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| James Arkatov |
Once at the end of a hot summer’s day a wanderer with a pack on his back and a staff in his hand appeared in the small village of Alexandrovka, Kurgan uyezd, in the Altai mountains of Siberia. He went up to the gates of the house of Theodore Arkatov and stopped, fixing his eyes on a three-year-old child who was playing in the sand. For a long time he looked at him, and then when the mistress of the house came out he asked for a bed for the night. It was the year 1906.
In the evening, as they were sitting down to supper, the owners of the house asked their guest to sit with them. The wanderer did not refuse, but said that he would eat only his own food. Then he took a black crust of bread and a copper mug out of his bag. Then he went up filled a mug of water from the tub, put it on the table, crossed himself and got up to take part in the prayer before eating. Because of the negligence of the owners, the lampada in front of the icons was not lit. And it lit up of itself. Naturally, after such a phenomenon the owners were particularly interested in the opinion of the man of God on all questions, and especially on the issue which particularly worried people at that time: what was going to happen. The wanderer spoke much about the future; the main thing he said was that one could count the years to the enthronement of the power of the Antichrist. They would destroy monasteries and churches, and subject Christians, and especially the clergy, to tortures. Whether he spoke from himself or retold the prophecies of the Holy Fathers is not known. But his words were remembered in the village for a long time. The next morning, on saying goodbye to the owners, he said, pointing to little James: “Look after him: he will be a great man,” Theodore remembered that, and when he had to punish his little son, he thought: “Here I am applying my belt to this ‘great man’.”
James’s childhood passed normally, one might say, although God’s mercy was sometimes clearly observed on him. Once, when he was four years old, he fell into the chute leading to the wheel of a water-mill, and of course he would certainly have been killed if, as he was borne along at a mad pace, he had not caught hold of a hanging branch. How long he could have held out, paddling in the water, is not known, but at that moment he was discovered and saved by his grandfather who was passing by and who was the owner of the mill.
James remembered an incident from his early childhood. One feast day he ran into the wood behind the kitchen garden, where he loved to run and romp around in the thick grass. Running out into a glade, he suddenly discovered a wonderful way to enjoy himself: over the glade there hung a shining golden chain. Unthinkingly James took hold of the chain and began to swing on it from one end of the glade to the other. He was delighted, and decided to share his joy with his sisters, who were older than he. But when he brought them to the glade, a bitter disappointment awaited him: there was no chain, only traces of trampled-on grass. Moreover, his sisters mocked him, saying that there had been no chain to hold onto, but only empty sky…
James did not understand the meaning of this vision, although already at this time a firm faith in God and the invisible world was being forged in him. Once when he was nine, his father sent him out in the evening to look for some grazing horses, so as to use them in pairs to plough the land. He pointed to where they were approximately. On arriving at the pasture, James did not see the horses, but in the distance he saw an old man sitting on a boulder. He decided to ask him. Moreover he was curious to know where he was from – there were no such old men in the village.
The old man replied to James’s greeting and asked: “What do you call this mountain?” pointing to a mountain that was higher than the rest. Incidentally, this mountain was unusual; clearly of volcanic origin, it was higher than all the others, and from it ridges and valleys pushed out in all directions. Rivers which began in the mountain flowed down the valleys. Until halfway up it was wooded, but from then on it was bare and had a rounded top. Moreover, the whole of the upper part of the mountain was not composed of solid rock, but of piles of small stones no larger than a football. Hence its name: “bald”. James said: “Bald”. “A good mountain,” said the old man, “in time it will blossom.” “Some hope!” cried James. “Until St. Peter’s day it is covered with snow, and from St. Elijah’s day it is again covered with snow.” The old man smiled and said: “What I mean is: it will not be covered with flowers, but will be glorified. And your horses are grazing over there.”
James went and found the horses precisely there. Everything was normal, and yet for some reason his soul was filled with a strange exaltation, and everything seemed to him not quite normal: how did the old man know that he was looking for horses, that his horses were there, that the Bald mountain would blossom one day. Moreover, the appearance of the old man was too unusual: his pure white hair and beard fell down to his waist, while the skin of his face was young, as on a child, and without a single wrinkle. James found his family at supper, and immediately as he came in he began excitedly to tell them about what he had seen. However, nobody showed the slightest interest. He was offended that they weren’t listening to him, and silently ate the food he was given. Only later did he understand that they simply didn’t hear him.
However, this vision was only the beginning, and had a continuation. Four years later, his father again sent James to look for horses and again indicated the same place. And again James saw the same wonderful old man in the same place, and now he ran up to him joyfully with the words: “Hi, dedushka! I know you.” “And I know you, young man. Are you looking for horses again? But don’t hurry, listen to what I’m going to tell you.” And the old man began to tell him much about what would happen soon to the world and to him. The Tsar would be overthrown, the new authorities would be against God, everyone would be forced to recognise it as lawful and given by God, and would be drawn into unfaithfulness to God. About James himself he said that he would remain faithful to God. However, he would have a difficult life. Soon he would be forced to leave his native land and go alone through life. Then he pointed to where his horses were grazing, and added: “Before you wanted to tell your people about me, but they didn’t hear you, but now don’t talk at all.” “But where do you live, father?” asked James. The elder smiled again and replied: “Everywhere and here.”
