The Sabbatean Prophets

Nathan of Gaza 81
the Land of Israel. Much of the legitimacy of Nathan’s prophetic renewal
was based on its appearance in the Holy Land.
A final point of the letter bears mention. The image of the king riding a
lion with a snake as the rein is noted by Scholem to derive from various rabbinic
legends, especially one concerning Nebuchadnezzar, the destroyer of
Jerusalem. 87 In the Vision of R. Abraham the image of the messiah was presented
in terms the Midrash uses for Pharaoh, another great enemy of the
Jews. The notion of the messiah being cast in the likeness of these legendary
enemies of the Jewish people, as well as the rehabilitation of the traditionally
shunned Jesus, are more evidence of Nathan’s quasi-Gnostic equalization
of good and evil powers. As Scholem notes, in Nathan’s theology
“Nothing and nobody is irrevocably lost, and everything will ultimately be
saved and reinstated in holiness.” 88
With that in mind, we can attempt to piece together the overall meaning
of Nathan’s early prophecies. A common exoteric thread may be found that
binds together these two prophetic events and two prophetic writings that
might guide us to an understanding of the greatest Sabbatean prophet.
Nathan’s Relationship to Past Messianic Prophets
At the beginning of the Sabbatean movement Nathan faced a certain conundrum:
on the one hand he was absolutely convinced by the truth of his own
prophecies, but on the other hand, he lacked the ability to call forth a sign or
wonder, which would have been the traditional way of substantiating his
claim to be a true prophet. Maimonides presents the most widely accepted
picture in Judaism of the prophet and his vocation, 89 and Nathan makes
clear that he fits all the characteristics called for there: he has been meticulously
careful with the law, is a highly learned and upstanding person,
and has prepared himself for prophecy. He describes his prophetic vision in
Maimonides’ terms: “When they prophesy their limbs quiver, their physical
strength fails, their thoughts are confused.” 90 He even quotes Maimonides
on prophecy. But Maimonides also says the following:
The prophet may prophesy only for his own benefit, to broaden his heart
and add to his knowledge . . . And it is also possible he will be sent to one of
the nations of the earth, or to the people of a particular city or kingdom, to
prepare them and inform them of what they should do, or to admonish
them about some evil deed they commit. And when [God] sends him, he