The Lost Messiah Author:John Freely The extraordinary tale of Sabbatai Sevi, the 17th century rabbi who believed, and convinced many others, that he was the Messiah Rabbi Sabbatai Sevi is one of the most controversial religious figures in all history. In The Lost Messiah, acclaimed author, John Freely, follows Sevi's trail and the traces of the Jewish cult that grew up around him-... more »one that still inspires belief today. Brilliantly evoking the vanished world of the 17th century Jewish diaspora, the narrative interweaves the work of respected scholars-including the pioneering writings of Gershom Scholem-with information garnered from Freely's own travels from Sevi's birthplace in Izmir, on the Aegean coast of Turkey, to the ghettos of Venice and Rome, the bazaars of Cairo, and the rabbinical schools of Jerusalem and Safed.« less