Now James returned home in a thoughtful and determined mood.
Soon he received proof of the truthfulness of what he had been told. Once, six months later, in the winter, James left the house in the morning and was amazed by the untimely festal rejoicing of his fellow villagers. He asked the first whom he met what this was for, and received the reply: “Freedom! Now there is freedom! The Tsar has been overthrown!”
James began to step backwards into the yard, ran into the stables, fell face down in the manger and sobbed inconsolably for a long time. In his imagination from that moment the world was covered in darkness. The incarnation of nobility and defender of the faith was no more, and now the antichrist would be enthroned without fail. In his ears there echoed the words of the elder: “The authorities will be against God.”
And truly, from that moment darkness descended on the world, and James began in an adult way to prepare himself for coming trials. He now saw the meaning of life only in one thing: how to remain faithful to God in the face of universal apostasy. Already at that age (14) he had started to help his father in the heavy work of a peasant, and it helped to distract his mind a little from thoughts about the future, about the meaning of his future life. And he had to work hard. His elder brother Ivan was at the front.
At that time James’s remote village lived on rumours from the front and on revolutionary news from central Russia. The villagers lived in dark presentiments induced by stories of wanderers and various events. And James’s character was formed in this atmosphere. It was different from all the others. His inner torments once pushed him to decide to struggle with evil by force of arms: he attached himself to a unit of Whites who were setting off to join the White Cossacks who were fighting on the Panuj river. But he was caught by the Reds. He was saved from death only by the appearance of a fellow-villager of his in the camp of the Reds who expressed his amazement that James was among the Whites. He had to say that he had come upon them accidentally while searching for lost horses. They let him go home…
But now in addition to all other woes his brother returned from the war as an atheist and a blasphemer. Life became unbearable. Once while he was quarrelling about ideology with his brother, in his youthful ardour he took up a gun and was almost on the point of shooting his brother. His father took away the gun and said: “It is dangerous for you to live together.”
His father himself feared his communist son, and James, seeing this, decided to leave home and begin the life foretold by the strange elder. At first he went to live with his uncle, the brother of his father, helping him in his daily work. But he could still hear the words of his brother that had made him mad: “These popes… They go in front of the armies of the Whites and think that the cross will protect them: you fire – and off go the head and the cross.
Once his father came up to him and said: “Yasha, don’t disgrace me: either leave here completely, or return home.” And of course James decided to do the first. It was the summer of 1921. James went home to say goodbye. His mother fussed around, tried to feed him, put some bread and milk on the table. And this point his brother Ivan came in and said from the threshold: “you work somewhere and come here to wolf it down.” James got up with the words: “Okay, I can also not eat here.” He said goodbye to his mother and left. Without looking back, he set off out of the village onto the big road leading to the big world.
Beyond the village he ascended a hill from which he could see the whole village as if in the palm of his hand. He sat on the grass, immersed in thoughts. He was not upset with his brother, and had no fear of the unknown. In his ears there sounded the words of the mysterious elder that he would remain faithful to God, although he would life a hard life. The fire of determination lit up in his heart, and James cried out: “I will remain faithful to Thee, O Lord”, striking his fist on the earth. Under his hand there was a stamen from last year’s harvest, and he cut himself. Immediately he thought: “Well, Lord, I have sealed my promise with my blood.” He got up and left without looking back.
Going from village to village, and meeting various people, James learned various trades: carpentry and sadlery. “A Christian living under the power of the Bolsheviks,” he said later, “has to be able to do many things, otherwise he won’t survive.” He was helped by his physical strength: he could lift two bags of grain onto his shoulder and take them a long distance. This enabled him to find work anywhere. His external appearance also instilled trust: he looked like one of the ancient Romans, and to some he looked like the saints on the icons…
However, simply finding the means to live was not his main purpose. He was always looking for like-minded people from whom he could acquire spiritual knowledge. He often mixed with priests, but only up to the 1930s. One priest from whom he learned much told him (this was about 1929) that the prosperous peasants would soon be exiled, after which all the unsuitables of all nationalities would be imprisoned, and first of all the clergy. Then would come the war with Germany. They would reach Moscow, but would not hold out, would return, and then the communists would triumph. James did not much want to believe this prophecy, but he had to: the priest was an unusual man. Once they were traveling on business to a town that was about 15 kilometres from the village. On the way they talked. Suddenly the priest pointed upwards, James looked and saw two swiftly flying crows racing each other. The priest shouted: “Where are you hurrying to?” One of the crows turned and replied: “We have to go fast.” “You see, the demons are hurrying to some evil deed,” he said to James. In the town they saw a crowd of people near a house discussing something. Some said that a man had fallen from a balcony and hurt himself for some unknown reason. Others said that it looked as if some forced had pushed him. “This is where they were hurrying to,” said the priest.
