Lanckoroń 1756 and the Beginnings of Polish Frankism: an Attempt at a New Outlook.
Lanckoroń 1756 and the Beginnings of Polish Frankism: an Attempt at a New Outlook.

Summary/Abstract: The history of Frankism has been presented as the story of Jakub Frank, a charismatic self-styled Messianic leader and his Polish followers. Frank was in Poland around the end of 1755 and early 1756 and less than two months later was expelled from the country, converted to Islam and did not participate in the developments that were crucial for the formation of his movement. The incident in the Lanckoroń inn in no way explains the course of subsequent events. With that approach, the subsequent developments, which resulted in the formation of a powerful Messianic movement, public debates on faith with rabbis and ultimately the conversion of hundreds of Jewish Messianists to Catholic faith appear incomprehensible. The presentation of the origins of Frankism in literature is quite coherent. According to this presentation, Yaakow Josef ben Leib, known as Frank, came to Poland in December 1755 in order to boost the morale of the local followers of Sabbatai Zvi. On 27 January 1756 he was allegedly caught practicing sectarian rites in Lanckoroń and got arrested. Bishop Mikołaj Dębowski decided that he was competent to resolve disputes concerning faith, Jewish faith included. He began an inquiry into the incident. This culminated in the dispute with the rabbis in November 1757 and symbolic burning of Talmud in Kamieniec Podolski.There are some fundamental questions discussed in the article. Were the developments in Lanckoroń planned in advance as of a long-term plan? Were Polish Jews the only participants in the unrest or were Jews from other countries involved as well, and if so, what goals were they pursuing? Why did the shouting match in the Lanckoroń inn produce such serious consequences and lead to a public dispute between the sectarians and the rabbis before a bishop’s court, meaning an open religious schism within the Jewish community? What happened in that inn and in the next several days then?

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