person · P0342
Rav Yom Tov Kahana bar Yaakov מר רב יום טוב כהנא בר מר רב יעקב
Gaon of Sura on the eve of Saadia — "a weaver, since there were no sages there": the Iggeret's bluntest line on the academy's decline, and the vacancy into which Saadia was summoned.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- מר רב יום טוב כהנא בר מר רב יעקב
- Era
- geonim
II. When
- Traditional
- gaon of Sura c. 4684–4688 AM
- Academic
- gaon c. 924–928 CE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈54 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Sura
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| "There was none among them fitting, and David the nasi ordained Mar Rav Yom Tov Kahana bar Mar Rav Yaakov — and he was a weaver, since there were not sages there to that degree — and he reigned ten years" (c. 924–928 CE per the rosters).
The Iggeret's "ten years" conflicts with the four-year interval between his predecessor's end (924) and Saadia's installation (928); the rostered interval is shown and the discrepancy left on record.
|
tradition external | ★★★☆☆ | |
| No source names his teacher. Per this atlas's succession roster, Rav Hilai bar Natronai and Rav Hai bar Nachshon held the headship of his academy during his formative window (c. 4649–4669 AM), making reception from them the likeliest reconstruction.
Derived by era-and-institution inference, not attested. The formative window is computed from this entry's schematic dates, hence the low confidence.
|
reconstruction | ★☆☆☆☆ |