Diary of a Black Jewish Messiah is the first English-language book that is devoted to the career of David Reubeni, a Renaissance-period diplomat, trickster, and dreamer. Reubeni claimed to be the ambassador of a powerful Jewish kingdom located deep in Arabia. In an era of fierce rivalry between great powers, and voyages of fantastic discovery and brutal conquest of new lands, people throughout the Mediterranean saw the signs of an impending apocalypse. They imagined that allies in soon-to-be-discovered lands would join them in an epic war, with either a Christian or an Islamic decisive victory.

Reubeni entered this environment with a distinctively Jewish take on these events. With his army of desert warriors from lost Israelite tribes, he pledged to deliver the Jews to the Holy Land and restore their pride and autonomy. He shuttled between European rulers, seeking weapons in exchange for the support of his hitherto unknown but mighty Jewish kingdom. Many, however, believed him to favor the relatively tolerant Ottomans to the persecutorial Christian regimes. Although numerous Jews and conversos hailed Reubeni as the messiah, his plans were halted when the Holy Roman Emperor turned him over to the Inquisition and, in 1538, he was burned at the stake.

The author gratefully acknowledges URI’s Center for the Humanities for funding the creation of two historic maps that plot Reubeni’s travels through Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.