No More Learning

Here he announced a simple and com- prehensive social reform which had already been enunciated in his book, and which then captured allthenobleandsoundminds. Now,owingtothe concentration in his hands of the money resources of the world and of the colossal land properties, he could carry into effect that reform in accordance with the wishes of the poor and without causing
much pain to the rich. Everybody now received^ according to his talents, and every talent according \ to its work and merit.
The new lord of the world before everything else was a kind-hearted philanthropist, and not only a
philanthropist, but even a philozoist. He was a vegetarian himself, prohibited vivisection, and insti-
tuted a strict supervision over slaughter-houses; whilst societies for protecting animals received from
himeveryencouragement. Butwhatwasmoreim-
? 200 SOLOVIEV
portant than these details, the most fundamental form of equality was firmly established among man-
kind, the equality of universal satiety. This took place in the second year of his reign. Social and economic problems had been finally settled. But if
satisfaction is a question of primary importance for the hungry, the satisfied ones crave for something
else. Even satiated animals usually want not only to sleep, but also to play. The more so with man- kind which has always post panem craved for circenses.
"
The Emperor-superman understood what his mob wanted. At that time a great magician, en- wrapped in a dense cloud of strange facts and wild stories, came to him in Rome from the Far East. The rumour spread amongst the neo-Buddhists credited him with a divine origin from the god of Sun Suria and some river nymph.
This magician, Apollonius by name, was doubt- i. v lessamanofgenius. Asemi-Asiaticandasemi-"Ty
European, a catholic bishop in partibus infidelium, he combined in himself in a most striking manner
the knowledge of the latest conclusions and appli- cations of Western science with the art of utilising all that was really sound and important in the tradi- tional mysticism of the East. The results of this combination were startling. Apollonius learned amongst other things the semi-scientific and semi-
mystic art of attracting and directing at will the atmospheric electricity, and the people said of
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 201
him that he could bring down fire from heaven.
However, though startling the imagination of the crowd by various unheard of phenomena, for some
time he did not abuse his power for any special selfish ends.
It was this man who came to the great Emperor," saluted him as the true son of God, declared that he had discovered in the secret books of the East cer- tain unmistakable prophecies pointing to the Em- peror as the last saviour and judge of the Universe, and offered him his services and all his art. The
Emperor, completely charmed by the man, accepted him as a gift from above, decorated him with all
kinds of gorgeous titles and made him his constant
companion.
So the nations of the world, after they
had received from their lord universal peace and
universal abolition of hunger, were now given the
possibility of never-ending enjoyment of most
diverse and extraordinary miracles. Thus came to end the third year of the reign of the superman.
After the happy solution of political and social
problems, the religious question was brought to the front. ThiswasraisedbytheEmperorhimself,and
in the first place in its application to Christianity.
At the time the position of Christianity was as follows : Its followers had greatly diminished in
numbers and barely included forty-five million men in the whole world ; but morally it made a marked
progress, and gained in quality what it lost in numbers. MenwhowerenotboundupwithChris-
? 202 SOLOV1EV
tianity by any spiritual tie were no longer recorded amongst the Christians. Various Christian persua-
sions fairly equally diminished in their numbers, so
that the proportional relationship amongst them was maintained almost unchanged. As to mutual feel-
ings, hostility did not entirely give place to amity, but considerably softened down, and points of dis- agreement lost much of their former acuteness. The Papacy had been long before expelled from
Rome, and after long wanderings had found refuge in St. Petersburg on condition that it refrained from
propaganda there, and in the country. In Russia it soon became greatly simplified. Leaving prac-
tically unchanged the number of its colleges and offices, it was obliged to infuse into their work a
e fervent spirit, and to cut down to the smallest
Slimits its pompous ritual and ceremonial. Many p*
strange and seductive customs, though not formally abolished, fell of themselves into disuse. In all the
other countries, particularly in North America, the
Catholic priesthood still had a good many repre- sentatives, possessed of strong will, inexhaustible energy and independent character, who welded to- gether the Catholic Church into a closer unity than it had ever been before, and who preserved for it its
As to Pro- testantism, which was still led by Germany, especially since the union of the greater part of the Anglican church with the Catholic one this had freed itself from its extreme negative tendencies, the
international, cosmopolitan importance.
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 203
followers of which openly went over to the camp
of religious apathy and unbelief. The Evangelical
church now contained only the sincerely religious, */ headed by men who combined a vast learning
with a deep religious feeling, and an ever-growing desire to bring to life again in their own persons the
living spirit of the true ancient Christianity. Rus- sian orthodoxy, after political events had altered the
official position of the Church, lost many millions, of its sham nominal members; but it won the joy of
"^ v
numbers, began to grow in strength of spirit, which \, it particularly revealed in its struggle with the
numerous sects, not entirely devoid of the de- moniacal and satanic element, which found root
among the people and in society.
