Sabbatai Zevi
David J. Halperin
Sabbatai Zevi (1626–76) stirred up the Jewish world of the mid-seventeenth century by claiming to be the messiah, then stunned it by suddenly converting to Islam. His story, and that of the movement he created, is a landmark event in early modern Jewish history and a dramatic example of what can happen when mystic dreams and messianic hopes combine in an explosive mixture.
Now, for the first time, English readers can experience these events through the words of those who lived through them, in lucid and compelling translations by a leading authority in the field.
Of the contemporary ‘testimonies’ ... Read more
These narratives by Sabbatean ‘believers’ are supplemented by two seventeenth-century letters, pungent in their style and colourful in their details, in which Sabbatai and his followers are described by a contemporary rabbi who detested them and everything they stood for. Finally, a reminiscence of Sabbatai’s last days, preserved by one of the most independent-minded of his followers, conveys the enigma of the man who was to haunt the generations.
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About David J. Halperin
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