Signature of Solomon Molkho

Born Diogo Pires to converso parents in Portugal, Solomon Molkho was inspired by David Reuveni’s visit there to circumcise himself and take a Jewish name. He and Reuveni (an adventurer and messianic prophet who claimed royal descent) subsequently fled the country. Molkho studied kabbalah and preached, especially about the near arrival of the Messiah; he later came to see himself as the Messiah. In 1530, he met Reuveni again, and in 1532 the two traveled to Regensburg for an audience with the Holy Roman emperor, Charles V. Unimpressed, Charles had Molkho taken to Mantua and burned at the stake. Molkho’s influence continued after his death; his ephemera was kept, like relics, in the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague.