- Benjamin (Khazar)
A
Khazar ruler (probably the bek), mentioned in theSchechter Text and theKhazar Correspondence , Benjamin was the son of the Khazar rulerMenahem (Khazar) and probably reigned in the late ninth and early tenth centuries CE.The only extant account of Benjamin's reign comes from the
Schechter Text , whose anonymous author reported a war between Benjamin's Khazars and a coalition of five nations: 'SY, TWRQY, 'BM, and PYYNYL, who were instigated and aided by MQDWN. "MQDWN", orMacedon , is used in medievalJewish documents to refer to theByzantine Empire , particularly under its Macedonian dynasty (867-1025). "TWRQY" can be identified with theOghuz on Khazaria's eastern flank. The other three entities are less easily identifiable. In "Khazarian Hebrew Documents of the Tenth Century",Omeljan Pritsak argued that "PYYNYL" was actually "PTzNK"Pecheneg , the misreading ascribed to the degradation of the letter itself. He further identified 'SY with the Asya, who he connects to theBurtas (traditionally allies of the Khazars) and 'BM with the remnants of theOnogurs andBulgars still living in the Pontic steppes. TheSchechter Text identifies theAlans as Benjamin's only allies in this war, stating that many of the Alans had adoptedJudaism by that time.It should be noted that the term "Asya" has been thought by some scholars to describe the
Arsiya , suggesting the possibility of aMuslim revolt or attempted coup against Benjamin.Benjamin's son was Aaron.
References
*
Kevin Alan Brook . "The Jews of Khazaria." 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2006.
*Dunlop, Douglas M. "The History of the Jewish Khazars," Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1954.
*Golb, Norman and Omeljan Pritsak. "Khazarian Hebrew Documents of the Tenth Century." Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press, 1982.External links
* [http://www.khazaria.com/khazar-biblio/toc.html Bibliography of Khazar Studies]
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