Born in Spain into a crypto-Jewish family, he went to Venice, Italy, in 1648, working there as a physician. He was assailed by religious doubts and in 1659 left for Cairo, Egypt, where he spent five years studying Lurianic Kabbala. He settled in Tripoli in 1664 and remained there for ten years. While in Tripoli he began to have revelations through visions and dreams. He was respected there as a religious leader.
When news arrived of the appearance of Shabbetai Zvi, he became an enthusiastic follower of the pseudo-messiah and wrote extensively in favor of his claims, including his book Boker Avraham that he completed in Tripoli. Banned from Tripoli in 1673, he moved to Tunis, but was also banned there the following year and moved to Leghorn, Italy, and then to Smyrna (modern Izmir, in Turkey).
In Smyrna he was in the center of Sabbatean circles. Cardozo began to see himself as the Messiah son of Joseph and was expelled from Smyrna in 1681. Subsequently he lived in Gallipoli, Constantinople (1686-96), Rodosto, Crete, and finally Alexandria, Egypt, where he was killed by a nephew in a family quarrel. The originality of his writings won him followers - and opponents - in many countries.

Bibliography:

CARDOZO Abraham Miguel. Selected writings / translated and introduced by David J. Halperin. preface by Elliot R. Wolfson. Pp. xxxi, 411. New York: Paulist Press, c2001.