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The exilarch was the leader of the Jewish community in Persian Mesopotamia during the era of the Parthians, Sasanians and Abbasid Caliphate up until the Mongol invasion of Baghdad in 1258 CE, with intermittent gaps due to ongoing political developments. The exilarch was regarded by the Jewish community as the royal heir of the House of David and held a place of prominence as both a rabbinical authority and as a noble within the Persian court. Within the Sasanian Empire, the exilarch was the political equivalent of the Catholicos of the Christian Church of the East, and was thus responsible for community-specific organizational tasks such as running the rabbinical courts, collecting taxes from Jewish communities, supervising and providing financing for the Talmudic academies in Babylonia, and the charitable re-distribution and financial assistance to needy members of the exile community. The position of exilarch was hereditary, held in continuity by a family that traced its patrilineal descent from antiquity stemming from king David.
The Davidic line or House of David refers to the lineage of the Israelite king David. In Judaism it is based on texts from the Hebrew Bible and through the succeeding centuries based on later traditions. In Christianity, the New Testament follows the line through Mary and Joseph to Jesus.
Hakham is a term in Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a hakham, even if he be not a Jew." Hence, in Talmudic-Midrashic literature, wise gentiles are commonly called hakhmei ummot ha-'olam.
Bostanai, also transliterated as Bustenai or Bustnay, was the first Exilarch under Arab rule. He lived in the early-to-middle of the 7th century, and died about 660 CE. The name is Aramaized from the Persian bustan or bostan, meaning "Garden". Bostanai is the only Dark Age Babylonian Exilarch of whom anything more than a footnote is known. He is frequently made the subject of Jewish legends.
Yosef Dayan is a Mexican-Israeli Orthodox rabbi and right-wing Israeli monarchist and nationalist, who claims to be the most senior heir to the Davidic line. He is the founder and director of Malchut Israel, a religious right-wing political party which advocates for a monarchy in Israel. In 2004, Dayan became a founding member of the newly reconstituted Sanhedrin. He is the author of several books in Hebrew, Spanish, and Italian and has worked to translate modern Spanish literature into Hebrew.
Berechiah is a Jewish name that occurs several times in the Bible. It is derived from Berakhah, "blessing".
Shealtiel, transliterated in Greek as Salathiel, was the son of Jehoiachin, king of Judah. The Gospel of Matthew 1:12 also list Shealtiel as the son of Jeconiah. Jeconiah, Shealtiel, as well as most of the royal house and elite of the House, were exiled to Babylon by order of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon after the first siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC. During the Babylonian captivity, Shealtiel was regarded as the second Exilarch, following his father.
Seder Olam Zutta is an anonymous chronicle from 803 CE, called "Zuta" to distinguish it from the older Seder Olam Rabbah. This work is based upon, and to a certain extent completes and continues, the older aforementioned chronicle. It consists of two main parts: the first, comprising about three-fifths of the whole, deals with the chronology of the 50 generations from Adam to Jehoiakim, the second deals with 39 generations of exilarchs, beginning with Jehoiachin and going until the 9th century CE.
Seder Olam is the name of two works of early rabbinical literature dealing largely with religious chronology. The two works are:
Rab Hazub was the last member of the Davidic Dynasty mentioned in the Seder Olam Zutta. He was the son of Rab Phinehas. He was overthrown by Fatimid caliph Al-Muizz Lideenillah, who captured Jerusalem in 969.
Mar-Zutra III, also called Mar-Zutra bar Mar-Zutra, according to the Seder Olam Zutta, was the posthumous and only son of the 30th Exilarch of Babylon, Mar-Zutra II. He lived at the beginning of the Savora period. Mar-Zutra II had been crucified on the bridge of Mahuza by King Kavadh I for allegedly trying to obtain by force of arms a sort of political independence for the Jews of Babylon. Mar-Zutra III, who was born on the same day as his father's death, did not attain the office of exilarch. He was raised secretly and traveled in 520 CE, aged 18, to the Land of Israel. where he became head of the Academy of Tiberias or "Sanhedrin", under the title of "Resh Pirka" ('Aρχιφεκίτησ), several generations of his descendants succeeding him in this office. His grandson, Paltoi ben Abaye and great-grandson, Zemah ben Paltoi both served as the Gaon of Pumbedita.
