Karaites (KAH-rah-ahyts)

Lit. People of the Scripture. A sect of Judaism that, like the ancient Sadducees, does not accept the oral Torah, but relies solely on the written scriptures. By contrast, Rabbinical Judaism believes that G-d taught Moses an oral Torah at the same time that He gave the written one. The Karaites are now a very small sect, though they claim that at one time they attracted 40 percent of the Jewish population. See their website at Karaite Jews of America.

See:

Movements of Judaism - Karaites and Rabbinical Judaism

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