10.50- The Holy Man

Why be an illiterate peasant in Siberia when you can be a sought after curiosity in St. Petersburg.

Direct Link: 10.50- The Holy Man

Comments

[J.P. Hutchinson]

Gotta give Mike credit for a 15 minute episode focusing entirely on Ra Ra Rasputin without a single reference to that song.

[Gregory Levitsky]

Great episode, thank you, Mike! I guess I was a little hasty like a year ago when I thought Rasputin was right around the corner! :-D

Just a reminder, if you have a chance to mention Iliodor (Trufanov), Rasputin’s ally-turned-nemesis, he is the original “mad monk,” whose moniker was erroneously conflated with Rasputin as time blurred the history.

Rasputin was not a monk, nor did he ever claim to be. Monasticism is an actual, official thing in Orthodoxy, with tonsure and all. It’s not just something you claim you are now. “Starets,” meanwhile, just like you said, is far more nebulous. It literally means “elder” and can be legitimate or not: nothing “makes” you an elder, and the faithful are warned to be cautious of false elders.

[Julia Widmaier]

Good luck with your surgery, Mike! I hope it goes well, you make a full recovery, and have a safe and happy return to the USA. :)

[Jonathon Robinson]

After discovering REVOLUTIONS a year ago, I took to it like a cop in a doughnut shop.
I've listened to its entirety twice through while reading, FIRE IN THE HEARTS OF MEN, strangely concurrent at times.
Your delivery and stage presence establishes you as a cut above the majority of podcasts.
Very impressive.
I've just finished 5 solid weeks of making maple syrup in the forests of Southern Ontario. No power or internet, but I had my phone with your podcast downloaded. Thank you, Sir. I feel much more informed in this crazy world. Jonathon Robinson, Toronto Fire Dept

[John Murphy]

Mike, I started History of Rome in June of last year, and I proceeded to absolutely binge every single piece of content you've put out through the course of the quarantine. I've been a history teacher in Chicago for years, and listening to your podcast truly reignited the spark in me of "Why does this matter?" that had dimmed a bit over the grind of the years. I am now completely caught up and so excited to continue the Russian story in real-time.

This term can be thrown around loosely at times, but I mean it fully - you are an inspiration. I appreciate you and everything you've done. I hope the surgery goes perfectly and you and your family make a safe and happy return to our little American experiment over here.

Per Rasputian, Last Podcast on the Left, while certainly more of the "tainment" side of Edutainment, did an excellent five-part series on Rasputian a few years ago. They go in-depth a bit more about the Black Sisters and the courtly fascination with the occult, which is a wonderful and weird subplot happening as the Tsar falls apart and the SRs and Bolsheviks mobilize.

Can't wait to hear more! Glad the Mad Monk (who as Gregory notes was NOT a monk) has made his appearance.

[Charles]

Sad to see you leaving Paris! I thought I'd run into you sooner or later, then Covid19 happened! C'est la vie, hu? Thanks for the great episode. Take care and be well on your journey!