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- Title
The Russian Orthodoxy and a Conspiracy Theory: A Contemporary Discourse.
- Authors
Shnirelman, Victor
- Abstract
The article discusses an eschatological background of conspiracy using the Russian Orthodox conspiracy as a case study. The contemporary Russian Orthodox conspiracy focuses on a concept of the»end of time«, which is imagined as a triumphal arrival of the Antichrist, assisted by the Jews and Freemasons. Thus a function, rather than any attribute (rootless, rationalist, liberal, materialist, treachery), forms the basis for the development of religious stereotyping, shared by some priests and the conservative public intellectuals. In fact, the Jews are held responsible for preparing the way for the arrival of their close relative, the Antichrist, and this goal is viewed as a prime mover for all their actions. Russia is considered the last fortress of true Christianity, playing the role of the Biblical»restrainer«(katechon), resisting Satan with the Antichrist and banishing them from the world. The main themes of the discourse are, firstly, a»ritual murder«of the Russian emperor, secondly, the current globalization accompanied by the digital economy and allegedly triggering the»mark of Satan«, and thirdly, a construction of the Third Temple. All these developments are viewed as the strategic, treacherous activities of the Jews and the Freemasons.
- Subjects
ESCHATOLOGY; CHRISTIANITY
- Publication
Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte: Internationale Zeitschrift für Theologie und Geschichtswissenschaft, 2019, Vol 32, Issue 1, p87
- ISSN
0932-9951
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.13109/kize.2019.32.1.87