A Jewish mystic from Izmir who claimed to be the long awaited Jewish Messiah, initiating one of the largest messianic movements in history in the seventeenth century and later converting to Islam under the name Aziz Mehmet Efendi, thereby founding the Dönme community.

Sevi was born in Izmir in 1626, likely to a Sephardic Jewish family involved in trade, as one of three sons. His birthplace and neighborhood still exist in Izmir’s old Jewish quarter. From a young age, he received religious and mystical education, studying under prominent rabbis, including Joseph Eskapha, who later opposed him. At 18, he was ordained as a rabbi, distinguishing himself among his peers. However, instead of pursuing rabbinical duties, he dedicated himself to mystical studies.

Influenced by his readings and reflections, he came to believe he was the Messiah awaited by Jews for centuries. In 1648, he declared himself the Messiah in Izmir. This period coincided with widespread massacres in Eastern Europe, leaving many Jews disillusioned and desperate, fueling messianic expectations. Sabbatai’s unusual behavior drew criticism from the Jewish community, and he was eventually expelled from Izmir.

This marked the beginning of his lifelong travels, taking him to cities like Salonica, Istanbul, Aleppo, Jerusalem, and Cairo, where he engaged with Jewish and non-Jewish mystics. He married three times but reportedly did not consummate these marriages.

In Cairo, he frequently visited to collect funds for poor Jews in Jerusalem, forging close ties with influential Jewish figures, including Raphael Chelebi, a prominent banker and his patron. Raphael also facilitated Sabbatai’s fourth marriage to Sarah, a woman from Eastern Europe who claimed to have dreamed of marrying the Messiah.

In Jerusalem, Sabbatai gained favor with mystics, particularly Nathan of Gaza, a proponent of Lurianic Kabbalah. This school of Kabbalah, developed by Isaac Luria (d. 1576), emerged in the aftermath of the Jews’ expulsion from Spain, advocating for the redemption of divine sparks trapped in evil. According to Gershom Scholem, a leading scholar of Kabbalah, this belief was central to the success of Sabbatai’s movement.

In 1665, Nathan proclaimed Sabbatai as the true Messiah, and this news spread rapidly among Jews. By 1665, Sabbatai returned to Izmir, where he was greeted with enthusiasm by his followers but met with hostility from the rabbis. His antinomian actions, such as eating pork fat and celebrating traditionally mournful dates, shocked the Jewish community.

The Ottoman authorities monitored these disturbances. Sabbatai’s fame spread beyond the empire to Yemen, Isfahan, Morocco, and even Boston. In 1666, a year of eschatological significance for Christians, Sabbatai was seen by some as the Antichrist. Complaints from Jews and Europeans affected by his movement led to his arrest and imprisonment at Gallipoli.

In September 1666, Sabbatai was brought to Edirne, where he was interrogated by the Sultan’s court, including Sheikh al-Islam and Vani Efendi. Faced with the choice of conversion or death, Sabbatai converted to Islam, taking the name Aziz Mehmet Efendi. This decision devastated many followers, though a small group converted with him, forming the Dönme sect. Others continued to regard him as the Messiah within Judaism.

Aziz Mehmet Efendi integrated Islamic and Sufi theology with Kabbalah, developing a unique mystical ideology. He lived under close Ottoman scrutiny and reportedly influenced many Jews to convert. In 1673, during a ritual in Kuruçeşme, his syncretic practices were exposed, leading to his exile to Ulgun/Dulgino (modern-day Montenegro).

Sabbatai died in 1676 at 50, though legends claim he disappeared into a cave, promising to return. His followers, divided into groups like the Yakubis, Karakaş, and Kapancı, maintained their distinct identity, particularly in Thessaloniki. By the 19th century, the community numbered around 10,000. After the 1924 population exchange between Turkey and Greece, most Dönme members moved to Turkey, preserving their identity primarily as a sociological community, except a small number of practicing believers.

Bibliography:
• Moshe Attias, Shirot ve Tishbahot shel haShabtaut, Tel Aviv, 1948.
• Antoine Galland, Istanbul'a Ait Günlük Hatıralar, Ankara, 1949.
• Heinrich Graetz, Geschichte der Juden, Leipzig, 1897.
• Moshe Idel, Kabbala: New Perspectives, New York, 1988.
• Sir Paul Rycaut, The Present State of the Ottoman Empire, London, 1668.
• Jacob Sasportas, Tsitsat Novel Tsevi, Jerusalem, 1954.
• Gershom Scholem, Sabbatai Sevi: Mystical Messiah, Princeton, 1973.

Author: Cengiz Şişman