(882-942)
Babylonian gaon. He was born in Pithom in the Faiym district of Egypt, and settled in Babylonia in 921. In 928 he became gaon of Sura, but two years later he was deposed by the exilarch David ben Zakkai; he was reinstated in 936. His earliest work was a polemic against the Karaite scholar Anan ben David. Beliefs and Opinions is his main philosophical treatise. His other scholarly works include a translation of the Bible into Arabic, Arabic commentaries on most biblical books, a Hebrew lexicon and grammar, and a list of biblical hapax legomena. He also produced a systematic compilation of the prayerbook, and wrote litur-gical poetry. His Sepher ha-Galui is an account of his personal tribulations.
Dictionary of Jewish Biography. Dan Cohn-Sherbok.