Martinos Nikolopoulos
Martinos Nikolopoulos Paap | |
|---|---|
| Born | Martinos Nikolopoulos 24 November 1745 |
| Died | 30 November 1869 (aged 124) |
| Era | |
| Known for | Author of the Book of Paap |
| Height | 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) |
| Spouse | Eleni Anagnostopoulou |
| Children | |
| Parents |
|
| Family | Paap family |
Martinos Nikolopoulos Paap (24 November 1745 – 30 November 1869) was a Greek Orthodox religious figure and the author of the Book of Paap. He was born Martinos Nikolopoulos in the Ottoman-controlled Peloponnese and reached the Dutch Republic after his family fled around 1770. His vision and writing began the family's adoption of the surname Paap.
Migration and family
Martinos was the eldest child of Nikolaos Nikolopoulos and Despina Papadopoulou. He escaped the Peloponnese with his parents and three surviving siblings during the suppression of the Orlov Revolt. Four younger siblings died before or during the flight.
He married Eleni Anagnostopoulou, who shared his Greek Orthodox background. Their four children were born in the Dutch Republic. Their eldest child, Melchior Paap, became the first known Great Paap.
Book of Paap
Martinos heard the unfamiliar word "Paap" during a religious vision. He understood it as a name connected to the future of his descendants and recorded it in the Greek-language Book of Paap.
The book described a future Paap of light and a Paap of darkness whose battle would decide the fate of the world. It stated that the Paap of light would bear the name Hugerinus and required every Hugerinus bearer to have a four-letter first name.
After the family settled in the Dutch Republic, Dutch people associated the same word with the household's visible Christianity. The family accepted this as confirmation of Martinos's vision and gradually adopted Paap as a hereditary surname.
Reputation and death
Later Paaps praised Martinos as "the one most true Paap". The description referred to his place in the religious tradition and was not a formal office. His relatives respected his wisdom and devotion, although literal belief in his prophecy remained uncommon.
Martinos died on 30 November 1869 at the age of 124 years and 6 days.