Jacob Frank.

Jacob Frank (יעקב פרנק Ya'akov Frank, Jakob Frank) (1726-1791) was a Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of both the 17th century C.E. self-proclaimed messiah Sabbatai Zevi and King David. Frank and his followers were excommunicated from orthodox Judaism on account of his extremely unconventional doctrines that included acceptance of the New Testament, Enlightenment and some controversial concepts such as Purification through Transgression. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Events George Friderich Handel becomes a British subject. ... 1791 (MDCCXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This page is about the Biblical king David. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ...

Frank arguably created a new religion, now referred to (for the lack of better term) as Frankism, that combined some aspects of Judaism and Christianity, and was eventually absorbed by Catholicism.

The development of Frankism was one of the consequences of messianic movement of Sabbatai Zevi, the religious mysticism resulting therefrom, as a reaction to nascent Hassidism; and also the socioeconomic upheavals in the history of the Jews in Poland and western Ukraine. In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, anointed [one]) is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hasidic Judaism (also Chassidic, etc. ... The history of the Jews in Poland reaches back over a millennium. ...

Historical background

The heyday of Frank's messianic movement (1760-1770) occurred in the period of the loss of relative social and economic stability resulting from Koliyivshchyna, an uprising of Ukrainian peasantry that resulted in many Polish and Jewish casualties. 1760 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Battle of Chesma, by Ivan Aivazovsky. ... Koliyivschina 1768-1769 (Ukrainian: , from Ukr. ...

Messianism at the end of the seventeenth century assumed mystical colorings, possibly under the influence of the Rosicrucian movement in Germany, which dressed its doctrine of improvement of the World into mystical garb. In Polish owned Ukraine, particularly in Podolia and Galicia, there were formed numerous secret societies of Shabbatheians known among the people as "Shabbethai Zeviists," or "Shebs".. The Temple of the Rose Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618. ... Historical arms of Podilia The region of Podolia (also spelt Podilia or Podillya) is a historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. ... Galicia (Ukrainian: Галичина (Halychyna), Polish: Galicja, German: Galizien, Slovak: Halič, Romanian: Galiţia, Hungarian: Gácsország) is the name of a region of Central Europe. ...

In expectation of the great Messianic revolution the members of these societies abandoned many Jewish principles of faith and discarded Jewish religious laws and custom as they were often a source of disillusionment. The mystical cult of the Shebs is believed to have included both asceticism and sensuality: some did penance for their sins, subjected themselves to self-inflicted pain, and "mourned for Zion"; others disregarded the strict rules of modesty required by orthodox Judaism, and at times were accused of being given into licentiousness. The Polish rabbis attempted to ban the "Shabbethaian heresy" at the assembly at Lemberg (1722) and elsewhere, but could not fully succeed, as it was widely popular among the nascent Jewish middle class. Masonic influence has also been suggested as one of the elements in Frankism, as well as Rosicrucianism. There are a number of basic Jewish principles of faith that were formulated by medieval rabbinic authorities. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... Cherem (or Herem עברית:חרם), is the highest ecclesiastical censure in the Jewish community. ... Lviv ( Львів in Ukrainian; Львов, Lvov in Russian; Lwów in Polish; Leopolis in Latin; Lemberg in German—see also cities alternative names) is a city in western Ukraine with 830,000 inhabitants (an additional 200,000 commute daily from... // Events Abraham De Moivre states De Moivres theorem connecting trigonometric functions and complex numbers Publication of the first book of Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier Fall of Persias Safavid dynasty during a bloody revolt of the Afghani people. ... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618 The Rosicrucians are a legendary and secretive order dating from the 15th or 17th century, generally associated with the symbol of the Rose Cross, which is also used in certain rituals of the Freemasons. ...