During the first two years of the new reign, all
Christians, frightened at, and weary of, the number of preceding revolutions and wars, looked upon their new lord and his peaceful reforms partly with a benevolent expectation, and partly with an unre- served, sympathetic, and even a fervent enthusiasm. But in the third year, after the great magician had made his appearance, serious fears and antipathy began to grow in the minds of many an orthodox Catholic and Protestant. LThe Gospel and Apostolic texts speaking of the Prince of this Age and of
Anti-Christ Jvere now read more carefully and led -^ J^
"
old believers," and even many of the positively religious sectarians. This renovated Church, though not increasing in
^^
unification with the best part of the
? 204 SOLOVIEV
to lively comments. The Emperor soon perceived from certain signs that a storm was brewing, and
resolved to bring the matter to a head without any further delay. In the beginning of the fourth year of his reign he published a manifesto to all his true Christians, without distinction of churches, inviting them to elect or appoint authoritative representatives for the World's Congress to be held under his presidency. Atthattimetheimperialresidencewas transferredfromRometoJerusalem. Palestinewas
already an autonomous province, inhabited and
governedmainlybytheJews. Jerusalemwasafree and now an imperial city. The Christian shrines
remained unmolested, but over the whole of the
large platform of Haram-esh-Sheriff, extending from Birket-Israin and the barracks right to the
"
mosque of El-Ax and the
there was erected an immense building, which incor- porated in itself, besides the two small ancient
a " " for the unifica- * mosques, huge Empire temple
tion of all cults, and two luxurious imperial palaces,
with libraries, museums, and special apartments for magic experiments and exercises. It was in this
half-temple, half-palace that the World's Congress wastomeetonSeptemberi4th. Astheevangelical church has no hierarchy in the proper sense of the word, the Catholic and orthodox hierarchs, in com-
pliance with the express wish of the Emperor, and
in order that a greater uniformity of representation should obtain, decided to admit to the proceedings
Solomon's Stables,"
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 205
of the congress a certain number of lay members.
Once, however, these were admitted, it seemed impos- sible to exclude from the congress the clergy, both of the monastic and secular order. In this way the total number of members at the congress exceeded three thousand, whilst about half a million Christian pilgrims flooded Jerusalem and all Palestine. Amongst the members present three men were par-
ticularlyconspicuous. ThefirstwasPopePeterII. , who in true right led the Catholic part of the con-
gress. His predecessor died on the way to the congress, and a conclave met in Damascus, which
unanimously elected Cardinal Simone Barionini, whotookthenameofPeter. Hecameofplebeian
stock, from the province of Naples, and became famous as a preacher of the Carmelite Order, having earned great successes in fighting a certain Satanic sect which was spreading in St. Petersburg and its environments, and seducing not only the orthodox, but the Catholic men as well. Raised to
the archbishopric of Magilov and next to the Cardinal's chair, he was all along marked for the
tiara. He was a man of fifty, of middle stature and
strongly built, had a red face, a crooked nose, and thickeyebrows. Hehadanimpulsiveandardent
temperament, spoke with fervour and with sweeping gesticulations, and enthused more than convinced
his audience. The new Pope had no trust in the
Emperor, and looked at him with a disapproving eye, particularly since the deceased Pope, yielding
? 206 SOLOVIEV
to the Emperor's pressure, made a cardinal of the Imperial Chancellor and great magician of the
world, the exotic Bishop Apollonius, whom Peter regarded as a doubtful Catholic and a doubtless fraud. The actual, though not official, leader of the orthodox members was Eldeir_ John, extremely wellknownamongsttheRussianpeople. Officially
"
he was considered a Tbishop
in retirement," but he
did not live in any monastery, being always engaged
in travelling all over the world. Many legendary stories were circulated about him. Some people
believed that he was Feodor Kusmich, that is, Emperor Alexander I. , who had died three centuries back and was now raised to life. Others went further and maintained that he was the true Elder John, that is, John the Apostle, who had never died and openly reappeared in the later times. He him-
self said nothing about his origin and younger days. Now he was a very old but vigorous man, with white
hair and beard tinged with a yellowish and even greenish colour, tall in stature, and thin in the body,
but with full and slightly rosy cheeks, vivid spark- ling eyes and a tender and kind expression in his faceandspeech. Hewasalwaysdressedinawhite cassockandmantle. Attheheadoftheevangelical members of the congress was the most learned Ger- man theologian, Professor Ernst Pauli. He was a short, wizened, little old man, with a huge forehead, sharpnose,andcleanly-shavenchin. Hiseyeswere distinguished by their peculiarly ferocious and yet at
? Nun! Ja!
So also !
