According to Amos Hakham medieval rabbis favored one of two improbable explanations. One of his descendants was Rabbi Shimon Hakham. Just what were the functions of the hakham is not clear. In 1655 he was appointed "hakham" of that city. Mordecai Sultansky () was a Crimean Karaite "hakham" of the nineteenth century. The origin of the office of hakham is as doubtful as its duration. Shimon Ben Aharon Agassi (also spelled Simon Aghassi) was a Hakham and Kabbalist in Baghdad. Hakham Agassi was born in 1852. Isaac S. D. Sassoon is an observant Sephardic rabbi (hakham), scholar and educator. His father was Hakham Heskel, Shalma, Ezra, Shlomo-David, a student of Hakham Abdallah Somekh. Turkish Jews are still legally represented by the Hakham Bashi, the Chief Rabbi. His titles included "Hakham Bashi" and "Gaon". Hakham Yosef Hayim was also noted for his stories and parables. Among the Jews he was known as Hakham Haim, because of his Talmudic learning. The Hakham Tzvi's son, Rabbi Jacob Emden, says it was a perfect likeness.