Soon the church in that village was closed and the priest was exiled. But James continued to live there.
James had many revelations from God, especially in visions in sleep. Knowing many things beforehand through these revelations, he was able to escape from very difficult circumstances. He tried to warned many, especially those who, as he foresaw, would be sent to prison or exile. Thus he once went up to his friend Timothy and heard him joyfully telling of his plans for the future. He was going to sell bread, and buy seed and some other things. James sadly told him that he had to prepare himself for a long journey. “They’re going to put you in a carriage with other families and take you to the north, where your bones will lie!” “Don’t talk such rubbish,” said Timothy, “otherwise I’ll hit you.” “Okay, you can hit me later, if they do not take you away this year.” And truly, that year Timothy’s family was put into two carts with all their insignificant belongings. Timothy went up to James and said: “Forgive me, Yasha, you were right. Pray for us here.”
James’s family, his parents and sisters, as he later learned, were also sent into exile, to the city of Narym.
Until the beginning of collectivization, James was able to live comparatively easily, the authorities did not trouble him. And there were still people he could talk to and learn from. And there was even the danger of becoming worldly. Among those around him he was distinguished by his piety and good looks, and the girls were constantly wanting to get to know him. He even became engaged to the daughter of one prosperous townsman. However, his bride once went to the baths and discovered a blister on her leg, which began to grow rapidly. It burst and she soon died.
Another incident showed that it was not God’s will that James marry. Once on a feast day he was walking in a field with a girl who had fallen in love with him. Then he had a vision: not far away he saw a table and a young woman leaning over it and weeping. He got up from the grass and went up to her. He lifted her eyes full of tears to him and said: “Oh, you… I chose you to be a conqueror-vessel, but what are you doing?” James suddenly woke up. Silently he got up and left. Later, on meeting the girl, he explained, as best he could, why he had suddenly left. And from that moment he began to avoid getting close to girls, having made the firm decision not to marry. In any case, it was not the time to think of marriage – the time of fiery trials had arrived.
The beginning of collectivization was proclaimed. For the peasants it was a diabolical noose. From that moment everything and everyone was compelled to work for the victory of the idea of Bolshevism. James understood well the true nature of this idea. Its purpose was to extirpate the image of God from man and replace it with the image of the beast. And under socialism it was practically impossible to buy or sell or earn money without entering into it, without becoming part of the system. James, like other True Orthodox Christians, refused to enter the collective farms. But it was more difficult for him to survive outside them because he did not have his own vegetable garden. He remained alive only by the mercy of God. Once someone ordered some shoes from him in exchange for a sack of potatoes. Another time some unknown visitors would simply turn up and feed him. Once a close friend came up to him and was horrified: “James, what’s wrong with you? Come with us and do some road-building. You will immediately receive six kilograms of groats, salt and sugar, and you will receive bread.” “Okay, I’ll think about it,” replied James. “That was a temptation,” said James later. “I suddenly began to feel good at the possibility of receiving these good things. But then I immediately thought: why have I been suffering all this time, if I so easily go over to the kingdom of satan for a piece of bread?!” And of course he didn’t go over.
With great difficulty he survived to the summer. In the forest the birdcherry and other berries were beginning to ripen. “Now,” he thought, “I’ll survive somehow. There are berries in the forest, and enough edible herbs.” In the morning he set off for the forest, which was about five kilometres from his house. He reached the forest at about lunchtime, and immediately set about the bird-cherry. He did not eat much, but began to pick them and put them into a bucket he had brought from the house. He already filled half the bucket when his leg got caught on a blackberry bush. He fell face down and lost consciousness. He came to and was appalled: there were pools of water all around. The bucket had not turned over in the thick grass, and was standing, full of water, so that the bird-cherry was pouring over the sides. “This is no dream, since such a downpour was not able to wake me up,” decided James. “I’ll go back home, dress in white and go out into the forest. It’s better to die in the forest so that my enemies should not rejoice over me and mock my body.”
By evening he was already home. He lay down from exhaustion and fell asleep. And suddenly he heard words coming through his sleep, the words of Altai Tatars, Altai names of villages, villages in which he later came to live. Suddenly he woke up and thought: there are people from the Altai here. Their villages began a hundred kilometres from his village, and on the way to the town they went through this settlement. He listened. He could hear the squeaking of cart wheels. James got up, looked through the window and saw some Altaitsy coming to his gates and up to the house. “Master of the house, greetings! Will you let us stay the night?” “Why not?” replied James. “Only, what are you going to sleep on? I have only one jacket as a bed and blanket.” “We have brought everything with us,” they replied. And in exchange for him making shoes for them, they gave him bread and meat.
In the morning he went off with them to the Altai. There, in the wilds of the High Altai he lived almost beyond the bounds of the Bolshevik state. The Altaitsy were good-hearted, the more so in that they needed his skills.
Two years later, James returned to his village. He heard that socialism was progressing triumphantly, and that almost everyone had been driven into the collective farms. Those who resisted were starved to death, and the remaining “individualists” were stripped of everything to pay for impossibly high taxes.
