Exilarch

The Exilarch ( Aramaic resch galuta, " head of the Diaspora " ) was the leader of the Jewish community in Babylon, who traced his origin to King David. As the first Jewish ruler in Babylon Jehoiachin king is mentioned in the Bible. The Exilarchat was in the Persian Empire under the Parthians and Sassanids, was continued after the Islamic expansion and came under the rule of Timur in 1401 to an end.

Exilarchat in the Persian Empire

Since worsened the Jewish general attitude towards Rome after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Parthians promoted in the Persian Empire, where a numerous Jewish community lived, building a local Jewish leadership who supported them in their struggle against Rome. First evidence of the existence of exilarch are from the second century AD. After the takeover of the Sassanid Empire in 226, the Jewish self-government was initially remain unchanged. Shapur I. legitimized the role of the exilarch in the administration of Jewish affairs and called for obedience to state laws, particularly in control systems of land ownership and the collection of taxes. The Amora ( Talmudic scholar ) Samuel met with Shapur an agreement and summarized this in the words: "The law of the ( local ) government is law." During the next four centuries enjoyed the Jewish community, apart from a few brief interruptions, a safe position. Under Peroz I. Jews and Christians were persecuted, and the Exilarch Huna V. was executed in the year 470. After the accession of Chosroes I., the situation calmed down.

The Office during the Arab period

The first Exilarch the Arab period was Bustanai. The split between Rabbinites ( supporters of the rabbinic tradition ) and Karaites led to a decline in the status of exilarch and a restriction on their authority. Caliph al-Ma'mun granted permission to the Karaites recognize their leader as Nasi their community. The exilarch were in close relationship to the Geonim, ie the heads of the academies of Sura and Pumbedita, and is also involved in the incomes of these academies, which was collected throughout the Diaspora.

The establishment of the exilarch designed in each case to a grand ceremony, which ended with a festive service in the synagogue on the Sabbath. The name of the exilarch was mentioned in the Kaddish, he received gifts from the people and invited guests during seven days at his home. The Arab historians who mention this office, emphasize the origin of the house of David as an indispensable prerequisite choice.

The Mongol Hulagu King, of the February 10, 1258 eliminated the Abbasid caliphate with the conquest of Baghdad, the Jewish community and its exilarch Samuel ben David left unscathed. Of the exilarch the following years little more than the names are known. 1401 the Exilarchat was abolished by Timur. Until the beginning of the 18th century, the governors of major Iraqi cities proclaimed a rich Jew as Sarraf Bāshī ( " main banker "), which also served as Nasi of the local Jews. His skills corresponded almost exactly to the Babylonian exile hierarchs in the Middle Ages. Since 1849 the functions of the Nasi within the Ottoman Empire were transferred to the Hahambaşı.