Draft:Quakers in Russia
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Early Years
[edit]The term "Quaker" first appeared in Russian records during the regency of Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia, during the late 17th century.[1] In 1689, the German mystic Quirinus Kuhlmann arrived in Moscow to preach. His views were branded as theologically and politically dangerous, and he was burned at the stake for heresy.[2] Kuhlmann was labelled a ‘Quaker’, since he refused any religious or social authority. Later, the sect known as "Spiritual Christians", which was believed to have been founded by a "Prussian Quaker" and yet another Russian spiritual sect known as Khristovshchina were persecuted because of their alleged Quakerism.[3] Polemics about religious ‘enthusiasm’, the belief in direct divine inspiration, were common in Europe at that time, and the label ‘Quaker’ was used to accuse anyone of denying proper authority in the name of their own religious experience.[1]
In the 1780s, the image of a heretic Quaker evolved into that of a exemplary citizen. Publications about English and American Quakers appeared in certain Russian magazines. Inspired by enlightenment discourse, they suggested the image of the model republic on Pennsylvania, founded by the Quaker William Penn, a champion of tolerance and human rights. Another variation of the image of a "good Quaker" emphasized genuine and natural 'Christian' values.[3]
This contradictory influence is especially evident in the works of Petr Alekseevich Alekseev (1727-1801), the archpriest of the cathedral of Archangel Michael in the Moscow Kremlin and a renowned scholar. His writings on Quakers show the role of the image of Quakers in important debates at the end of the eighteenth century, which were centered on the problems of "enthusiasm" and "fanaticism".[3]
In January 1697, Peter the Great travelled to London in disguise to learn more about shipbuilding. News of his arrival reached the Society of Friends and Thomas Story and others went to meet him. Peter challenged them with the proposition that Quakers were no use to the state because they would not fight: Story’s response was that they were extremely useful because they worked hard, were honest, and very innovative. Peter was sufficiently intrigued to arrive unannounced at Gracechurch St Meeting the following Sunday. All this interaction had needed interpreters, but on another occasion William Penn and the Tsar had a direct conversation in German, a language both of them spoke.[4]
In the 1760s a Quaker doctor, Thomas Dimsdale, was administering inoculations for smallpox in St. Petersburg. Though well known, Dr. Dimsdale was perceived in St. Petersburg as a skillful physician rather than a Quaker. In 1768 Catherine the Great was very concerned about the scourge of smallpox, and had heard that a method of inoculation was being developed in Britain. Her ambassador in London asked Dr John Fothergill for advice, and he recommended Quaker doctor Thomas Dimsdale. With some trepidation, Thomas travelled to St Petersburg, and some time later he successfully inoculated Catherine and her children, and then many others. In 1781 he returned to inoculate two of her grandchildren, one of whom became Tsar Alexander I.[4]
In July 1790, Nicholas Karamzin visited a Quaker meeting house in London; he was not much impressed by Quakers, having found them "boring.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Quakers in Russia – a Longer History". Friends House Moscow. 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ Schmidt-Biggemann 1998, pp. 269.
- ^ a b c Tsapina 1997, p. 252.
- ^ a b "Interaction with Tsarist Russia". www.quakersintheworld.org. Archived from the original on 2024-12-11. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ Tsapina 1997, p. 251.
Schmidt-Biggemann, Wilhelm (1998). Salvation through Philology: The Poetical Messianism of Quirinus Kuhlmann (1651–1689). Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04110-37-3.
Tsapina, O. (1997). 'The Image of the Quaker and Critique of Enthusiasm in Early Modern Russia', Russian History. Russian History.