Ani ha-mekhuneh (I Am the Man They Call)

Abraham Michael Cardoso

ca. 1668

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 Spain. I was born in the town of Rio Seco, which means “dry river.”

Our blessed God, in His grace, gifted me with knowledge and a formidable memory. In…

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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.

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