The Sabbati Sevi Parallel

People often argue against Christianity by paralleling Jesus with other historical figures or early Christianity with other historical movements. The significance of the parallel depends on what the person drawing the parallel is attempting to prove. Often, vague parallels are made without much of an explanation of what the parallels are supposed to demonstrate. Or the point being made is so undisputed as to be of little significance. Most likely, many of the skeptics who use these arguments haven't given them much thought. By beginning with vague parallels, they can suggest major implications, but only defend minor implications if challenged. They can adjust their argument to criticisms along the way, then act as if some conclusion of minor significance that results from the discussion is what they intended all along.

One of the most often cited parallels is Sabbati Sevi or the movement surrounding him. As with other parallels, the significance of the Sevi parallel depends on what argument accompanies it. Different people use it in different contexts, but there are major differences between the early Sevi movement and early Christianity. Gary Habermas discusses some of the differences here. J.P. Holding addresses the subject here. I've discussed it several times, such as here and here. In their recent book, The Jesus Legend (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007), Paul Rhodes Eddy and Gregory Boyd address Sevi and his early followers. They don't make all of the points I would make, but here are some of the points they make in the context they're addressing:

First, and most tellingly, it appears that the teachings and actions of Svi (and his prophet, Nathan of Gaza) were significantly influenced by elements of the Jesus tradition itself. In the most exhaustive contemporary study of Svi, Gershom Scholem notes the following aspects that seem to reflect the influence of the Christian tradition: the revealing of a "new law," characteristic exegesis and vocabulary, the choosing of twelve to represent a new Israel, and seeing the messiah as in some sense divine. In fact Scholem concludes that Svi "may even have meditated on the possibility of a mysterious connection between Jesus and himself."...

Second, Svi's life was characterized by chronic depression, hypochondria, and mental illness - so much so that, as Scholem notes, he was "known as a sick man" who exhibited "strange behavior" during his manic phases. Among other episodes, he once purchased a large fish, dressed it up as a baby, and kept it in a cradle. Scholem points out that, quite unlike Jesus, Svi was unable to attract a permanent circle of followers, "obviously because of his psychopathological traits."

Third, the miracle tradition associated with Svi is unimpressive. While certain miracle stories were attached to him, his own prophet claimed that Svi was a messiah by whom God would test Israel to see whether they would "believe without any sign or miracle." When Svi himself was interrogated by a sultan's physician as to whether he could do miracles, he denied any such ability. Sometime after Svi's death, rumors began to circulate that he had been delivered from death and taken to heaven. Unlike the Jesus tradition, there are no reports of anyone actually having seen Svi after his death, and the reports that are available appear to be shrouded in myth (i.e., a dragon supposedly guarded the way to his tomb).

Fourth, when Svi was arrested by the sultan and offered the choice of either being martyred or converting to the Muslim faith, he chose to save his own life, renounce his Judaism, and convert to Islam. The contrast of Jesus's willingness to go to the cross for his convictions is instructive.

Finally, though Svi was widely regarded as the Messiah, he was never worshipped as divine. By contrast, from early on Jesus was worshipped alongside Yahweh, and this by people who were raised in a strictly monotheistic environment that strongly opposed any blurring of the lines between the Creator God and humans, as we saw in the previous chapter....

Robert Price has suggested that the religious phenomenon associated with Svi demonstrates that legends about miracle working messiahs can arise "virtually overnight," thus providing a plausible explanatory parallel to the Jesus legend; Incredible Shrinking Son of Man, 29. Price's analogy, however, misses the really serious differences. Given the surrounding Christian context, the Svi movement had the Jesus model to draw from - a messiah figure who did miracles, was viewed as divine, etc. Such a model could catalyze a similar interpretation of Svi almost overnight. As we have noted in chap. 2, however, the first generation Jewish Christians had no such culturally available and attractive messianic model waiting for them - and yet they settled upon just such a one shortly after Jesus's death. This is the type of rapid development that requires an explanation. (pp. 154-155 and n. 68 on p. 155)