Geniza Lab

Letter that purports to be from the followers of the King Joseph b. Solomon, near Ancona (Italy), addressed to a certain Avraham. In Hebrew. King Joseph has crossed the Sambatyon river and amassed a mighty army of all the tribes of Israel. The tribes have drawn lots to determine who will march on whom. One part is "camped in the desert" a 4-day march from Rome, and they will soon attack it and conquer it. A second part will conquer Mecca and Jeddda, a third part will gather the dispersed Israelites from the West, while the fourth part will gather the Israelites from 'beyond Eden' (though Mann understands this as Aden) and come back with Elijah the Prophet. This letter is likely related to the messianic activities of David Reuveni in Italy in the years following 1524 CE. See Miriam Eliav-Feldon, "Invented Identities: Credulity in the Age of Prophecy and Exploration," JEMH 3,3 (1999), p. 209f.