Sergei Nilus
Encyclopedia
Sergei Aleksandrovich Nilus ( also Sergiei, Sergyei, Sergius, Serge; ; August 25, 1862 in Moscow
- January 14, 1929 ) was a Russian religious writer and self-described mystic
.
He was responsible for publishing for the first time "in full" The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
in Russia
in 1905. It appeared as the final chapter of his book Velikoe v malom i antikhrist, kak blizkaja politicheskaja vozmozhnost. Zapiski pravoslavnogo (The Great within the Small and Antichrist, an Imminent Political Possibility. Notes of an Orthodox Believer), about the coming of the Antichrist
. An allegedly abridged version had been published in 1903 in the newspaper Znamya
.
The son of Alexander Petrovich Nilus, from a family of Swiss immigrants, Nilus was a landowner in the government of Orel
. He studied law
and graduated from the University of Moscow, and was a magistrate in Transcaucasia. He later moved to Biarritz
, living there with a mistress named Natalya Komarovskaya until his estates went bankrupt and he broke off their relationship. Though he was raised in the Russian Orthodox faith, Nilus did not seem to care much about religion until an accident with his horse caused him to recall an unfulfilled childhood vow to visit the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
. Later he met St. John of Kronstadt
, whom he credited with healing a throat infection and turning him fully back to his native faith.
In 1901 or 1902, Nilus published his book Velikoe v malom i antikhrist, kak blizkaja politicheskaja vozmozhnost. Zapiski pravoslavnogo (The Great within the Small and Antichrist, an Imminent Political Possibility. Notes of an Orthodox Believer). The text of the Protocols appeared as Chapter Twelve of the 1905 edition of this book. A secret investigation ordered by the newly-appointed chairman of the Council of Ministers Pyotr Stolypin
soon determined that the Protocols had first appeared in Paris in antisemitic circles around 1897–1898.
In 1906 Nilus married Yelena Alexandrovna Ozerova, who had served as a lady-in-waiting to Alexandra Feodorovna, last empress of Russia. In 1907, Nilus moved to Optina Monastery
, where he lived until 1912. During this time he published several books on spiritual topics, including his most famous work (other than Velikoe v malom): On the Bank of God's River, a portrait of his years at Optina and of the many Orthodox Starets
living there. During this timeframe, Nilus was given the papers of Nikolay Motovilov
, a Russian landowner and Fool for Christ who was a disciple of St. Seraphim of Sarov
. Nilus published one of these manuscripts as "A Wonderful Revelation to the World: the Conversation of St. Seraphim with Nicholas Alexandrovich Motovilov on the acquisition of the Holy Spirit." This manuscript would become one of the most oft-read Orthodox texts of modern times. In 1912 a report was received by the Holy Synod
that Nilus was living at the monastery with his wife (though the Niluses were not actually living within the monastery, but rather as guests in a small house nearby), and Nilus was ordered by the Synod to leave Optina.
Nilus circulated several editions of the Protocols in Russia as part of an antisemitic campaign. Though the early prints were in Russian, the Protocols were quickly spread to the rest of Europe
by Russian expatriates after the 1917 revolution. Some of them claimed that they provided proof that the Jews were behind the Russian Revolution
. By the time Nilus died, Europe had been saturated by millions of copies of the Protocols.
Under the new Soviet government, Sergei Nilus was arrested and briefly imprisoned in 1924, 1925 and 1927. He died on January 14, 1929, after a heart attack.
In the USSR, possession of Nilus' books was punished by up to 10 years of imprisonment, as "running anti-Soviet propaganda by keeping anti-Soviet literature".
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- January 14, 1929 ) was a Russian religious writer and self-described mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
.
He was responsible for publishing for the first time "in full" The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fraudulent, antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for achieving global domination. It was first published in Russia in 1903, translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the twentieth century...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1905. It appeared as the final chapter of his book Velikoe v malom i antikhrist, kak blizkaja politicheskaja vozmozhnost. Zapiski pravoslavnogo (The Great within the Small and Antichrist, an Imminent Political Possibility. Notes of an Orthodox Believer), about the coming of the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
. An allegedly abridged version had been published in 1903 in the newspaper Znamya
Znamya (newspaper)
Russkoye Znamya — a newspaper, organ of the Union of the Russian People established in Petersburg by Alexander Dubrovin on , notoriously known for its antisemitic bias.Discontinued on by the order of Petrograd Soviet.-History:...
.
Life
Oryol
Oryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
. He studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and graduated from the University of Moscow, and was a magistrate in Transcaucasia. He later moved to Biarritz
Biarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
, living there with a mistress named Natalya Komarovskaya until his estates went bankrupt and he broke off their relationship. Though he was raised in the Russian Orthodox faith, Nilus did not seem to care much about religion until an accident with his horse caused him to recall an unfulfilled childhood vow to visit the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad, about 70 km to the north-east from Moscow by the road leading to Yaroslavl, and currently is home to...
. Later he met St. John of Kronstadt
John of Kronstadt
Saint John of Kronstadt was a Russian Orthodox archpriest and member of the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was a striking and somewhat unconventional figure in his personality but was deeply pious and immensely energetic...
, whom he credited with healing a throat infection and turning him fully back to his native faith.