Early life of Frank

Jacob Frank is believed to have been born as Jacob ben Leiba or Leibowits in Koroliwka, Podolia (Ukraine) about 1726. His father was excommunicated for belonging to the secret society of Tzeviists (Shebs), and moved to Chernivtsi, in Austro-Hungarian Bucovina in 1730, where the influence of the Shabbateians was strongly felt. While still a schoolboy Frank began to reject Talmud, and afterward often referred to himself as "a plain" or "untutored man." Chernivtsi (Чернівці, Romanian: Cernăuţi, German: Czernowitz, Polish: Czerniowce, Hungarian: Csernovic, Yiddish: Chernovits) is a city in Northern Bukovina, Ukraine. ... Bukovina (Bucovina in Romanian; Буковина, Bukovyna in Polish), on the slopes of the Carpathian mountains, comprises an historic province now split between Ukraine. ... Events Pope Clement XII elected September 17 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed III (1703-1730) to Mahmud I (1730-1754) Anna Ivanova (Anna I of Russia) became czarina Births April 16 - Henry Clinton, British general (d. ... The first page of the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a The Talmud (Hebrew: תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. ...

In the capacity of a traveling merchant in textile and precious stones he often visited Ottoman territories; there he earned the nickname "Frank," a name generally given in the East to Europeans; and there he lived in the centers of contemporary Shabbatheianism: Salonica and Smyrna. The White Tower The Arch of Galerius Map showing the Thessaloníki prefecture Thessaloníki (Θεσσαλονίκη) is the second-largest city of Greece and is the principal city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. ...

In the beginning of the fifth decade of the eighteenth century he became intimate with the leaders of the Shabbateians. Two followers of Osman Baba were witnesses at his wedding in 1752. In 1755 he reappeared in Podolia, and, gathering a group of local adherents, began to preach the revelations which were communicated to him by the Tzeviists in Salonica. One of these gatherings in Landskron ended in a scandal, and the rabbis' attention was drawn to the new teachings. Frank was forced to leave Podolia, while his followers were hounded and denounced to the local authorities by the orthodox rabbis (1756). At the rabbinical court held in the village of Satanov the sectarians were accused to having broken fundamental Orthodox Jewish laws of morality, modesty, and more importantly of acceptance of sanctity of the Christian Bible. 1752 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1755 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... LanÅ¡kroun (German: Landskron) is a town and municipality in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ...

The anti-Talmudists

As a result of these disclosures the congress of rabbis in Brody proclaimed a universal Cherem ("excommunication" in Hebrew) against all "impenitent heretics", and made it obligatory upon every pious Jew to seek them out and expose them. Such excommunications are extremely rare in Judaism. They entailed a requirement of complete cessation of all social and economic ties with the excommunicated, proscribing even sales of provisions. The excommunicated were usually left with no option other than conversion to other religions. Tarnopol Voivodeship bis 17 September 1939, location the city A church in Brody (1625). ... Cherem (or Herem עברית:חרם), is the highest ecclesiastical censure in the Jewish community. ... Hebrew redirects here. ...

The persecuted sectarians informed Dembrowsky, the Catholic Bishop of Kamenetz-Podolsk, that they rejected the Talmud and recognized only the sacred book of Kabbalah, the Zohar, which did not contradict the sanctity of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. They stated that they regarded the Messiah-Deliverer as one of the embodiments of the three divinities that comprised the Frankist version thereof. General view of the fortress. ... Kabbalah (Hebrew: ‎, Tiberian: , Qabbālāh, Israeli: Kabala) literally means receiving, in the sense of a received tradition, and is sometimes transliterated as Cabala, Kabbala, Qabalah, or other permutations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Trinity (disambiguation). ...