"
His dress bore all the
A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 207
one and the same time kindly gaze. He inces-
santly rubbed his hands, shook his head, sternly knittedhisbrowsandpurseduphislips; whilstwith
eyes all flashing he sternly ejaculated: "So!
appearanceofsolemnity awhitetieandlongpas- toral frock-coat decorated with signs of his order.
The opening of the congress was very imposing. Two-thirds of the immense temple, devoted to the
"
unification of all the cults," were covered with
benches and other sitting accommodation for mem- bers of the congress. The remaining third was
taken by the high platform, on which were placed the Emperor's throne, another a little below it in-
tended for the great magician also the cardinal- imperial chancellor; and behind them rows of arm-
chairs for the ministers, courtiers, and State officials, whilst along the side there were the still
longer rows of armchairs, the intended occupants of whichremainedundisclosed. Thegallerywastaken
by the orchestra, whilst in the adjoining square there were installed two regiments of the Guards and a battery for triumphal salutes. The members of the congress had already attended their services in their various churches, and the opening of the congress was to be entirely civil. When the Emperor, accom-
panied by the great magician and his suite, made
"
March of Unified Mankind," which was the international hymn of the Empire, and all the members rose to
his entrance, the band began to play the
? 208 SOLOVIEV
their feet, and waving their hats, gave three enthusi- "
astic cheers
:
" Vivat
!
Hurrah
!
Hoch
!
The
Emperor, standing by the throne and stretching for- ward his hand with the air of majestic benevolence,
" Christians
My beloved subjects and brothers ! From the beginning of my reign, which the Most High blessed with such wonderful and glorious deeds, I have never had any cause to be dissatisfied
withyou. Youhavealwaysperformedyourduties true to your faith and conscience. But this is no. t
sufficient for me. My sincere love to you, my be- lovedbrothers,thirstsforreciprocation. Iwishyou
to recognise me your true leader in every enterprise undertaken for the well-being of mankind, not merely out of your sense of duty to me, but mainly out of yourheartfeltloveforme. Sonow,besideswhatI generally do for all, I am about to show you my
subjects, but as my co-religionists, my brothers !
said in a sonorous and pleasing voice :
of all sects !
special benevolence. Christians !
bestow upon you ? What can I give you, not as my
Christians !
Tell me what is the most precious thing
for you in Christianity, so that I may direct my efforts to that end? " He stopped for a time, wait-
ing for an answer. The hall was filled with rever-
beratingmuffledsounds. Themembersofthecon-
gress were consulting each other Pope Peter, with
fervent gesticulations, was explaining something to hisfollowers. ProfessorPauliwasshakinghishead
and ferociously smacking with his lips. Elder John
What can I
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 209
bending over an Eastern bishop and a Capucin quietly tried to impress something upon them. After
he had waited a few minutes, the Emperor again addressed the congress in the same kind tone, in
which, however, there could be sounded a scarcely
"
My kind Christians," I understand how difficult it is for you to give me a direct answer. I will help you also in this. From time immemorial, unfortunately, you have been broken up into various confessions and sects, so that you perhaps have scarcely one com- mon object of desire. But if you cannot agree
amongst yourselves, I hope I shall be able to show
agreement with you all by bestowing upon all your sections the same love and the same readiness to
satisfy the true desire of each one of them. Kind
perceptible note of irony :
said he,
"
Christians !
I know that to many, and not the last
ones amongst you, the most precious thing in Christianity is the spiritual authority with which it endows its legal representatives of course, I not for
their personal benefit, but for the common wealj- 6-*^
since on this authority the right spiritual order and ^jJ
moral discipline so necessary for everybody, firmly rest. Kind brothers-Catholic ! How well do I
understand your view, and how much would I like to
base my imperial power on the authority of your spiritual chief ! Lest you should think that this is
a mere flattery and windy words we most solemnly declare : by virtue of our autocratic power the
Supreme Bishop of all the Catholics, the Pope of
? 210 SOLOV1EV
Rome, is henceforth restored to his throne in Rome,
with all the former rights and privileges belonging to this title and chair, given at any time by our pre-
decessors, from Constantine the Great onwards. For this, brothers-Catholic, I wish to receive from
you only your inner heart-felt recognition of my- selfasyoursoleprotectorandpatron. Whoeverof
those present here does recognise me as such in his heart and conscience, let him come up here to this
" side !
Here he pointed to the empty seats on the
platform. And instantly, nearly all the princes of the Catholic Church, cardinals and bishops, the greater part of the laymen and over a half of the
"
monks, shouting in exultation :
Gratias agimus !
" Salvum fac magnum imperatorem !
