No More Learning

At first he had no ill-feeling towards Christ. He
self-love. ^]
This self-love was
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 189
recognised His Messianic importance and value, but he was sincere in seeing in Him only his own
the moral achievement of Christ and His uniqueness were beyond an intel- lect so completely clouded by self-love as his. He
"
greatest precursor
reasoned thus :
Christ came before me. I come
second. But what in order of time appears later
is in its essence of greater importance. I come last
at the end of history for the very reason that I am
most perfect. I am the final saviour of the world,
and Christ is my precursor. His mission was to
precedeandprepareformycoming. " Sothinking,
the superman of the twenty-first jcejitury applied to
himself everything that was said in the Gospels about the second advent, explaining the latter not as a return of the same Christ, but as a replacing of the preliminary Christ by the final one that is, by himself.
At this stage the coming man presented few characteristic or original features. His attitude to
Christ resembled, for instance, that of Mahomed, a
truthful man, against whom no charge of harbouring
evil designs can be brought.
Yet in another way this man justified his selfish
"
preference of himself before Christ.
Christ," he
said, "preaching and practising in life moral good,
was a reformer of mankind, whereas I am called to ""
be the benefactor of that same mankind, partly reformed and partly incapable of being reformed.
Iwillgiveallmenwhattheyrequire. Asamoralist.
? J*r
Christ divided men by the notion of good and evil. I shall unite them by benefits which are as much needed by good as by evil people. I shall be the true representative of that God who maketh His sun to shine upon the good and the evil, and who maketh the rain fall upon the just and upon the unjust. Christ brought the sword; I shall bring peace. He threatened the earth with the Day of
Judgment. But the last judge will be myself, and
my judgment will be not only that of justice, but also that of mercy. The justice that will be meted out
in my sentences will not be a retributive justice,
^however,butadistributiveone. Ishalljudgeevery man according to his deserts, and shall give every- body what he needs. "
In this magnificent spirit he now waited for God
to call him in some unmistakable fashion to take
uponhimselftheworkofsavingmankind; forsome
obvious and striking testimony that he was the elder
son,thebelovedfirst-bornchildofGod. Hewaited
and sustained himself by the consciousness of his
superhuman virtues and gifts, for he, as was said,
was a man of irreproachable morals and exceptional
genius.
Thus this just but proud man waited for the sanc-
tion of the Most High to begin his saving of man-
190 SOLOVIEV
but he could see no signs of it. He had passed . ,(6
the age of thirty. Three more years passed by. A
thought suddenly leaps into his mind and thrilled
""
him to the core. What," thought he, what if by
kind
;
? here, presently?
A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 191
some accident it is not I, but the other one . . . the Galilean. If He is not my annunciator but the true deliverer, the first and the last one? But in that case He must be alive. . . . Where is He, then? What if He suddenly comes to me . . .
What shall I tell Him? Shall I not be compelled to kneel down before Him as the very last silly Christian, as some Russian peasant
'
Lord, Jesus And it will be
reverence to God and Christ, a sudden fear_was
and grew in his heart, next followed by a burning
ewuy^ consuming all his being, and by an ardent "
who mutters without understanding :
'
I, the serene genius, the superman !
And here, instead of his former reasoning and cold
Christ, forgive me, a sinful man !
hatred that takes the
breath away *
I^and^ not He !
Hedidnot no,didnotrise!
It is it is very. I,s
*
i ii i_ -> *^ ~\ i~-
He is dead, is and will ever be !
His body saw cor- ruption in the grave as that of the very last. . . . " And, his mouth foaming, he rushed in convulsive movements out of the house, through the garden, and ran along a rocky path covered by the dark
gloomy night.
His rage calmed down and gave place to a
despair, dry and heavy as the rocks, sombre as the
night. He stopped in front of a sharp precipice, from the bottom of which he could hear the faint
soundsofthestreamrunningoverthestones. An
unbearable anguish pressed upon his heart. Sud-
"
denly a thought flashed across his mind.
Shall I
" It cannot be !
? 192 SOLOVIEV
? ShallIaskHimwhattodo?
image. pities . . . Oh,no, !
call Him
the midst of darkness he could see a pale and grief-
stained " He me. never
He did not rise !
Hedidnot!
Hedidnot " And
!
he leapt from the precipice. But here something firm like a column of water held him up in the air.