The bishop took the "Anti-Talmudists," or "Zoharists," under his protection, and in 1757 arranged a religious disputation between them and Orthodox rabbis. The Anti-Talmudists presented their theses, to which the rabbis gave a very lukewarm and unwilling reply lest they offend the Church dignitaries who were present. The bishop decided that the Talmudists had been vanquished, and ordered them to pay a fine to their opponents, and to burn all copies of the Talmud in the bishopric of Podolia. 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

After the death of their patron, the bishop, (9 November) the sectarians were subjected to severe persecution by the Orthodox. The Frankists succeeded in obtaining an edict from Augustus III of Poland (1733-1763), guaranteeing them safety; but even this did not avail to free them from the unfortunate position of men who, having parted from their coreligionists, had not yet succeeded in identifying themselves with another faith. November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... Reign From 1734 until October 5, 1763 Elected In 1734 in Wola, today suburb of Warsaw, Poland Coronation On January 17, 1734 in the Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland Royal House Wettin Parents August II Mocny ? Consorts Marie Josepha Children Frederick Christian Date of Birth October 7, 1696 Place of... Events February 12 - British colonist James Oglethorpe founds Savannah, Georgia. ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Declaration of being a successor to Shabbethai Zevi

At this critical moment Jacob Frank came to Iwania (Podolia); he proclaimed himself as a direct successor to Sabbatai Zevi and Osman Baba, and assured his adherents that he had received revelations from Heaven. These revelations called for the conversion of Frank and his followers to the Christian religion, which was to be a visible transition stage to the future "Messianic religion." In 1759 negotiations looking toward the conversion of the Frankists to Catholicism were being actively carried on with the higher representatives of the Polish Church; at the same time the Frankists tried to secure another discussion with the rabbis. The Polish primate Lubenski and the papal nuncio Nicholas Serra were suspicious of the aspirations of the Frankists, but at the insistence of the administrator of the bishopric of Lemberg, the canon Mikulski, the discussion was arranged. It was held in Lemberg, and was presided over by Mikulski. Protestant missionaries also tried to detour the Frankists to Protestantism, and a handful did in fact joined Moravian church. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ... Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin Nuntius, meaning any envoy. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... A Moravian can be: an ethnic group a Christian denomination This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Baptism of the Frankists

This time the rabbis energetically repulsed their opponents. After the discussion the Frankists were requested to demonstrate in practise their adherence to Christianity (1759); Jacob Frank, who had then arrived in Lemberg, encouraged his followers to take the decisive step. The baptism of the Frankists was celebrated with great solemnity in the churches of Lwów, members of the Polish szlachta acting as god-parents. The neophytes adopted the names of their godfathers and godmothers, and ultimately joined the ranks of the Polish szlachta-nobility. In the course of one year more than 500 individuals were converted to Christianity in Lwów. Frank himself was baptized in Lwów (17 September of 1759) and again in Warsaw, Augustus III acting as godfather (18 November). The baptismal name of Frank was "Joseph" (Józef). 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: Semper fidelis Oblast Lviv Oblast Municipal government City council (Львівська міська рада) Mayor City chairman Lyubomyr Bunyak Area 171,01 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 808,900 ? 4786/km² Founded City rights 13th century 1353 Latitude Longitude 49°51′ N 24°01′ E Area code +0322 Car plates  ? Twin towns Corning, Freiburg... Polish szlachcic. ... Polish szlachcic. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Coordinates: Country Poland Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship Powiat (County) Gmina (Commune) Warszawa Districts 18 boroughs City Rights turn of the 13th century Government  - Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz Area  - City 516. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Frankists however continued to be viewed with suspicion, on account of their unusual doctrine. Frank was arrested in Warsaw (6 February of 1760) and delivered to the Church's tribunal on the charge of heresy. The Church tribunal convicted Frank as a teacher of heresy, and imprisoned him in the monastery of Częstochowa. February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1760 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... Częstochowa (pronounce: [ʧε̃stɔ:xɔva]) is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 248,894 inhabitants (2004). ...

Frank in prison

Jacob Frank at his death bed in 1791.

