Eve Frank
Encyclopedia
Eve Frank or Eva Frank born in Nikopol
, Ottoman Empire
(now Bulgaria) under the name Rebecca or Rachel, was the daughter of Jacob Frank
, the claimant to the position of Jewish Messiah in the 18th century, and his wife Hannah Kohen.
of her family to Catholicism. For much of her life, she accompanied her father during his travels and after the death of her mother in 1770, the then 16-year-old Eve was declared to be the incarnation of the Shekinah, the female aspect of God, as well as the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary and thus became the object of a devotional subcult herself in Częstochowa
, with some followers keeping small statues of her in their homes. According to historian Jerry Rabow, she was the only woman to have been declared a Jewish messiah
.
Jacob spread the rumor that Eve, who was often called "Eva Romanovna" at that point, was an illegitimate child of Catherine II of Russia
. Father and daughter repeatedly traveled to Vienna, and succeeded in gaining the favor of the court. It is even said that Joseph II of Austria was favorably inclined to the young Eve Frank.
In 1800, the Franks sent "red letters" (in red ink) to hundreds of Jewish communities encouraging conversion to Frankist Christianity
. However, the Frank siblings had neither the stature nor the strength of personality required to keep the cult going and as time went on, the number of pilgrims and supply of money diminished drastically, all the while Eve had continued to live in her accustomed luxury.
In November 1813, after the battle of Leipzig
, Tsar Alexander I, then emperor of Russia, rode from Frankfurt to Offenbach to visit Eve.
in 1817), and died in poverty in 1816, though she was rumored to have escaped abroad after an arrest order from the Duke of Hesse. Nonetheless, her followers continued to exist well into the middle of 19th century; among these were the parents of Louis Brandeis
, the US Supreme Court Justice.
Nikopol, Bulgaria
Nikopol is a town in northern Bulgaria, the administrative center of Nikopol municipality, part of Pleven Province, on the right bank of the Danube river, 4 km downstream from the mouth of the Osam river. It spreads at the foot of steep chalk cliffs along the Danube and up a narrow valley...
, Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(now Bulgaria) under the name Rebecca or Rachel, was the daughter of Jacob Frank
Jacob Frank
Jacob Frank was an 18th century Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of the self-proclaimed messiah Sabbatai Zevi and also of the biblical patriarch Jacob...
, the claimant to the position of Jewish Messiah in the 18th century, and his wife Hannah Kohen.
Beginnings
Eve Frank received the name of Eve in 1760 upon the conversionBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
of her family to Catholicism. For much of her life, she accompanied her father during his travels and after the death of her mother in 1770, the then 16-year-old Eve was declared to be the incarnation of the Shekinah, the female aspect of God, as well as the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary and thus became the object of a devotional subcult herself in Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
, with some followers keeping small statues of her in their homes. According to historian Jerry Rabow, she was the only woman to have been declared a Jewish messiah
Jewish Messiah claimants
The Messiah in Judaism has a number of interpretations, including any king chosen by God; a holy king who will lead Israel; and someone who will usher in an idyllic age of peace and justice...
.
Jacob spread the rumor that Eve, who was often called "Eva Romanovna" at that point, was an illegitimate child of Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
. Father and daughter repeatedly traveled to Vienna, and succeeded in gaining the favor of the court. It is even said that Joseph II of Austria was favorably inclined to the young Eve Frank.
Later years
Upon the death of her father in 1791, Eve became the "holy mistress" and leader of the cult. Frank and her two younger brothers, Josef and Rochus, assumed responsibility for the direction of the court. Many people continued to go up to Offenbach am Main, to Gottes Haus, as the believers called it.In 1800, the Franks sent "red letters" (in red ink) to hundreds of Jewish communities encouraging conversion to Frankist Christianity
Frankism
Frankism was an 18th-century to 19th-century Jewish religious movement centered around the leadership of the Jewish Messiah claimant Jacob Frank, who lived from 1726 to 1791. At its height, it claimed perhaps 50,000 followers, primarily Jews living in Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe...
. However, the Frank siblings had neither the stature nor the strength of personality required to keep the cult going and as time went on, the number of pilgrims and supply of money diminished drastically, all the while Eve had continued to live in her accustomed luxury.
In November 1813, after the battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
, Tsar Alexander I, then emperor of Russia, rode from Frankfurt to Offenbach to visit Eve.
Death and controversy
She finally became heavily in debt (three million guldenBaden gulden
The Gulden was a currency of Baden from 1754 until 1873. Until 1821, the Gulden was a unit of account, worth 5/12 of a Conventionsthaler, used to denominate banknotes but not issued as a coin. It was subdivided into 50 Conventionskreuzer or 60 Kreuzer landmünze.In 1821, the first Gulden coins were...
in 1817), and died in poverty in 1816, though she was rumored to have escaped abroad after an arrest order from the Duke of Hesse. Nonetheless, her followers continued to exist well into the middle of 19th century; among these were the parents of Louis Brandeis
Louis Brandeis
Louis Dembitz Brandeis ; November 13, 1856 – October 5, 1941) was an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1916 to 1939.He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, to Jewish immigrant parents who raised him in a secular mode...
, the US Supreme Court Justice.