Solomon Molcho (
Shlomo Mol'kho,
originally
Diogo Pires, (1500 – 13 December 1532)
was a Portuguese mystic. Brilliant, a "
New
Christian" who converted back to
Judaism, Molcho declared himself the
Messiah, and was
burned at the stake for
apostasy.
Early life
Molcho was born a
Christian to
Marrano parents in Portugal about 1500. His
baptismal name probably was Diogo Pires. He held
the post of secretary in one of the higher
courts of his native country.
When the Jewish adventurer David
Reubeni came ostensibly on a political mission from Khaibar
(Peshawar
) to
Portugal, Molcho wished to join him, but was rejected.
He then
circumcised himself, though without
thereby gaining Reubeni's favor, and emigrated to Turkey
.
Occult studies
Molcho was a believer in
dream
interpretation who studied the
Kabbalah
with
Joseph Taytazak and became
acquainted with
Joseph Caro. He then
wandered as a
preacher through the
Land of Israel (then a province of the
Ottoman empire), where he achieved a
great reputation and announced that the Messianic kingdom would
come in 1540. In 1529 Molcho published a portion of his
sermons under the title
Derashot, or
Sefer ha-Mefo'ar. Going to Italy, he was opposed by
prominent Jews including
Jacob
Mantino ben Samuel, who feared that he might mislead their
co-religionists. He succeeded in gaining the favor of
Pope Clement VII and of some Judeophile
cardinal at Rome. He was said
to have predicted a certain flood which inundated Rome and various
other places. After his many cabalistic and other strange
experiments, Molcho felt justified in proclaiming himself the
Messiah, or his precursor.
Travels and martyrdom
In company
with David Reubeni, whom he came across in Italy, he went in 1532
to Ratisbon
, where the
emperor Charles V was
holding a diet. On
this occasion, Molcho carried a flag with the Hebrew word
Maccabi, the four letters מכבי which also signify an
abbreviation for Exodus 15:11 "Who among the mighty is like unto
God?". The emperor imprisoned both Molcho and Reubeni, and took
them with him to Italy.
In Mantua
an
ecclesiastical court sentenced Molcho to death by fire. At
the stake, the emperor offered to
pardon him
on condition that he return to the
Catholic Church, but Molcho refused, asking
for a
martyr's death (5th of
Tevet 5293 in the
Hebrew
calendar).
See also
References
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