Frank's imprisonment lasted thirteen years, yet it only tended to increase his influence with the sect by surrounding him with the aura of martyrdom. Many of the Frankists established themselves near Czestochowa, and kept up constant communication with the "holy master".Frank inspired his followers by mystical speeches and epistles, in which he stated that salvation could be gained only through the "religion of Edom," or "dat" (Hebrew), "law", by which took a form of a mixture of Christian and Shabbethaian beliefs. After the first partition of Poland Frank was released from captivity by the Russian general Bibikov, who had occupied Czestochowa (August of 1772). Until 1786 Frank lived in the Moravian town of Brno, surrounded by a retinue of adherents and pilgrims who came from Poland. Eve, the beautiful daughter of Frank, began to play an important role in the organization of the sect at this time. Frank kept a force of 600 armed men at his "court" in Brünn. Future czar Paul I of Russia who was an active mason visited him. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Częstochowa (pronounce: [ʧε̃stɔ:xɔva]) is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 248,894 inhabitants (2004). ... Edom (Hebrew: אֱדוֹם, Standard Tiberian  ; red) is a name given to Esau in the Hebrew Bible, as well as to the nation purportedly descended from him. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... Częstochowa (pronounce: [ʧε̃stɔ:xɔva]) is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 248,894 inhabitants (2004). ... Year 1772 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Flag of Moravia Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava; German: ; Hungarian: ; Polish: ) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic. ... Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region South Moravia Founded 1146 Area    - city 230. ... Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region South Moravia Founded 1146 Area    - city 230. ... Paul I of Russia by Vladimir Borovikovsky Paul I of Russia (Russian: ; Pavel Petrovich) (October 1, 1754-March 23, 1801) was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. ...

Accompanied by his daughter, Frank repeatedly traveled to Vienna, and succeeded in gaining the favor of the court. The pious Maria Theresa regarded him as a disseminator of Christianity among the Jews, and it is even said that Joseph II was favorably inclined to the young Eve Frank. Ultimately Frank was deemed unmanageable and he was obliged to leave Austria. He moved with his daughter and his retinue to Offenbach, in Germany. There he assumed the title of "Baron of Offenbach," and lived as a wealthy nobleman, receiving financial support from his Polish and Moravian followers who made frequent pilgrimages to Offenbach. On the death of Frank (1791) Eve became the "holy mistress" and the leader of the sect. Her fortunes dwindled in the aftermath of Napoleonic Wars, and she died at Offenbach in 1816. Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia The worlds most famous coin, a silver thaler of Maria Theresa, dated 1780. ... Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II Joseph II (March 13, 1741 - February 20, 1790) was a Holy Roman Emperor (1765 - 1790). ... Offenbach is a city in Hessen, Germany, located at the river Main. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Some Frankists were active in French Revolution, namely Moses Dobruška who entered the Jacobines as Junius Frey and ascended to the top of Freemasonry. Many of the Frankists saw Napoleon Bonaparte as a potential Messiah. The French Revolution(1789-1799) was a period of major political and social change in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based... Moses DobruÅ¡ka (1753-1794) was a nephew of Jacob Frank, the founder of the Frankist sect who claimed to be the Jewish messiah. ... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des...

The Frankists scattered in Poland and Bohemia were eventually absorbed in the gentry and middle class, through intermarriage.

Bibliography

• Alexander Krausher: Jacob Frank: The End to the Sabbataian Heresy: Lanham: University Press of America: 2001: ISBN 0-7618-1863-4

• Harris Lenowitz (translator) Sayings of Yakov Frank: Berkeley: Tzaddikim: 1978: ISBN 0-917246-05-5

• Arthur Mandel: The Militant Messiah: The Story of Jacob Frank and the Frankists: Atlantic Highlands: Humanities Press: 1979: ISBN 0-391-00973-7

• Encyclopaedia Judaica

See also

• List of messiah claimants
• Judaism and Christianity
• Schisms among the Jews
• Who is a Jew?
• Jews in apostasy
• Sabbatai Zevi
• Polish szlachta