"To Take the Katechon Out of the Milieu": The Murder of Czar Nicholas II and its Interpretation by Russian Orthodox Fundamentalists

Abstract:This article focuses on the myth of the "ritual murder" of the last Russian Emperor and his family, which was first constructed in 1918, gained popularity during the Civil War, and was later disseminated by the Russian émigré media. The content of the myth is analyzed with respect to Christian eschatology and the belief that the Russian Czar was the "restrainer of evil" who attempts to rescue humanity from the arrival of the Antichrist. The antisemitic nature of the myth is discussed as well as the reasons for accusations against Jews for the "ritual murder" of the Czar's family. The popularity of this myth in post-Soviet Russia is discussed with respect to Russian Orthodox monarchist activity, the growing popularity of prophecies about the "end of time," new studies of the remains of the royal victims by the Commission of the Russian Federation, as well as the canonization of the last Russian Emperor by the Russian Orthodox Church.