Domine !
rose to the platform and, humbly bowing their heads to the Emperor, took their seats. Below, however, in the middle of the hall, straight and immovable, like a marble statue, sat in his seat Pope Peter II. All those who had surrounded him were now on theplatform. Butthediminishedcrowdofmonks and laymen who remained below moved nearer and closedinadensecrowdaroundhim. Andonecould hear the subdued mutter issuing from them " Non
:
praevalebunt, non praevalebunt portae inferni. "
With a startled look cast at the immovable Pope,
"
the Emperor again raised his voice :
I know that there are amongst you many for whom
the most precious thing in Christianity is its sacred tradition the old symbols, the old hymns and
Kind brothers !
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 211
prayers, the ikons and the old ritual. Indeed, what
archaeology, with the object of collecting, studying, and saving all the monuments of church antiquity,
more particularly of the Eastern one; and I ask you to select from your midst a committee for working out with me the measures which are to be carried out, so that the modern life, morals, and
customs may be organised as nearly as possible in accordance with the traditions and institutions of
theHolyOrthodoxChurch. Myorthodoxbrothers! Those of you who view with favour this will of mine, who can in their inner consciousness call me their true leader and lord let those come up here. " Here the greater part of the hierarchs of the East and North, and more than a half of the orthodox
clergymen, monks, and laymen, rose with joyful exclamation to the platform, casting suspicious eyes
at the Catholics, who were already proudly occupy- ing their seats. But Elder John remained in his
place, and sighed loudly. And when the crowd round him became greatly thinned, he left his bench
andwentovertoPopePeterandhisgroup. He was followed by the other orthodox members who
did not go to the platform. Then the Emperor
can be more precious for a religious soul ?
Know, then, my beloved ones, that to-day I have signed the decree and have set aside yast_sums of money for the establishment in our glorious Empire city, Constantinople, of a world's museum of Christian
spoke again :
aware,
"
I am
kind that Christians,
p2
? 212 SOLOV1EV
there are amongst you also such who place the greatest value upon the personal confidence in truth andthefreeexaminationoftheScriptures. HowI view this, there is no need for me to enlarge upon atthemoment. Youareperhapsawarethatevenin
my youth I wrote a big book on the Higher Criticism, which at that time excited much comment
andlaidthefoundationofmypopularity. Inmemory
of this, I presume, the University of Tubingen only
the other day requested me to accept the degree of aDoctorofTheologyhonoriscausa. Ihavereplied
that I accept it with pleasure and gratitude. And
to-day, simultaneously with the decree of the Museum of Christian Archaeology, I signed another
decree establishing a world's institute_Jor free examination of the Scriptures from all sides and in
all directions, and for study of all subsidiary sciences, to which an annual sum of one and a half million marks is granted. I call those of you who look with sincere favour at this my act of goodwill, and are able in their true feeling to recognise me their sovereign leader, to come up here to the new
Doctor of Theology. " A strange but hardly per- ceptible smile changed the beautiful mouth of the
great man when he concluded this speech. More than half of the learned theologians were moving
to the platforms, though somewhat slowly and hesitatingly. EverybodylookedatProfessorPauli, who seemed to be rooted to his seat. He dropped his head, bent down and shrank. The learned
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 213
theologians who had already managed to get on the platform seemed to feel very awkward, and one of
them even suddenly dropped his hand in renuncia-
tion, and, having jumped right down past the stairs, ran hobbling to Professor Pauli and the members who remained with him. At this the Professor raised his head, got up on his feet as if without a definite object in view, and then walked past the
empty benches, accompanied by his co-religionists who withstood the temptation, and took his seat near Elder John and Pope Peter with their followers.
The greater part of the members, including nearly all the hierarchs of the East and West, were now
on the platform. Below there remained only the three groups of members now more closely brought
who around to Elder
clung John, Pope
:
(
together,
Peter, and Professor Pauli.
In a grieved voice the Emperor addressed them :
"
What else can I do for you, you strange people ? What do you want from me ? I cannot understand.
Tell me yourselves, you Christians, deserted by the
majority of your brothers and leaders, condemned
by popular sentiment : what is it that you value
most in Christianity? " At this Elder John rose up
like a white candle, and said in a quiet voice :
"
^Christianity is Christ Himself He in His person. All the rest cometh from Him, for we know that in Him dwelleth bodily the whole fulness of Divinity. But we are ready, sire, to accept any gift from you
Great sovereign ! The thing w<g value most in
? wr
jf^
change had come over it.
