t of his propaganda many prominent members of the orthodox church
were won over.

On the death of Akoumina, the role of Holy Virgin was taken by the
Canoness Anastasia, of the convent of Ivanoff, and as time went on many
of the aristocracy of Moscow and other parts came to swell the ranks of
the believers in the "living Christs."

Philipoff's doctrines differed to some extent from those of Loupkin.
Branches of his church were to be found in most of the Russian
provinces, and as time went on these emancipated themselves and became
independent, and many new "Christs" made their appearance. In 1903,
nearly every Russian province was said to be seriously affected by the
doctrines of the "divine men."

Apart from the secondary articles of faith which differentiated the
churches, their main principles may be epitomised as follows:--

There are seven heavens, and the seventh is the Paradise of the "divine
men." There dwell the Holy Trinity, the Mother of Jesus, the
Archangels, and various Christs who have visited our planet. It is not
a question of material bodies, but of spiritual principles. God
incarnates in good men whenever He feels it to be necessary, and those
who are chosen for this divine honour become Christs. The Christ of
the Gospels died like all the rest. His body is interred at Jerusalem,
and his resurrection only meant the deliverance of his spirit. His
miracles were merely symbolical. Lazarus was a sinner; Christ cured
him and made him a good man; hence the legend of the raising from the
dead. The Gospels contain the teachings of the Christ of that epoch,
but the Christs of our time receive other teachings appropriate to the
needs of the present day.

The orthodox religion of Russia is a material religion, lacking the
Spirit, whose presence is only to be found in the creed of the "divine
men." In order that their truth shall triumph, these latter may belong
nominally to the official religion. They may even attend its churches,
but must leave their souls on the threshold. A "divine man" must guard
his soul from the "infidels," the "wicked," the "voracious
wolves"--thus were the orthodox believers designated. The human soul
was created before the body. (A "divine mother," questioned as to her
age in a court of law, declared that though her body was only seventy
years old, her soul had lived through nearly as many centuries.)
Metempsychosis was one of their beliefs. Souls change their
habitat