Kievian Letter
Encyclopedia
The Kievian Letter is an early 10th century (ca. 930) letter written by a Khazarian Jewish
community in Kiev
. The letter, a Hebrew-language
recommendation written on behalf of one member of their community, was part of an enormous collection brought to Cambridge by Solomon Schechter
from the Cairo Geniza
. It was discovered in 1962 during a survey of the Geniza documents by Norman Golb
of the University of Chicago
. The letter is dated by most scholars to around 930 CE. Some think (on the basis of the "pleading" nature of the text, mentioned below) that the letter dates from a time frame when Khazars were no longer a dominant force in the politics of the city.
, fish
, and salt
into Kiev.
If so, it might at first glance suggest that Khazar control over Kiev
, in some form or another, continued well into the tenth century, significantly later than the traditional date for conquest by Oleg
, 882. On the other hand, from the letter itself it seems that the Khazar authorities could do little to help the Jewish community of Kiev; the letter itself had ended up in Egypt
, and the beleaguered alms-seeker had presumably travelled thousands of miles in his search for relief. The identity and status of the reviewing, turcophone officer is therefore ambiguous. It would seem more likely that the letter was reviewed in Khazaria at a time when Khazar Jewish power had waned not only in Kiev but in the heartland itself (sometime in the 11th century).
, Slavic
, and Hebrew
origins (for example, names such as: "Hanukkah
," "Yehudah," "Gostata," and "Kiabar"). There is some disagreement as to whether these Jews were Israelite
s who had taken local names, or whether their names indicate Turkic
or Slavic
origins. The debate is complicated by the presence of the name Kiabar Kohen. According to Omeljan Pritsak
, this name indicates that non-Israelite Khazars adopted the status of Kohen
, possibly because they had formed a pre-conversion priestly caste. A far more likely scenario is that Israelite Jews in Khazaria adopted Khazar Turkic names, much in the same way that Jews, including prominent rabbis, had adopted Aramaic, Persian
, Arabic
, Greek
, and German
names.
The letter contains the only written record of the Khazar language
extant today - the single word-phrase "I have read (it)." This appears to be a sign of approval from a Khazar magistrate. (Similar inscriptions, in Latin and Greek are found in Byzantine
documents from roughly the same period.)
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
community in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. The letter, a Hebrew-language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
recommendation written on behalf of one member of their community, was part of an enormous collection brought to Cambridge by Solomon Schechter
Solomon Schechter
Solomon Schechter was a Moldavian-born Romanian and English rabbi, academic scholar, and educator, most famous for his roles as founder and President of the United Synagogue of America, President of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and architect of the American Conservative Jewish...
from the Cairo Geniza
Cairo Geniza
The Cairo Geniza is a collection of almost 280,000 Jewish manuscript fragments found in the Genizah or storeroom of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fustat, presently Old Cairo, Egypt. Some additional fragments were found in the Basatin cemetery east of Old Cairo, and the collection includes a number of...
. It was discovered in 1962 during a survey of the Geniza documents by Norman Golb
Norman Golb
Norman Golb is the Ludwig Rosenberger Professor in Jewish History and Civilization at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. He earned his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1954. He joined the faculty of the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati in 1958 before settling at the...
of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. The letter is dated by most scholars to around 930 CE. Some think (on the basis of the "pleading" nature of the text, mentioned below) that the letter dates from a time frame when Khazars were no longer a dominant force in the politics of the city.
Historical significance
Some scholars point to a district in Kievan Podol named after the Khazars (called "Kozare"), which indicates to some that Turkic Khazars did live in Kiev. The Khazars apparently played a significant role in the economic vitality of the city, importing caviarCaviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, and salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
into Kiev.
If so, it might at first glance suggest that Khazar control over Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, in some form or another, continued well into the tenth century, significantly later than the traditional date for conquest by Oleg
Oleg of Novgorod
Oleg of Novgorod was a Varangian prince who ruled all or part of the Rus' people during the early 10th century....
, 882. On the other hand, from the letter itself it seems that the Khazar authorities could do little to help the Jewish community of Kiev; the letter itself had ended up in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and the beleaguered alms-seeker had presumably travelled thousands of miles in his search for relief. The identity and status of the reviewing, turcophone officer is therefore ambiguous. It would seem more likely that the letter was reviewed in Khazaria at a time when Khazar Jewish power had waned not only in Kiev but in the heartland itself (sometime in the 11th century).