James’s village was called Yarki (later re-named to “Verkh-Katunskoye”). It was on the Chuisk road 15 kilometres from Biisk. James first came to it in the middle of the 1920s, on a cold autumn day. He tried to find a place to sleep for the night in several cottages, but was refused. Seeing some steam coming from a bath-house in one courtyard, he quietly went in there and lay down for the night. Later he often returned and lived with the owners of the bath-house. And at the end of the 1950s they simply gave him the house. It was in this house that he died. He lived in this village as if chained to it, although he was always burning with the desire to run away from it. For it was renowned throughout the Altai for its hooliganism and blasphemy. However, when they called him to move to another place, he replied: “It is not the will of God.”
James decided to change his behavior in view of the changed circumstances around him. While previously he had tried to live as a model citizen, now he tried to look lost and disorderly. This method of survival soon had to undergo a trial. A few days after his return he was summoned to the village soviet. When they told him that he must go into a collective farm, and shouted at him that the people was building socialism, while he was an “enemy”, James began to chuckle and through his laughs said: “Go and build it! You very much want to marry soon and raise a family. So get together and build a happy life for your families. Or you want me to till the earth for your families. But I still have to have a good time. So when I’ve done enough of that, I’ll raise a family and have more children than you. And then I’ll come and join you.” And more in the same spirit. His first summons to the village soviet went well. They continued to call him, but by that time they had begun to spread the rumor that he was a real drunkard who would get drunk at the most unearthly hour. But nobody suspected him of acting, and the Lord closed their eyes. This went on for two or three years. James was more and more often summoned to the regional headquarters for a working over. There they sometimes kept him under lock and key for three days at a time as a warning. He was saved by constant prayer.
James prayed much, but nobody suspected him of it. He could see what none of those around him could see. Once, before collectivization, he was with friends. Everybody was sitting on the floor and chatting. At that point James saw an unknown person enter and lie behind his back. Nobody paid any attention to him. Soon everybody got up and went out. The unknown person also went out. He went up to James and began to speak about the future, clearly warning him and preparing him in advance. When, the next day, James mentioned the previous day’s visitor to his friends, it turned out that nobody had seen him. There were many such instances.
James also had visions of demons. Once at the setting of the sun he looked through the window into the kitchen-garden and saw the whole garden and beyond it filled with beings that looked like men about a meter tall. He noticed that those which were slightly taller commanded the others. Suddenly the door burst open and the first column invaded the room with shouts. In their hands they had weapons, hooks and spears of an unseen variety. James stood with his back to the icons and began to make the sign of the cross with the words: “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” A shout was heard, and whistling. Some rushed back towards the door, while the others disappeared. He heard them speaking outside: “Cowards! You couldn’t conquer one man! “But he was burning us with fire!” This went on for some time, and then everything stopped. James heard some knocking on the door. The door turned out to be on the bolt. The neighbor had come for something. A similar incident took place while he was sleeping in somebody’s house on the steppes.
The terrible year of 1937 arrived. They were arresting and taking away even those whom it was difficult to suspect of anything, they were clearly settling scores. James was inwardly ready for this. At this point one of his friends, who understood the situation quite well, began earnestly to advise him to go away with him to Izhevsk. There were many factories there, and one could get lost in the masses of people, the more so in that work could be found for such a skilled worker. James was about to agree and had already begun to prepare to leave.
One morning he was sitting sewing shoes. The mistress of the house took a pail and was going out for water. On her way out she reviled James: “You’re sitting down, you idler!” She was quite a quarrelsome woman. As she understood it, work was only cutting wood and, ploughing the fields, but not doing some kind of sewing. James, as usual, did not react to her. She went out and soon came back with a man and said: “James Fyodorovich! I’ve brought a man who will tell you the whole course of your future life,” and then she left. “There’s an actress for you,” thought James, “and she even knows how to act in a cultured manner when necessary.” “But I don’t believe in soothsayers,” said James to her as she was leaving. “I’m not a soothsayer,” said the man. He went up to the table, thrust onto it a map the size of a playing card and added: “Here is my map.” (A bright green twig was drawn on it.) Then without a pause he continued: “You’re planning to go to the west, but you won’t go there. You will go to the east, and not in accordance with your will. The first place they will take you to you will be full of people. But don’t look for like-minded people there, there won’t be a single one. However, you will not be held there long.” This manner continued his strange story in the same tone for perhaps half an hour. Then he took his map from the table and said: “I’ve said everything.” Then he turned and left. At this point the mistress of the house came in. “What kind of man did you bring in?” “What are you talking about? You were sitting here playing the fool, and I bring someone to you?! I was out at the well talking with the women.”
From that time James’s life proceeded as he had been told it would. Later he recalled episodes in his life which were such that if he had not been warned about them in advance, he would not have known how to act. For example, when he was in prison, before his escape, two good friends of his were giving him contradictory advice. “Flee, James, the Lord will help you.” But the other said: “Don’t flee, they’ll catch you, the dogs will eat you.” Then he remembered the words of the prophet who had been sent to him, that there would be two friends who would give him different advice. “Both are good people, but don’t listen to the one who will say: don’t go, but the one who will say: go.” And James went.
