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City of New Brunswick, Estados Unidos
From 1665 to 1667, the coming of Sabbatai Sevi in the Levant created an upheaval that was unprecedented in the history of mes- sianic movements. “Over a period of several weeks, an immense outbreak of Sabbatian prophecies by ordinary Jews of all classes occurred [...] The particulars of this outbreak were almost unique in Jewish history up to that time.”1 What’s crucial here is not that his followers gathered and marched in greater numbers than those of earlier prophets (although they may have), but that the story of his appearance, professions, progress, supporters, triumphs, and misfortunes spread farther, wider, and more rapidly than ever be- fore. Sabbatai appeared in the first age of publicity. The category “news” had come into being to name, for the first time, what peo- ple valued rather than what they disdained. Information had begun to circulate for its own sake, through increasingly complex and overlapping networks, and with the ease of virtual communi- cation independent of actual mouths and ears.
