Holiday and Song Taxonomy of Molokans and Jumpers

SONGS

HOLIDAYS

1. MOLOKANS — 10-11 holidays, depending on congregation. The original religion of "Spiritual Christian Molokans", (Russian: Dukhhovnye khristiane-molokane, Духовные христиане-молокане) as founded by Simeon Uklein, which separated from Ikonobors (image-wrestlers) in the 1760s (some relabeled Doukhobors, spirit-wrestlers, in 1785). Molokane were so named for their heresy of drinking milk during the Great Fast (Lent) and splitting from the Orthodox. To distinguish original Molokans from the offshoots (below) who also use the Mokokan label, an adjective is often used  — (Russian: postoiannie. постоянние), constant, steadfast, unchanged, original). The main international Molokan organization is the Union of Spiritual Christian Molokans (USCM) (Russian: Souiz dukhovnykh kristiane—molokan (Союз духовных христиан—молокан, СДКМ, website: SDKM.ru), founded in Moscow in 1990, and transferred about 1994 to Kochubeevskoe, Stavropol' territory (krai), Russian Federation, after a plea to relocate to the Northern Caucasus to serve the thousands of refugees from the Caucasus. Today many still object to the transfer because in Russia a "Center" must be in Moscow. In 2007, the USCM had about 45 dues-paying member congregations, including one in San Francisco, California. American Molokans celebrate 8 holidays. Molokans welcome visitors, photography, and conversion; and celebrated 200 years of religious freedom in 2005. Molokans differ somewhat between congregations but agree they are all one unified religion, and rarely split over liturgy. One "Old- Constant" congregation (Russian: staro-postoiannie, старопостоянние) still uses the Old Slavonic Bible and language for reading and singing; and claims the others have fallen away from their original Russian religious language. Molokans are somewhat critical, yet tolerant, of Jumpers (below) for adapting songs during their services borrowed from other faiths. Molokans have little contact with the zealous and contradictory prophesies of the S&L-users (below) who use the label Molokan while avoiding, often condemning, original Molokans. About 224 Molokan congregations counted world-wide since 1950.
   
   
• Dry Baptists — (Russian: Sukhie baptisty, Сухие Баптисты). Molokans who somewhat merged with the All-Russian Union of Evangelical Christians (ARUEC), led by Molokan Ivan Prokhanov, which split from the Russian Baptist Union, but refused water baptism, preferring their traditional baptism by the Holy Spirit. It is estimated that about half of the early ARUEC members were of Molokan descent. They were called "dry-Baptists" by relatives and friends. At least one congregation counted in 2007, Tblisi, Georgia, but more exist.
  
  
• Christ's Children, Wet Molokans — (Russian: Detei Khrista, Детей Христа, or Mokrye Molokane, Мокрые Молокане.) A congregation which split from the Mikhailovsk (Shpakovskii) congregation, Stavropol' territory, Russian Federation, in the early 2000s. Their service is nearly identical to Molokan, but added water Baptism for any age, hence the nick-name "wet Molokans" by relatives and friends. The founding presbyter Ivan.V. Schetinkin, is brother of the USCM senior presbyter. One congregation counted in 2007, Mikhailovsk (Shpakovskii region), Stavropol territory, Russian Federation.
  
  
  
2. JUMPERS, Leapers, Bouncers, Dancers, Prancers, Noisy-nose-breathers —"Spiritual Christian Jumpers", (Russian: pryguny, духовные христиане-прыгуны), also "Spiritual Molokans-Jumpers" (Russian: духовными молоканами-прыгунами). A hybrid sect formed after Molokans merged and compromised with Sabbatarians (Russian: subbotniki, субботники) probably after 1817, by adding Judaic Old Testament holidays and dietary laws, and deleting a few original holidays. The 1874 hand-drawn calendar (right) shows the Jumper holidays. Molokan- Sabbatarians, who refused to worship on Sunday, were labeled "Saturday Molokans" in the Russian Empire Census of 1897, while the original believers remained "Sunday Molokans". Some Sunday Molokans, who in 1817 begin migrating to Tavria guberniia (now South Ukraine), adapted features from other Russian Spiritual Chirstian sects [link in-progress] and from German Protestants — a focus on the Apocalypse, prophesy, songs and mind altering spiritual acts, including fasting (postnichestvo), ecstatic dances (radeniia), jumping, skipping, walking in the spirit / in joy (khozhdenie v Dukhe), and actions (deistviia). The label pryguny first appeared in Russian print about 1854, though earlier reports described dancing, leaping, and rapid breathing. Many Saturday Molokans, mostly Subbotniki, in the Former Soviet Union merged with Adventists, and no longer use the label Molokan, yet associate with Molokan and Jumper friends and relatives. The 1897 Russian census also counted "Jumpers" separate from "Molokans" in the Transcaucasus. Pryguny religious prisoners were so labeled separate from molokane. Today 2 major factions of Jumpers exist — "Spirituals" who affiliate with Molokans, and "S&L-users" who avoid Molokans and Jumpers yet label themselves Molokans. About 113 Jumper congregations counted world-wide since 1950.
   
