Asher Lämmlein

Asher Lämmlein[1] was a Jew who appeared in Istria, near Venice, in 1502 and, encouraged by the works of Isaac Abrabanel,[2] proclaimed himself a forerunner of the Jewish Messiah.[3] His place of birth is unknown, but his nicknames Ashkenazi and Reutlingen indicate that he or his family originally came from Germany.[4] Notably, Lämmlein was mentioned by James Joyce in Ulysses.[5]

Lämmlein declared that if the Jews showed great repentance and charity, the Messiah would not fail to appear in six months.[3] He gained a troop of adherents who spread his prophesies though Italy and Germany, and his message met with such acceptance that the year became known as the "year of penance."[3] Existing institutions were willfully destroyed in the belief of coming redemption and a return to Jerusalem.[3] However, Lämmlein died or suddenly disappeared and the extravagant hopes of his followers came to an end.[3]

Salo W. Baron suggests that disillusionment over the failed prophesies Lämmlein helped lead to the conversion of a few Jewish intellectuals to the Christian faith, including Victor von Carben and Johannes Pfefferkorn.[6]