Sabbatai zevi biography

Home / Religious & Spiritual Figures / Sabbatai zevi biography

He organized a team of missionaries. The original ban against him was a seven year ban. He then announced that he was dividing his territories into twenty-six kingdoms, to be allocated to his colleagues, each being given a biblical title, with his brother being called "King of Kings."

By now the Turkish authorities had become worried.

He practiced ascetic ways, fasting for weeks on end, only drinking water. He indeed seems to have succeeded in bringing over a number of Muslims to his Kabbalistic views, and, on the other hand, in converting many Jews to a type of Islam, thus forming a Judeo–Turkish sect whose followers implicitly believed in him. This double game, however, could not last, and Sabbatai was exiled to a small town in Montenegro, where he died alone in 1676.

One Sabbath in the synagogue, he defiantly pronounced the tetragrammaton name of God, traditionally forbidden to all except the high priest on the Day of Atonement, and announced the cancellation of certain fast days, notably the Ninth of Av. the anniversary of the destruction of the Temples, and foretold as the birthday of the Messiah his own date of birth.

He questioned Sabbatai Zevi in front of his court. He found the "practical Kabbalah," with its asceticism&ndashthrough which its devotees claimed to be able to communicate with God and the angels, to predict the future, and to perform all sorts of miracles—especially appealing. The Turkish authorities were infuriated by his behavior and summoning him to the sultan’s privy council offered him the choice of conversion to Islam or death; he chose the former and before the sultan, removed his Jewish hat and accepted the turban of a Muslim, and emerged from his audience as Mehmet Effendi.

The sultan then offered Sabbatai Zevi the choice of either publicly converting to Islam or to being beheaded. Here was the solution; here was the Messiah.

Enter now the Sultan of Turkey

The Sultan of Turkey watched the Sabbatai Zevi phenomenon unfold for seven years.

Disillusion

Sabbatai's conversion was devastating for his many and widespread followers.

A Jewish-Islamic sect known as Donmeh persists to this day, based on his teachings during his time in Turkey. But he always had support — monetary support, physical support and spiritual support. This act brought the tremendous gratitude of the Jews of Jerusalem and gained great prestige for Sabbatai as a literal deliver of his people, if not yet on a messianic scale.

Meanwhile, in Turkey, Sabbatai's teachings had formed a half-Jewish, half-Islamic sect that persisted through the centuries despite having to operate in secret. He attended a yeshiva under the rabbi of Smyrna, Joseph Escapa. His fantasies included messianic elements which coincided with a messianic fervor among Jewish communities.

He became Sabbatai's chief disciple, and professed to be the returned Elijah, the precursor of the Messiah. Nathan convinced Sabbatai that he was the real Messiah. Her beauty and eccentricity reportedly helped him gain new followers.