Narrative of the Calendar Controversy

This untitled text provides the only known Karaite account of the internal Rabbanite battle over the calendar, in the year 921/2. Writing in Judeo-Arabic, the unknown author argues that the existence of Rabbanite disagreements over the calendar demonstrates the need to adopt a Karaite calendar. Many other Karaite texts present ancient rabbinic or medieval Rabbanite debates as evidence for the falsity of rabbinic tradition. This text contains the only evidence that the Rabbanite debate continued until 924, when the Palestinian and Babylonian calendars converged. The author begins by describing the Jewish New Year in the fall of 922. Ellipses in the text indicate lacunae in the manuscript.