Sergiei Nilus

Born in 1862, Sergei Nilus was a Russian religious writer associated with Orthodox mysticism and conservative, monarchist thought. He wrote about spiritual struggle, repentance, and the approach of the Antichrist, themes that gave his books a tone of urgency and prophecy.

Nilus is now known above all for publishing an early version of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fabricated antisemitic text that was falsely presented as evidence of a Jewish conspiracy. Because of that role, his legacy is inseparable from the history of modern conspiracy literature and political hatred.

He died in 1930. Readers who encounter his name today usually do so not only through Russian religious writing, but also through the darker history of how forged texts were used to inflame fear and prejudice.