In 1901 or 1902, Nilus published his book Velikoe v malom i antikhrist, kak blizkaja politicheskaja vozmozhnost. Zapiski pravoslavnogo (The Great within the Small and Antichrist, an Imminent Political Possibility. Notes of an Orthodox Believer). The text of the Protocols appeared as Chapter Twelve of the 1905 edition of this book. A secret investigation ordered by the newly-appointed chairman of the Council of Ministers Pyotr Stolypin
Pyotr Stolypin
Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin served as the leader of the 3rd DUMA—from 1906 to 1911. His tenure was marked by efforts to repress revolutionary groups, as well as for the institution of noteworthy agrarian reforms. Stolypin hoped, through his reforms, to stem peasant unrest by creating a class of...
soon determined that the Protocols had first appeared in Paris in antisemitic circles around 1897–1898.
In 1906 Nilus married Yelena Alexandrovna Ozerova, who had served as a lady-in-waiting to Alexandra Feodorovna, last empress of Russia. In 1907, Nilus moved to Optina Monastery
Optina Monastery
The Optina Hermitage is an Eastern Orthodox monastery for men near Kozelsk in Russia. In the 19th century, the Optina was the most important spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and served as the model for several other monasteries, including the nearby Shamordino Convent...
, where he lived until 1912. During this time he published several books on spiritual topics, including his most famous work (other than Velikoe v malom): On the Bank of God's River, a portrait of his years at Optina and of the many Orthodox Starets
Starets
A starets is an elder of a Russian Orthodox monastery who functions as venerated adviser and teacher. Elders or spiritual fathers are charismatic spiritual leaders whose wisdom stems from God as obtained from ascetic experience...
living there. During this timeframe, Nilus was given the papers of Nikolay Motovilov
Nikolay Motovilov
Nikolay Alexandrovich Motovilov was a Russian landowner, Justice of the Peace, businessman and Fool for Christ. He is primarily known as the first biographer of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. In Russian Orthodox tradition he is often referred as the Servant to Seraphim and the Theotokos.Motovilov was...
, a Russian landowner and Fool for Christ who was a disciple of St. Seraphim of Sarov
Seraphim of Sarov
Saint Seraphim of Sarov , born Prokhor Moshnin , is one of the most renowned Russian monks and mystics in the Orthodox Church. He is generally considered the greatest of the 19th century startsy and, arguably, the first...
. Nilus published one of these manuscripts as "A Wonderful Revelation to the World: the Conversation of St. Seraphim with Nicholas Alexandrovich Motovilov on the acquisition of the Holy Spirit." This manuscript would become one of the most oft-read Orthodox texts of modern times. In 1912 a report was received by the Holy Synod
Holy Synod
In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod...
that Nilus was living at the monastery with his wife (though the Niluses were not actually living within the monastery, but rather as guests in a small house nearby), and Nilus was ordered by the Synod to leave Optina.
Nilus circulated several editions of the Protocols in Russia as part of an antisemitic campaign. Though the early prints were in Russian, the Protocols were quickly spread to the rest of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by Russian expatriates after the 1917 revolution. Some of them claimed that they provided proof that the Jews were behind the Russian Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. By the time Nilus died, Europe had been saturated by millions of copies of the Protocols.
Under the new Soviet government, Sergei Nilus was arrested and briefly imprisoned in 1924, 1925 and 1927. He died on January 14, 1929, after a heart attack.
In the USSR, possession of Nilus' books was punished by up to 10 years of imprisonment, as "running anti-Soviet propaganda by keeping anti-Soviet literature".
Works
- Velikoe v malom i antikhrist, kak blizkaia politicheskaia vozmozhnost. Zapiski pravoslavnago. [Russian title romanized] (The Great within the Small and Antichrist, an Imminent Political Possibility. Notes of an Orthodox Believer) (TSarskoe Selo, Tip. TSarskoselskago Komiteta Krasnago Kresta, 1905) [imprint], 2. izd. ispr. i dop. [edition], 417 pp., including at Ch. XII:
- Protocoly sobran??ii S?ionskikh mudretsov: str. [title romanized] Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion [title transliterated into English]
-
-
- CATNYP
- Na beregu Bozhiei reki (On the Bank Of God's River)
- CATNYP
-
- Reprinted by Orthodox Christian Books and Icons, San Francisco, Calif., 1969
- Holiness Under a Bushel
- The Power of God and the Weakness of Man
- The Optina Elder Theodosius
- The Wheat and the Tares, Published 1908 by Holy Trinity-St. Sergeius Lavra
External links
- Alexandre du ChaylaAlexandre du ChaylaCount Armand Alexandre de Blanquet du Chayla was a French nobleman who converted to Russian Orthodoxy. He is chiefly remembered for giving crucial evidence and/or testimony for the prosecution at the Berne Trial in 1935 against the notorious Protocols of Zion.-References:* Norman Cohn*Berne...
Nilus and the Protocols - History of the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion
- Favorable biography of Nilus
- Michael HagemeisterMichael HagemeisterMichael Hagemeister is a contemporary German scholar, historian and slavist, and one of the world's foremost authorities on the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and on Sergei Nilus, who first published "The Protocols" in book form in 1905.Hagemeister was employed at the universities of...
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: Between History and Fiction. - Michael HagemeisterMichael HagemeisterMichael Hagemeister is a contemporary German scholar, historian and slavist, and one of the world's foremost authorities on the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and on Sergei Nilus, who first published "The Protocols" in book form in 1905.Hagemeister was employed at the universities of...
see pdf.link on his website: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion the Myth of a Jewish Conspiracy in Post-Soviet Russia - Michael Hagemeister In Search of Testimony about the Origins of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion: A Handwritten Edition that Disappeared from the Lenin Library (in Russian)