Another example. The prophet had told James that he would injure himself in a wood after fall over a cliff. Then, on entering a village, he was not to go into the first or second house, but on seeing near the third house a fair-haired man with a girl in his arms, he should address him and ask for what he needed – he would help. This happened with absolute accuracy. When James went up to this man, he immediately understood that he was dealing with a runaway prisoner and pointed out to him a safe way out.
When the prophet left him, James understood that he had perhaps only hours before he was arrested. He gathered his things and in the evening gave them to a man he trusted for keeping. The night passed without incident, but with thought and preparation. In the morning James was arrested and taken away.
Again new conditions of life. Again it was necessary to adapt both inwardly and in his external behaviour.
The first prison in the town of Biisk was full of people. Many of his fellow villagers were there. They understood little, and had nothing to do with politics or ideology. James went up to one of them, laughed, and, pointing with his finger, proclaimed: “A contra!” The peasants, overcome with sorrow, began to laugh, understanding the stupidity of what was happening. Thus began the life in prison of a completely uncriminal man. Transfers and convoys and labour camps lay ahead of him. To they took him far away to the east to the city of Kamertal.
Life in prison was the same for James as for all the other political prisoners in the Soviet camps. Perhaps with this difference: that he behaved as an unbending opponent of socialism, refusing outright to work and passing most of his time in the punishment cell. Once the boss of the third section gathered all the prisoners and conducted a “conversation” with them. “There are among us,” he said, “those who refuse to work, saying: we will not work for a satanic order.” “Who are they? Shoot them!” “Arkatov!” said the boss of the zone and pointed to James. James began to prepare for his end.
However, he was fading away on the punishment cell rations. Once it reached such a stage that he crawled under the bunk to wait for them to drag him out as a corpse. A criminal he knew came up and shouted at him: “Yashka, what are you doing there?” “That’s it, it’s the end for me.” James pointed at the muscle of his leg and showed him a hole in his body as he pressed it with his finger. It didn’t come back – a sure sign of approaching death. The thief swore and said that he shouldn’t fear: “Take my rations and get up.” “And how are you going to survive?” asked James. “I’ve fixed myself up in the kitchen and feed myself there.”
Wonderful are Thy works, O Lord! James began to get better, thanks to the wise thief…
James refused to do any work linked with the building of socialism: he would not go lumber-jacking or building, but he would not refuse to work even for the boss of the zone, because this work was not for socialism, but for a private individual, whoever he might be. Nor did he reject carrying water and cutting wood to bring to the kitchen. Once he was again approaching death. By the mercy of God he was sent with other prisoners to saw wood and lay it out in the flat of the leader of the guards. The wife of the boss came out onto the porch and watched. At the end of the work her mother went up to James, thrust a bread ration into his hand and said: “My daughter has been watching you and said: ‘Mama, this one is a man, while the other is a wild animal. From today let him (James) come each day and take a man’s ration, and when the cow has calved – a liter of milk.’ Please don’t say no, otherwise my daughter will be sorrowful,” added the old woman. James thanked her and left. From that day he came to them every day, although it was very unpleasant for him. But what was he to do? As always, when he went to them, either the mother or the daughter took a bread ration and a bottle of milk from the table and gave it to him. He drank the milk, clutched the rations to his chest, thanked them and left. This went on for a long time, but his conscience tormented him more and more. “What if I am impudently using their kindness, and they repent of their decision?” For several days he did not visit them, and then the wife of the boss met him and scolded him. When James said that it was necessary to have a conscience, she exploded: “Then how are we to be saved?” James was soon sent off on convoy, but from that day he began to pray for that servant of God.
Time passed. The war began. Stalin began to take volunteers from the camps to the front, promising to give them freedom. But James could not go along with this, although the feeling grew in him that they would not let him get out of there alive. He again began to weaken. Once a boss came up to him and said: “Can you deal with horses?” “Can I?! replied James. “I can give a lesson to Dzhigit!” “There, in the kitchen, they can’t transport water on the old nag, while the stallion doesn’t let anyone come near him. The old carrier has died, and nobody can deal with him any more.” James really knew how to deal with horses. He caressed him, put a huge barrel on the cart, and did not take him more than twice a day for water, while getting enough food from the kitchen. Soon he was quite manageable. But now he could think only of escaping. Once the boss came up to him, slapped him on the shoulder and said: “Good! It’s time to give you interest!” “Yes, yes. That’s the way I feel, too,” agreed James with a show of gaiety. He had already thought up his plan of escape, which involved working at the general labors. And he began to work there.