   
   • Spiritual — 10 holidays. The original Spiritual Christian Jumpers are commonly called Spirituals (Russian: dukhovnye, духовные). Spirituals divide their holidays into "God's holidays" and "Christ's holidays" (Russian: Prazdniki Gospodni i Khristovy). Christ's holidays were retained from their Molokan origin, and God's holidays were added by the Subbotniki who used the Old Testament. The 2000-2009 calendar (right) is from the Inozemstvo Spiritual congregation, Stavropol territory, RF; and is followed by all Spiritual congregations. Several Spiritual congregations migrated to America but by the 1950s were forced, along with Molokans and the United Molokan Christian Association (UMCA, a Sunday school and youth social center), to either join the S&L-users, join the 2 Molokan congregations (San Francisco, or Sheridan), or leave to join another faiths. By 2007, as many as 90% appeared to have left the Jumper faith in the U.S. In the Former Soviet Union, several Spiritual congregations are members of the USCM and have good relations with Molokans. Most welcome visitors, photography, and conversion. About 27 Spiritual congregations counted world-wide since 1950.
     
     
   • Subbotniki-Molokane — See Subbotniki.net for extensive history and maps. Spiritual Molokans, Jumpers who chose Saturday for their sabbath, and Subbotniks who joined Molokans. Many were counted as "Saturday Molokans" in the Russian Empire Census of 1897. One large group emerged about 1920 in Russki Borisi village, Azerbaijan. led by presbyter Rybkin. His congregation split, half remaining Spiritual, the other Subbotnik, performing identical services on different days, but joining for holidays. Some descendants of this subbotnik congregation converted to Adventist upon resettlement in Russia and meets in the Kapelnitsa suburb of Inozemtsvo, Stavropol province.
     
     
   • First Armenian Pentecostal Church — Ethnic Armenians who joined the Jumpers, migrated with them to California, lived  and intermarried in the Los Angeles "Flats" ghetto, are buried in the Jumper-S&L-user cemeteries, but now use the label Pentecostal. Most welcome visitors, photography, and conversion. One congregation counted in 2007, La Habra Heights, California.
     
     
   • Re-Formed — 6 holidays. Former S&L-users (below) who removed the book S&L from their altar table in the 1970s, translated services and songs into English (Russian is often used, not banned), yet follow the S&L-user holidays, plus the Birth of Christ (Christmas). The existence of this congregation divided American S&L-users into praises and scorners. Website ChristianMolokanUpdate.com registered May 25, 2010.  Most welcome visitors, photography, conversion, are the first congregation of Jumpers to host a web site. One congregation counted in 2007, Woodburn, Oregon.
     
