File:Šabbəṯay_Ṣəḇī_1669_V01-1.1_cropped.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Born
- ( 1626-08-01 ) August 1, 1626, Smyrna , Ottoman Empire (modern İzmir , Turkey )
- Died
- c. September 17, 1676 (1676-09-17) (aged 50), Ulcinj , Ottoman Empire (modern Montenegro )
- Nationality
- Ottoman
- Religion
- Judaism , later Islam
- Founder of
- Sabbateanism
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Ottoman Empire
- Place of birth
- İzmir
- Place of death
- Ulcinj
- Languages spoken
- Turkish
- Religion
- Kabbalah
- Field of work
- Jewish mysticism
- Image
- Brockhaus and Efron Jewish Encyclopedia e13 783-0.jpg
- Work location
- Ottoman Empire
Show 7 more facts
- Commons category
- Shabbatai Tzvi
- date of birth
- 1626-08-01
- date of death
- 1676-09-17
- lifestyle
- mysticism
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
- name in native language
- שַׁבְּתַי צְבִי
- subject has role
- Messiah in Judaism
via Wikidata · CC0
~28 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Sabbatai Zevi (Hebrew: שַׁבְּתַי צְבִי, romanized: Šabbəṯay Ṣəḇī, August 1, 1626 – c. September 17, 1676) or Shabtai Tzvi was a former Jewish mystic and rabbi from Smyrna who converted to Islam. His family were Romaniote Jews from Patras.
Active throughout the Ottoman Empire, Zevi claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah and founded the Sabbatean movement. The movement gained significant traction among international Jews. Central to his teachings was the belief that during the Messianic Age, acts traditionally considered sinful would transform into righteous ones. This antinomian doctrine led Zevi and his followers to deliberately violate Jewish commandments, a controversial practice that later inspired movements like the Frankists.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Sabbatai Zevi” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.