Creator Bio
Nathan ha-Bavli
Little is known about Nathan ben Isaac ha-Kohen ha-Bavli (the Babylonian), other than that he seems to have written the Judeo-Arabic A Chronicle of Baghdad (Akhbār Baghdād), which contains an account of the disgrace of the exilarch ‘Uqba and his subsequent departure from Iraq along with a description of the institutions of Jewish leadership in the Abbāsid capital.
Content by Nathan ha-Bavli
Primary Source
A Chronicle of Baghdad: Kohen Tsedek and Mar ‘Uqba
. . . [T]he Exilarch ‘Uqba of Davidic origin came to Northern Africa. [He had occupied?] the supremacy for many years, the number of which he [R. Nathan] could not make out. Kohen Tsedek ben Joseph…
Primary Source
A Chronicle of Baghdad: Sahl ibn Netira
Then Sahl ibn Netira assumed the position [lit., “rank”] of his father. His residence is on a beautiful street in the Rabi‘a neighborhood. He rides every day to the castle of the sultan, but he does…
Primary Source
A Chronicle of Baghdad: The Exilarch
When there was a communal consensus on the appointment [of the Exilarch—Ed.], the two Heads of the Yeshivot, together with their students, all the leaders of the congregation, and the elders, would…