A hellish storm was
214 SOLOVIEV
as well, if only we recognise the holy hand of Christ in your generosity. Our candid answer to your
question, what you can do for us, is this : Here, now and before us, name the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came in the flesh, rose, and is comingagain nameHisname,andwewillaccept you with love as the true forerunner of His second
gloriouscoming. " Hefinishedhisspeechandfixed his eyes on the face of the Emperor. A terrible
raging within him, like the one he experienced on that fateful night. He had entirely lost his mental
^5"
\ balance, and was concentrating all his thoughts on
preserving control over his appearance, so that he should not betray himself before the time. He was
making superhuman efforts not to throw himself,
yelling wildly, on Elder John and begin tearing him with his teeth. Suddenly he heard a familiar, un-
earthly voice: r Keep silent and fear nothing! ]/ He remained silent. Only his face, livid like death,
lookeddistortedandhisej^esflashed. Inthemean- time, while Elder John was still making his speech,
the great magician, wrapped in his ample tri-coloured mantle, which concealed nearly the whole of his car-
dinal purple, could be noticed to be busy doing some- thing underneath it. His eyes were fixed and flash-
ing, and his lips slightly moving. It could be seen through the open windows of the temple that an
immense black cloud was covering the sky, and soon a complete darkness set in. Elder John, startled
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 215
and frightened, stared at the face of the silent
Emperor, when he suddenly sprang back, and turning to his followers shouted in a stifled voice :^
!
V" My dearest ones, it is Anti-Christ " f At this
moment, followed by a deafening thunderclap, a great thunderbolt flashed into the temple and struck
ElderJohn. Everyonewasstupefiedforasecond, and when the deafened Christians came to their
senses, Elder John was seen lying dead on the floor. The Emperor, pale but calm, spoke to the
;<
You have witnessed the judgment of God. I had no wish to take any man's life, but thus my Heavenly Father avenges His beloved son. Itisfinished. WhowillopposethewilloftheMost High ? Secretaries, write down : The CEcumenical Council of All Christians, after an insensate oppo- nent of the Divine Majesty had been struck by fire
from heaven, recognised unanimously the sovereign Emperor of Rome and all the Universe its supreme
leaderandlord. " Suddenlyaword,loudlydistinct,
his body trembling with indignation, lifted up his
"
assembly :
passed throughout the temple :
Pope Peter II. rose, and with face empurpled and
"" Contradicatur !
Our only is Jesus Christ, the Son of the
stick in the direction of the Emperor.
"
Lord," shouted he,
living God !
And who thou art, thou heardest just
Away ! thou Cain, thou murderer !
Get thee gone, thou incarnation of the Devil ! By the authority of Christ, I, the servant of God's servants, for ever expel thee, thou foul dog, from the precincts
now.
? 216 SOLOVIEV
of God, and cast thee out to thy father Satan !
"
Anathema ! Anathema ! Anathema !
While he
was so speaking, the great magician was moving restlessly under his mantle, and louder than the
"" last Anathema !
the thunder rumbled, and the
"
last Pope fell lifeless on the floor.
So die all my
enemies by the arm of my Father !
"
said the
"" Emperor. Pereant, pereant !
exclaimed the
trembling princes of the Church. The Emperor turned round, and, supported by the great magician
and accompanied by all his crowd, slowly walked outtothedooratthebackoftheplatform. There remained in the temple only the corpses and a little knot of Christians half-dead from fear. The only person who did not lose control over himself was Professor Pauli. The general horror seemed to have raised in him all the powers of his spirit. He even changed in appearance ; his countenance becamenobleandinspired. Withdeterminedsteps he walked up on to the platform, took one of the seats previously occupied by some State official, and begantowriteonasheetofpaper. Whenhehad
" In
The
finished he got up and read out in a loud voice :
the glory of our only saviour, Jesus Christ !
(Ecumenical Council of our Lord's
which met at Jerusalem after our most blessed
brother John, the representative of Christianity of the East, had exposed the arch-deceiver and the
enemy of God as the true Anti-Christ, foretold in the word of God, and after our most blessed father
churches,
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 217
Peter, the representative of Christianity of the West,
had lawfully and justly expelled him for ever from the Church of God, now in the face of the corpses of
these two witnesses of Christ, murdered for the truth, resolves : To cease any communion with the excommunicated one and with his foul crowd, and to go to the desert and to wait for the inevitable comingofourtrueLord,JesusChrist. " Thecrowd was seized with enthusiasm, and loud exclamations
" Jesus Christ !
"
Komm, Herr Jesu, komm! Come, Lord
could be heard on all sides. cito !
Adveniat ! Adveniat
"
ing unanimously this first and last deed of the last
"
Professor Pauli wrote again and read :
Accept-
GEcumenical Council, we sign our names
and here
heinvitedthosepresenttodoso. Allhurriedtothe
platform and signed their names. And last in the
list stood in big Gothic characters the signature :
"
Duorum defunctorum testium locum tenens Ernst Pauli. " " Now let us go with our ark of the last covenant," said he, pointing to the two deceased.
