Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-05
Pseudo MesSiahs

That Have Appeared on IsraeI's Horizon From a lecture by Rev. pr. Machol of C!evelands
 Ohic.i
 It is our object tonight to introduce to you some of those men who imagined them selves called upon to realize the Israelites hope of Messiah. The who ranks first in this class is Bar Kochba or Bar Kos ba as he is called by others His object was to deliver Israel from the oppressive yoke of the Roman Empire. With an enthusiastic army which numbered over half million he succeeded so well that within year he was in possession of fifty forts and nine hundred and forty five open cities But Adrian, com pretending the range of this Jewish revolu- ton, ordered his greatest general, Julius Severus, from Britain to Palestine to take up the war against the newl risen Messiah Fifty-four battles were fought within thffee years battles where religious enthusiasm on one side balanced martial discipline on the other, an oppressed nationality against naughty tyranny, the perseverance to regain what has been lost in opposition to the de- fiance of the enemy to retain what they pos- sessed, and all might have ended favorably for the Israelites if they had not been sold by traitors With the last fort Bethar, also the hope of Israel fell and the star of the Mes siah. It is estimated that besides those that died with hunger and sickness, over five hun dred thousand were killed by the Romans Bar Kochba was found among the dead, 135 after our common era
 Three hundred years later another Messiah unfurled his banner on Crete, Candia, as it is called at present. large island in the Med iterranean Sea. His name is not known, but he called himself Moses, because, like him, he promised to lead the Israelites to Jerusa- lem through the ocean, which will divide it. self and allow them free passage on dry ground The vast Jewish population of that island trusted him blindly, and on 8 certain day followed him to the sea where, at his command they all threw themselves from a promontory into the water, and the water divided, but only to receive the unfortunate victims, most of whom reached the promised land, not Palestine, but that country from which no traveller ever returned. The pseudo Moses was also among them. Some were saved by mariners and cured forever to trust again the promises of Messiah.
 But not so Israel in general. Man very seldom learns by the experience of others. Three hundred years later similar play was introduced in Syria where man by the name of Serenus proclaimed himself the Mes- siah in 720. But fortunately his part was played out in time before he succeeded in bringing great distress over the large crowds of his credulous followers.
 The stage of the next Messianic agitation was Babylon; the tract of land along the Euphrates and the Iigris; the year of action 1160; the name of the star David Alroy. He was killed while asleep by his own father-in- law, who was bought by the Mahommedan authorities to accomplish this act for the sake of the peace of the country. He was made the hero of the novel, 'A1roy," written by the late Lord Beaconsfeld. In 1902 another visionary, Asher Laemmlein reminded his followers that if they would do pennance, mortify their flesh and practice charity, the Messiah would come without fail within six months They did as he commanded them, but an unexpected event finished this move ment rather abruptly Laemmlein died, and with his death the enthusiasm of his follow CTS vanished. The last I shall mention here is Sabbathai zevi, the man who created the greatest excitement but disseminated poi sonous seed, which is still thriving in certain countries on the other side of the ocean. He was born in Smyrna an old commercial town on the western coast of Asia Minor, in 1875, after having embraced the Islam.