Procopius Lupkin and Ivan Suslov: Saints, Blasphemers, False Christs, Anti-Christs?

Abstract

This article deals with the Russian mystical religious group of the Christ-Faith (Khristovery, or Khlysty). It draws upon documents of the eighteenth century referring to Christ-Faith believers in Moscow. According to these texts, in the middle of the eighteenth century, there was no special terminology to describe or classify Christ-Faith believers, and the Synodal officials would call them “superstitious believers,” “schismatics,” or “antichrists.”