Poki, Judah ben Eliezer Chelebi

views updated

POKI, JUDAH BEN ELIEZER CHELEBI

POKI, JUDAH BEN ELIEZER CHELEBI (16th century), *Karaite scholar of Constantinople, a nephew of Elijah *Bashyazi. He traveled widely in order to study Karaite writings. In 1571 he was living at the house of the Karaite nasi in Cairo. In his Sha'ar Yehudah, on forbidden marriages (published by his son Isaac in Constantinople, 1581), he opposed the modifications introduced in this subject by Joseph ha-Ro'eh and Jeshua b. Judah. Poki is the only Karaite scholar of the period to uphold the rikkuv ("catenary") theory of forbidden marriages. He mentions also a second work, Ve-Zot li-Yhudah, on the determination of the new moon. Jedidiah Solomon of Troki refers in his Appiryon to a prayer book compiled by Poki, as well as works on poetry and grammar.

bibliography:

A. Neubauer, Aus der Petersburger Bibliothek (1866), 65; I.D.B. Markon, Texte und Untersuchungen (1908), xvii.

[Isaak Dov Ber Markon]