person · P0278

Aharon ibn Sarjado רב אהרן הכהן בר יוסף

Gaon of Pumbedita for seventeen years — a wealthy Baghdad merchant, not of the scholars' families, who had been Saadia's fiercest adversary in the exilarch controversy. The Iggeret concedes his force and his learning in one breath.

I. Who

Hebrew
רב אהרן הכהן בר יוסף
Also known as
Aharon bar Yosef HaKohen, Khalaf ibn Sarjado
Era
geonim

II. When

Traditional
gaon of Pumbedita 4703–4720 AM
Academic
gaon 943–960 CE
Lifespan (traditional)
≈70 years
Precision
approximate

III. Where

Places
Pumbedita

V. How do we know

ClaimEvidenceConfidenceSources
"After him Mar Rav Aharon bar Mar Rav Yosef HaKohen was installed — and he was not of the scholars' sons but of the merchants... and he was very fierce... and the scholars did not part from Mar Rav Aharon; and he died at the end of the year 1271" (960 CE).
The standard references identify him as Aharon (Khalaf) ibn Sarjado, Saadia's opponent in the David ben Zakkai affair.
tradition external ★★★★☆