Christianity in Russia evokes images of brightly coloured onion domes
rising above Red Square, golden icons shimmering in the candle light,
and bearded priests in black solemnly singing the mass. These are images
of Russian Orthodoxy, the predominant religion in today's Russian
Federation. However, beneath the glittering surface of church ritual lie
some hidden histories, virtually unknown in the western world. These
stories belong to Russia's heretics, people who sought to forge their
own faiths and often met with persecution as a result. The tales tell of
burnings and exiles, accommodation and resistance, sex and chastity,
riches and poverty.
No brief description can do justice to the tremendous variety of
heresies in Holy Mother Russia. There were the Old Believers, who burnt
themselves alive rather than submit to the soldiers of the Tsar; the
flagellants, who whipped themselves into a frenzy of spiritual ecstasy;
the castrates, whose grizzly practices were intended to save themselves
from all sexual sin; the Pashkovites, rich aristocrats seeking spiritual
redemption from an eccentric English baron; and the Tolstoyans,
adherents to the famous novelist Leo Tolstoy's own personal cult. These
are but a few examples of the most notorious alternative Christianities
in the empire of the tsars.
In this lecture, Dr James White will introduce the histories of these
heresies in the Russian Empire. The talk will touch upon their origins,
their beliefs and practices, their interactions with the state and
official church, and the experiences of everyday believers. In other
words, it will show how these alternative traditions of Christianity are
important for Russia's past, present, and future.
This talk will last for 50 minutes. A voluntary donation of £2 is
suggested to help cover the room hire and the running costs of the
Birmingham History Network's meetup page.
Location: St Luke's Church Centre, Great Colmore Street, Lee Bank, Birmingham, B15 2AT.
Date and time: Saturday 17th October 2015, 1500.
Organiser: James White.
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