FRANK, frank, Jacob (properly Lebo wicz), Jewish pseudo-Messiah: b. Galicia, 1720; d. 10 Dec. 1791. The name Frank was obtained during travel in the east from the Turks, who employed the word as a generic term for an European. Originally a distiller, he settled, after his easternjourney, in Podolia, where he professed himself a second Messiah, basing his teachings, in opposition to the Tal mud, on the Sohar, the source of the Cabbala. An outcome of the Messianic mysticism of Sab betai Zebi, in the middle of the 18th century, he started the movement, in behalf of spiritual freedom, so he claimed, but the moral laxity which followed alarmed the rabbinical authori ties, who were unable to suppress the agitation. He was imprisoned by the Poles for a number of years, but was set free by the Russians after their invasion of Poland. He then re moved to Offenbach, a small city near Frank fort-on-Main, where he lived regally on the gifts of adherents and finally became a Roman Catholic. His death by apoplexy broke down
popular belief in his immortality, but for a number of years his daughter succeeded in continuing the existence of the Frankist be liefs. The sect of Frankists persisted for some time in Poland, Turkey and Moldavia, its tenets being a Judaized form of the Roman Catholic faith. Consult Gratz, H., 'Frank and die Frankisten' (Breslau 1868) ; id., 'History of the Jews' (Vol. V, Philadelphia 1895) ; Kraushaar, A., 'Frank i Frankisci Polsky' (2 vols., Cracow 1895) ; Morfill, W. R., 'Frank and the Polish Frankists) (in Academy, Vol. XLIX, p. 73, London 1895) ; Przyborowski, W., 'Historya Franka i Frankistow' (Cracow 1893).