The corpses were put on stretchers. Slowly, sing- ing Latin, German and Church-Slavonic hymns, the Christians walked to the gate leading out from Haram-esh- Sheriff. Here the procession was
stopped by one of the Emperor's officials, who was
accompanied by a squad of the Guards. The sol-
diers remained at the entrance whilst the official
" read :
ByorderofhisDivineMajesty. Forthe enlightenment of the Christian people and for its
? 218 SOLOVIEV
safety from wicked men spreading unrest and temptations, we deem necessary to resolve that the
corpses of the two agitators, killed by the heavenly fire, be publicly exhibited in the street of the Chris-
tians (Haret-en-Nasara), at the entrance into the
principal temple of this religion, called the Temple of our Lord's Sepulchre, also that of the Resurrec-
tion, so that everybody may convince himself that they are really dead. Their obstinate followers, who
wrathfully reject all our benefits and insanely shut
their eyes to the patent signs of Deity itself are by
our mercy and presentations before our Heavenly Father, relieved from a much-deserved ^death by the
j- heavenly fire, -knd are left at their free will with the
i sole prohibition/ necessary for the common goodj of living in towns "and other places of residence, lest
they disturb and tempt innocent, simple-minded folk with their malicious fancies. " When he had
finished reading, eight soldiers, at the sign of the officer, came up with stretchers to the bodies.
"
Let the written word be fulfilled," said Professor
Pauli. And the Christians who were holding the
stretchers silently passed them to the soldiers, who went away with them through the north-western gate,
whilst the Christians, having gone out through the north-eastern gate, hurriedly walked from the city past the Mount of Olives to Jericho, along the road which had previously been cleared of other people
by the gendarmes and two cavalry regiments. It was decided to wait a few days on the desert hills
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 219
near Jericho. Next morning, friendly Christian pilgrims came from Jerusalem and told what had
been going on in Sion. After the dinner at the Court all the members of the congress were invited to a vast throne hall (near the supposed site of Solo-
mon's throne), and the Emperar, addressing the
representatives of the Catholic hierarchy, told them that the well-being of their Church clearly de-
manded from them the immediate election of a worthy successor to the apostate Peter, that in the circumstances of the time the election must needs be
a summary one, that his the Emperor's presence as that of the leader and representative of the whole
Christian world, would amply make up for the in- evitable omissions in the ritual, and that he on behalf of all the Christians suggested that the Holy College elect his beloved friend and brother Apollonius, so that their close friendship could firmly and in-
unite Church and State for their / mutual benefit. The Holy College retired to a separate room for a conclave, and in an hour and ahalfitreturnedwithitsnewPopeApollonius. In the meantime, while the election was being carried out, the Emperor was meekly, sagaciously, and elo- quently persuading the Orthodox and Evangelical representatives, in view of the new great era in
Christian history, to put an end to their old dissen-r
sions, giving his word that Apollonius would be able to abolish all the abuses of the Papal authority known to history. Persuaded by this speech, the
dissolubly
U
? 220 SOLOVIEV
J Orthodox and Protestant representatives drafted a
^ deed of the unification of all the churches, and when
Apollonius with the cardinals appeared in the hall, met by shouts of joy from all those present, a Greek
bishop and an evangelical pastor presented to him
"
their document.
Accipio et approbo et laetificatur
" amas cor meum," said Apollonius, signing it. I
much a true Orthodox and a Protestant as I am a
true Catholic," added he, and exchanged friendly kisses with the Greek and the German. Then he came up to the Emperor, who embraced him and long held him in his arms. At this time tongues of flame began to dart about in the palace and the temple. Theygrewandbecametransformedinto luminous shapes of strange beings, and flowers never seen before came down from above, filling the air with unknown aroma. Enchanting sounds of music,
stirring the very depths of the soul, produced by unfamiliar instruments, were heard, while angelic voices of unseen singers sang the glory of the new
lordsofheavenandearth. Suddenlyaterrificsub-
terranean noise was heard in the north-western
" cornerofthepalaceunder Kubbet-el-Aruah,"that
is "the dome of souls," where, according to the Moslem belief, the entrance to the hell was hidden. When the assembly invited by the Emperor went to that end all could clearly hear innumerable voices,
^j
thin and penetrating^ekheij^dish-jcuL_deyilish >K
"Thetimehascome,dolet )
whichwere
out, dear saviours, dear saviours !
exclaiming :
"
But when
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 221
Apollonius, kneeling on the ground, shouted some- thing down in an unknown language three times,
the voices died down and the subterranean noise subsided. Meanwhile a vast crowd of people sur- rounded Haram-esh- Sheriff on all sides. Dark- ness set in and the Emperor, with the new Pope, came out upon the eastern terrace the signal for
astormofrejoicings. TheEmperorbowedaffably to the people around, whilst Apollonius, taking from the huge baskets brought up by the cardinal-deacons, incessantly threw into the air, making them burn by mere touch of his hand, magnificent fireworks, rockets, and fountains, that now glimmered like
phosphorescent pearls, and now sparkled with all j/
the tints of a rainbow. (On the all ' reaching ground
the sparkles transformed into numberless variously coloured sheets containing complete and absolute
1
indulgences of all sins past, present, and future. The popular exultation overflowed all limits.