     
   • S&L-users — 5-6 holidays. Jumpers who use the Book of the Sun, Spirit and Life (S&L) (Russian: Kniga solntse: dukh i zhizn', Книга солнце:  дух и жизнь), during prayer services. In this taxonomy, S&L-users began after 1928 when Jumper congregations in the US allowed the S&L to be placed on their their altar tables (prestol), as a Third Testament to the Bible, and used it for worship and rituals. S&L-users probably evolved from one or a few congregations in and near Nikitino (now Fioletovo), Erivan Governorate probably after 1860, of followers of the Jumper leader Maksim G. Rudomiotkin (MGR) who instructed his followers to abandon their original Molokan holidays adapted from Orthodoxy (Christ's holidays), to keep only the Old Testament holidays adapted from Sabbatarians (God's holidays), and to shun Molokans and Sabbatarians — forming a new sect. Some called themselves "Zionists" and.or "New Israel", thought they did not share communion with New Israel nor did they migrate to Palestine as did many Sabbatarians. Molokans and Jumpers commonly call them Maksimists (Russian: maksimisty, максимисты). To his death, Rudomiotkin was registered in a Suzdal monastery as a prygun, Jumper.
          This denomination of Jumpers was transported to America and emerged in 1915 when a few Maksimists in Arizona published in Los Angeles most of Rudomiotkin's notes as the Book of the Morning Star, his Prayerbook (Russian: Molitvennik, Молитвенникъ), and a songbook. They ignored the Molokan prayer books in use. The first version of the S&L was published in 1928 in Los Angeles, adding sections by 3 more prophets, a short history, and deleting 100-200 pages of controversial text. About 66% of the pages in the current edition are credited to Rudomiotkin, with debate. The S&L was placed, probably by Maksimist prophets, on all Jumper altar tables in the US and Mexico, regardless of the denomination or democratic consent of members. The two Molokan congregations in America refused the book.
          S&L-users mostly claim the label "Molokan" to appease core Molokan and Spiritual families to join their "true" faith, and to camouflage their religious origins. In the 1920s an effort to unify all denomination in the US used a five-word label: "Spiritual Christian Russian Molokan Jumpers". The extent of use and acceptance of the S&L significantly divides these Jumper congregations internally and between congregations, causing congregations to split, particularly after a presbyter dies. The grand effort to unify all Jumpers in Los Angeles into one large congregation (Big Church) failed due to objections by several Maksimist leaders whose congregation have continually remained separatist.
         Divisions occur over emphasis of the authors of the S&L (some claim to be Davidisti, not Maksimisti), eating communal (obschie), use of TV and computer (earlier over use of the telephone), joining the collective farm (kolkhoz), and deviations from the S&L or prayerbook rituals and holidays. Some core Maksimists shun other S&L-users for not exulting Rudomiotkin as "King of the Spirits", some believe Rudomiotkin never died, some honor him or other prophets as saints in prayer and song, some claim to be New Israel but are not affiliated with other branches. Because most descendants of S&L-users joined other faiths and married non-Jumpers, many, particularly in the West, have begun to mimic indigenous western protestant faiths to appeal to the youth, and downplay the significance of the S&L, though it remains on their altar table. Many of those who remain in the faith to maintain family and ethnic-cultural bonds reluctantly agree to use the S&L or else be shunned by their elders and other congregations. Many in the U.S. maintain 2 faiths by paying dues to their family congregation (to avoid shunning) but mostly attend another Christian-faith church for English services, socials, and education.
           The S&L-user faith was transferred back to the Soviet Union from America by sending S&L books to Armenia and Kars, Turkey, in the 1930s-40s, where some Jumpers embraced the book. The revived Maksimists in Turkey were relocated to Stavropol province in the early 1960s and were accepted by some Jumper congregations there. S&L-users now in the the North Caucasus arrived in two waves — in 1962 from Turkey during a massive resettlement, and 1987-1990s from Armenia during perestroika. They are fractionated, and typically claim to be the "true" Molokans, some reject all Maksimists from the US, hence require more explanation (to be posted).
          S&L-users rarely affiliate with Molokans, or with Spiritual-Jumpers. Though 100s of S&l-users work in Moscow, they never attend Molokan services, even when personally invited by Molokans. When intermarriage occurs between these denominations the couple must decide which side to join, if any. Occasionally a non-ethnic Molokan married a S&L-user and joined the mate's congregation, only after conversion and scrutiny. No S&L-user congregation joined the USCM by 2007, or attended the 200th Anniversary in 2005, though some attended the 150th Anniversary held in San Francisco in 1955 and many attended the 100th Anniversary held in Vorontsovka, Tiflis governate.
          Confusing to outsiders and to themselves, most S&L-users today self-claim to be Molokans by faith. Few welcome visitors, photography, or conversion. About 86 S&L-user congregations counted world-wide since 1950.

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(Palm Sunday)