The Revolutionary Priest. Joseph Stalin. Threshold 9

There were present: the AG (Angel-Guardian), the AD (Angel-Destroyer), the German writer Emil Ludwig, the assistant inspector S. Murakhovsky, the inspector of the seminary hieromonk Hermohen, the writer Constantine Leontiev, the classic Leo Tolstoy, the St. Jerome, the St. Theodoret, the religious philosopher Simon Frank, the poet Alexander Block, Joseph's friend Iremashvili, Leon Trotsky.

"What would you like to say," Joanna whispered, addressing to Soso but not to the leader of all times and peoples. Say it quickly, and nobody will find out about it."

It was silence. She felt in her bones that this helpless silence was tragic and sealed by eternity or by 'existential time' as the AG would say.

The AG in a white panama and in white glasses waved to her from a garret door, and she found herself in a viewing room with a screen, sewn of sheets, not in a gangway but in a chair. Even the AD nodded her with cold politeness.

"Don't be afraid, the son of darkness owes to me," the AG whispered, "I gave him a 'Kodak'; in their establishment they don't have enough films. After the perestroika only discrediting evidences come from here. All the eternity is overloaded with work."

"Only let her keep within the time limit," grumbled the AD, "no destabilizing pressure on the investigation is permissible."

"He means a sign of the cross," the AG explained, "he fears it more that holy water."

And again the film reader was crackling. A documentary from Joseph's life was shown.

The German writer Emil Ludwig witnesses. He recites Joseph's words, 'On the ground of protest against humiliating regime and Jesuitical methods practiced in the seminary I was ready to become and really became a revolutionary and an adept of Marxism as a real revolutionary doctrine'.

'It turned out that Dzhugashvili had a subscription list from the 'Cheap Library' whose books he used. Today I confiscated from him a writing work 'The Toilers of the See' by Victor Hugo' (the assistant inspector S.Murakhovsky, the inspector of the seminary hieromonk Hermohen).

'To be punished with a prolonged staying in the lock up; he was already warned about an outside book' (1893).

'He was a righteous man and thought himself to be infallible. Nobody ever saw tears in his eyes. He was a height of virtue, inaccessible and icy one. He was just and fearful in his justice. For a priest there is no middle in revolution. Reverses of revolution can attract a priest only by the lowest or the highest motives; he is either hateful, or great. Simourden was a great man but his greatness was self-isolated and dwelt in unattainable steeps in inhospitably deathly spheres: it was a greatness surrounded by abysses. Some peaks are so ominously clean'.

From the welcoming Joseph's article dedicated to the leader of German Social Democracy and also full of religious pathos:

'Who doesn't know Bebel, the venerable leader of German laborers, a 'simple' turner in the past and now a famous political figure whose criticism not once made 'crowned heads' and patent scientists retreat like under hits of a hammer, and whose word is heard by many-millioned German proletariat like a word of a prophet?'

"Before going on, I must remind that the defense will stand up for one main thought," the AG announced, "The Creation of ANTIVAMPIRIA by Joseph. Joseph is important for us not as a Marxist, Bolshevik, Russian nationalist or statesman. Of course, this is essential but not like an end in itself, which would be idolatry, but as a means of creating Antivampiria, a state pleased to Heaven, which contributes to fulfillment of the Plan. I mean THE PLAN OF THE CREATOR.

1. Humanity is a sole organism where in the process of history God-humanity matures, new Adam who is called to live in the Kingdom.

2. Every organ of humanity (a nation) or every cell (a personality) has their own Plan or Destination, which at a certain time and at a certain place is called out of nonexistence to perform this Supertask, beginning on the earth and, in case of success, lasting in the Kingdom.

3. In order to perform personal and collective God-human Supertask, everyone should get necessary and sufficient things from all members of the Whole and from the Whole itself, and in turn selflessly and devotedly serve the Whole. The result is growth and health of the Whole, and it is a law of every live organism.

In order to immediately refuse the accusations of 'anthill' that has become banal already, I will explain that for an ant the benefit of its anthill is an end in itself closed on final earthly existence. What is good for an anthill is good for an ant too. By the way we violate even the principle of an anthill!

For man who was created 'after God's image and likeness successful functioning of the Whole on the earth is only a means of fulfilling the Plan that is beyond earthly being. The result is an increase of 'the Lord's harvest. From personal point of view, it is becoming sprouted wheat but not weeds that are doomed to burning.

As a result of the fall, humanity is infected with separation from God and self-affirmation at the expense of the Whole and others. Let's call this egoistic separation VAMPIRISM, i.e. desire of separate cells or organs to gain benefits at the expense of others. The result is universal enmity, discord, envy and competition, i.e. global violation of the Plan and falling ill of an organism.

