Sabateans, Frankists & Anti-Messianists
Great Controversies In Jewish History

The popularity of Shabsai Tzvi was the worst false messiah debacle in Jewish history. One-third of the Jewish world was swept up in the fervor, selling their homes and businesses and relocating to the Holy Land in anticipation of the redemption. But the aftermath of Shabsai Tzvi's fall was as dramatic as the rise itself, resulting in witch hunts against former followers, the rise of another false messiah Jacob Frank, and most lasting of all, an increase in Jewish skepticism.