He felt a shock as if of electricity, and some un- known force hurled him back. For a moment he becameunconscious. Whenhecametohissenses he found himself kneeling down a few paces from
thebrowoftheprecipice. Astrangefiguregleam-
ing with a dim phosphorescent light loomed up before him, and its two eyes pierced his soul with
their painful penetrating glitter. He saw these two piercing eyes and heard some unfamiliar voice
coming from the inside or the outside of him he could not tell which a dull, mufBed voice, yet distinct, metallic and expressionless as from a
gramophone. beloved son !
Andthevoicesaidtohim "
: Oh,my
Let all my benevolence rest on thee !
Why didst not thou seek for me? Why hast thou
stooped to worship that other, the bad one, and his father? Iamthygodandfather. Andthatcrucified mendicant heisastrangerbothtomeandtothee. I have no other son but thee. Thou art the sole,
the only one Begotten, the equal of myself. I love thee, and ask for nothing from thee. Thou art
alreadybeautiful,great,andmighty. Dothywork in thine own name, not mine. I harbour no envy
of thee. I love thee. I require nothing of thee.
f cs
"
And in
? -
Peace and
1
A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 193
He whom thou regardest as a God, demanded from Hissonanabsoluteobedience eventodeathona cross and even there He did not help Him. I demand from thee nothing, and I will help thee. For the sake of thyself, for the sake of thine own dignity and excellency, and for the sake of my own
disinterested love of thee, I will help thee !
Receive
thou my spirit ! As before my spirit gave birth to
thee in beauty, so now it gives birth to thee in ^power" With these words of the stranger, the!
mouth of the superman involuntarily opened, two I ^{u
piercing eyes came close up to his face, and he felt ! r>cfr \-- j m&qtt
an icjnbreath which pervaded the whole of his being. \ At the same time he felt in himself such st-rength,
-- vigour, lightness, and joy as he had never before
At the same moment the luminous
experienced.
image and the two eyes suddenly disappeared, something lifted the man up in the air, and brought him down in his own garden, before the very doors of his house.
Next day the visitors of the great man, and even
his servants, were startled by his inspired air. They would have been even more startled could they have
seen with what supernatural quickness and facility he was writing, locked up in his study, his famous
"
SL^ rework entitled,
The Open Way to the Universal
The previous books and the public activity of the superman had always met with severe criticisms.
though these came chiefly from men of exceptionally o
<*<-*-*
+r
? 194 SOLOVIEV
deep religious convictions, who for that very reason
possessed no authority, and were hardly listened to when they tried to point out in everything that the "Coming Man" wrote or said the signs of quite an exceptional and excessive self-love, and a complete absence of true simplicity, frankness, and sincerity.
But now with his new book he brought over to his side even some of his former critics and adver- saries. This book, composed after the incident at
the precipice, evinced a greater power of genius thanhehadevershownbefore. Itwasaworkthat
embraced everything and solved every problem. The noble respect of the ancient traditions and
symbols stood in it side by side with a bold and thorough radicalism in the sphere of social and
political problems, an unlimited freedom of thought
with the most profound appreciation of everything mystic, the absolute individualism with an ardent
fidelity to the common weal, the most lofty idealism
of the guiding principles with the perfect definite- ness in practical necessities of life. And all this
was blended and cemented with such artistic
genius that every thinker and every man of action, however one-sided he may have been, could easily view and accept the whole from his particular
individual standpoint without sacrificing anything to the truth itself, without actually rising above hi. <
Ego, without in reality renouncing his one-sided ness, without correcting the inadequacy of his view and wishes, without making up their deficiencies
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 195
This wonderful book was immediately translated into the languages of all the civilised nations, and many of the uncivilised ones as well. During the whole year thousands of papers in all parts of the world were filled with the publishers' advertisements and the eulogies of the critics. Cheap editions with
portraits of the author were sold in millions of ^
"
of the incomparable, the great, the only one! Nobody raised his voice against the book. On -
every side it was accepted as the revelation of the all -complete truth. In it all the past was given
its full and due justice, all the present was appraised
with such impartiality and catholicity, and the happiest future was brought near in such a con-
vincing and practical manner that everybody could
copies,andallthecivilisedworld andnowitstood .
for nearly all the globe resounded with the glory -
^
" not help saying :
Here at last we have what we "
need. Here is the ideal, which is not__ajiJLItQpia. Here is a scheme which is not a dream. " And the^ wonderful author not only impressed all, but he
was agreeable to everybody, so that the word of ^G.
"
Christ was fulfilled :
the Father, and you accept me not. Another will come in his own name him you will accept. " For
it is necessary to be agreeable to be accepted.
