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Castration and the Heavenly Kingdom - A Russian Folktale (Paperback, New edition)
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Castration and the Heavenly Kingdom - A Russian Folktale (Paperback, New edition)
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Of the many sects that broke from the official Russian Orthodox
church in the eighteenth century, one was universally despised. Its
members were peasants from the Russian heartland skilled in the
arts of animal husbandry who turned their knives on themselves to
become "eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake." Convinced that
salvation came only with the literal excision of the instruments of
sin, they were known as Skoptsy (the self-castrated). Their
community thrived well into the twentieth century, when it was
destroyed in the Stalinist Terror.In a major feat of historical
reconstruction, Laura Engelstein tells the sect's astonishing tale.
She describes the horrified reactions to the sect by outsiders,
including outraged bureaucrats, physicians, and theologians. More
important, she allows the Skoptsy a say in defining the contours of
their history and the meaning behind their sacrifice. Her deft
handling of their letters and notebooks lends her book unusual
depth and pathos, and she provides a heartbreaking account of
willing exile and of religious belief so strong that its adherents
accepted terrible pain and the denial of a basic human experience.
Although the Skoptsy express joy at their salvation, the words of
even the most fervent believers reveal the psychological suffering
of life on society's margins.No foreign tribe or exotic import, the
sect drew its members from the larger peasant society where
marriage was expected and adulthood began with the wedding night.
Set apart by the very act that guaranteed their redemption, these
"lambs of God" became adept at concealing their sectarian identity
as they interacted with their Orthodox neighbors. Interaction was
necessary, Engelstein explains, since the survival of the Skoptsy
depended upon recruitment of new members and on success in
agriculture and trade.Realizing that some prejudices have changed
little over the centuries, Engelstein cautions that "we must not
cast the shadow of our own distress on the story of the Skoptsy.
Their physical suffering was something they willingly embraced." In
Castration and the Heavenly Kingdom, she has produced a remarkable
history that also illuminates the mysteries of the human heart.
General
Imprint: |
Cornell University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
November 2003 |
First published: |
2003 |
Authors: |
Laura Engelstein
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Dimensions: |
222 x 143 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
304 |
Edition: |
New edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8014-8879-5 |
Categories: |
Books
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LSN: |
0-8014-8879-6 |
Barcode: |
9780801488795 |
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