The Doukhobors or Dukhobors (Russian: духоборы, духоборцы, romanized: dukhobory, dukhobortsy; lit.'Spirit-warriors, Spirit-wrestlers')[2][3][4][5] are a Spiritual Christian ethnoreligious group of Russian origin. They are known for their pacifism and tradition of oral history, hymn-singing, and verse. They reject the Russian Orthodox priesthood and associated rituals, believing that personal revelation is more important than the Bible. Facing persecution by the Russian government for their nonorthodox beliefs, many migrated to Canada between 1899 and 1938, where most currently reside.[6]
Doukhobors have been variously portrayed as "folk-Protestants", Spiritual Christians, sectarians, and heretics. Among their core beliefs is the rejection of materialism. They also reject the Russian Orthodox priesthood, the use of icons, and all associated church rituals. Doukhobors believe the Bible alone is not enough to reach divine revelation[7] and that doctrinal conflicts can interfere with their faith. Biblical teachings are evident in some published Doukhobor psalms, hymns, and beliefs. Since arriving in Canada, parts of the Old Testament, but more profoundly the New Testament, were at the core of most Doukhobor beliefs. There continue to be spiritually progressive thinkers who, through introspection and debate, search for divine revelation to improve the faith.
The Doukhobors have a history dating back to at least 1701 (though some scholars suspect the group has earlier origins).[8] Doukhobors traditionally lived in their own villages and practiced communal living. The name Doukhobors, meaning "Spirit-wrestlers", derives from a slur made by the Russian Orthodox Church that was subsequently embraced by the group.[9]
Before 1886, the Doukhobors had a series of leaders. The origin of the Doukhobors is uncertain; they first appear in first written records from 1701.
The Doukhobors traditionally ate bread and borsch.[10][11] Some of their food-related religious symbols are bread, salt, and water.[12]
^Cite error: The named reference Magocsi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Lib.ru/Классика: Новицкий О. М.. Духоборцы". az.lib.ru. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
^"Peel 4372: Bonch-Bruevich, Vladimir Dmitrievich, Dukhobortsy v Kanadskikh preriiakh (1918)". peel.library.ualberta.ca. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
^"Dukhobor | Russian religious sect". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
^Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Pinkerton, Robert (1833), Russia: or, Miscellaneous Observations on the Past and Present State of that Country and its Inhabitants, archived from the original on December 31, 2018, retrieved January 23, 2020
^Sussex, R. (1993), "Slavonic Languages in Emigration", in Comrie, B.; Corbett, G.G. (eds.), The Slavonic Languages, Routledge.
^"Doukhobors". The Canadian Encyclopedia. February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. During the late 18th century, the group was persecuted by the tsars and the Russian Orthodox Church for heresy and pacifism. In 1785, an Orthodox archbishop called them Doukhobors, or "Spirit-Wrestlers." It was intended to mean "Wrestlers against the Holy Spirit," but the group adopted it, interpreting it as "Wrestlers for and with the Spirit."
^"Civilization.ca - Doukhobors - Food for the Body". www.historymuseum.ca. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
^"Doukhobor Cuisine - Pyrahi". www.usccdoukhobors.org. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
^"Bread Salt and Water". usccdoukhobors.org. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
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Tagalog (Filipino) Arabic German Italian Canadian Gaelic Hutterite German Doukhobor Russian Newfoundland Irish Pennsylvania German Plautdietsch Ukrainian...
Maklakov who would defend several Tolstoyans; they discussed the fate of the Doukhobors. Philosopher Peter Kropotkin wrote of Tolstoy in the article on anarchism...
history of the Doukhobors in Saskatchewan. Doukhobor Dugout House. Canadian Register of Historic Places. "Doukhobor Dugout House". The Doukhobor Dugout House...
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government requiring the Doukhobors to register individual ownership of land as per the Dominion Lands Act, and the majority of the Doukhobors refusing to do so...
in full communion with the Holy See. Spiritual Christians, such as the Doukhobors and Molokans, broke from the Russian Orthodox Church and maintain close...
Commonwealth. Spiritual Christianity is the group of Russian movements (Doukhobors and others), so-called folk Protestants. Their origins are varied: some...
Kootenay River near Castlegar, British Columbia. It was built in 1913 by Doukhobors settled in the area to replace a ferry across the river. In 1966, the...
Transcaucasia and Central Asia, with some further emigrating to the Americas. Doukhobors came to settle primarily in Canada. In 1905, Emperor Nicholas II issued...
and Anarchism and Law. The origin of the Doukhobors dates back to 16th- and 17th-century Muscovy. The Doukhobors ("Spirit Wrestlers") are a radical Christian...
were already more than 5,000 Doukhobors living in the region. When they first arrived in British Columbia, the Doukhobors began felling trees in the Kootenay...
Popoff, D. E. (Jim) Popoff. "A Glossary of Traditional Doukhobor Cuisine". USCC Doukhobors. Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ. Retrieved July...
Christianity, inclusive of the Molokans and Doukhobors emerged in Russia, each containing a unique tradition. The Doukhobor have maintained close association with...
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and the remaining Doukhobor inmates were transferred to the main penitentiary. In 1950, there was another mass-conviction of Doukhobors relating to arsons...
of the fast of the apostles in these traditions. Although the Canadian Doukhobors, a Spiritual Christian denomination, do not venerate saints, the Feast...
of the Doukhobors. In 1898, an agreement was reached with the Czar's Minister of the Interior, Ivan Nikolayevich Durnovo, to allow the Doukhobors to leave...
Narrative Inquiry into the Discourse of Conflict among the Doukhobors and Between the Doukhobors and Government" (PDF). www.library.uvic.ca. p. 199 (191)...
commune Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood, Canadian Community Doukhobors (1900-1938) Common land Communal land Squatting Commune (documentary)...
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