Filippians

The Phil Ipponen (also Philippians, Filip Onen, Philippowzy, Filippowzy ) is a direction of the priest loose Old Believers ( Bespopowzy ), which goes back to a Russian monk named Philip.

The Phil Ipponen were considered the most radical group among the Old Believers Raskolniki because they refused the oath, marriage, and the prayer for the Tsar and went in their radicalism to self-immolation. In the ( German ) literature, however, is not a clear distinction between these Russian Phil Ipponen and the less radical directions such as the Pomorzy (now consisting Pomorische as Altorthodoxe church) and the Fedossejewzy in Poland and East Prussia often.

The latter settled mainly in Masuria, where they founded entire villages or settlements closed. Of the Prussian authorities in 1823 Phil Ipponen were also well received and on Drusensee (now Duś ) at Eckert village (now Wojnowo ) located where today is one of their monasteries. During the 19th century, their religious views which the Pomorzy approached.

Founded as the religious community of the Novgorod Strelets Photius (* 1675), who became a monk and was named as such Philip. According to him, there was only one Tsar, namely the Tsar in heaven, and only one hierarchy, namely the hierarchy of angels. For such teachings, the earthly Empress Elizabeth showed little open-minded. The prosecution therefore soon onset (initially in the form of a doubled tax) drove the followers of Philip in the wilderness or in exile - and in religious extremism, especially since Philip taught: "Only the Selbstentleibung is the way to salvation. Only the fire can purify the souls of the places on the Antichrist ruined world. " Consistently the Prophet turned his own fire, when an enthusiastic of such words father answered the flames with his family for the purpose of saving souls in a wooden hut. The example set a precedent, and there was an epidemic of self-immolations. Once the soldiers were advancing Zarin, put the Phil Ipponen se fire: so burned around Kargopols, the center of the community, 240, other local 400, and 600 in Nizhny Novgorod in the district Olonets 3000 trailer. Even Philip was among the victims.

The Phil Ipponer spread in the wake of the borders of Russia to Finland, Lithuania, Poland and East Prussia. But it was not everyone who was driven as Phil Ipponer in exile, actually a supporter of Philip: As mentioned, imposed Empress Elizabeth followers a doubled head tax, with the result that allowed by denunciation, calumny and pure suspicion increase tax revenues easily.

An echo of the self-immolations on the threshold of the 20th century formed the community of " brothers and sisters of the Red Death." In the vicinity of Kargopol agreed to meet 862 of them on 31 Oktoberjul. / November 13 1900greg. , To seek the salvation which is in the flames. Although the authorities learned of the plan, but for over a hundred of the followers came the invading too late to help.