MESSIAH
144
MESSINA
was to unite together all religions, sects, and confessions. Among the paradoxical opinions he is said to have ad- vanced was the idea that the Lord Jesus Christ is still upon earth, and that he would soon again send forth ^■elve apostles to publish the (iospel. All that now remains of the Frankists is contained within the Roman Catholic Church of I'oland ; tlicy are therefore virtually Christians, thougli distinguishing themselves by marked remains of Judaism. Some consider that they still re- tain in secret a belief in the religion of the synagogue. They are found in I'oland, especially at "Warsaw, dis- persed among all, even the highest, classes of society, chiefly in the profession of law and medicine. They are said to have taken a considerable share in the Avar of insurrection against Russia in the year 1830; it has even been said that the chief of the Frankists was a member of the Diet of Poland, and afterwards obliged to take refuge as an exile in France. But little is known of them at jiresent, as they mix so largely with the Christians as such.
In our own day the IMessiah question is again en- livened b)' the appearance of new claimants. One of these lately made his debut in the far East, at Sana, in tiie kingdom of Yemen, and created much excitement, which lias scarcely subsided yet. The well-known Eastern traveller, baron De Maltzahn, furnishes the fol- lowing account of this modern IMessiah of the Orient : The pretender, of a fascinating exterior, remarkably brilliant eyes, and a melodious voice, after studying the mysteries of the great cabalistical work, the Zohar, withdrew from intercourse with his fellow-men, and eventually retired into a desert, where he submitted to bodily mortifications and self-denial. He soon became distinguished as a worker of miracles, and as such at- tracted the attention of the superstitious Bedouins. These, seeking to obtain his good graces, brought vari- ous descriptions of food, and were pleased that he con- descended to accept their offerings. The increase of their flocks and of their household, and even their success in the attack upon hostile troops, were attrib- uted to the power pecidiar to this worker of mar- vels. His reputation spread far and wide among the Arabian population, and many incredible stories were circulated about tliis "wise man." It was said of him that his face had the splendor of the sun ; that the name, "Son of David," was engraved upon his hand; that he possessed the valuable power of discovering treas- ures; that he was invulnerable, etc. His Jewish com- patriots, not pleased with the connection between their favorite scholar and the members of a strange religion. were about to bring him back to his own Y>e<>ple, wlien a sudden calamity gave the position of this man a new turn. An epidemic broke out among the flocks of the Bedouins, who in consequence of this calamity were in a short time reduced to extreme want. These changes in the fortune of the Arabs were assigned to the secret influence of the mysterious man. It was then remem- bered that he was a Jew, and he all at once became the object of bitter hatred. The recluse had meanwhile quilted his solitude and returned to his native place. Here he was declared, chiefly by the Arabs, to be a Messiah, and he became a dreaded and unapproachable power even in the eyes of his fiercest enemies. His Jewish countrymen were in expectation that he would crush the Arabs and lead his own brethren to the Holy Land. His healed imagination accepted tlic messianic part which the delusion of the people had conferred upon iiim; and lie behehl in the opinion of tlie midtitude an cvidiiicf of his high mission. He received everywhere niuniliceiit presents, lived in a princely style, was rev- erenced liy his own people, and dreaded by the Moslems, until some daring Arabs linally waylaid and killed him, and thus proved that he was vulnerable. But supersti- tion is more invulnerable than false Jlessiahs. A ri Shocher (such was bis name) is not considered as dead by his followers. He apjicared after the murder, they say, uuder another form, in the neighborhood of Sana,
and proclaimed that, at a later time, he would again his former shape. The government has taken steps to seize him, but he has since disappeared, and his present whereabouts are unknown.
Very recently " a new Messiah," writes the Frcmden- hlatt (August, 1872), " has made his appearance, and he has been graciously pleased to address his first otlicial communication to the Jewish congregation of Berlin. The royal ' whom it may concern' bore a seal which had on it tlie crown of Israel, the shield of David, and the following words as motto: '/,o btchail relo behoach ki im beruchi, amur Adonui Zebaol/i — not with power, nor with force, but with my Spirit, says the L<jrd Zebaoth.' The congregation is commanded to cause to be pro- claimed in the synagogue the commemoration day of the destruction of Jerusalem, that thenceforth that day shall be celebrated no longer as a day of mourning, but as a day of joy and jubilation, because he, ' Jtkiithhl, king of Israel,' has come, and is about to assume the throne of his empire as the veritable Messiah. Should they re- fuse to carry out his behest, he will pour out the vial of his anger on the unljelievers, and the infidels will fall under the ban of excommunication, on his entering Ber- lin. The communication is accompanied by a memo- rial containing the rules of government which ' Jeku- thiel, the king of Israel,' prescribes for the government of his people, and a copy of the diplomatic notes which his royal majesty has caused to be transmitted to the Porte and the other great powers for a peaceable cession of Palestine and Sj'ria." Although a year has ))assed since he issued his address, nothing has been heard of his entry into the new capital of the German emy>ire.