List of Jewish messiah claimants: Difference between revisions

This article presents an overview of various historically significant Jewish Messiah claimants. The

The

Before Christ

• Simon son of Joseph of Peraea (c. 4 BCE) a former slave of Herod the Great who rebelled and was killed by the Romans. The messiah of Gabriel's Revelation.^[3]
• Athronges (c. 4-2? BCE), a shepherd turned rebel leader of a rebellion with his four brothers against Archelaus and the Romans after proclaiming himself the Messiah^[4]. He and his brothers were eventually defeated).^[5]

First century

• Jewish Christians. It is estimated that there are between 1.5 and 2 billion Christians in the world today^[6], making Jesus of Nazareth the most widely followed Messiah claimant. In addition to Christians, followers of Islam
  also regard Jesus as the Jewish messiah.
• Zealot
  leader.
• Vespasian, c.70, according to Josephus^[7]

Second century

• Second Jewish-Roman War
  .

Fifth century

• Moses of Crete (?), who in about 440-470 (5th century) convinced the Jews of Crete to attempt to walk into the sea to return to Israel; he disappeared after that disaster.
• Isḥaḳ ben Ya'ḳub Obadiah Abu 'Isa al-Isfahani of Ispahan (684-705), who led a revolt in Persia against the Umayyad Caliph Caliph 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
  • Yudghan (?), lived and taught in Persia in the early eighth century. He disciple of Isḥaḳ ben Ya'ḳub Obadiah Abu 'Isa al-Isfahani of Ispahan who continued the faith after Isa was slain.^{[citation needed]}

Eighth century

• Serene (Sherini, Sheria, Serenus, Zonoria, Saüra) (?), who around 720 claimed to be the Messiah and advocated expulsion of Muslims and relaxing various rabbinic laws before being arrested; he then recanted.

Twelfth century

• David Alroy or Alrui (?), born in Kurdistan, who around 1160 agitated against the caliph before being assassinated.

Thirteenth century

• Abraham Abulafia (b. 1240-1291), presented himself as a "prophet" and "messiah".
• Nissim ben Abraham (?), active in Avila around 1295.^{[citation needed]}

Fifteenth century

• Moses Botarel of Cisneros (?), active around 1413; claimed to be a sorcerer able to combine the names of God.

Sixteenth century

• Asher Lämmlein (?), a German near Venice who proclaimed himself a forerunner of the Messiah in 1502.
• David Reubeni (1490-1541?) and Solomon Molcho (1500–1532), adventurers who travelled in Portugal, Italy, and Turkey; Molcho was eventually burned at the stake by the Pope.
  • David Reubeni (early sixteenth century).
  • Solomon Molcho (early sixteenth century), a mostly unknown Czech Jew from around the 1650s.^[8]

Seventeenth century

• Donmeh
  .
  • Barukhia Russo (Osman Baba), successor of Sabbatai Zevi.
  • Miguel Cardoso (Abraham Cardoso) (1630–1706), another successor of Sabbatai who claimed to be the "Messiah ben Ephraim."
  • Mordecai Mokia (1650–1729), ("the Rebuker") of Eisenstadt (1650–1729), another person who proclaimed himself Messiah after Sabbatai's death. (active 1678-1683)
  • Jacob Querido (d. 1690), claimed to be the new incarnation of Sabbatai; later converted to Islam and led the Donmeh.
  • Löbele Prossnitz
    (Joseph ben Jacob) (?-1750), (early eighteenth century), a proven fraud who nevertheless attained some following amongst former followers of Sabbatai, calling himself the "Messiah ben Joseph."

Eighteenth century

• Jacob Joseph Frank (1726-1791), founder of the Frankist movement, who claimed to be the reincarnation of King David and preached a synthesis of Christianity and Judaism.

