See also:

• SKOPTSI (Russian sko pets, a eunuch)

SKOPTSI (See also:

• RUSSIAN

Russian sko pets, a See also:

• EUNUCH (Gr. Evvoi3Xos)

eunuch)  , a See also:

• SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

secret religious See also:

• SECT

sect of See also:

• RUSSIA
• RUSSIA (Rossiya)

Russia . It is an offshoot of the sect known as the "See also:

• PEOPLE

People of See also:

• GOD

God " or Khlysti (see Russia: See also:

• RELIGION
• RELIGION, FOLKLORE, CUSTOM

Religion) . It was in 1771 in the See also:

• GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT (0. Fr. governement, mod. gouvernement, O. Fr. governer, mod. gouverner, from Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, guide, rule; cf. Gr. xv(3epvav)

government of See also:

• OREL
• OREL, OR ORLOV

Orel that the See also:

• SKOPTSI (Russian sko pets, a eunuch)

Skoptsi were first discovered by the authorities . A See also:

• PEASANT (O. Fr. paysant, Mod. paysan; Lat. pagensis, belonging to the pagus or country; cf. " pagan ")

peasant, Andrei Ivanov, was convicted of having persuaded thirteen other peasants to mutilate themselves . His assistant was another peasant, known as Selivanov . A legal investigation followed . Ivanov was knouted and sent to See also:

• SIBERIA

Siberia: Selivanov fled, but was arrested in 1775, Skoptsism, however, increased, and Selivanov escaped from Siberia and proclaimed himself the Son of God incarnate in the See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person of See also:

• PETER
• PETER (Lat. Petrus from Gr. irfpos, a rock, Ital. Pietro, Piero, Pier, Fr. Pierre, Span. Pedro, Ger. Peter, Russ. Petr)
• PETER (PEDRO)
• PETER, EPISTLES OF
• PETER, ST

Peter III . Peter had been popular among the Raskolniki (schismatics, or dissidents) because he granted them See also:

• LIBERTY (Lat. libertas, from liber, free)

liberty of See also:

• CONSCIENCE (Lat. con-scientia, literally " knowledge of a thing shared with another person " or " complete knowledge," and derivatively " consciousness in general)
• CONSCIENCE, HENDRIK (1812-1883)

conscience, and among the peasants because when pillaging the convents he divided their lands among the labourers . Selivanov claimed the See also:

• TITLE (0. Fr. title, mod. titre, from Lat. titulus)

title " God of Gods and See also:

• KING
• KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
• KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
• KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
• KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
• KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
• KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
• KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
• KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
• KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
• KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
• KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)

King of See also:

• KINGS, FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF

Kings," and announced his accomplishment of the salvation of believers through a self-inflicted See also:

• MUTILATION (from Lat. mutilus, maimed)

mutilation . For eighteen years he lived in St See also:

• PETERSBURG

Petersburg, in the See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house of one of his disciples, receiving See also:

• DOUBLE
• DOUBLE (from the Mid. Eng. duble, the form which gives the present pronunciation, through the Old Er. duble, from Lat. duplus, twice as much)

double See also:

• HOMAGE (from homo, through the Low Lat. hominaticum, which occurs in a document of 1035)

homage as See also:

• CHRIST (Gr. X pLQTOS, Anointed)
• CHRIST, WILHELM VON (1831-1906)

Christ and See also:

• TSAR, or CZAR

tsar . In 1797 he was rearrested by See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order of See also:

• PAUL
• PAUL (PAULUS)

Paul I. and imprisoned in a madhouse . Under See also:

• ALEXANDER
• ALEXANDER (1461-1506)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OF BATTENBERG) (1857-1893)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OsxENOVici) (1876-1903)
• ALEXANDER, ARCHIBALD (1772—1851)
• ALEXANDER, FRANCIS (1800—1881)
• ALEXANDER, GEORGE (1858— )
• ALEXANDER, JOHN WHITE (1856- )
• ALEXANDER, JOSEPH ADDISON (18o9—186o)
• ALEXANDER, SIR JAMES EDWARD (1803—1885)
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM (1824— )
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM LINDSAY (1808—1884)

Alexander I .

