New Genres of Geonic Creativity

🕍 The Geonim of Babylonia created important new genres of writing which profoundly influenced, the Rishonim, including the Sheiltot, the early halachic codes, the first siddurim, and more.

You’re reading Stories from Jewish History, a weekly newsletter exploring Jewish thinkers, events, and artifacts, from the famous to the obscure. We continue in the Geonim series with an issue devoted to the wonderfully creative genres invented by the Geonim to express their learning and insights.

A fragment of the Sheiltot written in 13th-14th century I…