Nineteenth century

• Shukr Kuhayl I, 19th-century Yemenite pseudo-messiah
• Judah ben Shalom (Shukr Kuhayl II), 19th-century Yemenite pseudo-messiah

Twentieth century

• Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994), the seventh Chabad Rabbia, a 20th century Rebbe and charismatic leader. Who tried to "prepare the way" for the Messiah. An unidentifiable number of his followers believe him to be the Messiah by mainstream orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch Chasidic Judaism.^{[9] [10]}

Menahem ben Judah

Menahem ben Judah, the son or grandson of

The unsuccessful issue of the Bar Kokba war put an end for centuries to Messianic movements, but Messianic hopes were nonetheless cherished. In accordance with a computation found in the Talmud, the Messiah was expected in 440 (Sanh. 97b) or 471 ('Ab. Zarah 9b). This expectation in connection with the disturbances in the Roman empire attendant upon invasions may have raised up the Messiah who appeared about this time in Crete, and who won over the Jewish population to his movement. He called himself Moses, and promised to lead the people, like the ancient Moses, dry-shod through the sea back to Palestine. His followers, convinced by him, left their possessions and waited for the promised day, when at his command many cast themselves into the sea, some finding death, others being rescued. The pseudo-Messiah himself disappeared (Socrates, "Historia Ecclesiastica," vii. 38; Grätz, "Gesch." 3d ed., iv. 354-355). Socrates states that Moses of Crete fled, while the Chronicle of John of Nikiu claims that he perished in the sea. While he called himself Moses, the Chronicle gives his actual name as 'Fiskis' (John of Nikiu, "Chronicle," LXXXVI.1-11).

In 7th century Persia

The pseudo-Messiahs that followed played their roles in the Orient, and were at the same time religious reformers whose work influenced

The next important Messianic movement appears again in Persia. David Alroy or Alrui, who was born in Kurdistan, about 1160 declared himself a Messiah. Taking advantage of his personal popularity, the disturbed and weakened condition of the caliphate, and the discontent of the Jews, who were burdened with a heavy poll tax, he set out upon his political schemes, asserting that he had been sent by God to free the Jews from the Moslem yoke and to lead them back to Jerusalem. For this purpose he summoned the warlike Jews of the neighbouring district of Azerbaijan and his coreligionists of Mosul and Baghdad to come armed to his aid and to assist in the capture of Amadia. From this point his career is enveloped in legend. His movement failed, and he is said to have been assassinated, while asleep, by his own father-in-law. A heavy fine was exacted from the Jews for this uprising. After his death Alroy had many followers in Khof, Salmas, Tauris, and Maragha, and these formed a sect called the Menahemists, from the Messianic name "Menahem," assumed by their founder.

In Yemen

Soon after an alleged forerunner of the Messiah appeared in

Abraham Abulafia

With Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (b. 1240; d. after 1291), the

Abulafia gained much modern notoriety as a the name for the computer of a character in Umberto Eco's novel Foucault's Pendulum

Nissim ben Abraham

Another individual making claims of prophethood was Nissim ben Abraham, active in Avila. His followers told of him that, although ignorant, he had been suddenly endowed, by an angel, with the power to write a mystic work, The Wonder of Wisdom, with a commentary thereon. Again an appeal was made to

After the lapse of a century another false Messiah came forward with Messianic pretensions. According to

A spirit of expectancy was aroused by Reuveni's stay in Portugal. In Herrera del Duque, close to Puebla de Alcocer (Badajoz, Extremadura), a girl of 15 described ecstatic visions in which she talked to the Messiah, who took her to heaven where she saw all those who were burned seated in thrones of gold, and assured her of his near coming. She (only known for us as the Maiden of Herrera) was enthusiastically proclaimed a prophetess, and such was the commotion caused by her visions that the Toledo Inquisition had her promptly arrested and burned together with many of her followers.

Sabbatai Zevi

The most important messianic movement, and one whose influence was widespread throughout Jewry, lasting in some quarters over a century, was that of Sabbatai Zevi (also Shabbethai Zevi) (b. at Smyrna 1626; d. at Dulcigno 1676). See the articles on Sabbatai Zevi and Sabbateans for more details.

