Dr Jaafar Hadi Hassan: Shabbatai Zvi is the most famous false messiah in modern Jewish history. He was born in 1626 in Smyrna (modern Izmir) in Turkey and was one of three brothers. He was described as handsome and clever. His father, who was a merchant, wanted him to become a rabbi and when he was old enough he began to study religion with some rabbis in his home town. While he was studying the normal prescribed books, he was also attracted to the Kabbalah (Jewish esoteric knowledge). He delved into this subject until he became well versed in it. When he was about twenty years old he graduated as a rabbi, after which he began to teach some students who subsequently became his disciples and admirers. Shabbatai would tell them sometimes about his sadness and anger over the Chmielniky massacre against the Jews in the Ukraine which had happened in 1648 and would also tell them about his determination to revenge it.
After a while Shabbatai began to hint to his disciples that he might be the saviour of the Jews and their redeemer (Shabbatai was born on 9th of Ab, in the Jewish calendar which was the same day on which the Jewish messiah was supposed to be born). Later he began to tell them secretly that he would be the Jewish messiah and would save the Jews.
After a while Shabbatai began to hint to his disciples that he might be the saviour of the Jews and their redeemer (Shabbatai was born on 9th of Ab, in the Jewish calendar which was the same day on which the Jewish messiah was supposed to be born). Later he began to tell them secretly that he would be the Jewish messiah and would save the Jews.