Portrait of Nathan of Gaza

Artist Unknown

1669

Print engraving of man in head covering pointing to open book with one hand and gesturing with the other, with Dutch and French text underneath.

Nathan of Gaza (also known as Nathan Benjamin ben Elisha Ḥayim ha-Levi Ashkenazi) was born in Jerusalem and moved to Gaza in around 1663. The son of a respected religious scholar, he became a scholar of Talmud and also studied kabbalah. In 1665, he had a vision that Shabbetai Tzvi was the Messiah and publicly urged him to proclaim himself. He served as Shabbetai Tzvi’s “prophet,” writing letters that spread news of the messianic movement to Jewish communities around the world. This engraving appears in Thomas Coenen's book about Shabbetai Tzvi, Ydele verwachtinger Joden (Vain Hopes of the Jews), which also contained a portrait of Shabbetai Tzvi himself. 

Credits

Courtesy Allard Pierson — the Collections of the University of Amsterdam, ROK A-914.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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