Podcast Episodes Themed "Sabbatai Tzvi"

Episode 223: Early Islamic ‘Mahdism’: Radical Politics, Apocalyptic, and the Esoteric

We explore the origins of an enduring idea in Islām: the idea of the mahdī, the righteous leader who will return to bring justice and purify the religion near the end of time. The origins, it turns out, are esoteric, and so are many aspects of the various mahdīs who have arisen throughout history.

Episode 210: Jewish Apocalypse in the Seventh Century: Martha Himmelfarb on the Sefer Zerubbabel

In this interview we explore a crucial document of seventh-century Judaism: the Sefer Zerubbabel, an apocalyptic ‘future history’ allegedly written in the past. The Temple will descend, the evil Armilus (son of Satan and a statue) will wreak havok, and two messiahs will arise to redeem Israel.