<Note>An Evaluation of Karaite Judaism within the Japanese Publications --The Problematique of Orthodoxy and Legitimacy in Judaism under the Arab-Islamic World--

KANNO, Kazuya Solomon

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<研究ノート>日本語文献におけるカライ派ユダヤ教の位置付け --アラブ・イスラーム世界におけるユダヤ教の〈正統〉--
日本語文献におけるカライ派ユダヤ教の位置付け : アラブ・イスラーム世界におけるユダヤ教の〈正統〉
ニホンゴブンケンニオケルカライハユダヤキョウノイチズケ : アラブ・イスラームセカイニオケルユダヤキョウノ〈セイトウ〉

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Abstract

This article investigates how Japanese publications portray a mediaeval Jewish denomination called Karaite Judaism or Karaism. Since scholars have considered Karaism as heresy or sect, it has been a peripheral subject among researchers, particularly in Japan. This paper engages with publications on Judaism written in or translated to Japanese. The review shows that most of them negatively portrayed Karaism solely as a heresy against conventional Rabbinic Judaism. Altering this dismissive attitude is essential to examine Karaism without fallacy. This article applies the classification of religious tradition presented by Masao Maruyama, a Japanese political scientist, to reassess Karaism not with preconception but with integrity. Maruyama distinguishes orthodoxy and legitimacy that are both translated as “Seitō” (正統) in Japanese. By applying his definition of seitō, we could decently judge the denominational movements within Judaism under the Arab-Islamic power. Accordingly, while Rabbinism claimed its legitimacy by its oral tradition, Karaism maintained its orthodoxy by renouncing Rabbinic tradition and emphasising scripturalism. This article recommends not to describe Karaism as heresy and proposes a new approach to studying Karaite Judaism.

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Human and Environmental Studies

Human and Environmental Studies 30 251-261, 2021-12-20

京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科

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