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סעדיה גאון

Saadya Gaon (882–942)

Gaon of Sura who wrote the first great work of Jewish philosophy and the classic Arabic translation of the Bible.

Born in Dilaz, Egypt, Saadya became Gaon (head) of the Sura academy in Babylonia. He wrote the first great Jewish philosophical work — Kitāb al-Amānāt wa-l-Iʿtiqādāt ("Book of Beliefs and Opinions," 933/935) — and the Tafsir, the Arabic translation of the Bible that remained standard for Arabic-speaking Jews for a millennium.

He also fought the calendar controversy of 921, defending the Babylonian rabbinic calendar against the Palestinian challengers.

Where did this life happen?

Land geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m via world-atlas. Pins mark modern localities or representative regional anchors stored on Atlas place records, not historical borders and not reconstructed positions. · Sources & methods

IN THE ATLAS

Connections

Sources & review

  • Saadya Gaon biographyLife, Sura gaonate, and the 921 calendar controversy.
  • The Book of Theodicy / Beliefs and Opinions (Rosenblatt translation)Standard English translation of Kitāb al-Amānāt.
Reviewed 2026-07-30
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