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Frankism

Publication |
2023

Abstract

The article discusses the spiritual movement of Frankism, which emerged in central Europe in the second half of the 18th century. The movement was led by Jacob Frank, who incorporated the teachings of the Sabbatean religious community, Jewish Kabbalah, and Catholic Marian mysticism into his belief system.

Like the Sabbateans, the Frankists believed in the messiah figure of Sabbatai Zevi, and later considered Jacob Frank himself to be the messiah. After his death, his daughter Eva Frank took over the role of the messiah.

The article also explores the theological concepts of the last stage of the Frankist movement, as seen in the Prague texts authored by Löw Enoch von Hönigsberg, a Jewish Haskalah thinker and preacher. The article notes that the Prague phase of Frankism was productive of millennial notions, which were evident in the life of the Frankist community in Offenbach, Germany.