Religious interpretation among the Karaites and its impact on shaping doctrinal identity: a critical analytical study

Abstract

This research, entitled “Religious Interpretation among the Karaites and its Impact on Shaping Doctrinal Identity: A Critical Analytical Study,” examines one of the most prominent intellectual trends in Judaism, through an analysis of the interpretive method adopted by the Karaites in understanding religious texts, and demonstrating its impact on building their doctrinal system and distinguishing it from Rabbinic Judaism. The research sought to uncover the relationship between religious interpretation and doctrinal identity, and to demonstrate the extent to which the rules of interpretation and sources of reception contributed to shaping the doctrinal perceptions of the Karaites. The research adopted the descriptive analytical method in presenting the intellectual foundations of interpretation among the Karaites, while benefiting from the critical method in evaluating the results of this interpretation in light of Islamic doctrine. This was done through studying the concept of interpretation, its sources, and its impact on issues of monotheism, divine attributes, prophethood, revelation, sources of reception, and religious authority, leading to demonstrating its role in building the doctrinal identity of the Karaite community. The research concluded that religious interpretation among the Karaites was not merely a means of interpreting texts, but rather represented an integrated epistemological method that contributed to reshaping the doctrinal structure of the community, through adopting the written Torah as the supreme source of doctrine and legislation, and rejecting the oral Torah as a binding source, which led to the emergence of a doctrinal identity independent of Rabbinic Judaism. The study also showed that differing rules of interpretation and sources of evidence were the primary factors in the divergence of doctrinal conceptions between the two schools. The research concluded that the soundness of the doctrinal framework is closely linked to the soundness of the sources of knowledge and the proper application of rules of interpretation. Furthermore, the Islamic approach is distinguished by its integration of authentic texts and sound reasoning, thus achieving balance in understanding texts and constructing doctrine, and limiting deviations that may arise from excessive interpretation or reliance on a single source of knowledge.