FRANK, JANOB. - Jewish pseudo-messiah, b. in Poland in 1726, d. at Offenbach on 10 Dec. 1791. He gave rise to the movement that was named "Frankism" after him. He emigrated toward the East and became a follower of Sabbatianism (v. ŠABBĒTHAJ ZĒBHĪ). The soul of the Messiah, F. taught, is one only; therefore the same soul was in King David, in Elijah, in Jesus, in Muhammad, in Šabbēthaj Zēbhī, and in himself. Following suspicions on the part of the Jews, he returned to Poland and made contact with the various Sabbatians in the countries he crossed. In his discourses, delivered in secret, he set forth the Sabbatian Trinitarian doctrine: of the divinity are part the Ancient Holy One (Santo Señor), the Holy King, and the Most High Matron. F. would be the incarnation of the Santo Señor. His followers began to call themselves Frankists or Zoharists.
The Jews accused F. before the government of spreading propaganda for Islam and for emigration to Turkey. The Frankists were subsequently excommunicated by the rabbinical Synod, and a prohibition was pronounced against studying the Zohar or the writings of Cordovero before reaching the age of 30, and the writings of Isaac Luria before reaching the age of 40. Bishop Dembowski was also interested in taking part in the struggle. Some dozens of Frankists then converted to Christianity. The Frankists began a strenuous struggle against Talmudism; thus there were trials, arrests, religious disputations. Condemnations against the Jews also rained down afterward. In time the Christian religious authorities themselves began to see the Frankists as mere sectarians. In 1759 there was a great religious disputation at Lvov, with the participation of the nobility and the clergy. Subsequently F. was imprisoned; he was then able to obtain his freedom and went to Vienna, where he found friends among the nobility and at the court itself.
At Offenbach, F. had himself worshiped as an incarnation of God. After his death, the head of the sect was his daughter Eva. The political concerns of the governments of Austria and Russia put an end to Frankist propaganda.
Bibliography3 works
Eugenio Zolli