This list of Karaite Jews consists of notable individuals who are associated with Karaite Judaism. It includes not only those individuals who were explicitly a part of a Karaite community, but also those Jews who held Karaite or proto-Karaite views. The association of each individual with Karaite Judaism must be explained in that individual's entry. Proto-Karaite period (before 700 CE) Judah ben Tabbai, Pharisee scholar, Chief Justice of the Sanhedrin, one of "the Pairs" of Jewish leaders who lived in first century BCE. Early Karaite period — 8th–9th centuries (700–899 CE) ‘Anan ben David, founder of the Annanites which would later be absorbed into Kara'ism Benjamin al-Nahawandi, regarded by some as the proper originator of Kara'ism as it has come down through the ages Abu 'Imran Musa al-Za'farani al-Tiflisi, a 9th-century founder of Karaite sect of the Tiflisites Golden Age — 10th–12th centuries (900–1199 CE) Aharon ben Mosheh ben Asher (died c.960 CE), refiner of the Tiberian writing system, regarded as having produced the most accurate version of the Masoretic Text Daniel al-Qumisi, Kara'ite scholar, polemicist, proto-Zionist, and compiler of the legal code Sefer ha-Mitzvot Hasun ben Mashiach, scholar who flourished in Egypt (or Babylonia) in the first half of the tenth century Ya'akov Qirqisani aka al-Kirkisani, dogmatist, author, and exegete of the early 10th century Yehudah Hadasi, 12th century scholar, philosopher, and grammarian from Constantinople Solomon ben Jeroham, exegete and controversialist Yefet ben Ali, Babylonian commentator on the Bible Middle period — 13th–17th century (1200–1699 CE) Aaron ben Elijah of Nicomedia (1328/9–1369), perhaps the most prominent Kara'ite theologian, considered the Kara'ite equivalent of his rabbinic contemporary, Maimonides Elijah Bashyazi (1420–1490), Hakham who codified Karaite laws Caleb Afendopolo (1430–1499), Hakham and polyhistor. Moses ben Elijah Bashyazi (1537–1555), wrote many Karaite books Yiṣḥaq b. Avraham of Troki, 16th century Lithuanian Kara'ite philosopher and writer who wrote the important apology or defense of Judaism vis-a-vis Christianity entitled Ḥizzuq Emunah (Fortification of Faith) Mordecai Sultansky (1772–1862), prominent scholar who wrote about angelology and the origin of Karaite Jews Early-modern era — 18th–19th centuries (1700–1947 CE) Abram Samoilovitch Besicovitch (1891–1970), Russian-English mathematician Adolph Joffe (1883–1927), Russian communist revolutionary, Bolshevik politician, Soviet diplomat Avraham Firkovich, famous leader of the Crimean Karaites, a very important collector of manuscripts, who was an amateur archeologist Shlomo ben Afeda Ha-Kohen (1826–1893), considered the last sage of the Constantinopolitan Karaites Solomon Krym (1864–1936), deputy in the Russian Duma Samuel Maykapar