16 April 1905 A.D. ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: Religious Tolerance?
16 April 1905 A.D. ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: Religious Tolerance? Graves, Dan. “Russian Evangelicals Promised Tolerance.” Christianity.com. Apr 2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1901-2000/russian-evangelicals-promised-tolerance-11630680.html . Accessed 15 Apr 2015. Near Easter in 1905, Christian leaders, who were in St. Petersburg for a conference, received an invitation to the palace of Princess Lievan. An announcement was to be made, they were told--an announcement that would bring them great joy. They were given no hint of its content. "What are we here for? What is happening?" asked the small group of invited men who appeared at the palace early the next morning. No one knew. Which was just how Tsar Nicholas II wanted it. He wanted to spring a little surprise. The surprise was a manifesto of religious tolerance. Jakob Kroeker, who was there on this day, April 16, 1905, left an account of the emotional scene. "When all...