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Encyclopedia Britannica



SKOPTSI (Russian sko pets, a eunuch)

This article appears in Volume V25, Page 194 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: SIV-SOU
SKOPTSI (Russian sko pets, a eunuch) , a
secret
  religious sect of Russia. It is an offshoot of the sect known as the "People of God " or Khlysti (see Russia: Religion). It was in 1771 in the government of Orel that the Skoptsi were first discovered by the authorities. A 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 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 person of Peter III. Peter had been popular among the Raskolniki (schismatics, or dissidents) because he granted them liberty of conscience, and among the peasants because when pillaging the convents he divided their lands among the labourers. Selivanov claimed the title " God of Gods and King of Kings," and announced his accomplishment of the salvation of believers through a self-inflicted mutilation. For eighteen years he lived in St
Petersburg
 , in the
house
  of one of his disciples, receiving
double
  homage as Christ and tsar. In 1797 he was rearrested by order of Paul I. and imprisoned in a madhouse. Under Alexander I. Selivanov regained his liberty, but in 182o was again shut up, this time in a monastery at Suzdal, where he died in 1832 in his hundredth year. Skoptsism was, however, not exterminated, and 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 naval officers, civil servants, priests and merchants were to be found in its ranks, and so rapidly did the numbers increase that 515 men and 240 women were transported to Siberia between 1847 and 1866 without seriously threatening its existence. In 1872 many trials of Skoptsi took 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
measures
  proving useless, an unsuccessful attempt was made to kill the sect by ridicule: Skoptsi were dressed up in women's clothes and paraded- with
fools
 ' caps on through the villages. In 1876 130 Skoptsi were sentenced in a batch to transportation. To escape prosecution some of the sect have emigrated, generally to Rumania, where they are known as Lipovans. But though the law is strictevery eunuch being compelled to registerSkoptsism still continues to hold its own in Russia.
As their title indicates, the main feature of the sect is sexual mutilation. This they
call
  their " baptism of fire." Of this there are two kinds, the " lesser " and " greater seal " (i.e. partial and 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 female mutilations date from 1815. Usually the breasts only are amputated. The Skoptsi do not absolutely condemn
marriage
 , and some are allowed to have one child, those at
Bucharest
  two, before being fully admitted. They are not pessimists, desiring the end of the species, but aim rather at the perfection of the individual. Their religious ceremonies include hymn-singing, addresses and frenzied dancing ending in ecstasy, like that of the _Khlysti and the Mussulman dancing dervishes. Strict oaths of secrecy are demanded from all members,


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