Nathan of Gaza

Nathan Benjamin ben Elisha HaLevi Ghazzati or Nathan of Gaza (Hebrew: נתן העזתי‎‎‎; 1643–1680) was a theologian and author born in Jerusalem. After his marriage in 1663 he moved to Gaza, where he became famous as a prophet for the alleged messiah, Sabbatai Zevi.

Although he is referred to by names such as Abraham Nathan ben Elisha Hayyim Ashkenazi or Rabbi Nathan Ashkenazi of Gaza, he is more commonly known as Nathan of Gaza. After studying Talmud and Kabbalah in his native town under Jacob Hagiz, he settled at Gaza, whence his name "Ghazzati". The fact of his father being a German Jew gave him the name of "Ashkenazi". As brilliant as he was as a kabbalistic theologian and as a student, Nathan of Gaza was also endowed with other remarkable characteristics that ultimately helped to promote the messianic claims surrounding Shabbetai Zevi. He was known, for example, for his prophetic visions as well as for his ideological and radical views, all of which helped to shape the eventual mystical movement around Shabbethai Zevi. His visionary capabilities in particular not only constructed the foundations for Sabbateanism, but they also aided him in discovering the group’s historical figure, Shabbetai Zevi.

Nathan of Gaza was born in Jerusalem around 1643-1644; he died on Friday, January 11, 1680 in Macedonia. Although he grew up in Jerusalem, his parents were not born in Ottoman Syria. On the contrary, they had immigrated from Poland or Germany. His father, Elisha Hayyim ben Jacob, was a distinguished rabbinic intellectual who served as an envoy of Jerusalem collecting donations for impoverished Jews. During his travels, he would distribute kabbalistic works, which he had obtained in Jerusalem. Upon settling in Ottoman Palestine, Elisha Hayyim ben Jacob took on the surname "Ashkenazi" as a means of differentiating his family and himself from the largely Sephardic inhabitants of the Ottoman province. He died in Morocco in 1673.

Prior to his father’s death, Nathan of Gaza began studying under Jacob Hagiz. The relationship between these two religious devotees would continue for many years. In fact, Nathan of Gaza would spend a majority of his life – up until about 1664 – with his teacher at a rabbinic college. During this academic period, documents were written that described his interest in and persistence towards academic work. It is said that he was “…an extremely gifted student, of quick apprehension and a brilliant intellect. His talents…[were] noteworthy for their rare combination of intellectual power and capacity for profound thinking with imagination and strong emotional sensitivity…” In and of itself, Nathan of Gaza was an extremely gifted pupil. His intellectual brilliance and his intense focus on his studies, however, did not limit or prevent him – as occurs with most intensely devoted religious individuals –from experiencing many of the Jewish rites of passage. In fact, at the age of nineteen or twenty, he married the daughter of an affluent Jew named Samuel Lissabona. The nuptials were believed to have taken place before the end of the year 1663, when he joined his wife’s family in Gaza. There, he was able to focus considerably on his religious studies.

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