Creator Bio
Abraham Michael Cardoso
1626–1706
Born in Spain to a New Christian family, Abraham Cardoso moved to Italy with his older brother Isaac in 1648. There they both openly embraced Judaism. Abraham studied Jewish theology and kabbalah and practiced medicine. Later, he traveled extensively, living in, among other places, Livorno (Leghorn), Cairo, and Tripoli. He became a follower of the messianic claimant Shabbetai Tzvi. After the latter’s conversion to Islam in 1666 and death in 1676, Abraham developed some of the theoretical underpinnings for continued Jewish Sabbateanism. On this issue, he split with his brother Isaac, who remained faithful to rabbinic Judaism.
Entries in the Posen Library by This Creator
Primary Source
Ani ha-mekhuneh (I Am the Man They Call)
I am the man they call, at times, mem-bet-aleph, which are the [Hebrew] initials of Michael ben Abraham. At other times I am called aleph-mem-koph: Abraham Michael Cardozo. I am of the Marranos of…
Primary Source
Letter about the Coming of the Messiah
I received your letter, and since you believed that I sent to you concerning matters of our Messiah of Truth, I shall fulfill the wishes of your heart and your feelings of deficiency, and I shall tell…
Primary Source
Derush boker de-Avraham (Sermon: Morning of Abraham)
I propose to set forth the faith of our ancestors—our prophets, our sages—forgotten by us these thousand years, because of the long duration of our exile. This faith was known to the Tannaim and most…
Primary Source
Letter about the Validity of the Messiah
After greeting, I accepted the letters, but we do not have the time to copy the expositions, as you wanted. Due to the fact that the late, wise, and pious Judah Ashkenazi, when he came to Jerusalem…