Karaites, who were separated and isolated from their homeland and who were without a contact with the Holy City, did not have even an inkling about events in the Holy Land during the time after their capture.
From their homeland, the Karaites brought the Law of Moses and the books of the Prophets and they keep the fidelity and devotion to the Law of Moses and the books of the Prophets until these days.

Ribbi Efraim, Ribbi Elisha and Ribbi Ḥanukkah were probably the first who reached the Crimea with information about Anan and his co-religionists.
These were also mentioned by Grätz.
According to this Rabbanite historian, these three men were members of the Gaonic Academy who went over to Anan ben David ha-nasi and apparently became his missionaries.

In Spain there also arose dozens of large Karaite communities.
Members of these communities were Jews who had left Talmudism.
This was the consequence of the famous and controversial sermons of Eldad ha-Dani and the missionary activities of Ibn al-Tarās, also known as Abū’l Tarās of Castilia, and his wife.¹
These Karaites were expelled from Spain in the twelfth century.
They did not settle in the Crimea but in Morocco, Egypt and Baghdad as well as other cities of the Islamic world and also in the Byzantine Empire.

The Karaite community arose from the merging of all these parts, which had the same ethno-confessional character as the present day Karaite community has.
This merging of individual streams did not occur quickly, but rather during four phases of the community's historical development.²

The last Karaite reformer is considered to be Aaron ben Josef ha-Rofe, the author of the book מבחר ישרים , and the prayer book סדר תפילות , which was accepted by almost all of the Karaite communities.
Aaron ben Josef ha-Rofe lived in the thirteenth century.

And here, with the kind permission of the reader, I would return to the story of Anan ben David ha-nasi.

¹ Pinsker לקוטי קדמוניות page 220; Grätz Part 11, page 272
² See אדרת אליהו the preface to the treatise on Shabbat.

Anan ben David ha-nasi has three well known works: 1. The Commentary on the Five Books of Moses, 2. The Collection of Religious Obligations, and 3. The Scholastic work פדהלכה.
The first two works were written in language of Talmud, while the third was written in Arabic.

Anan's works have become the victims of time.

However we have evidence of Anan's works, which is especially thanks to citations of the above mentioned works by authors that followed in the time afterwards.
Our Karaite scholar Sahl ben Matzliah ha-Kohen, quoted many passages from Anan's works.³

Anan ben David ha-nasi died at a very advanced age.
His relatives, friends and all his co-religionists mourned for him.
Anan ben David ha-nasi had won respect and a deep esteem for his unselfish, pious life and for his mild, balanced and conciliatory personality.
The next generation referred to him as the man of God.

After the death of Anan ben David ha-nasi, his son Saul, who followed an equally pious and honest way of life, continued with his father's work.
Saul was assisted by three of Anan’s former students; Ribbi Akha, Ribbi Mokha and Ribbi abu Gedor.

Following the passing of this spiritual leader, our grateful ancestors enacted, in his honour, a memorial prayer.
We pray this, in all Karaite synagogues, every Saturday and it is as follows:

Our God and God of our fathers. Have mercy on the soul of our teacher, the man of God, Anan ben David ha-nasi, who opened the way to the Law and illuminated, with light, the eyes of the Sons of Scripture בני מקרא , turning many people away from the sin and fallacies and bringing us on the path of righteousness. May the God of Israel allow him be in the bosom of bliss, in the assembly of His righteous, who share paradise with Him. May in him be fulfilled the prophecies; And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek and his resting-place shall be glorious. They that strive with יהוה shall be broken into pieces. Against them will He thunder in heaven. יהוה will judge the ends of the earth and He will give strength unto His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed. His enemies will I clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown shine. And you shall reach peace at your end and happily expect your portion that will come at the end of the ages.

One part of this prayer draws attention to a very important historical fact; the verse and illuminated, with light, the eyes of the Sons of Scripture בני מקרא , proves that Benei Mikra existed even in the time before Anan ben David ha-nasi.
Anan only enlightened them, allowing them to detach from the community of Talmudists to live according to the written Law.

Another verse; turning many people away from the sin and fallacies and bringing us on the path of righteousness refers to those of the Talmudists who adopted the teaching of Anan.

From these above, it can be shown that our beliefs and teachings are not schismatic.
Also that we Karaites are not sectarians, and that our faith and teachings comes from
our lawmaker Moses.
It also shows that Anan liberated us of foreign influences, and that he unified miscellaneous groups and founded an independent community.

³ See Pinsker’s notes on pages 66 and 73