In the months of 'ēlāl and 'ādhār, thousands of extraordinary auditors flocked to the academies. In authority and competence, the g. were the successors of the president of the Sanhedrin in the preceding period. In conferring the dignity, preference was given to descendants of ancient families distinguished for piety and learning. Reference was made to the gā'ōn currently “reigning.” The g. enjoyed great prestige with the caliphs. Among the most famous g. must be counted Sa'adhājh (who began the gaonate in 928 A.D.) and Sērīrah (968).
The gaonic institution came to an end about 1040 A.D., following the fall of the caliphate of Baghdad and the spread of Talmudic culture among the communities of the diaspora. In time, the title gā'ōn came to mean, in general, an “eminent scholar.”