Selivanov regained his liberty, but in 182o was again shut up, this See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time in a monastery at Suzdal, where he died in 1832 in his hundredth See also:

• YEAR

year . Skoptsism was, however, not exterminated, and See also:

• GRAVE

grave scandals constantly arose . The most remarkable feature of this extraordinary sect has always been the type of people who joined it . Nobles, military and See also:

• NAVAL

naval See also:

• OFFICERS

officers, See also:

• CIVIL

civil servants, priests and merchants were to be found in its ranks, and so rapidly did the See also:

• NUMBERS, BOOK OF
• NUMBERS, PARTITION OF

numbers increase that 515 men and 240 See also:

• WOMEN

women were transported to Siberia between 1847 and 1866 without seriously threatening its existence . In 1872 many trials of Skoptsi took See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place all over Russia . In 1874 the sect numbered at least 5444, including 1465 women . Of these 703 men and 16o women had mutilated themselves . Repressive See also:

• MEASURES

measures proving useless, an unsuccessful See also:

• ATTEMPT (Lat. adtemptare, attentare, to try)

attempt was made to kill the sect by ridicule: Skoptsi were dressed up in women's clothes and paraded- with See also:

• FOOLS, FEAST OF (Lat. festum stultorum, fatuorum, follorum, Fr. fete des fous)

fools' caps on through the villages . In 1876 130 Skoptsi were sentenced in a batch to transportation . To See also:

• ESCAPE (in mid. Eng. eschape or escape, from the O. Fr. eschapper, modern echapper, and escaper, low Lat. escapium, from ex, out of, and cappa, cape, cloak; cf. for the sense development the Gr. iichueoOat, literally to put off one's clothes, hence to sli

escape See also:

• PROSECUTION

prosecution some of the sect have emigrated, generally to See also:

• RUMANIA
• RUMANIA, or ROUMANIA [Romdnia]

Rumania, where they are known as Lipovans . But though the See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law is strict—every See also:

• EUNUCH (Gr. Evvoi3Xos)

eunuch being compelled to See also:

• REGISTER

register—Skoptsism still continues to hold its own in Russia . As their title indicates, the See also:

• MAIN (from the Aryan root which appears in " may " and " might," and Lat. magnus, great)
• MAIN (Lat. Moenus)

main feature of the sect is sexual mutilation .

This they See also:

• CALL (from Anglo-Saxon ceallian, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch kallen, to talk or chatter)

call their " See also:

• BAPTISM

baptism of See also:

• FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire." Of this there are two kinds, the " lesser " and " greater See also:

• SEAL
• SEAL, FUR
• SEAL, HAIR

seal " (i.e. partial and See also:

• COMPLETE

complete mutilation) In this the Skoptsi maintain that they are fulfilling Christ's counsel of perfection in Matt. xix . 12 and xviii . 8, 9 . A terrible operation with similar purpose is sometimes performed on the women . The earliest records of such See also:

• FEMALE

female mutilations date from 1815 . Usually the breasts only are amputated . The Skoptsi do not absolutely condemn See also:

• MARRIAGE

marriage, and some are allowed to have one See also:

• CHILD
• CHILD, FRANCIS JAMES (1825-1896)
• CHILD, L
• CHILD, LYDIA MARIA (1802-1880)
• CHILD, SIR FRANCIS (1642-1713)
• CHILD, SIR JOHN (d. 1690)
• CHILD, SIR JOSIAH (163o - 1699)

child, those at See also:

• BUCHAREST (Bucuresci)

Bucharest two, before being fully admitted . They are not pessimists, desiring the end of the See also:

• SPECIES

species, but aim rather at the perfection of the individual . Their religious ceremonies include hymn-singing, addresses and frenzied dancing ending in See also:

• ECSTASY (Gr. iarra(TLc, from i LarliU, put out of its place, alter)

ecstasy, like that of the _Khlysti and the Mussulman dancing dervishes .