Scholars have long debated as to whether Aaron ben Asher was a Karaite. While many modern scholars lean toward this being true, there is no clear consensus, and so the question remains open.

The idea was first suggested in 1860 by Simhah Pinsker, who argued that Masoretes in general should be 'suspected' of being Karaites since they seem to have devoted all of their time to the Bible and showed no interest in rabbinic Midrash or Talmud, which at times contradicts