Anna Nikolaevna Schmidt (August 11, 1851 [O.S. July 30] – August 18, 1905) was a Russian journalist and author of religious and mystical works, including The Third Testament.
Anna Schmidt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 11, 1851 |
| Died | August 18, 1905 (aged 54) |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, journalist, philosopher |
| Notable work | The Third Testament |
Main interests | Religion |
Biography
editSchmidt was born on August 11 (O.S. July 30), 1851 in Nizhny Novgorod, where she spent most of her life. Her father was a lawyer and served as a forensic investigator. Her mother was a religious woman who honored Orthodox traditions, née A.F. Romanova, the daughter of a titular councilor. Schmidt was the only daughter in the family and was raised in the Old Testament spirit. She did not receive a systematic education, but she passed the exam to become a French teacher and taught at the Mariinsky Women's Gymnasium for three years. Subsequently, she worked as a translator and journalist in local newspapers.[1]
Without sufficient education, from a personal mystical revelation, like visionary authors (for example, Jakob Böhme), she built a Gnostic system. Her writings were highly appreciated by the Russian philosopher Sergei Bulgakov, who noted the closeness between her teachings and Kabbalah.[1]
Later, she met with him. Anna Schmidt corresponded with Alexander Blok. Andrei Bely and Sergei Solovyov wrote about her, and Nikolai Berdyaev held her in high esteem. In 1900, Schmidt wrote a 16-page letter to Vladimir Solovyov, detailing her teachings, which she considered divine revelations.[1] In her works, Anna Schmidt addressed the concept of the Third Testament.
In the Third Testament, Schmidt described an unorthodox conception of the Trinity, in which it consists of a Father, Son, and Daughter. Schmidt also states that spirits can beget spiritual children. Schmidt additionally made references in her work to the idea that Solovyov was a reincarnation of the Logos.[2]
She died on August 18, 1905 in Moscow. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cemetery of Nizhny Novgorod (the burial was not preserved).
Bibliography
edit- Schmidt A. N. The Third Testament. English translation, Daniel H. Shubin, 2018. ISBN 9781365557972
- Shmidt A. N. From the manuscripts of Anna Nikolaevna Shmidt with letters to her from Vladimir Solovyov.- M., 1916
References
edit- (ru) - (G. Akkerman), " ['The Schmidt Enigma', Континентo', Noo. 123, 2005' (archive, accessed on 27 June 2018]
- ^ a b c Cioran, Samuel D. (1974). "The Affair of Anna N. Schmidt and Vladimir Solov'ev". Canadian Slavonic Papers / Revue Canadienne des Slavistes. 16 (1): 39–61. ISSN 0008-5006.
- ^ "Anna Schmidt: A Russian Prophet In Search of Her Beloved". BLARB. 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2024-06-18.