Rabbanites and Karaites

AT the time when the compilation of the Babylonian Talmud was completed, towards the end of the fifth century (vide supra, p. 43), the Jewish people exhibited an unusual degree of uniformity in religious practice and outlook. This was due to the immense prestige and authority enjoyed by the so-called “Gaonim,” ¹ the heads of the two great Talmudical academies at Pumbeditha and Sura in Babylonia. From these academies went out teachers and spiritual guides to Jewish communities throughout the world, and to them were addressed questions on Jewish law from all