The Universal Christian Empire or ‘Third Rome’ was based on the Holy Trinity, the Father Who inspires all, the Son Who creates and incarnates and the Holy Spirit, by Whose Life-giving power the faithful breathe. The Trinitarian Empire was then visible as Faith, the Emperor and Rus, that is, as Orthodoxy, Sovereignty and the Faithful People, together called Holy Rus. This Holy Rus was brought low by falling for the three opposing temptations of Satan, of ‘treachery and cowardice and deceit’, as related in the Gospels.

These three temptations, proposed to the God-man consisted of the treacherous miracle of turning stones into bread (instead of turning bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ), as in the Faith; the cowardly temptation to force the angels to work a miracle (instead of the necessary miracle of incarnating the Kingdom of God on earth), as in Sovereignty; and the temptation to rule over all the kingdoms of the earth by the deceitful power of Satan (instead of by the power of Christ), as in the Faithful People.

Thus, once fallen, the Third Rome degenerated into the Third International, the Faith was trampled on, the Sovereign was martyred and the Faithful People turned into the mob. Holy Rus suffered Gethsemane and Golgotha, it was crucified for the sins of the world, and was buried, but after three days (three generations) lying in the Tomb rose again. Its mission now is to resurrect the Universal Christian Empire, to be Gatherers of Holy Rus. Its path is redemption. Only thus can the blood that was spilled be washed away.

Thus, the spiritual meaning of the Russian emigration was to act as an apostle of holiness, to preach the universality of Orthodoxy made incarnate, to preach the White Ideal of Universal Holy Rus. This is what the spiritually pure of the emigration did, whereas the impure disappeared in nationalism or else assimilation. All this meant not just to act as Guardians of Holy Rus while awaiting the Resurrection of the Russian Lands, but also to be Spreaders of Holy Rus. Only thus can the blood that was spilled be washed away.

Holy Rus was betrayed by the temptations of Satan, by ‘treachery and cowardice and deceit’. Three times we have experienced these temptations in the emigration, first by the betrayal of one who broke his word, then by one who showed cowardice through compromise, unable to resist the powers of this world, and thirdly by the deceit of one who neglected and scorned. This is what we all have to live through, treachery and cowardice and deceit. Only thus can the blood that was spilled be washed away.