Barukh of Arezzo

Barukh ben Gershon of Arezzo was a fervent follower of Shabbetai Tzvi. His family came from the town of Arezzo in Tuscany, and Barukh’s Hebrew is sprinkled with Italian words. He wrote an account of the life of Shabbetai Tzvi, from his birth to his so-called concealment, which was intended to convince others to join the Sabbatean movement. This is the earliest surviving biography of Shabbetai Tzvi. It seems that Barukh began writing shortly after Shabbetai Tzvi’s death in 1677, and at first he was confident that Shabbetai Tzvi would soon return from his “concealment.” Barukh was still writing in 1680 when Nathan of Gaza died. The end of the book is much more somber, as the author came to understand that his hopes would not be realized.