First he had to go lumber-jacking. There he tried to put an axe into the hollow of a tree and matches in a prominent place – just in case. But soon the work changed to carting earth in wheelbarrows on boards far beyond the zone and throwing it over a cliff into the wood. They were doing this because they were building some kind of boiler in the zone. James set about this work with great zeal, he ran with the wheelbarrow like a boy. He fulfilled three norms per day, and his exploits were announced over the radio. And nobody guessed that he was not doing this out of madness. He was training himself for his escape, and deadening their watchfulness. With great longing he would look at the wood, which was not far away under the cliff. The woods continued for a long distance, while beyond the zone on the other side was a lake. It was very suitable for an escape.
It was Sunday. That night James had a dream from which he understood that the Lord blessed him to do what he was thinking of. In the morning he abstained from excessive food. A Jew who was sitting next to him looked at him attentively, shook his head and said: “James, I saw you today in a dream. I saw a white horse grazing. You jumped on it and it took you off. They were shooting at you, but you rushed away on her and in this way she took you away.” James gave the impression that he was talking nonsense, but in his heart he thanked him.
James made three trips with his wheelbarrow and then noticed that the guard who was standing on the edge of the cliff was looking attentively in the direction of the zone without paying attention to what was happening on the cliff-top. Then James hurled the wheelbarrow over the cliff and then hurled himself after it, as if trying to overtake it and stop it. He heard shots and the whistling of bullets. He spurted off to the side, but then ran towards the wood. The zone was immediately transformed into a kennel with dogs barking everywhere. He had to run a long time through the wood. His aim was to go round the lake and hide in the hummocks there. For a long time he went through the water, and even swam occasionally. Finally, he immersed himself, hiding his head among the hummocks.
The dogs were now yelping all around him, and he could even see some of them on his scent. James entrusted himself completely to the mercy of God and prayed intensely. Eventually the day, which had seemed like an eternity, drew to its close. It was dark and quiet. It was time to get out of the water. But then James found that his legs would not move. After all, it was Siberia and the water was cold, even though it was the middle of May. He had to crawl out onto dry land and rub some life back into his legs. Finally, with a staff in his hand, he set off for the axe and matches he had hidden in the tree. Only towards the morning did he find them. At dawn he hid in some bushes in a ravine, Then, when it was night again, he set off towards the south-west, towards his native land.
Sometimes James asked for food from those working in the fields or in the woods. Only occasionally did he go into a village, remembering what the prophet had told him about a fair-haired man with a girl in his arms. He fed on grass, bird-cherries, lungwort and wild onions. Later, when he would list the edible herbs, he mentioned young sprouts of willow, wormwood and others. When he could he grilled mushrooms on a bonfire.
The Lord preserved him in various ways. At the slightest danger he felt alarmed and hid or passed by the dangerous place. Later he found out that the place truly was dangerous. Often during moon-lit nights a cloud would cover the moon, and James already knew that he had to be careful and make a detour. Later he discovered that he would have had to pass a collective farmer’s house in a field or tractor drivers and their technicians.
Once James went off the path into the wood and sat down on a stump in order to rest. Suddenly a bird hurled himself at his feet. He looked up and saw that it wanted to devour a bug. James pushed it away thinking to himself: ”I’m like this bug.” This happened again, and James was on his guard, taking this as a warning. He wanted to get up and go into hiding, but did not have time. Along the path two detectives with a dog were walking. “Who’s this? Documents,” – the usual question. “What documents?” replied James. “Can’t I go to the toilet without documents?!” “What are you doing here? Show me what you’ve got there.” James took his axe wrapped in string out of his bag. The other detective waved his hand and said with irritation: “Leave him. Don’t you see: he’s a peasant going about his business here,” and went off. The other one trudged after him, but then stopped and said to the first: “We should take him.” “You want to get mixed up with him?” And the first started walking more quickly with his dog. The second then grudgingly went after him.
James spent the summer under the open sky, trying to keep closer to the forest. But he was in trouble when the winter came. He had to look for a shelter somewhere in a village. Moreover, the indications of the prophet were not enough; he had to look for a place to sleep trusting the commands of his spirit. Once he asked for a place to sleep in an unfamiliar village in a house which pleased him for some reason. The master of the house agreed to let him in, but he had to sleep on a sleeping bench and not move out, because some guests were coming. James gladly agreed to lie quietly.