Linguistic significance
Linguists are interested in the letter because the names of the community members are of TurkicTurkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
, Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
, and Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
origins (for example, names such as: "Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
," "Yehudah," "Gostata," and "Kiabar"). There is some disagreement as to whether these Jews were Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
s who had taken local names, or whether their names indicate Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
or Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
origins. The debate is complicated by the presence of the name Kiabar Kohen. According to Omeljan Pritsak
Omeljan Pritsak
Omeljan Pritsak was the first Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and the founder and first director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.-Career:Pritsak began his academic career at the University of Lvov in interwar Poland where he...
, this name indicates that non-Israelite Khazars adopted the status of Kohen
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
, possibly because they had formed a pre-conversion priestly caste. A far more likely scenario is that Israelite Jews in Khazaria adopted Khazar Turkic names, much in the same way that Jews, including prominent rabbis, had adopted Aramaic, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
names.
Khazar language
Khazar was the language spoken by the Khazars, a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia. It is also referred to as Khazarian, Khazaric, or Khazari. The language is extinct and written records are almost non-existent....
extant today - the single word-phrase "I have read (it)." This appears to be a sign of approval from a Khazar magistrate. (Similar inscriptions, in Latin and Greek are found in Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
documents from roughly the same period.)
Text of the Letter
- The First among the foremost
[i.e. GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....] , He who is adorned with the crown "Final and First," - Who hears the whispered voice, and listens to utterance and tongue - May He guard them
- as the pupil [of his eye] and make them to dwell with NahshonNahshonNahshon or Naḥshon ben ʿAmminadabh was, according to the Book of Exodus, the son of Amminadab; descendant in the fifth generation of Judah, brother-in-law of Aaron and an important figure in the Hebrew's Passage of the Red Sea which according to the Jewish Midrash he initiated by walking in head...
on high as at first - - Men of Truth, despisers of gain, doers of [deeds of] loving-kindness and pursuers of charity,
- guardians of salvation whose bread is available to every traveler and passerby,
- holy communities scattered to all (the world's) corners: may it be the will of
- the Master of Peace to make them dwell as a crown of peace! Now, our officers and masters,
- we, [the] community of Kiev, (hereby inform you of the woesome affair of this Mar Jacob bar
- Hanukah, who is of the sons of [good folk]. He was of the givers, and not of the
- takers, until a cruel decree was decreed against him, in that his brother went and took money
- from gentiles; this Jacob stood surety. His brother went on the road, and there came
- brigands who slew him and took his money. Then came creditors
- [and t]ook captive this Jacob, they put chains of iron on his neck
- and irons about his legs. He stayed there an entire year ...
- [and afterwards] we took him in surety; we paid out sixty [coins] and there ye[t...]
- remained forty coins; so we have sent him among the holy communities
- that they might take pity on him. So now, O our masters, raise up your eyes to heaven
- and do as is your goodly custom, for you know how great is the virtue
- of charity. For charity saves from death. Nor are we as warners
- but rather those who remind; and to you will be charity before the Lord your God
- You shall eat fruits in this world, and the capital fund [of merit] shall be yours perpetually in the world to comeAfterlifeThe afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
. - Only be strong and of good courage, and do not put our words behind
- your backs; and may the Omnipresent bless you and build Jerusalem in your days
- and redeem you and also us with you. (An acronym follows standing for either "Amen, Amen, Amen, soon [may the redemption come]" or "Brotherly people are we, soon [...]".)
- Abraham the Parnas [community leader] [...]el bar MNS Reuben bar
- GWSTT (Gostata) bar KYBR (Kiabar) Kohen Samson
- Judah, who is called SWRTH (Surta) Hanukah bar Moses
- QWFYN (Kufin) bar Joseph MNR (Manar) bar Samuel Kohen
- Judah bar Isaac [the] LeviteLeviteIn Jewish tradition, a Levite is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the Levites were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners "because the Lord the God of Israel himself is their inheritance"...
Sinai bar Samuel - Isaac the Parnas [A Turkic runiform inscription follows, reading OKHQURÜM, "I read (this or it)"]
External links
- The Kievan Letter scan in the Cambridge University LibraryCambridge University LibraryThe Cambridge University Library is the centrally-administered library of Cambridge University in England. It comprises five separate libraries:* the University Library main building * the Medical Library...
collection.