So there he was, a barely literate peasant, reading the Russian Bible and filling himself with religious fervour. Suddenly, his eyes rolled up to heaven, Divine Grace entered his body, men around him fell to their knees in adoration, and he persuaded them to chop off their testicles.
Shortly thereafter, a sect known as the Skoptsy (скопцы) began to be known across Russia, dividing public opinion: were they maniac fundamentalists, or were they uniquely touched by the Almighty's favour? The sect preached that the only way to overcome the Original Sin was to divest oneself of one's sexual organs - testicles for men, breasts for women. The horrific penance was taken by many as a sign of rapture, and the sect gained many adherents.
And so we have our latest reason to read our texts carefully. Where the Russian Bible said Christ the Redeemer, Христос Искупитель, the manic serf had read Христос Oскупитель, Christ the Castrator.
And there you have it - another bloody example of an 'iota' of difference.
Shortly thereafter, a sect known as the Skoptsy (скопцы) began to be known across Russia, dividing public opinion: were they maniac fundamentalists, or were they uniquely touched by the Almighty's favour? The sect preached that the only way to overcome the Original Sin was to divest oneself of one's sexual organs - testicles for men, breasts for women. The horrific penance was taken by many as a sign of rapture, and the sect gained many adherents.
And so we have our latest reason to read our texts carefully. Where the Russian Bible said Christ the Redeemer, Христос Искупитель, the manic serf had read Христос Oскупитель, Christ the Castrator.
And there you have it - another bloody example of an 'iota' of difference.
1 comments:
Fascinating series, isn't it? I missed the first episode, but caught the second and have been hooked since. Even though the guy does tend to dramatise everything too much.
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