History of the Jews, Vol. 5 (of 6)Graetz, Heinrich
History
History of the Jews, Vol. 5 (of 6)
Graetz, Heinrich
Jews -- History
Among the many thousand visitors from far and near, two Poles from
Lemberg made a pilgrimage to him, to confirm their faith and feast on
his countenance. One was Isaiah, son of a highly-esteemed Rabbinical
authority, the aged David Levi (Ture Zahab), and grandson of the no
less celebrated Joel Serkes; the other, his half-brother, Leb Herz.
From these two Poles Sabbataï heard that in the distant land from which
they came, another prophet, Nehemiah Cohen, was announcing the approach
of the Messiah's kingdom, but not through Sabbataï. He gave Isaiah
Levi a laconic letter to take to his father, in which he promised
the Jews of Poland revenge for the massacre by the Cossacks, and
peremptorily ordered Nehemiah to come to him with all speed. He laid
so much stress on Nehemiah's coming, that he made his followers eager
for his arrival. The two Poles traveled back delighted to Lemberg,
and everywhere told of the splendor amid which they had seen the
Messiah. Nehemiah was ordered to hasten to Sabbataï, and he was not
deterred by the length of the journey. When he arrived at Abydos at
the beginning of September, he was immediately admitted to an audience
which lasted several days. The Polish prophet and the Smyrna Messiah
did not laugh in one another's faces, like two augurs, but carried
on a grave discussion. The subject of their mystical conversation
remained unknown, as may be imagined. It was said to concern the
forerunner of the Messiah--the Messiah of Ephraim--whether or not
he had appeared and perished, as had been predicted. Nehemiah was not
convinced by the long argument, and did not conceal the fact. On this
account, the fanatical Sabbatians are said to have secretly made signs
to one another to do away with this dangerous Pole. He fortunately
escaped from the castle, betook himself forthwith to Adrianople, to the
Kaimakam Mustapha, became a Mahometan, and betrayed the fantastic and
treasonable designs which Sabbataï Zevi cherished, and which, he said,
had remained unknown to the government, only because the overseer of
the castle of Dardanelles had an interest in the concourse of Jews.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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