Zur Geschichte n. Literatur (ibid. 1845), p. 62, etc. ; id. Literaturgesch. zur synagogalen Poesie (ibid. 1865), p. 252 sq.; Synagogale Poesie (ibid. 1855), p. 181-183; Ki.nchi, Liber Radicum, p. xliii sq. (Berol. 1847, ed. Biesenthal and Lebrecht) ; Griitz, Gesch. d. Juden (Leips. 1871), vi, 70 sq.; Braunschweiger, Gesch. d. Juden in den roman. Staaten (Wiirzb. 1865), p. 53 sq. ; Jost, Geech, d. Judenth. u. s. Secten, ii, 230 sq. ; Dessauer, Gesch. • 1. Israeliten (Bresl. 1870), p. 311; Adams, Hist, of the Jews (Bost. 1812), i, 256 ; Etheridge, Introd. to Heb. Lit- erature, p. 282 sq., 406 sq. ; Ginsburg, Levita's Masoreth ha-Masore.th (Lond. 1867), p. 105; id. Ecclesiastes (ibid. 1861), p. 38 sq.; and Song of Songs (ibid. 1857), p. 40 sq. ; Keil, Introd. to the Old Testament (Edinb. 1870), ii, 383 sq.; Bleek, Einleitunq in das Alte Testament (Berl. 1865), p. 100, 103, 105; Diestel, Gesch. d. Alten Testa- ments (Jena, 1869), p. 196, 199, 339, 522; Levy, Die Ex- egese bei den franzosischen Israeliten vom lOten bis 14/ en Jahrhundt. (Leips. 1873), p. 10 sq.; and the interesting essay in Merx's Archiv fur wissenschaft liche Erfor- schung des Alten Testaments, i, 428 sq. ; Siegfried, Rashi's Einftuss avf Nicolaus von Lyra unci Luther in der Aus- leg'ung der Genesis (Halle, 1870). (B. P.)
Raskolniks (that is, Schismatics), the general name used to denote the various sects which have dis- sented from the Russo-Greek Church. The first body that left the Established Church was the sect of the Strigohiiks, which arose in the 14th century. Another more remarkable sect appeared in the latter part of the 15th century in the republic of Novgorod, teaching that Judaism was the only true religion, and that Chris- tianity was a fiction because the Messiah was not yet born. The chief promoters of this sect were two priests called Dionysius and Alexius, the pro topapas of the cathe- dral of Novgorod, together with one named Gabriel, and a layman of high rank. These secret Jews conformed outwardly to the Greek Church with so great strictness that they were reputed to be eminent saints, and one of them, Zosimus by name, was raised, in 1490, to the dignity of archbishop of Moscow, and thus became bead of the Russian Church. By the open profession of adherence to the Established Church of the country, the members of this Jewish, or rather Judaizing, sect managed to conceal their principles from public notice; but they were at length dragged to light by Gennadi- U8, bishop of Novgorod, who accused them of having called the images of the saints logs; of having placed these images in unclean places, and gnawed them with their teeth; of having spit upon the cross, blasphemed Christ and the Virgin, and denied a future life. The grand -duke ordered a synod to be convened at Mos- cow on Oct. 17, 1490, to consider these charges; and al- though several of the members wished to examine the accused by torture, they were obliged to content them- selves with anathematizing and imprisoning them. Those, however, who wrere sent back to Novgorod were more harshly treated. "Attired," says count Krasin- ski, "in fantastic dresses intended to represent demons, and having their heads covered with high caps of bark, bearing the inscription, ' This is Satan's militia,' they were placed backwards on horses, by order of the bish- op, and paraded through the streets of the town, ex- posed to the insults of the populace. They had after- wards their caps burned upon their heads, and were confined in a prison — a barbarous treatment, undoubted- ly, but still humane considering the age, and compared to that which the heretics received during that as well as the following century in Western Europe.''
The metropolitan Zosimus, finding that the sect to which he secretly belonged was persecuted as heretical, resigned his dignity in 1494, and retired into a convent. About the beginning of the 16th century, a number of these Judaizing sectarians fled to Germany and Lithua- nia, and several others wdio remained in Russia were burned alive. The sect seems to have disappeared about this time; but there is still found, even at the present day, a sect of the Raskolniks which observes sev-
RASPOXI
910
BASSES
eral of the Mosaic rites, ami are called SubotnUri, 01 Sat- urday-men, because they observe the Jewish instead of
ilie Christian Sabbath.
Soon after the Reformation, though Protestant doc- trines were for a long time unknown in Russia, a seel nt heretical Raskolniks arose who began to teach that there were no sacraments, and that the belief in tin- divinity of Christ, the ordinances of the councils, and the holiness of the saints was erroneous. A council of nvened to try the heretics condemned them t<> be imprisoned lor life. Towards the middle of the 17th century various sects arose in consequence ol the emendations introduced into the text of the Scriptures and the Liturgical books by the patriarch Xicon. This reform gave rise to the utmost commotion in the coun- try, and a large body both of priests and laymen vio- lently opposed what they called the Niconian heresy, alleging that the changes in question did not correct, but corrupt, tin- Bacred books and tin- true doctrine. The opponents of the amended books were numerous and violent, particularly in the north of Ibissia, on the shores of the White Sea. By the Established Church they were now called Raskolniks. They propagated their opinions throughout Siberia and other distant provinces. A great number of them emigrated to Po- land and even to Turkey, where they formed numerous settlements. Animated by the wildest fanaticism, many of i hem committed voluntary suicide, through means of what they called a baptism of fire; and it is be- lieved that instances of this superstition occur even now in Siberia and the northern parts of Kussia.