Exilarch | David Solomon

April 14, 2020April 14, 2020

#33 The Geonic Period: Jewish History of the 6th to 10th Centuries (part 3)

The tenth-century of Jewish History is the focus of this final part of David’s series on the Geonic Period. In this podcast episode, David explores the life, characters, and contributions of some of the towering intellectual and rabbinical authorities of that period. He also discusses the incredibly influential translations, texts and Jewish resources developed by these Geonim which became central to Jewish life until today.

Manuscript of Sughrat (Socrates) belongs to a 13th century Seljuk illustrator. It is currently kept at Topkapi Palace Library, Istanbul, Turkey. Public Domain.

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April 2, 2020April 11, 2021

#31 The Geonic Period: Jewish History of the 6th to 10th Centuries (part 1)

During the 6th and 7th centuries, Jewish populations were centred in territories ruled by the Sassanian, Byzantine and the Western Roman empires. In this podcast episode, David Solomon examines how Jewish life unfolded during these two centuries. He explores the changing fortunes of the renowned Jewish academies of Sura and Pumbedita; the role and status of the Jewish exilarch over generations; the brief existence of a semi-independent Jewish State in Jerusalem; and the rise and fall of Jewish communal safety throughout the generations.

Image: Reproduction of the Madaba Map, a 6th century AD floor mosaic in the early Byzantine church of Saint George at Madaba containing the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Creative Commons (see https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolemage/15010441404).

Continue reading “#31 The Geonic Period: Jewish History of the 6th to 10th Centuries (part 1)”