To understand a lot of this stuff, one really needs to know something about
Sabbatai Tzvi and about
Jacob Frank. Ben-Nun has done quite a nice run-down of these topics just recently:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwPg4fq94v8Just FWIW, I sort of first ran across some of this stuff when I researched Grigori Rasputin and his '
redemption through sin' philosophies. Nothing really tied him directly to the Jewish Messiahs Tzvi or Frank, but the fundamental belief systems and characteristics of his practices were certainly a good match.