Lost Messiah: In Search of Sabbatai Sevi by John Freely-Hardcover – International Edition

Lost Messiah: In Search of Sabbatai Sevi by John Freely is a fascinating historical and biographical exploration of the enigmatic figure of Sabbatai Sevi. Sevi was a 17th-century Jewish mystic and self-proclaimed Messiah, whose rise to prominence shook the Jewish world and led to significant controversy.

In the book, Freely delves into Sevi's life, his messianic claims, and the religious fervor he inspired, which ultimately led to his conversion to Islam under duress, sparking a series of complex theological, social, and political repercussions for the Jewish communities of the time. Freely explores the impact of Sevi's movement and the widespread disillusionment and aftermath that followed his forced conversion.

Freely’s work is a scholarly yet engaging account of the complexities surrounding Sevi's legacy, shedding light on the fascinating and tumultuous period in Jewish history that followed his rise and eventual fall.

If you're interested in messianic movements, Jewish history, or religious mysticism, this book offers a compelling and detailed look into the life of one of the most controversial figures in Jewish history.

 

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking; First Edition (October 2, 2001)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0670886750
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0670886753
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.42 x 1.06 x 9.53 inches
• Condition: Used-Very ood

Genres: History, Judaism, Nonfiction, Religion, Biography, Islam,

 

About the author

John Freely was born in 1926 in Brooklyn, New York to Irish immigrant parents, and spent half of his early childhood in Ireland. He dropped out of high school when he was 17 to join the U. S. Navy, serving for two years, including combat duty with a commando unit in the Pacific, India, Burma and China during the last year of World War II. After the war, he went to college on the G. I. Bill and eventually received a Ph.D. in physics from New York University, followed by a year of post-doctoral study at Oxford in history of science. He worked as a research physicist for nine years, including five years at Princeton University. In 1960 he went to İstanbul to teach physics at the Robert College, now the Boğaziçi University, and taught there until 1976. He then went on to teach and write in Athens (1976-79), Boston (1979-87), London (1987-88), İstanbul (1988-91) and Venice (1991-93). In 1993 he returned to Boğaziçi University, where he taught a course on the history of science. His first book, co-authored by the late Hilary Sumner-Boyd, was Strolling Through İstanbul (1972). Since then, he has published more than forty books.