True, there were some who stated that
had seen with their own eyes the indulgences turn into hideous frogs and snakes. /But the vast majority
of the people were pleasea immensely, and the popular festivities continued a few days longer.
The prodigies of the new Pope now surpassed all imagination, so that it would be a hopeless task even
to attempt a description of them. In the meantime among the desert hills of Jericho the Christians
were devoting themselves to fasting and prayers. 1 With reference to the above, see Preface. Author.
they
? I
222 SOLOVIEV
On the night of the fourth day Professor Pauli, with nine comrades riding on asses and having a cart with them, succeeded in getting inside Jerusalem and passing through side-streets by Haram-esh-Sheriff to Haret-en-Nasara, came to the entrance to the Temple of Resurrection, in front of which, on the pavement, the bodies of Pope Peter and Elder John were lying. The street was deserted at that time of night, as allthepeoplehadgonetoHasam-esh-Sheriff. The sentries were fast asleep. The party that came for the bodies found them quite untouched by decom-
position, not even stiff or heavy. They put them on the stretchers covered with the cloaks they had
brought with them, and by the same circuitous road went back to their followers. They had hardly lowered the stretchers to the ground^when suddenly \\ the spirit of life could be seen re-entering the deceased bodies. ! They moved slightly as if they
v^ were trying to throw off the cloaks in which they
were wrapped. With shouts of joy everyone lent
them aid, and soon both the revived men rose to
theirfeetsafeandsound. ThensaidlilderJohn:
"
Ah, my dear ones, we have not parted after all ! I will tell you this : it is time that we carry out the last prayer of Christ about His disciples that they should be all one, even as He Himself is one with the Father. For this unity in Christ let us honour ourbelovedbrotherPeter. Lethimatlastpasture
"
put his arms round Peter. Here Professor Pauli
theflocksofChrist. Thereitis,brother!
And he
? came nearer. "
'
Tu es Petrus
" !
said he to the
A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 223
Pope, jetzt ist es ja grundlich erwiesen und
ausser jedem Zweifel gesetzt. " And he shook
Peter's hand firmly with his own right hand,
whilst his left hand he stretched out to John,
"
So also Vaterchennun sind wir ja Eins in Christo. ". In this manner the unification of churches took place in the midst of a dark night, onahighanddesertedspot. Butthenightdarkness
was suddenly illuminated with brilliant light and a 5<*r*
greatsignappearedintheheavens; itwas awoman, clothed in the sun with the moon beneath her feet, and a wreath of twelve stars on her head. The apparition remained immovable for some time, and then began slowly to move in a southerly direction.
saying :
" Pope Peter raised his stick and exclaimed :
is our sign !
" Let us follow it !
Here And he walked
after the apparition, accompanied by both old men and the whole crowd of the Christians, to God's
mountain, to Sinai. . . .
(Here the reader stopped. ) ^ N^Vv
LADY. Well, why don't you go on?
MR. Z. The manuscript stops here. Father
Pansophius could not finish his story. He told me
when he was already ill that he thought of com-
"
as soon as I get better," he said. But he did not get better, and the end of his story is buried with him in the graveyard of the Daniel Monastery.
LADY. But you remember what he told you, don't
pleting it
you?
Please tell us.
-9
? 224 SOLOVIEV
MR. Z. I remember it only in the main outlines.
After the spiritual leaders and representatives of Christianity had departed to the Arabian desert, whither crowds of faithful zealots of truth were
streaming from all countriesfthe new Pope was able to corrupt unimpededly with his miracles and pro-
digies all the remaining superficial Christians who werenotyetdisappointedwiththeAnti-Christ. He
declared that by the power of his keys he could open the gates to other worldsj Communion of the living with the dead, and also of men with demons, became a matter of everyday occurrence, and new
. uinheard-of forms of mystic lust and demonology
began to spread amongst the people] However, the Emperor scarcely began to feel himself firmly
established on religious grounds, and, yielding to the persistent suggestions of the seductive voice of
the "father," had hardly declared himself the sole true incarnation of the supreme Deity of the Uni- verse, when a new trouble came upon him from a
side from which nobody expected it : the^Jews^rose {{againsthim. Thisnation,whichatthattimereached
ty millions, was not altogether unfamiliar with the paving of the. way for the world's successes of the superman. When this latter transferred his
residence to Jerusalem, secretly spreading amongst the Jews the rumour that his main object was to
bring about a domination of Israel over the whole
of the world, the Jews proclaimed him as their Messiah, and their exultation and devotion to him
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 225
knew no bounds. / And now they suddenly rose, full ofwrathandthirstingforvengeance. Thisturnof events, doubtless foretold both in the Gospel and in the church tradition, was pictured by Father Pansophius, perhaps, with too great a simplicity andrealism. Yousee,theTews,whoregardedthe
expectedly discovered that he was not even circum- cised. The same day all Jerusalem, and next day
all Palestine, were up in arms against him. The boundless and fervent devotion to the saviour of
Israel, the promised Messiah, gave place to as boundless and as fervent a hatred of the wily
deceiver,theimpudentimpostor. Thewholeofthe Jewish nation rose as one man, and its enemies were surprised to see that the soul of Israel at bottom lived not by calculations and aspirations of Mammon butbythepowerofanall-absorbingsentiment the hope and strength of its eternal faith in the Messiah.
