The False Messiah: The Revelations of Jacob Frank's Messianic Cult

In 1781, the mansion of the Prince of Offenbach, in the city of Offenbach near Frankfurt on the Main River, was bustling and lively. It was recently acquired by a man who named himself "Baron of Offenbach." Thousands gathered in the courtyards and corridors of the mansion, reveling in feasts and parties, as the "Baron of Offenbach" delivered lengthy speeches in Yiddish and Ladino.

This so-called Baron of Offenbach was none other than Jacob Frank, born in 1726, known initially as Jacob Joseph, son of Judah Leib, in the Jewish town of Buczacz. About fifty years after the death of the false messiah Shabbetai Zevi (1676), some Jews still believed in him. However, due to the relentless efforts of renowned rabbis like Rabbi Jacob Emden, the Chacham Tzvi, and others, the Shabbateans were few and marginalized.

Jacob Joseph worked as an apprentice to a fabric merchant, traveling with him to Turkey for wholesale purchases. Later, he explored the Ottoman Empire on his own. At 26, he married in Bulgaria, part of the Ottoman Empire, and continued his travels, eventually earning the nickname "Frank," a term used in the East for Europeans

In Turkey, home to Shabbetai Zevi, Jacob Frank encountered Shabbatean groups and quickly rose as a significant leader among them. In 1755, he returned to Poland with a large following, convinced his followers that he was the messiah and Zevi's successor. The cult roved from town to town, ensnaring the naive with its messianic promises, claiming secret meanings were embedded in their use of Ladino for prayer, a language Frank picked up during his travels.

Public attention fixated on this dangerous cult on February 19, 1759, when they held a massive gathering in Lanckorona, Galicia, flagrantly violating biblical prohibitions. Investigations revealed the cult had long discarded religious commandments, mimicking Shabbetai Zevi's transgressions like eating forbidden fat and breaking Yom Kippur fast, claiming the messiah's arrival voided these obligations.

Local Jews reported the cult leaders to authorities, citing their reckless behavior. Jacob Frank was expelled from Poland, forced back to Turkey. The gullible members who joined him were punished and had to publicly repent, though a few stubbornly clung to their false messiah.

A year later, Frank stealthily returned to Poland. He sought protection from the anti-Semitic Bishop Dembowski, who convened a debate between Jews and Frank's followers, asserting Christianity's principles were their own and that the messiah had come, exempting them from commandments. The bishop, favoring Frank, decreed the Jews lost the debate, penalizing the Jewish community and burning Talmudic texts. But Dembowski died soon after, prompting Frank to ally with the Catholic Church, claiming an alignment with Christians and accusing Jews of using Christian blood for matzah.

A debate in Lwów on July 22, 1759, saw Frank fail to prove the accusation yet still declared victorious by the church, resulting in Frank and his followers' public baptism under King Augustus III of Poland.

It didn't take long for Polish authorities to realize the conversion was a ruse. Frank considered himself the true messiah, and his followers worshipped him, not the Christian savior. Consequently, Frank was imprisoned for thirteen years in Częstochowa.

When Russian forces occupied the region during the 1772 war, they released all prisoners, including Frank, who gathered several thousand followers. Using accrued wealth, he roamed cities until settling in Offenbach's mansion, living out his days in his scandalous ways. He died in 1790, leading to the disbandment of his notorious cult.