Jacob Frank Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Jacob Frank
Jacob Frank
Religion	Judaism
Personal
Nationality	Polish
Born	Jakub Lejbowicz 1726 Korolówka, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Died	December 10, 1791(1791-12-10) (aged 64–65) Offenbach am Main, Principality of Isenburg-Birstein

Jacob Joseph Frank (Hebrew: יעקב פרנק; Polish: Jakub Józef Frank; born Jakub Lejbowicz; 1726 – December 10, 1791) was an important religious leader in the 1700s. He was a Polish-Jewish man who claimed to be a very special person. He told people he was the return of a past leader named Sabbatai Zevi. He also said he was like the biblical figure Jacob.

Jacob Frank started a new religious group called Frankism. This group mixed ideas from both Judaism and Christianity. However, the main Jewish leaders in Poland did not agree with his teachings. They even officially removed him and his followers from the Jewish community. Frankism grew out of a larger movement that believed a Messiah would soon appear. This movement was popular among Jewish people in places like Poland and Ukraine.

Early Life and Travels
The Anti-Talmudists
Frank's New Revelations
Becoming Christians
Imprisonment and Later Life
Images for kids
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Early Life and Travels

Jacob Frank was born around 1726. His birth name was Jakub Lejbowicz. He was born into a Polish-Jewish family in Korołówka, which is now part of Ukraine. His father was a follower of Sabbatai Zevi. In 1730, his family moved to Czernowitz. This area had many people who followed Sabbatai Zevi's ideas.

Frank became a traveling merchant. He sold textiles and valuable stones. He often visited lands ruled by the Ottoman Empire. There, people called him "Frank," a common name for Europeans. He lived in cities like Salonica and Smyrna. These cities were centers for followers of Sabbatai Zevi.

In the early 1750s, Frank became close with leaders of the Sabbatean movement. He married in 1752, and two followers of a Sabbatean leader named Osman Baba were witnesses. In 1755, he returned to Poland. He gathered a group of followers and began sharing "revelations" he said he received. These ideas came from the Dönmeh group in Salonica. One meeting ended in trouble, and Jewish leaders noticed his new teachings. Frank had to leave the area. His followers were also criticized by the rabbis. A Jewish court in Satanów accused Frank's followers of breaking important Jewish laws.

The Anti-Talmudists

After these events, a meeting of rabbis in Brody made a strong declaration. They officially removed all "unrepentant heretics" from the Jewish community. They also said that every good Jew should find and report them.

Frank's followers then told Mikołaj Dembowski, a Catholic Bishop, that they rejected the Talmud. The Talmud is a central text in Judaism. They said they only accepted the Zohar, a book of Jewish mysticism. They claimed the Zohar did not go against the Christian idea of the Trinity. They also said they saw the Messiah as one of three divine beings.

The bishop decided to protect Frank and his followers. He called them "Anti-Talmudists" or "Zoharistic Jews." In 1757, he set up a religious debate. This debate was between Frank's group and the traditional rabbis. The Anti-Talmudists presented their ideas, starting a big argument. The bishop sided with Frank's group. He then ordered that all copies of the Talmud in Poland be burned. About 10,000 books were destroyed. This was a huge loss for Jewish libraries at the time.

After the bishop died, the Sabbateans faced harsh treatment from the rabbis. However, they managed to get a special order from King Augustus III of Poland. This order promised them safety.

Frank's New Revelations

At this difficult time, Jacob Frank went to Iwania. He announced that he was a direct successor to Sabbatai Zevi and Osman Baba. He told his followers that he had received messages from Heaven. These messages said that Frank and his followers should become Christians. This conversion would be a step towards a new religion. Frank called this future religion "das" or "knowledge."

In 1759, Frankists actively discussed converting to Roman Catholicism. They talked with important leaders of the Polish Church. At the same time, Frankists tried to arrange another debate with the rabbis. Some church leaders were unsure about the Frankists' goals. But a church official, Mikulski, insisted on the debate. It took place in Lwów, with Mikulski in charge. Some Protestant missionaries also tried to get Frankists to join their faith. A few did join the Moravian church.

Becoming Christians

During the debate in 1759, the rabbis strongly argued against Frank's group. After the debate, the Frankists were asked to show their commitment to Christianity. Jacob Frank, who had arrived in Lwów, encouraged his followers to take this big step.

Many Frankists were baptized in the churches of Lwów. It was a very formal event. Members of the Polish szlachta (nobility) became their godparents. The newly baptized people took the names of their godparents. They eventually joined the ranks of the nobility. Frank himself was baptized in Lwów on September 17, 1759. He was baptized again in Warsaw the next day. King Augustus III was his godfather. Frank's baptismal name was "Joseph."

In one year, over 500 people converted to Christianity in Lwów. Nearly a thousand more converted the next year. By 1790, records show that 26,000 Jewish people were baptized in Poland.

However, people still viewed the Frankists with suspicion. This was because of their unusual beliefs. Frank was arrested in Warsaw on February 6, 1760. He was taken to a church court. He was found guilty of teaching false religious ideas. He was then sent to prison in a monastery in Częstochowa.

Imprisonment and Later Life

Frank was imprisoned for thirteen years. But his time in prison actually made him more popular with his followers. They saw him as a martyr, someone suffering for their beliefs. Many Frankists moved close to Częstochowa. They kept in touch with their "holy master." Frank inspired his followers with mystical speeches and letters. He told them that they could only find salvation by first adopting the "religion of Edom" (Christianity). Then, they would adopt a future religion that Frank called daas (knowledge).

After Poland was divided for the first time, Frank was set free. This happened in August 1772. A Russian general named Aleksandr Bibikov had taken control of Częstochowa.

Frank then lived in Brno, a town in Moravia, until 1786. He was surrounded by his followers and visitors from Poland. His daughter, Eve, started to play a very important role in the group. Frank even had armed guards at his "court." The future Russian ruler Paul I of Russia visited him. Joseph II of Austria also visited.

Frank and his daughter traveled to Vienna many times. They managed to gain favor with the royal court. Maria Theresa saw him as someone who could spread Christianity among Jewish people. Some even say that Joseph II liked the young Eve Frank.

Eventually, Frank was seen as difficult to control. He had to leave Austria. He moved with his daughter and followers to Offenbach in Germany. There, he called himself "Baron of Offenbach." He lived like a rich nobleman. His followers from Poland and Moravia sent him money. They often made trips to Offenbach to visit him.

Jacob Frank died in 1791. After his death, his daughter Eve became the "holy mistress" and leader of the group. Her wealth decreased after the Napoleonic Wars. She died in Offenbach in 1816.

Some Frankists were involved in the French Revolution. For example, Moses Dobruška was a Frankist. Many Frankists believed Napoleon Bonaparte might be a Messiah. Over time, Frankists in Poland and Bohemia married into noble and middle-class families. The famous piano player Maria Szymanowska came from a Frankist family. Wanda Grabowska, the mother of a writer named Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, also had Frankist ancestors.