The guests came. Quite a stormy conversation began. It went into various theological questions and especially into the interpretation of the prophecies on the end of the world. James attentively listened to their judgements, which were full of the most improbable errors – and, moreover, with a sectarian bent. It turned out that they were all Old Believers, while being the cream of collective farm society: the president, the brigadiers, the accountant. For James it was impossible to listen to these corruptions of the truth: it would have been better to sleep in the frost than under the bombardment of such lies. Finally, he could stand it no longer and, lifting his head from the bench, said: “You’ve been talking for an hour now about the coming Antichrist. Allow me to ask you: to what seal or trumpet or vial do you refer this regime under which we are living?” At first the guests were perplexed by the presence of a stranger, and even the master of the house was embarrassed. One of them said: “If you want to say something, say it.” Then James briefly expounded his understanding of the basic prophecies. First, all the prophecies spoke not only about one time of the reign of the Antichrist, but about three sections of the last times: the first was called “the beginning of sorrows”, according to the prophetic word of the Saviour, or “apostasy”, according to the Apostle Paul, and in the Revelation of the Apostle John it is referred to as the coming out and reign of the beast from the sea with his head-followers. The second section of the last times is “the beast was and is not” or the time of the preaching of the Gospel throughout the world, and, finally, the third period, which is in fact the time of the enthronement of the Antichrist. The Saviour calls it “the end”, the beginning of which is the placing of “the abomination of desolation” or the coming out “of the beast from the abyss” (St. John the Theologian), who is the eighth in number in the dynasty of the beasts and is of the number of the seven, or the appearance of “the man of sin” (St. Paul the Apostle). As for the “whore”, is it not clear to you that this image refers to a traitor-church that has betrayed Christ, that which should be “the bride of Christ”, but which has been united with the scarlet beast. In the Apocalypse there are three “women”, and all three signify the Church, it is only by their clothes and their activity that we can distinguish them: on the way into the wilderness she is clothed in the sun, but there she is divided into her who is clothed in scarlet and her who goes out to meet Christ, clothed in pure white, which is the righteousness of the saints.”
Already from the beginning James’s words had amazed his listeners, and at this point they asked him to leave his bunk and continue. The conversation ended with their asking him in turn to stay with them and enlighten their families. And when they knew that he was also a cobble, they found a job for him for the whole winter. It was hardly coincidental that he ask for a bed for the night at the place where those who were seeking his knowledge were gathered…
So winter after winter James went where the Lord decreed for him, while in the summer he went into the forest and on his travels. He saw much that was miraculous and improbable during the years of his wanderings. And he spent about ten years being pursued by the beast, in constant alarm and constant hunger.
Once, during the summer, he caught a cold and his body was covered with boils and scabs. He had to buy some ointment in a chemist’s, but the chemist’s was on the other side of a river, and in order to cross the bridge over the river he would have to pass the police who would check his papers. What was he to do? Trusting in God, he took the risk. As he was crossing the bridge, James saw a girl running from the pavement on the other side to his side. Coming up to him, she raised her hand and said: “James, have no fear,” and immediately mixed with the crowd. At first James was surprised, but then he understood the Providence of God and went ahead boldly. And it turned out that four policemen were surrounding a car and were searching it for a long time. During this period they stopped checking the documents of passers-by. James was able to walk past them freely. There were many such incidents of God’s helping him.
He prayed constantly, and most of the day he spent standing in prayer. He often gave himself a rule in the form of a vow – say, for half a year. Thus once, when he saw a collective farm worker beating some horses, whom he very much loved, he began to ask God to lighten their burden and in their defense established a prayer rule for several months. There were other reasons, too. He said that the demons often attacked him at such times. Once he had just finished the last words of such a rule. It was a moonless night in the forest. Suddenly he saw flashes of a bluish light, as sometimes happens when there is lightning, and before him he saw the stepped bathed in a bright green light stretching to the horizon filled with praying people with bright red faces. He recognised the ones in front from their similarity to icons. The thought flashed through his mind: “They are also praying for Russia.” (His prayer had been devoted to that.) All this disappeared, and again there were the flashes of bluish light, and he saw a meadow and three very beautiful young men in it who looked absolutely identical. They were turning round, but not one of them looked in his direction. All this also disappeared, and finally he had a third vision: after more flashes of the light he saw a big throne (he called it a big sofa) and on it God the Father in the form of an old man, very similar to what he had seen in his childhood. He raised His hand and signed James with a big sign of the cross, saying: “May the great Cross of the Lord magnify you.” James fell face down, and when he got up, there was nothing except
darkness. He had only one vision of this kind.
James knew that he would have to wander for ten years, but he did not know how this period would come to an end. Once he was in a place not far from the place of his imprisonment. He had a revelation which told him that he would soon go into the world and establish his life among men, but how? Finally, he decided to go into a village, and there things would happen as the Lord would decide. But he was full of doubts. After all, he had not documents: surely someone would inform on him. He decided to lie down and sleep. In his sleep he saw himself going to Verkh-Katunsky, which was between two rivers: the Bia and the Katun’. Then he saw a canal from Bia to Katun’ full of water, which blocked his way. He went up to the edge of the canal and began to weep. Then a young woman came up to him and asked him: “Well, why are you crying?” “I’ve been hiding now for ten years, I wanted to go and live in freedom, but my way has been blocked!” She went up to him, took a piece of onion from his head and hurled it fiercely into a ditch. Then she got a spade from somewhere and began to fill up the ditch. Then she began to dig at the edge of the ditch and fill it in. Finally she walked to and fro over it and stamped out a path. Then she went up to him, slapped him on the shoulder and said: “Go, and have no fear.” James woke up. Now it was time to set up, and without any doubts he set off for the village.
