"Wielka tajemnica". List amsterdamskich judeochrześcijan do pastora Johanna Burgmanna z 1773 roku
"Great Mystery". Letter from Amsterdam Judeo-Christians to Pastor Johann Burgmann from 1773

Summary/Abstract: The Brüdergemeinde archives in Herrnhut contain documents (thirty letters in all) from the years 1772-1777, concerning the last missions of the Herrnhutters among Amsterdam’s Jews. The letter from the leaders of the sect of Jewish Judeo-Christians of Amsterdam to the Evangelical pastor in London, who also was a Brüdergemeinde member, Johann Gustav Burgmann, of 25 January 1773, describes the history of the sect set up by Jonatan Ajbeszic and its rites. This document sheds new light on the history of late Sabbataism. The correspondence concerns Ajbeszic’s disciple Simon of Deutschkreutz, who was in London and declared the readiness to convert to Christianity. The sectarians feared that Simon could betray the sect’s secrets. In order to dissuade the pastor from questioning Simon, they tried to satisfy his curiosity by presenting to him their own version of the history and doctrine of the sect, from which they omitted any elements they felt uncomfortable about, however.

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