![Etching of man in shawl and head cap gesturing skyward, buildings in the background](/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2026-07/iStock-2243467506.jpg?itok=s3z4K3VR) # Nathan of Gaza’s Prophetic Vision July 02, 2026 Maximillian Wetter Abraham Nathan ben Elisha Hayyim Ashkenazi (ca. 1643/4–1680), more commonly referred to as Nathan of Gaza, was a gifted kabbalist and Torah scholar who served as the central prophetic figure of Sabbateanism, the messianic movement surrounding Sabbatai Sevi. Born in Jerusalem to a well-known rabbinic scholar, Elisha Hayyim ben Jacob, Nathan’s youth was marked by a rare brilliance throughout his studies in *yeshiva*, earning an acclaim that continued to grow as he began studying mystical texts. The respect that he had garnered allowed him to be taken seriously when, in 1665, Nathan proclaimed his prophetic vision that Sabbatai Sevi was the Messiah. As a student of the kabbalistic texts extant during his youth in Palestine, Nathan saw himself as participating in the lineages of Abraham Abulafia (1240–ca. 1291), who created Ecstatic Kabbalah in 13th century Spain, and Isaac Luria (1534–1572), who revolutionized Jewish mysticism through the tradition he founded in Safed. Through these mystical leaders, Nathan learned of the applicability of ascetic practices, such as fasting, in pursuit of mystical experiences. Furthermore, it was via their teachings that Nathan was able to both decipher the meaning of his experiences and communicate his insights to others in such a way that would validate their authenticity. One such experience, cited below, provided Nathan with a vision of the coming of the Messiah: Sabbatai Sevi. Having fasted and prayed in preparation for this event, in the weeks before Purim in 1665, Nathan entered into a visionary state that lasted twenty-four hours. Significantly, Nathan’s vision of the Messiah was coupled with a vision of the Merkabah (chariot), which has been understood by the mystical tradition as indicative of a genuine revelatory event since the emergence of Hekhaloth literature. In his revelation, Nathan also heard “Thus speaks the Lord”—a remark that denotes the self-disclosure of God within the Torah. Together with the chariot, this declaration convinced Nathan of the importance of his experience, and thereby led to his role as the prophet of the impending era of Sabbatean messianism. While the vision recorded below does not explicitly state that this experience included a vision of Sabbatai Sevi, there are other accounts that hold the appearance of the Messiah or the name of Sevi, such as a documented interview with Nathan in 1668. Considering that all existing manuscript accounts were recorded several years after the original vision, it is difficult to know how best to account for the discrepancy. Although there are different accounts of this visionary event, all of which were recorded several years after it took place, what remains clear is that Sabbateanism would likely not have happened if Nathan’s vision hadn’t occurred. While Sabbatai Sevi had proclaimed himself the messiah at other instances throughout his life, he was usually considered mentally ill and, having never gained communal support, had resigned himself to suppressing his messianic impulse. It was only by way of their chance meeting that Nathan was able to convince Sabbatai Sevi that he was genuinely the messiah, a historic moment that took place after Nathan’s initial vision. ## Source While there are multiple accounts of Nathan of Gaza’s vision, the version found below comes from a letter written by Nathan in 1667. It was first studied by Gershom Scholem in a Sabbatian notebook he found in the Columbia University library (MS X893-Z8, 1:20, fol. 16v–17r), and was first translated and published by him in *Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah*.\[[1](#notes)\] > These things \[I write\] to make known unto you in faithfulness the certainty of the words of truth, the great cause and reason of the tidings which I have announced to the assembly of the congregation of Israel concerning our deliverance and the redemption of our souls. Whosoever knoweth me can truthfully testify that from my childhood unto this day not the slightest fault \[of sin\] could be found with me. I observed the Law in poverty, and meditated on it day and night. I never followed after the lusts of the flesh, but always added new mortifications and forms of penance with all my strength, nor did I ever derive any worldly benefit from my message. Praise be to God that there are many faithful witnesses to testify to this and to much more. I studied the Torah in purity until I was twenty years of age, and I performed the great tikkun which Isaac Luria prescribes for everyone who has committed great sins. Although praise be to God, I have not advertently committed any sins, nevertheless I performed it in case my soul be sullied from an earlier transmigration. When I had attained the age of twenty, I began to study the book Zohar and some of the Lurianic writings. \[According to the Talmud\] he who wants to purify himself receives the aid of Heaven; and thus He sent me some of His holy angels and blessed spirits \[*mal’ahav ha-kedoshim ve-nishmotav ha-tehorot*\] who revealed to me many of the mysteries of the Torah. In that same year, my force having been stimulated by the visions of the angels and the blessed souls, I was undergoing a prolonged fast \[*hafsaqah*\] in the week before the feast of Purim. Having locked myself in a separate room in holiness and purity, and reciting the penitential prayers of the morning service with many tears, the spirit came over me, my hair stood on end and my knees shook and I beheld the *merkabah*. I saw visions of God all day long and all night, and I was vouchsafed true prophecy like any other prophet, as the voice spoke to me and began with the words: “Thus speaks the Lord.” And with the utmost clarity my heart perceived toward whom my prophecy was directed, even as Maimonides has stated that the prophets perceived in their hearts the correct interpretation of their prophecy so that they could not doubt its meaning. Until this day I never yet had so great a vision, but it remained hidden in my heart until the redeemer revealed himself in Gaza and proclaimed himself the messiah; only then did the angel permit me to proclaim what I had seen. I recognized that he was \[the\] true \[messiah\] by the signs which Isaac Luria had taught, for he \[Luria\] has revealed profound mysteries in the Torah and not one thing faileth of all that he has taught. And also the angel that revealed himself to me in a waking vision was a truthful one, and he revealed to me awesome mysteries. ## Notes \[1\]Gershom Scholem, *Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah, 1626–1676* (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1973), 204–05. ## Bibliography Goldish, Matt. *The Sabbatean Prophets*. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004. Maciejko, Pawel. *Sabbatian Heresy: Writings on Mysticism, Messianism, and the Origins of Jewish Modernity*. Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2017. Scholem, Gershom. *Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah*. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1973. ———. “Nathan of Gaza.” In Gershom Scholem, *Kabbalah*, 435–40. New York: New American Library, 1974. ———. “Redemption Through Sin.” In *The Messianic Idea in Judaism and Other Essays on Jewish Spirituality*, translated by Hillel Halkin, 78–141. New York: Schocken Books, 1995. Author Biography ### Maximillian Wetter Maximillian Wetter is a PhD student in the Department of Religion at Rice University. He earned his Master of Theological Studies, with a concentration in Jewish studies, from Harvard Divinity School in 2025. His research explores motifs of suffering and joy in the mystical and philosophical writings of post-Holocaust Jewish thinkers. ![Max Wetter, smiling, standing in front of an academic building](/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2026-07/m.Wetter.jpg?itok=BpQ_ONp3) See also:- [ Archive of Mystical Experiences ](/topic-tags/archive-mystical-experiences) - [ Jewish Studies ](/topic-tags/jewish-studies)