The Book of the Calendar Controversy

The Book of the Calendar Controversy offers a Babylonian account of the internal Rabbanite calendar controversy of 921/2, with a biting polemic against the Palestinian leader (Aaron) ben Meir. It seems that this work was written by leading figures in one of the Babylonian academies, or perhaps by the exilarch, as some sort of communal memorandum. The author recounts the controversy and explains the Babylonian calendrical algorithm known as the Four Gates. Like some other works of this period that were meant to be recited aloud publicly, it is written with the marks above and below the letters that indicate vocalization and cantillation.