Holy Sobriety in Modern Russia: A Faith Healer and His Followers

Holy Sobriety in Modern Russia explores the history of a spiritual movement that survived persecution and official atheism, focusing on the teachings and prayers of Brother Ioann Churikov. It challenges traditional divides between religious and secular studies, highlighting patterns of spiritual searching and religious toleration under tsarist and Soviet rule.

Format: Hardback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 15 August 2023
Publisher: Cornell University Press

Drawing on multiple archives and primary sources, including secret police files and samizdat, Holy Sobriety in Modern Russia reconstructs the history of a spiritual movement that survived persecution by the Orthodox church and decades of official atheism and still exists today. Since 1894, tens of thousands of Russians have found hope and faith through the teachings and prayers of the charismatic lay preacher and healer, Brother Ioann Churikov (1861–1933). Inspired by Churikov's deep piety, miraculous healing ability, and scripture-based philosophy known as holy sobriety, the trezvenniki—or sober ones—reclaimed their lives from the effects of alcoholism, unemployment, domestic abuse, and illness. Page Herrlinger examines the lived religious experience and official repression of this primarily working-class community over the span of Russia's tumultuous twentieth century, crossing over—and challenging—the traditional divide between religious and secular studies of Russia and the Soviet Union, and highlighting previously unseen patterns of change and continuity between Russia's tsarist and socialist pasts. This grass-roots faith community makes an ideal case study through which to explore patterns of spiritual searching and religious toleration under both tsarist and Soviet rule, providing a deeper context for today's discussions about the relationship between Russian Orthodoxy and national identity. Holy Sobriety in Modern Russia is a story of resilience, reinvention, and resistance. Herrlinger's analysis seeks to understand these unorthodox believers as active agents exercising their perceived right to live according to their beliefs, both as individuals and as a community.
Holy Sobriety in Modern Russia is a captivating narrative that delves into the history of a spiritual movement that has endured persecution by the Orthodox church and decades of official atheism, and continues to thrive today. Drawing on a wealth of archives and primary sources, including secret police files and samizdat, the book reconstructs the journey of the trezvenniki, or sober ones, who found hope and faith through the teachings and prayers of Brother Ioann Churikov (1861–1933). Churikov's deep piety, miraculous healing ability, and scripture-based philosophy known as holy sobriety inspired the trezvenniki to reclaim their lives from the devastating effects of alcoholism, unemployment, domestic abuse, and illness. Page Herrlinger's meticulous examination of the lived religious experience and official repression of this primarily working-class community over the span of Russia's tumultuous twentieth century challenges the traditional divide between religious and secular studies of Russia and the Soviet Union, revealing previously unseen patterns of change and continuity between Russia's tsarist and socialist pasts. This grass-roots faith community serves as an ideal case study for exploring patterns of spiritual searching and religious toleration under both tsarist and Soviet rule, providing a deeper context for today's discussions about the relationship between Russian Orthodoxy and national identity. Holy Sobriety in Modern Russia is a testament to the resilience, reinvention, and resistance of these unorthodox believers as they assert their right to live according to their beliefs, both individually and collectively.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501771149