This falling corresponds to the Plan providing everyone with a freedom of choice: whether you will be good for taking a place destined for you by God in the Father's house built by love and whether you will recover during your earthly life or stay a vampire in your heart, and the Kingdom will reject you as a dead matter? Everyone is free to choose his own destiny in eternity but the task of those who has chosen Heaven is withstanding the world that 'lieth in wickedness'. They are warriors and sowers who are called to increase 'the Lord's harvest'.

VAMPIRIA is a sick organism where some cells swell with fat and others suffer from hunger. Where cancer progresses, there bodies and souls of God's children who were 'bought at a price' are gorged. And only 'hard therapy' from time to time purifies and washes by blood (including innocent blood) dying humanity, helping to postpone inevitable collapse by sufferings and catharsis.

"I contend that during all his life Joseph built Antivampiria, i.e. the kingdom where there was no life for fat cats and predators.

"Therefore, he created egalitarianism," the AD sniffed.

'This is a distortion of my words. There is no egalitarianism because a composer needs a piano, a carpenter needs an axe and a scientist needs to have a laboratory and travel to symposiums. Head is not equal to arms or liver but the Law never says that Head should live at their expense. Talents that were give by Heaven as gifts for performing the Plan, including social status, are only means for serving to the Plan but not for preventing others from doing so or, even worse, for gorging those 'others', i.e. their time, health, lives and souls. What can be more terrible than taking children from God?

I must add that Joseph was far from hatred to Vampiria. I have made a lot of examples but would like to join to the Case one more thing.

Isn't it terrible and offensive to think that Moses sat on Sinai that Hellenes built exquisite Acropolises, Romans made Punic wars, and the genius and handsome Alexander of Macedonia in plumed helmet crossed rivers and fought battles, that apostles preached, martyrs suffered, poets sang, painters painted and knights shone at their tournaments only so that French, German or Russian bourgeois in their ugly and comical clothes could peacefully enjoy themselves on the ruins of all that former greatness.

It would be shameful for humanity if this low ideal of universal benefit, small labor and disgraceful prose would triumph forever."

"The witness Constantine Leontiev haven't yet reminded of the main sacrifice, i.e. the crucifixion of the Christ".

The witness Leo Tolstoy:

'How could it happen that the majority of people nowadays don't work but quietly make use of other people's labors needed for their living and consider this kind of life as the most natural and reasonable?'

'We live as if there were no connection between a dying laundress, a fourteen-years-old prostitute, women who are worn-out by producing cigarettes, intensive and hard work of old women and children around us who don't have enough food. We live, enjoy and luxuriate as if there were no connection between all of that and our life. We don't want to see that without this idle, luxurious and depraved life there wouldn't be this hard work, and without hard work our life would stop. It seems to us that sufferings and our own life exist by themselves, and that we, living as we live, are innocent and clean as doves.'

The church excommunicated Tolstoy not for his social preaching. Nor did it solve people's problems but only told them, them, 'Save yourself'. But Joseph, as we can remember, was an irreconcilable protector of the week when nobody could protect them.

'Save yourself' was not for him.

And biblical prophets foretold that God's wrath would fall on the top circles; kings, nobles and priests, i.e. those who got the most privileges from God. 'Princes' i.e. those who obtained administrative and judicial authority, high officials and noblemen abusing their positions are condemned first of all.

The Saint Jerome, 'Let's read stories of Josephus Flavius and we will find there a description of how princes, kings nobles and priests were pulled even from refuse pits, caves, beast's dens and graves where they hid in their fear of death'.

The St. Theodoret interprets the prophet's words 'And punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil' (Zephania 1:12) that here God condemns those who claim that God doesn't reward and punish nobody (everything is casual).

And according to the St. Jerome, 'It's those will be punished by God's wrath who, refusing God's providence, said that God was a source of neither good for good people, nor evil for evil people, and everything was ruled by will of fortune and was being destroyed by uncertain chance'. Such thought and beliefs bordered on unbelief and were a practical denial of God's existence.

Therefore, Joseph, going to revolution, considered himself as God's staff, 'and the staff in their hand is mine indignation' (Isaiah 10:5).

The witness Simon Frank:

'Russian religious consciousness gradually left real life; it learned and taught to be patient and suffer but not struggle and create life; all best strengths of Russian spirit began to be wasted on sufferings, passivity and inactive dreaminess. Russian religious spirit long ago stopped to strengthen people in their everyday working life and saturate their earthly, economic and legal relations. For this reason essentially healthy people's instinct was torn off its spiritual root of life and began to be satisfied by unbelief, negative liberty, i.e. unrestrained thoughts and feelings.

The witness Alexander Block:

I'm educated enough to understand that it can't be the case for a long time and bourgeoisie will be destroyed. But if socialism comes true, we will have only to die; while we have no idea of money we are wealthy and unapt to gain something by our own diligence. All of us are drug addicts and our women are nymphomaniacs. We are in the minority but we are still control our youth; we laugh at those who are interested in socialism, work and revolution. We live only by poems. We are superficial, very superficial'.

