Chapter 20 “David Was Secretly a Woman”
King David as a Messianic Topos in the Teaching of Jacob Frank
In: The Character of David in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Author:
Jan Doktór
Jan Doktór
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Abstract
The article explores the reception of King David and the shaping of his image in the teaching of Jacob Frank (1726–1791). It investigates the reason why David caught Frank’s attention, despite his having abandoned the traditional messianic idea of the restoration of the kingdom of David in the Holy Land. It also demonstrates that Frank viewed David as “secretly a woman” (an incarnation of the Shekhinah) and delves into the question of how this Davidic femininity should be understood. Finally, it deals with Frank’s idea that the arrival of the messianic era will put an end to gender segregation.