Ukban ben Nehmiah was a Jewish Amora sage of the third generation, who, according to Joseph ben Ḥama, who was a contrite sinner. The Seder 'Olam Zuṭa, too, in the list of the exilarchs, mentions an exilarch called "Ukban d'Zuzita" who was buried in Israel. According to the geonim Ẓemaḥ and Saadia, Ukban, when he was young, was wont to curl his hair, his surname "de-Ẓuẓita" being derived from that habit. Another interpretation is that fire would flash out from his ẓiẓit, so that nobody could stand near him.
Aaron ibn Sargado or Aaron ben R. Joseph ha-Kohen was a tenth-century AD gaon in Pumbedita, Babylonia. He was a son of Joseph ha-Kohen.
Rav Huna Kamma was a rabbi of the 2nd century AD and Babylonian Exilarch, allegedly descending from King [David]. The Seder Olam Zutta refers to him as "Anani", both names being a derivative of "Hananiah". The exact time of his tenure as exilarch is unknown, but it was estimated to have been between 170 and 210 AD.
The Land of Israel Gaonate was the chief talmudical academy and central legalistic body of the Jewish community in Palestine during the middle of the ninth century, or even earlier, till its demise during the 11th-century. During its existence, it competed with the Babylonian Gaonate for the support of the growing diasporic communities. The Egyptian and German Jews particularly regarded the Palestinian geonim as their spiritual leaders. The history of the gaonate was revealed in documents discovered in the Cairo genizah in 1896. Sparse information is available on the Palestinian geonim prior to the middle of the ninth century. The extant material consists essentially of a list in Seder Olam Zuta relating all the geonim to Mar Zutra.
Nahum or Nehunyon was a Jewish Exilarch of the 2nd century AD according to the Seder Olam Zutta residing within the Parthian Empire. He is believed to be one of the oldest identifiable members of the house of the Exilarch in Babylonia as no explicit mention to one is noted before him tenure. Very little is known about him or about the nature of the office that he served during his own lifetime. He was allegedly succeeded as Exilarch by his brother, Johanan.
Johanan was a Jewish Exilarch of the 2nd century AD succeeding his brother Nahum. according to the Seder Olam Zutta. He is either the son or descendant of Akkub, although more likely he is the son of Ahijah. The date of his tenure is disputed.
Shaphat was a Jewish Exilarch of the 2nd century AD succeeding his father Johanan. Little is known about him or the office of the exilarch at this time. His name is found in most surviving genealogical lines of Davidic descent. He was the father of his successor Huna Kamma, who is the first exilarch whose authority was recognized outside of the realm of Babylonia.
Hasdai, or Hisday, a derivative of 'Hasadiah', was a Jewish Exilarch of the late 7th century AD, succeeding his father Bostanai to the office. Some sources allege he left no male heirs, and the succession went with the descendants of his brother, Baradoi. Alternatively, the exilarch Solomon I is said to be his son and eventually heir. Little to nothing is known about his tenure as exilarch beyond the legal dispute that he had with his Persian half-siblings and their mother.
References
- ↑ "Berakhot 63a".
- ↑ Richard Gottheil; Wilhelm Bacher. "EXILARCH". The Jewish Encyclopedia .
- ↑ "Exilarch".
- ↑ Singer, Isidore; Adler, Cyrus (1901). "The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day".
- ↑ "Encyclopaedia Judaica". 1971.
- ↑ "Ahijah, 1st Babylonian Exilarch". Genealogy of the House of David. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
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