Creator Bio
Eliah ben Michael Judah Leon
17th Century
Eliah ben Michael Judah Leon was a member of Amsterdam’s Portuguese Jewish community who was the scribe for a letter hailing Shabbetai Tzvi as the Messiah in 1666, signed by twenty-four prominent members of the community.
Content by Eliah ben Michael Judah Leon
Primary Source
Letter to Shabbetai Tzvi
Eliah ben Michael Judah Leon | Nathan of Gaza
Indeed, in order to do the will of my Father who is in heaven, I came in fear, trembling and trepidation, with a bow of my head and a prostration of my body, “spreading out my arms and my legs” [b…
Primary Source
Letter Hailing Shabbetai Tzvi as the Messiah
Eliah ben Michael Judah Leon
This letter hailing Shabbetai Tzvi as the Messiah was signed by twenty-four prominent members of the Amsterdam Jewish community who had founded a learned society, Yeshuot Meshiho, in his honor. It was…