A.S. Kobelev’s letter to P.A. Chistjakov

Abstract

The publication features a letter by an unheralded Russian spiritualist A.S. Kobelev. It represents a distinctive sample of correspondence of emerging spiritualists to the persons whom they viewed as their spiritual authority. The letter focuses on the personal psychological experience of Kobelev, which he interpreted as an evidence of his advancement in the journey of comprehending the Spiritual World. Comments to the letter unveil the specifics of spiritualist attitude towards the use of the Scripture in the course of seances as an essential means of verifying the veracity of messages received from spirits. The Scripture hermeneutics had influence on the practical aspect of activity of Christian spiritualists; however, they used it selectively, while drawing a line between the Religion and the Superstition depending on their historiosophical and other personal preferences. The example of discussion between spiritualists on the significance of such hermeneutics raises the question about the correlation between Christian traditionalism and religious universalism in the teachings of Christian spiritualists. The letter is of interest for historians of religion as an artefact of confessional fiction depicting personal experience of spiritualists.