David Alroy
Encyclopedia
David Alroy was a Jewish pseudo-Messiah born in Amadiya, Iraq
. David Alroy studied Torah
and Talmud
under Hisdai the Exilarch
, and Ali, the head of the Academy in Baghdad
. He was also well-versed in Muslim
literature and known as a worker of magic.
had caused a general condition of unrest and a weakening of the authority of the sultans of Asia Minor
and Persia. Defiant chieftains set up small independent states and a heavy poll taxes were levied on all males above the age of fifteen
Sultan Muktafi and called upon the oppressed Jewish community to follow him to Jerusalem, where he would be their king and set them free. Alroy recruited supporters in the mountains of Chaftan, and sent letters to Mosul
, Baghdad
, and other towns, proclaiming his divine mission. He was born Menahem ben Solomon, but adopted the name "David Alroy" ("Alroy" possibly meaning "the inspired one") when he began claiming to be the Messiah.
His intimate knowledge of the magic arts is said to have convinced many Jews of the truth of his pretensions, and Alroy soon found himself with a considerable following. He resolved to attack the citadel of his native town, Amadiya, and directed his supporters to assemble in that city, with swords and other weapons concealed under their robes, and to give, as a pretext for their presence, their desire to study the Talmud.
What followed is uncertain, for the sources of the life of Alroy tell each a different tale, and the subsequent events are interwoven with legend. It is presumed that Alroy and his deluded followers were defeated, and Alroy was put to death.
that the news of Alroy's revolt reached the ears of the Sultan
, who sent for the would-be Messiah. "Art thou the King of the Jews?" asked the Moslem sovereign, to which Alroy replied, "I am." The Sultan thereupon cast the Jewish pretender into prison in Tabaristan. Three days later, while the Sultan and his council were engaged in considering Alroy's rebellion, the pseudo-Messiah suddenly appeared in their midst, having miraculously made his escape from prison. The Sultan at once ordered Alroy's rearrest; but, by his magic, the rebel made himself invisible and left the palace. Guided by the voice of Alroy the Sultan and his nobles followed him to the banks of a river, where, having made himself visible, the marvelous wizard was seen to cross the water on a shawl, and make his escape with ease. On the same day he returned to Amadia, a journey which ordinarily took ten days, and, appearing to his followers, related to them his wondrous exploits.
The Sultan now threatened to put the Jews of his dominion to the sword if Alroy did not surrender, and the Jewish authorities in Baghdad pressed Alroy to abandon his messianic visions. From Mosul also an appeal was made to him by Zakkai and Joseph Barihan AlfalaḦ, the leaders of the Jewish community; but all in vain. The governor of Amadia, Saif al-Din, bribed his father-in-law to assassinate him, and the revolt was brought to an end. The Jews of Persia had considerable difficulty in appeasing the wrath of the Sultan, and were obliged to pay a large indemnity.
Alroy's death did not entirely destroy the belief in his heaven-sent mission for the redemption of his people. Two impostors came to Bagdad and succeeded in perpetrating a huge fraud upon the credulous followers of the pseudo-Messiah. They announced that upon a certain night they were all commanded to commence a flight through the air from Bagdad to Jerusalem, and, in the meantime, the followers of Alroy were to give their property into the charge of these two messengers from their dead leader. The dénouement of this cunning scheme may be imagined; and yet, for many years afterward, a sect of Menahemites, as they were termed, continued to revere the memory of the so-called Messiah of Amadia.
's Travels, (ed. A. Asher, pp. 122-127). This version is followed in its main outlines by Solomon ibn Verga
, in his Shebeṭ Yehudah (ed. Wiener, Hebrew text, p. 50). Ibn Verga states, on the authority of Maimonides
, that when asked for a proof that he was truly the Messiah, Alroy (or David El-David, as Ibn Verga and David Gans
in his ẒemaḦ David call him) replied, "Cut off my head and I shall yet live." David Gans, Gedaliah ibn Yahya (in his Shalshelet ha-Ḳabbalah), who calls him David Almusar, and R. Joseph ben Isaac Sambari (see A. Neubauer, Mediæval Jew. Chron. i. 123) closely follow Benjamin of Tudela's version. The name Menahem ibn Alruhi ("the inspired one"), and the concluding episode of the impostors of Baghdad, are derived from the contemporaneous chronicle of the apostate, Samuel ibn Abbas (see Wiener's Emek ha-Baka, pp. 168). The name Menahem (i.e., the comforter) was a common Messianic appellation. The name Alroy is probably identical with Alruhi (see Wiener, l.c.; Grätz, Gesch. d. Juden, pp. 269 et seq., 426; Basnage, Histoire des Juifs, vii. 9).
The title of the novel is The Wondrous Tale of Alroy.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. David Alroy studied Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
and Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
under Hisdai the Exilarch
Exilarch
Exilarch refers to the leaders of the Diaspora Jewish community in Babylon following the deportation of King Jeconiah and his court into Babylonian exile after the first fall of Jerusalem in 597 BCE and augmented after the further deportations following the destruction...
, and Ali, the head of the Academy in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. He was also well-versed in Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
literature and known as a worker of magic.
