The Sabbatean Prophets

134 The Sabbatean Prophets
should not be confused with holy prophecy. 8 Furthermore, Sasportas says
this can not be true prophecy because it is taking place in Gaza, which is
technically outside the borders of the Land of Israel, the only place prophecy
might really occur. 9
Nathan had demanded belief in himself and Shabbatai with no signs or
wonders. The rabbis in Gaza accepted the circumstances of Nathan’s prophecies
and their basis in mystical tradition as sufficient wonders and signs to
validate them. Common people almost immediately began spotting miracles
in every direction and reporting them in circular letters. None of this would
do for Sasportas, who demanded a genuine miracle approved by a major Bet
Din. The fact that this should have been considered unreasonable suggests
the degree to which the framework and function of rabbinic authority had
indeed decayed in that age.
Another approach Sasportas took was to question the specific prophetic
role Nathan had carved out for himself. For example, what was the relationship
between the prophet and the messiah In order for Shabbatai to evaluate
the prophecies of Nathan, after all, Shabbatai must himself be a prophet
of equal standing.
I could not believe what was being suggested, that the sages of the Land of
Israel would accept [Shabbatai] as messiah, king and shoot from the trunk
of Jesse, based on the statements of a prophet and not on his own statements.
For as the spirit rests on the prophet who professes it, it must surely
rest on The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of his Lord 10 [i.e. the messiah,
Shabbatai], the spirit of counsel and might 11 to consider this man a prophet; so
there should be no difference between the two of them [in their level of
prophecy]. The necessary signs [for knowing who is a prophet] are enumerated
by Isaiah, a true prophet, in Chapter 11. We must examine whether
they agree with [Nathan’s] powers and spiritual activities. 12
Furthermore, it is not clear to Sasportas what the role of such a prophet is at
all; only Elijah is expected to come as the harbinger of the messiah. “What I
said is true—the coming of the messiah requires no prophet, and after he
comes it will not be any matter for amazement, for it is written ‘I will pour
out my spirit upon all flesh’ [Joel 3:1].” 13
Nathan’s revelations, then, did not conform to the legal guidelines of
Scripture and Talmud, but Sasportas also questions whether they are in accord
with the Zohar: “Why should we believe him to be a prophet and
teacher of redemption if his redemption and comforting have not yet been