"Woe be to those who expect to find fulfilment of their dreams in revolution, no matter how lofty and noble they may be. Revolution like thunderstorm or snowstorm always brings new and unexpected things; it brutally deceives many people; it easily crushes worthy people in its whirl; it often and safely brings the unworthy to dry land; but these are its particulars; it can change neither general trend of the stream, not terrible and deafening roar of the stream. This roar always tells about great things'.

"Joseph left to make this kind of revolution by God's own command.

THE PERIODS OF JOSEPH'S EARTHLY WAY:

In 1895-1898 he took part in Marxist groups and later was in charge of them.

In 1900 he took part in May-Day workers' rally and guided strikes in Tiflis.

In 1901 the police searched the physical observatory where he worked, and he went underground.

He guided a May-Day demonstration, published the first number of the illegal newspaper 'Brdzola' with his policy article in it, was elected a member of the First Tiflis Committee of the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party and was appointed to revolutionary work in Batum. Under the guise of the New Year celebration an illegal conference of social-democratic groups was conducted.

In 1902 he organized an illegal print shop that printed leaflets and proclamations, guided manifestations and political demonstrations. Then he was arrested.

In 1903 the Caucasian Union of the RSDLP was created, and Joseph who was then in prison was elected its member in his absence. He was deported under guard to the East Siberia.

In 1904 he escaped from his exile. He was in charge of the Caucasian committee of the RSDLP, wrote a policy document 'Credo', created a Bolshevist committee in Baku and dissolved a Menshevist one. He struggled against Mensheviks, anarchists and federalists. He wrote policy messages to Georgian Bolsheviks abroad and was in charge of a strike of Baku labourers.

In 1905 the booklet 'The Short Review of Disagreements in the Party' was published. Joseph disputed with anarchists and socialist revolutionaries, published leaflets in connection with the October All-Russian strike, leaded the 4th Bolshevists conference of the Caucasian Union of the RSDLP, took part in the work of the 1st Bolshevists conference in Tammerfors and met Lenin.

In 1906 was elected a delegate of the 4th Congress of the RSDLP, was in charge of the newspaper 'The New Life', wrote a series of articles 'Anarchism or Socialism', guided the work of Tiflis trade-unions, published the newspaper 'The New Time' with the article 'Class Struggle' and the newspaper 'The Light', wrote an introduction to Kautsky's booklet and the article 'Electoral Struggle and Mensheviks, published the newspaper 'The Time' and took part in the work of London congress of the RSDLP.

"You have forgotten about his private life."

"His seminarian classmate secretly married Kato and Joseph in the church of the St. David."

"Why did he do it secretly?'

"Joseph was still in hiding."

The witness Iremashvili, 'This truly Georgian woman with all her heart took cared of the destiny of her husband. Spending innumerable nights in fervent prayers she waited for her Soso when he took part in secret meetings. She prayed that Koba would turn away from his impious ideas for the sake of peaceful family life in labor and prosperity'.

"Was this witness of yours present there," the AD scoffed. "I don't believe it.

By the way, one more Joseph's political opponent Leo Trotsky witnesses:

'Not without amazement can we find out from these lines that Koba, who turned away from religion when he was thirteen, had a naive and committed Christian wife. He was satisfied with a humble and devoted woman. In his views he was a Marxist but in his feelings and spiritual needs he was a son of an Ossetian Beso from Didi-Lilo.'

Joseph's wife died of typhus in 1907 leaving a little son to him. His former friend Iremashvili came to condole with him.

'He was very saddened and met me in a friendly manner as he used to do. His pale face reflected his heart anguish that was brought about to this hard-hearted man by the death of his devoted life companion. His distress should have been very hard and long because he was not able to conceal it from people'.

The departed was buried according to all rules of an Orthodox ritual. His wife's relatives insisted on it, and he didn't oppose.

'He saw the purpose of his life in overthrow the high and mighty. His hatred towards them was much more active in his heart than his sympathy towards the oppressed. Jail, exile, sacrifices and deprivations didn't frighten him. He was able to look dangers in the face' (Leo Trotsky).

'The year of the revolution began from shooting of workers in Petersburg who came to tsar with a petition. Koba's appeal about the events of 9th January declares, 'Stretch out our hands to each other and unite around party committees. We should never forget that only party committees can lead us in a proper way; only they can illuminate our way to the Promised Land' (Leo Trotsky).

"Religious terminology is again present," the AG exclaimed.

Suddenly the light was turned out. Yana ran to her place on the first floor and knocked at the door. She just returned from work and, having no time for changing her clothes, began to quickly make supper. She kept a knife in her right hand and a potato in her left one.