Historical background
The califate in the days of Alroy was in a chaotic state. The CrusadesCrusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
had caused a general condition of unrest and a weakening of the authority of the sultans of Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and Persia. Defiant chieftains set up small independent states and a heavy poll taxes were levied on all males above the age of fifteen
Messianic pretensions
David Alroy led an uprising against SeljukGreat Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuq Empire was a medieval Persianate, Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf...
Sultan Muktafi and called upon the oppressed Jewish community to follow him to Jerusalem, where he would be their king and set them free. Alroy recruited supporters in the mountains of Chaftan, and sent letters to Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
, Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, and other towns, proclaiming his divine mission. He was born Menahem ben Solomon, but adopted the name "David Alroy" ("Alroy" possibly meaning "the inspired one") when he began claiming to be the Messiah.
His intimate knowledge of the magic arts is said to have convinced many Jews of the truth of his pretensions, and Alroy soon found himself with a considerable following. He resolved to attack the citadel of his native town, Amadiya, and directed his supporters to assemble in that city, with swords and other weapons concealed under their robes, and to give, as a pretext for their presence, their desire to study the Talmud.
What followed is uncertain, for the sources of the life of Alroy tell each a different tale, and the subsequent events are interwoven with legend. It is presumed that Alroy and his deluded followers were defeated, and Alroy was put to death.
Benjamin of Tudela's account
Benjamin of Tudela relatesthat the news of Alroy's revolt reached the ears of the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
, who sent for the would-be Messiah. "Art thou the King of the Jews?" asked the Moslem sovereign, to which Alroy replied, "I am." The Sultan thereupon cast the Jewish pretender into prison in Tabaristan. Three days later, while the Sultan and his council were engaged in considering Alroy's rebellion, the pseudo-Messiah suddenly appeared in their midst, having miraculously made his escape from prison. The Sultan at once ordered Alroy's rearrest; but, by his magic, the rebel made himself invisible and left the palace. Guided by the voice of Alroy the Sultan and his nobles followed him to the banks of a river, where, having made himself visible, the marvelous wizard was seen to cross the water on a shawl, and make his escape with ease. On the same day he returned to Amadia, a journey which ordinarily took ten days, and, appearing to his followers, related to them his wondrous exploits.
The Sultan now threatened to put the Jews of his dominion to the sword if Alroy did not surrender, and the Jewish authorities in Baghdad pressed Alroy to abandon his messianic visions. From Mosul also an appeal was made to him by Zakkai and Joseph Barihan AlfalaḦ, the leaders of the Jewish community; but all in vain. The governor of Amadia, Saif al-Din, bribed his father-in-law to assassinate him, and the revolt was brought to an end. The Jews of Persia had considerable difficulty in appeasing the wrath of the Sultan, and were obliged to pay a large indemnity.
Alroy's death did not entirely destroy the belief in his heaven-sent mission for the redemption of his people. Two impostors came to Bagdad and succeeded in perpetrating a huge fraud upon the credulous followers of the pseudo-Messiah. They announced that upon a certain night they were all commanded to commence a flight through the air from Bagdad to Jerusalem, and, in the meantime, the followers of Alroy were to give their property into the charge of these two messengers from their dead leader. The dénouement of this cunning scheme may be imagined; and yet, for many years afterward, a sect of Menahemites, as they were termed, continued to revere the memory of the so-called Messiah of Amadia.
Historical sources
The principal source of the life of Alroy is Benjamin of TudelaBenjamin of Tudela
Benjamin of Tudela was a medieval Jewish traveler who visited Europe, Asia, and Africa in the 12th century. His vivid descriptions of western Asia preceded those of Marco Polo by a hundred years...
's Travels, (ed. A. Asher, pp. 122-127). This version is followed in its main outlines by Solomon ibn Verga
Solomon Ibn Verga
Solomon Ibn Verga was a Spanish historian and physician, and author of the Shevet Judah . His relationship to Judah ibn Verga cannot be determined; it is certain, however, that he was not the son of the latter, for he never refers to Judah as his father...
, in his Shebeṭ Yehudah (ed. Wiener, Hebrew text, p. 50). Ibn Verga states, on the authority of Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
, that when asked for a proof that he was truly the Messiah, Alroy (or David El-David, as Ibn Verga and David Gans
David Gans
----David ben Solomon ben Seligman Gans was a Jewish mathematician, historian, astronomer, astrologer, and is best known for the works Tzemach David and Nechmad ve'naim.- Early life :...
in his ẒemaḦ David call him) replied, "Cut off my head and I shall yet live." David Gans, Gedaliah ibn Yahya (in his Shalshelet ha-Ḳabbalah), who calls him David Almusar, and R. Joseph ben Isaac Sambari (see A. Neubauer, Mediæval Jew. Chron. i. 123) closely follow Benjamin of Tudela's version. The name Menahem ibn Alruhi ("the inspired one"), and the concluding episode of the impostors of Baghdad, are derived from the contemporaneous chronicle of the apostate, Samuel ibn Abbas (see Wiener's Emek ha-Baka, pp. 168). The name Menahem (i.e., the comforter) was a common Messianic appellation. The name Alroy is probably identical with Alruhi (see Wiener, l.c.; Grätz, Gesch. d. Juden, pp. 269 et seq., 426; Basnage, Histoire des Juifs, vii. 9).
Disraeli novel
British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli wrote the 1833 novel Alroy based on David Alroy and his revolt.The title of the novel is The Wondrous Tale of Alroy.