Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise

Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, each with heading followed by expanded description of the title above a large engraved illustration and beneath which are three columns of fuller descriptive text explaining the story of the illustration and providing additional information, the whole surrounded by a typographic border, each laid down onto larger sheets, closely trimmed (as all copies examined), folio (from 362-388 x 300-309mm.), Augsburg, 1666-67.*** Exceptionally rare group of four broadsides, probably from a complete set of 5, corresponding to Scholem numbers 70, 72, 75 and 76 (lacking Scholem no.71).The four are titled: 1. Ausführliche Relation von den neuentstandenen Juedischen Propheten Nathan Levi und denen zusammen rottierten Juden oder zehen Stämmen Israels. (Scholem no. 70).2. Verwunderlicher Anfang und schmählicher Aussgang. Des unlängst Neuentstandenen Juden Propheten Nathan Levi und des von Ihme creirten und Neuerwehlten Königs oder Jüdischen Messiae Sabezae folgends aber Jossvahel Cam genaant. (Scholem no. 72).3. Dess vermeinten Jüdischen Messiae entdeckter Betrug und Abfall. Wie solches aus Constantinopel von glaubwürdiger Hand unter dem dato des 10. und 20. Novemb. Anno 1666, nacher Wien. (Scholem no. 75).4. Wunder über Wunder. Neue Relation von dem neu entstandenen der Juden vermeinten Messiam Josvaehel Cams, und dess Propheten Nathan Levi und denen zusammen rottirenden Juden von den zehen Stammen Israelis. (Scholem no.76).Census: No copies of these broadsides appear to exist in North America or Israel. There are copies extant in Germany, Switzerland and England. No. 1 (Scholem 70): 3 copies in Germany. No. 2 (Scholem 72): 4 copies: Switzerland (1) and Germany (3), with a Polish variant in Danzig. No. 3 (Scholem 75) Not located. No. 4 (Scholem 76): 6 copies: England (1) Germany (5). As for Scholem (74) missing from our collection: Just 1 copy extant in Germany. Two German institutions own 3 of the 4 broadsides. No institution owns all four broadsides here offered.Born in Smyrna, Shabthai Tzvi (1626-76), founder of the Sabbatean movement, claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. He and his followers were banished from Smyrna and he went to Jerusalem after spending some time in Constantinople. His right-hand man was Nathan Benjamin Levi (known as Nathan of Gaza) who declared himself to be the risen prophet Elijah. In 1665, Nathan announced that the Messianic age would commence the following year and the Messiah would lead the Ten Lost Tribes back to the Holy Land, “riding on a lion with a seven-headed dragon in its jaws.” Nathan also proclaimed that Gaza and not Jerusalem, would become the sacred city of the Messiah and that upon arrival in Constantinople Shabthai would place the Sultan’s crown upon his own head and take charge of the Holy Land. Shabthai was arrested and imprisoned in Constantinople from where he was taken to Adrianople. There, the Sultan’s vizier offered him three choices, two of which involved death and the third, which he decided to accept, was to convert to Islam. Some of his followers did likewise but others were left horrified and spiritually devastated - the Sabbatians being derided by Muslims and Christians alike. Shabthai was banished to Dulcigno (today Ulcinj, Montenegro) where he died in isolation and under a cloud of mystery.Literature: See Gershom Scholem, Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah, 1626-1676 (Princeton, 1973), pp. 942-944; Ingrid Maier and Winfried Schumacher, Ein Medien-Hype im 17. Jarhhundert; Fünf illustrierte Drucke aus dem Jahre 1666 über die angebliche Hinrichtung von Sabbatai Zwi, in: Quarendo 39 (2009) pp. 133-167, attributes them directly to the Augsburg printer Hans (Johann) Schultes, who was active in Augsburg from 1627-67.