He could not have expected what the Lord had prepared for him. Before his arrest, the destiny of a family had been revealed to James: the father and two older sons would be killed at the front, but the third, youngest son would run away and survive. When James recounted this revelation, the youngest son was listening. Now, as he entered the village, who should meet him but this youngest son! He was amazed at James’ appearance, and when he heard that he had no documents, joyfully undertook to help him. He was very close to the president of the village soviet, and decided to use some cunning and influence him so as to inscribe James in the list of the permanent dwellers in the village. In the section for imbeciles. This is what happened: James was numbered among the imbeciles in the village, and this even gave him some privileges, which enabled him to remain faithful to God. However, he then had to take upon himself the exploit of being a fool for Christ’s sake. He told everyone that he had been released from prison and had already been signed up in the village soviet. And he showed himself to be not in his right mind. Many were amazed and swore at the authorities for corrupting the man.
At first he had to live with the woman from whose house he had been taken to prison. But then a complication arose. The elder daughter of the woman conceived a violent hatred for him and even tried to kill him. Once James had a dream: he was lying on his bed in a hospital ward when a demon came up to him and tried to strangle him with a piece of cloth torn out of a towel. James prepared himself and when the demon began to move his hand he caught him by the hand and said: “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” At that time he woke up feeling a blow and something sharp falling on his chest. His hand was really holding someone else’s hand. “Who is it?” shouted James. “It’s me,” replied the elder daughter of the mistress of the house. It turned out that she was aiming to strike him with a knife in the chest. But James, during his sleep, had caught her by the hand. The knife fell on his chest, cutting him slightly.
He had to find another place to live. The Lord directed him for three years to the house of the writer of this life. Later, an old woman, on leaving the village, donated her hut to James, and then he began to live independently. Later the family of the writer also had to leave, and he was left completely on his own.
His life was hard. He was living as a prisoner in his own country: completely without rights, persecuted and always in fear of being exposed for escaping from camp. Then there was the atmosphere of hatred of monsters who were ready to kill him at any moment. Every Soviet feast was accompanied by complete drunkenness, blasphemy and threats to kill the “believer in God”. He was for them an uncomfortable reminder of the existence of God and His commandments. One winter he had to live in a cellar because almost every night they came and looked over his hut, searching for him. But his time had not yet come…
Especially terrible were the collective farm feasts: “the day of the furrow” in spring and “the day of harvest” in autumn. Then to the drunkenness was added demonic pride: everyone boasted of his labors for Soviet power, his zeal and devotion to it. And when arguments were not enough, there were always fisticuffs.
The days of “voting” for Soviet power forced him to live in fear both before and after the elections. The agitator-communists did not always understand that fools don’t vote: they still felt intuitively that he was their enemy. Once an agitator-communist, the local teacher, came and announced: “James, it’s time to vote.” “For whom must I vote?” asked James in surprise. “What do you mean: for whom? For the party and non-party bloc.” “But I (an unmentionable word) you party and non-party bloc,” replied James boldly. “What then? Lenin also?” asked the disturbed Bolshevik. “Lenin still more…”
Two years later the teacher met James and said: “James, I’ve written twice to the regional executive committed about your reply, quoting it verbatim, and there has been no reply or greeting. Either the people there are like you, or God is defending you.”
Yes, of course, God was defending him, but still it was difficult to live with the constant preparedness to go to prison or be killed by bestial men. It was also intolerable to live with the consciousness that there was nobody around him who thought like him, and no possibility of persuading anyone. Significant in this respect was the following incident. Once James saw some children doing something or getting up to some mischief beyond the kitchen-gardens. He went to gather some brushwood in the wood, and as he was passing them asked: “What are you doing there?” “We’re helping some people who are hanging themselves,” they replied. When he left he understood that they were demons. He turned round – but they had disappeared. On returning home, he said to his neighbours: “At Paul Antonievich’s there will be a hanging. Probably Pelagia will do away with herself. I saw the demons near their kitchen-garden and they said they were helping some people who are hanging themselves.”
In the morning a neighbour shouted: “Hey, you, fool! You said that Pelagia would do away with herself, but it’s her brother-in-law who’s done it, not her.”
James lived until he was 87. He would always say: “I will live until I see the white flag over Russia. Then I will die in peace.”
He saw that during the elections, which were now free, they no longer voted for the communists’ candidate, but for someone else, even though he was not ideal. And although they had not yet removed the Bolsheviks from their posts, they raised the double-headed eagle and the three-coloured flag.
And the time came when the Lord allowed James’s bloodthirsty enemies to carry out their will. On August 9, 1991, ten days before the communist putsch, and only a few months before the fall of Soviet power, the murderers burst into his little hut and cruelly beat him up. In the morning they found him unconscious. For three days he lay, almost lifeless. Then he recovered consciousness and said: “Yes, the communards know how to beat one up!” But he did not say who had beaten him, although he knew. On August 12 he died.
Once in conversation James said: “How terrible must be the essence of evil, if, in order that there should not be any inclination towards it in the eternity to come, such saints as the Forerunner, the Apostles and the host of hieromartyrs and martyrs, besides hardening their will in the struggle against sin, have also to suffer violence and death from this evil.”
He confirmed this by his own sufferings…
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| James Arkatov in 1972 (full picture) |