[The Emperor, taken by surprise at the sudden out- burst, lost all self-control, and issued a decree
sentencing to death all the insubordinate Jews and Christians^' Many thousands and tens of thousands who could not arm themselves in time were ruth- lesslymassacred. ButanarmyofJews,amillion strong, soon took Jerusalem, and locked up Anti- ChristinHaram-esh-SherifT. Hisonlysupportwas a portion of the Guards, wlib were not strong enough tooverwhelmthemassesoftheenemy. Assistedby the magic art of his Pope, the Emperor succeeded
w
Emperor a true and perfect Israelite by blood, un- *
.
Q
-
? 226 SOLOVIEV
in finding his way through the besieging army, and soon appeared again in Syria at the head of an
innumerablearmyofpagans. TheJewsadvanced to meet him, with little chance of gaining success. But no sooner had the outposts of the armies come in contact with each other than a terrific earthquake broke out, the crater of a tremendous volcano rose from the bottom of the Dead Sea, on the shores of which the Emperor's army had built their camp, and fiery streams mingling in a single lake of fire swal- lowed up the Emperor, all his innumerable troops,
and his constant companion, Pope Apollonius, to whomevenhismagicartprovedofnohelp. Atthe
same time the Jews were running to Jerusalem in fear and horror, praying to the God of Israel to
deliver them from peril. When the Holy City was
already in sight, a great lightning cut the sky open from east to west, and they saw Christ descending
to them clad in kingly apparel, and with the wounds fromthenailsonHisoutstretchedhands. Atthe
same time a crowd of Christians, led by Peter, John, and Paul, were moving from Sinai to Sion, and other
x/
came
from all sides. fThese were all the Jews and Chris- NJT
tians executed by the Anti-ChristJ} They rose to ^o-^y ^e' an<^ reigned with Christ for a thousand
At this point Father Pansophius thought to finish kis story, which was to picture not the final cata-
strophe of the Universe, but only the conclusion of
crowds,
all seized with
enthusiasm,
flocking
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 227
glorification, and the destruction of Anti-Christ^^ POLITICIAN. And do you think that the catastrophe
is very near ?
MR. Z. Well, there will still be a good deal of
rattling and bustling on the stage, but the drama has been all written long ago, and neither the
audience nor the actors are allowed to alter anything in it.
LADY. What is, however, the ultimate meaning of
this drama? I cannot understand, moreover, why your Anti-Christ hates God so much whilst in essence
~ a*a cc~ our historical processT This end is the coming, the
"All is not that simple proverb: gold
'
vJaV
. ^x( o fWv^-- K; * t
.
~> &K*jUio MR. Z. No. Not in essence/' That is just the
he is really kind and not wicked at all. "
That is the whole matter. I will withdraw tnewords I said before that "you cannot explain Anti-Christonlybyproverbs. " Inpointoffact,he is completely explained by a single and extremely
point.
glitters. "- Of sham glitter he indeed has more th^an enough;
but of the essential force
GENERAL. I beg to call your attention to yet
another thing. Note at what moment the curtain drops over this historical drama :Lk is war, a con- flict between two armiesT? So the end of our discus-
How do you like it, Prince? Good heavens, but where is
sion comes again back to its beginning.
the Prince?
POLITICIAN. Didn'tyouobserve? Hequietlyleft
us at that pathetic scene when Elder John drove
nothing. /
? 228 SOLOVIEV
the Anti-Christ into a corner. I did not want to interrupt the reading at that time, and afterwards I
forgot.
GENERAL. I bet he ran away : ran away for the
And didn't he try to master himself ? But this was too much for the poor fellow : he could not stand it for anything. Oh, dear me ! dear me !
THE END
second time !
Printed for the UNIYERSITT OF LONDON Pans, LTD. , by RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, Ltd. London and Bungay.
?