The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-12-16
FALSE PROPHETS or The SEVEN
TENNIS cENYu7f.


tEENFH CENTURY
One Of tke most notable Of these vas
Sabbalei Sevi. q Jewish lannfie.
There was q belief current abort the
middle Of the century that the year
1896 was 20 be Remarkable Cor some
great event. This idea seemed
10 be founded on the mystic number
685, found In the book 81 Revelations.
On the prophecies Of tbs Ola Tesla.
nent the Jews also founded An ex
pecialiOu Of their Messiah about this
lime. SsObaiei Sevi. Jew ofsmyr-
IA, declared himself the exceeded
Messiah, AMI being Of handsome ap-
pearaDee aud reafig speech. he found
many inclined 10 believe him. Know
iug the fTfn eOnvirtion OF the Jews
that Elijah must come first 10 herald
the Messiah, he nirsd Nathan, q rabbi
70 take the part Of Elijah. The two
then attended each others claims a.
vel as his own and secured q very
large following in syria. They eT-
pounded the prophecies 10 public at
Smyrnai and elsewhere. and declared
/ that the Sultan was soon 10 be de-
LhrOned and Jerusalem 10 become
/ mistress Of the world. 6abhafei
II ANAAaAE4 AAaAN.GNN Tue MaNEHII.u
and adopted a style Of royal pOmp.
which bis eager admirers paid for.
50 great was tile enthusiasm over the
supposed King, and his reputed mira
cles, that the Jews throughout Syria
everywhere deserted their business
and made preparations for departure
en- masse for Jerusalem. Sabbatei
then went to preach 20 the Jews At
COnstsntinople, but on arriving In
that CITY was arrested by the Grand
Nizier. BE would probably have
been put Immediately 20 death, bat
plumbers OF Jews came from far and
near-for the fame OF the prophet had
! gone all over EurOpe-and offered
large sums OF money for the privilege
Of seeing him, sud the Grand ViEier
| preferred 10 keep him alive and draw
q tax from his devoted follower. At
iasG the Sultan heard 50 much Of the
miracles wrought by this pretended
Messiah that he sent for him, and to
test his claims. ordered that he be
made = target for poisoned arrows
5abbatei then threw himself on his
knees and confessed that 10 turn aside
these arrows would be q miracle be
yOnd his strength. The sultan then
gave him his choice, either TO be i'm
paled alive or TO become Mussul.
man. he did not hesitate, but EN-
braeed the Turkish religion. He
then preached that he had been sent
10 substitute the Turkish for the Jew
ish religion, and induced q number to
embrace bOslenism. But being sus.
pected Of q desire 10 renew his former
pretensiOEs, the Sultan agsin impris-
Oned him, and he died in captivity.
Another impOster OF this leentury
was Desmarets, q Frenehman, who
pretended that God had given him
with His own hand the KEY to the
apocalypse, that with this key he
would reform the world. He also
pretended to prophecy. He was
much ineensed at the appearance Of
another pretended prophet, one ST.
mon NORM, poor, half Witted fellow,
who faneied that he was sent from
God and was incorporated IN the ma
iure of Jesus Christ. Desnlarets had
NORM tried and condemned, aud be
was burned az the stake ia 1868.
DesmRrets himself soon fell into dis
favor, was deserted by his followers,
and subsequently died in Obscurity.
England had also one Of these IA
natics at about the middle Of the cen
Jury. This was James NaylOr. q ma
tivesOf YOTs shire. He had been q
sOldIer In BrOmwell's army, and had
been converted by the Quakers, but
mad become so eXtravagant IN his
av0wed beliefs that they disOWned
| nim. He was for time imprisoned
or some extravaganza, but was soon
liberated. aud shortly after annOuuc
Ell that he was the tue Christ. By
preaching he induced n large mum
Der Of people 10 believe IN his mission
as the Messiah, and they attended
him in a procession through the
streets of Bristol, singing hOsannas
and sud strewiug flowers and green
leaves before him. This was more
than Oliver Cromwell could stand, and
ne summoned the fanatic 10 appear be-
fore PaIliment. He was tried al
length and ~ there was no lawion the
statute lOk TO meet such ease,a Law
made with appropriate punishments.
/ NaylOr was whipped &C the carts tail,
made 10 stand in the pillary, had 9
redhOt iron run through his tongue,
and branded with q large B. for
olssphemer-On his fOrhead. He did
not repent of his deeds, however, or
groan under his punishment. Then
he was sent 10 Bristol and fOgged
through the streets where his trium-
lhant procession had passed, and was
finally imprisoned for life. He re-
anted all his fOllles 10 prison, and
lied there q few years later.