It is true some pious men, whilst praising the
book whole-heartedly, had been asking why the
name of Christ was never mentioned in it
" Christians had rejoined :
I have come in the name of
but other So much the better.
;
O2
^f
? 196 SOLOVIEV
Everything sacred has already been stained enough
in the past ages to make a deeply religious author extremelycarefulinthesematters. Thenthebook
is imbued with the true Christian spirit of active
love and all-embracing goodwill. And what more do you want? " And everybody agreed.
Soon after the publication of " The Open Way," which made its author the most popular man that
had ever lived on earth, an international constitu- tional congress of the United States of Europe was tobeheldinBerlin. ThisUnion,foundedaftera series of international and civil wars which had been brought about by the liberation from the Mongolian yoke, and had resulted in considerable alteration in the map of Europe, was now menaced with peril, not through conflicts of nations, but through the internal strife between various political and social
parties. The heads of general European politics, who belonged to the powerful brotherhood of Free-
masons, experienced certain insufficiency of execu- tive power. The European unity obtained at such
a great cost was every moment threatening to fall to pieces. There was no unanimity in the Union
"
Comite permanent universel" as not all the seats were in the hands of true masons. The independent members of the Council were entering
into separate agreements, and things seemed to be driftingtoanotherwar. The"initiated"thende-
cided to establish a personal executive power endowed with some considerable authority. The
Council or
? A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 197
principal candidate was the secret member of the Order "theComingMan. " Hewastheonlyman
withagreatworld-widefame. Beingbyprofession learned artilleryman, and by his source of income
rich capitalist, he was on friendly terms with many financier and military man. In another, less
enlightened time, there might have been put against him the fact of his extremely obscure origin. His
mother, a lady of doubtful reputation, was very well known in both hemispheres, but the number of people who had grounds to consider him as their son was rather too great. These circumstances, however, could not carry any weight with the age which was so advanced as to be actually the last one.
"The Coming Man" was almost unanimously elected president of the United States of Europe
for life. And when he appeared on the platform in
all the glamour of young super-human beauty and power, and with inspired eloquence expounded his
universal programme, the assembly was carried away by the spell of his personality, and in an outburst of enthusiasm decided, even without voting, to give him the highest honour, and to elect him Roman Emperor.
The congress closed amidst general rejoicing,
and the great elector published a manifesto, which "'
.
began with the words : Nations of the World ! I *o*,
"
give you my peace," and concluded, the World !
Nations of Ov The promises have been fulfilled ! An eternal universal peace has been secured. Every attempt to destroy it will meet with a determined
? *
,
under the supreme authority of the Roman Em- Y peror. FThere still remained a few independent tribes . and little States in remote parts of Asia and Africa, tut with a small but chosen army of Russian, German, Polish, Hungarian, and Turkish regiments the Emperor set out for a military march from the Eastern Asia to Morocco, and without much blood- shed brought under subjection all the insubordinate States. In all the countries of the two hemispheres he installed his viceroys, choosing them from among the native nobles who had been educated in Europeanfashionandwerefaithfultohim. Inall the heathen countries the native population, greatly
impressed and charmed by his personality, pro- claimedhimastheirsupremegod. Inasingleyear a real universal monarchy in the true and proper
sense of the word was established. The germs of
198 SOLOVIEV
and irresistible opposition, since a Power is now established on earth which is stronger than all the otherPowers,separatelyorconjointly. Thisincon-
querable, all surmountable power belongs to me, the authorised elector of Europe, the Emperor of all its forces. International law has at last secured the sanctionwhichwassolongmissing. Henceforthno
'''' Power will dare to say War when I say Peace !
Europe, particularly in America, powerful im-
perialist parties were formed which compelled their Governments to join the United States of Europe
Peoples of the world, peace to you !
festo had the desired effect. Everywhere outside
"
This mani-
? "
Nations of the World !
I have promised you
A STORY OF ANTI-CHRIST 199
wars were radically destroyed. The Universal
League of Peace met for the last time, and having
delivered an exalted panegyric to the Great Peace-
maker, dissolved itself as being no longer necessary.
On the eve of the second year of his reign the
World's Emperor published a new manifesto :
peace,andIhavegivenityou. Butpeaceisjoyful
only through prosperity. Who in peace-time is
threatened with poverty has no pleasure in peace.
I call, therefore, all the cold and hungry ones to
come to me, and I will give them food and
" warmth !
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 !