Sabbethaian pseudo-messiahs

After his death, Sabbatai was followed by a line of putative messiahs. Jacob Querido, son of Joseph Filosof, and brother of the fourth wife of Sabbatai, became the head of the Shabbethaians in Salonica, being regarded by them as the incarnation of Shabbethai. He pretended to be Shabbethai's son and adopted the name Jacob Tzvi. With 400 followers he went over to Islam about 1687, forming a sect called the Dönmeh. He himself even made a pilgrimage to Mecca (c. 1690). After his death during the pilgrimage his son Berechiah or Berokia succeeded him (c. 1695-1740).

A number of Shabbethai's followers declared themselves Messiahs. Miguel (Abraham) Cardoso (1630-1706), born of Marano parents, may have been initiated into the Shabbethaian movement by Moses Pinheiro in Leghorn. He became a prophet of the Messiah, and when the latter embraced Islam he justified this treason, saying that it was necessary for the Messiah to be reckoned among the sinners in order to atone for Israel's idolatry. He applied Isa. liii. to Shabbethai, and sent out epistles to prove that Shabbethai was the true Messiah, and he even suffered persecution for advocating his cause. Later he considered himself as the Ephraitic Messiah, asserting that he had marks on his body, which were proof of this. He preached and wrote of the speedy coming of the Messiah, fixing different dates until his death (see Cardoso, Miguel).

Mordecai Mokia

Another follower of Shabbethai who remained faithful to him, Mordecai Mokiaḥ ("the Rebuker") of Eisenstadt, also pretended to be a Messiah. His period of activity was from 1678 to 1682 or 1683. He preached at first that Shabbethai was the true Messiah, that his conversion was for mystic reasons necessary, that he did not die but would reveal himself within three years after his supposed death, and pointed to the persecution of the Jews in Oran (by Spain), in Austria, and in France, and to the pestilence in Germany as prognostications of his coming. He found a following among Hungarian, Moravian, and Bohemian Jews. Going a step further, he declared that he was the Davidic Messiah. Shabbethai, according to him, was only the Ephraitic Messiah and was furthermore rich, and therefore could not accomplish the redemption of Israel. He (Mordecai), being poor, was the real Messiah and at the same time the incarnation of the soul of the Ephraitic Messiah. Italian Jews heard of him and invited him to Italy. He went there about 1680, and received a warm welcome in Reggio and Modena. He spoke of Messianic preparations, which he had to make in Rome, and hinted at having perhaps to adopt Christianity outwardly. Denounced to the Inquisition, or advised to leave Italy, he returned to Bohemia, and then went to Poland, where he is said to have become insane. From his time a sect began to form there, which still existed at the beginning of the Mendelssohnian era.

Another Shabbethaians messahish claimant was Löbele Prossnitz. He taught that God had given dominion of the world to the "pious one," i.e., the one who had entered into the depths of Kabbalah. Such a representative of God had been Shabbethai, whose soul had passed into other "pious" men, into Jonathan Eybeschütz and into himself. Another, Isaiah Hasid (a brother-in-law of the Shabbethaian Judah Hasid), who lived in Mannheim, secretly claimed to be the resurrected Messiah, although publicly he had abjured Shabbethaian beliefs.

Jacob Frank

He laid stress on the idea of the "holy king" who was at the same time Messiah, and he accordingly called himself "santo señor" ("holy lord"). His followers claimed he performed miracles; and they even prayed to him. His purpose, as well as that of his sect, was to uproot rabbinic Judaism. He was forced to leave Podolia; and his followers were persecuted. Returning in 1759, he advised his followers to embrace Christianity, and about 1,000 were converted and became privileged Polish gentry of Jewish origins. He himself was converted in Warsaw November 1759. Later his insincerity was exposed, and he was imprisoned as a heretic, remaining, however, even in prison the head of this sect. See the article on Jacob Frank for more details.

Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Among the

See also

• Messiah
• Jerusalem syndrome

References

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