Motivations for radical anti-sabbatianism

Abstract

Finally, the essence of Hayyon’s charges against R. Jacob and his son are neither as inherently implausible nor as extreme as they may appear to be. The merciless sentence attributed to R. Jacob could possibly have had a precedent in the behavior of Shabbetai Zevi himself who permitted shedding the blood of ‘non-believers’ and even commended those who did.53 Furthermore, there are a number of examples of vigorous physical struggles in the synagogue between Sabbatians and their opponents. 54 The story could have happened and, perhaps, it really did.55 ¶

In conclusion, if, in fact, either R. Judah ha-Kohen or R. Jacob Zak were Sabbatians, maybe their behavior can be considered one factor among others that account for the virulence and aggressiveness of Hakham Zevi’s attitude towards that movement. As far as his son, R. Jacob Emden, is concerned, this was much less of a consideration. Besides being one further generation removed, there are enough other, more direct, factors to account for the intensity of his anti- Sabbatianism.56 In the case of Hakham Zevi, however, one generation closer and in the absence, as yet, of any other compelling explanation, perhaps this can be considered a militating factor. Perhaps, like R. Abraham Yizhaki, R. Joseph Ergas, and his colleague R. Moses Hagiz, Hakham Zevi too was influenced by the Sabbatianism he encountered within his own close personal immediate family. (from Conclusion)