The Russians' Secret - Book Review (Part 6 of 6)

Leo Tolstoy - More to the Story

 

The Russians' Secret (hereafter TRS) spends a great deal of time on the Tolstoyan movement, based on the anarchist and extreme pacifist views of the novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910). The authors note that Tolstoy was a harsh critic of the Russian Church, leading to his excommunication in 1901. But other important details were left out of TRS. 

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

In the late 1870's, after completing the two novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy underwent a profound spiritual crisis and emerged as a Christian anarchist, committed to nonviolent resistance as he interpreted the Sermon on the Mount, but denying Christ's resurrection and divinity. In 1881, Tolstoy produced his own translation of the Gospels wherein he, like the American Thomas Jefferson, eliminated Christ's miracles. For good reason St. John of Kronstadt (1829-1909) denounced Leo Tolstoy as “the worst heretic of our evil days, and surpassing in intellectual pride all former heretics” (“Count Tolstoi Denounced,” The New York Times, April 5, 1903).  In 1901, Tolstoy was excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church (“Decree of Excommunication of Leo Tolstoy,” Russian Orthodox Church, February 22, 1901).

The Russians' Secret - Book Review (Part 5 of 6)

There is much to clarify and add when reading The Russians' Secret (hereafter TRS) narrative about Russian nonconformist religious sects. Hopefully a more complete historical overview which enumerates the heresies, incompatibilities, and divisions among Russian nonconformist groups will help TRS readers to abandon both their affinity for Russian nonconformity and aversion for Russian Orthodoxy inherited from the book by Hoover and Petrov. 

Khlysty and the Skoptsy

Both the Khlysty and the Skoptsy were among the nonconformist “People of God” religious sect in Russia. The Khlysts or Khlysty (in Russian literally “whips”) were an underground “Spirit Christian” sect which emerged in Russia in the 17th century. TRS notes some of the strange history of the Khlysts. They believed in direct communication with the Holy Spirit and practiced the ritual of “rejoicing”, which was accompanied with dancing and charismatic manifestations like “speaking in tongues” or uttering unintelligible gibberish. The sect's founder, Danilo Filippov, “proclaimed himself God Sabaoth” (Bulshakoff, 83) or was said to have become a “living god” after the Lord of Hosts descended upon him. He delivered twelve commandments to his disciples, which forbade (among other things) sexual intercourse, drinking and swearing. Thus, the followers' replaced the wine of Holy Communion with water. Filippov's successor acquired a following of twelve apostles, along with a woman who was given the appellation of “Mother of God.” TRS authors note  that upon conversion believers allegedly received the “Spirit of Christ” or the spirit of a Saint such as  the “Spirit of Mary” or the Spirit of Peter, of John, of Timothy (p. 99). 

Ecstatic ritual of Khlysts