Tell Me No Lies:
The False Messiahs
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Assistant Editor
B
ar Kokhba was the
leader of the Judean revolt
against Rome in 132 C.E., a
man dedicated to detail and
a brave warrior. Many — in-
cluding Rabbi Akiva — also
believed he was the
Messiah.
Solomon Molcho was
born in 1500 C.E., the son
of Maranno parents. While
in his 20s, he announced he
was the Messiah. His rev-
elation was strengthened
when his predictions, in-
cluding floods and earth-
quakes, came true.
At 32, Molcho was burn-
ed at the stake when he
refused to convert to Chris-
tianity. His followers saved
his writings and other
belongings, including a
banner now owned by the
State Jewish Museum of
Prague.
Jewish history is replete
with false messiahs, men
who have convinced the
masses that they are
emissaries of God, or
sometimes incarnations of
God Himself.
Some were con artists,
some were madmen. All
understood the common
man's desperation to end
the exile and reestablish
Jewish sovereignty in the
Land of Israel.
The first false messiahs
were known in ancient
times. Many of them, like
Bar Kokhba, arose during
the Roman rule of Israel.
Most were executed by
crucifixion.
Several hundred years
later, news of the Moslem
conquests inspired hopes of
reclaiming Eretz Yisrael.
Some of the false messiahs
from the Islamic lands, like
Yitzhak ben Yaakov Abu
Isa al-Isfahani of seventh-
century Persia, and the
12th-century Kurdish Jew,
David Alroy, took on the
guise of warriors and led
armies on military cam-
paigns. Moslems killed
both men.
Avraham ben Shmuel
Abulafia, active in 13th-
century Spain, announced
1290 as the Messianic year.
et'
t
10•44.1° • -. * : 11,
.
Rabbinic opposition forced
him to flee to a desolate
island near Malta.
Sometimes, when pro-
phets' predictions that
Mashiach would soon ar-
rive proved false, Jews
turned to Christianity.
Others paid with their
lives.
Moshe of Crete, proclaim-
ing himself the reincar-
nated Moshe of the Torah,
promised to lead the Jews
dry-shod across the
Mediterranean back to
Israel. Many died after
jumping off a cliff into the
sea.
Early in 1524, a
mysterious figure arrived
in Rome. A dark-skinned
man, riding a white horse
and carrying a silk banner
embroidered with the Ten
Commandments, he was
received by Pope Clement
VII. He said his name was
David Reuveni, son of King
Solomon, ruler of the Lost
Tribes of Israel.
Reuveni, whose true
name and identity were
never established, also met
in Portugal with King
John II. The Marannos
became convinced Reuveni
heralded the coming of the
Messiah.
Reuveni was later charg-
ed with having corrupted
new Christians. He was
sent in chains to Spain,
where he soon died.
Among the most colorful
and influential of the false
messiahs was Shabbtai
Zevi (1626-1676), the
Turkish-born son of a busi-
nessman. An intelligent
student, he early on ex-
hibited signs of being a
manic-depressive, though
his followers would later
describe his bouts of
depression as "moments of
illumination."
Sometime around 1655,
Shabbtai Zevi started
claiming to be the Messiah.
He also began speaking the
inutterable name of God.
Neither move endeared
him to local rabbinic au-
thorities, who banished
Shabbtai Zevi from his
hometown.
Plagued by what he
believed to be demons,
Shabbtai Zevi went to
Gaza, where he'd heard of a
visionary named Nathan
who could soothe the souls
of the troubled. Nathan
promptly labeled Shabbtai
Zevi the Messiah.
In 1665, Shabbtai Zevi
returned to Smyrna. Large
portions of the population
readily accepted him as the
Messiah, though Shabbtai
Zevi continued to exhibit
the . most curious behavior.
He began immersing
himself late at night in the
sea. He took an ax and
chopped down the doors of
rabbis who opposed him.
It didn't take long for
Turkish authorities, anx-
ious about possible revolts,
to take notice of Shabbtai
Zevi. He was arrested in
1666 and taken to
Gallipoli.
Shabbtai Zevi's fall
began that summer when
Turkey's leaders presented
him with the choice of
death or conversion to
Islam. Shabbtai Zevi opted
for conversion, donned a
turban and renamed
himself Aziz Mehmed Ef-
fendi.
His decision left followers
bewildered. Once again,
Nathan of Gaza played a
decisive role in shaping
Shabbtai Zevi's legacy. He
said that the whole ques-
tion of Shabbtai Zevi would
one day be resolved, that
he had converted to Islam
to redeem lost souls.
After his conversion,
Shabbtai Zevi observed
both Moslem and Jewish
religious rituals until his
death in 1676. At that
time, Nathan insisted
Shabbtai Zevi had merely
ascended to the heavens
where he joined the
"supernal lights." Four
years later, Nathan
himself died.
Belief that Shabbtai Zevi
was the Messiah continued
for years after his death.
Some even claimed to see
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fact, as late as the 1950s,
there were whispers in
practices that paralleled
Detroit about a certain
Christian traditions. These
local rabbi.
included a committee of 12
One of Shabbtaism's last
"brothers," like the 12
and greatest rushes came
disciples of Jesus, and 12
in 1756 when Jacob Frank,
"sisters." The latter served
a native of Turkey, was la-
as Frank's mistresses.
beled the reincarnation of
By 1760, both Frank and
Shabbtai Zevi.
more than 500 of his
Born Jacob ben Judah
followers had been baptiz-
Leib, Frank was a
ed. But church officials
prankster with great ambi-
discovered Frankists wor-
tion. He married in 1752,
shiping Frank, not God,
after which Frank declared
and sent the sect leader
himself a prophet of the
into exile for 13 years.
late Shabbtai Zevi.
Pockets of Frankists con-
In 1759, Frank began
tinued after their leader's
calling himself "the true
death in 1791, and
Jacob" who had come to
followers published collec-
finish the work of Abra-
tions of his work in the
ham and Isaac. He estab-
1800s. ❑
lished numerous religious
f
/ I.
•
Mashiach
will be very
smart. When
he comes, there
will be no
more violence:"
•
Zvi Brenner; age
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
25