David Reuveni: False Messiah?
What really is to stop someone from claiming to be the Jewish Messiah? Surely they must know the Hebrew language and have deep knowledge over the requirements to fill the role of Jewish Messiah. They must be able to claim an ancestral tie to King David himself. Perhaps above all, the Jewish Messiah would have to be persuasive in demonstrating his role to Jews across Europe and in other diaspora communities. However, there is a fine line between persuasive and manipulative. David Reuveni is generally considered the latter. A Jewish traveler, Reuveni displayed fluency in Arabic and Hebrew and seemed to check all the boxes to be the Jewish Messiah, at least to his small Italian following during the early 16th century. Reuveni claimed to be a prince of an isolated Jewish kingdom with ties to King Solomon in the northern Holy Land.
In 1523, Reuveni arrived in Jerusalem claiming to be the Jewish Messiah. He asserted that a pagan temple stone existed in the western wall and must be removed for a redemption to take place (Armstrong 326). This was likely very troubling to Jews in the region who enjoyed relative freedom in the newfound Ottoman-controlled Jerusalem. If the Ottomans felt threatened by Reuveni, would they take action against the Jews in the region? This was uncertain. Among other uncertainties, some Jews in Jerusalem believed that the Jewish communities of Egypt and Gaza were mobilizing an exodus on Passover to Jerusalem. This would result in a sure crisis in Jerusalem which would surely stir up issues with the Ottomans (Armstrong 326). However, this exodus never occurred.
Reuveni would later appear in Venice, Italy. He told Italians that he wanted to meet with Pope Clement VII in Rome to ask for Portuguese weapons. He allegedly did meet with the Pope before traveling to Portugal where he was denied the artillery he sought (BenMelech, "Who Was David Ha-Reuveni?") . It is very uncertain why Reuveni wanted Portuguese weapons. Portugal was a leader in exploration at this point in history and perhaps this was Reuveni's attempt to secure geopolitical significance. After his exile from Portugal, Reuveni's mission seemed to fizzle out. Around 300 years later in 1848, his diary written in Hebrew would be discovered. Would you believe what he wrote in it?
Works Cited:
Karen Armstrong, Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths.
Moti BenMelech, "Who Was David Ha-Reuveni?". http://segulamag.com/en/articles/david-ha-reuveni/
In 1523, Reuveni arrived in Jerusalem claiming to be the Jewish Messiah. He asserted that a pagan temple stone existed in the western wall and must be removed for a redemption to take place (Armstrong 326). This was likely very troubling to Jews in the region who enjoyed relative freedom in the newfound Ottoman-controlled Jerusalem. If the Ottomans felt threatened by Reuveni, would they take action against the Jews in the region? This was uncertain. Among other uncertainties, some Jews in Jerusalem believed that the Jewish communities of Egypt and Gaza were mobilizing an exodus on Passover to Jerusalem. This would result in a sure crisis in Jerusalem which would surely stir up issues with the Ottomans (Armstrong 326). However, this exodus never occurred.
Reuveni would later appear in Venice, Italy. He told Italians that he wanted to meet with Pope Clement VII in Rome to ask for Portuguese weapons. He allegedly did meet with the Pope before traveling to Portugal where he was denied the artillery he sought (BenMelech, "Who Was David Ha-Reuveni?") . It is very uncertain why Reuveni wanted Portuguese weapons. Portugal was a leader in exploration at this point in history and perhaps this was Reuveni's attempt to secure geopolitical significance. After his exile from Portugal, Reuveni's mission seemed to fizzle out. Around 300 years later in 1848, his diary written in Hebrew would be discovered. Would you believe what he wrote in it?
Works Cited:
Karen Armstrong, Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths.
Moti BenMelech, "Who Was David Ha-Reuveni?". http://segulamag.com/en/articles/david-ha-reuveni/
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