Book Urushev Dmitry Alexandrovich
Russian Old Believers: traditions, history, culture

This book is dedicated to the brightest episodes and major milestones in the history of the Old Believers. The story of this primordially Russian spiritual movement begins from the time of the appearance of Christianity in Russia and reaches our days. The reader gets acquainted with living portraits of prominent historical figures (Archpriest Avvakum, noblewoman Morozova, etc.), with vivid stories about memorable events. The book is written lightly, but not lightly. Behind the simple narration lies the great work of the historian in archives and libraries. Such a book will be of interest to the widest readership, primarily to children, youth and people who have heard about the Old Believers for the first time. The book can be used as a teaching aid when teaching the subject "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture".

Material created: 04/16/2016

From the baptism of Russia

The Old Believers, by definition, are connected with history. The Old Believers have always been distinguished by a deep historical memory. For them, not only the recently ascetic Russian saints, but also the biblical forefathers and prophets were really living people, who constituted the entire aggregate integrity of the Orthodox world. Outlining the history of the fall of the first people, Archpriest Avvakum wrote with amazing sympathy, as if addressed to his contemporaries: ...

History of Russian disobedience

Dmitry Urushev addressed his book on the history of the Russian Old Believers mainly to the younger generation. Since the author is substantively dealing with the topic of Old Belief, in this sense he had no other choice. But writing such a book for young people is a bold enough decision. After all, it could be called the "History of Russian disobedience." I remember that the Narodnaya Volya declared a revolt ...

From the author

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin stated: “The greatest spiritual and political upheaval of our planet is Christianity. Modern history is the history of Christianity. It can also be argued that Russian history is the history of Orthodoxy. But this history is incomprehensible and incomplete without the history of the Old Believers. The misfortunes of the Russian people today are inexplicable without studying the church schism in the 17th century. Breakdown is the most important...

Chapter 1. Apostle Andrew

The centuries-old history of Russia is inextricably linked with Christianity. The gospel was proclaimed on our lands long before the appearance of the Russian state. Ancient chronicles call the Apostle Andrew the first preacher of Christianity in Russia. He was a native of the Jewish city of Bethsaida, the elder brother of the Apostle Peter. The brothers were simple fishermen and fished in the Sea of ​​Galilee. When John...

Chapter 2

The ancient Slavs, our ancestors, were pagans. They did not know the true God, did not believe in Him, but worshiped the sun and the moon, heaven and earth, fire and water. The Slavs called mountains, trees, stones and all natural phenomena gods and spirits: lightning, thunder, wind and rain. The pagan faith was unkind, there was no...

Chapter 3. Holy Russia

Like a sponge absorbs water, so the newly converted Russia greedily absorbed the Christian faith received from the Greeks. Our ancestors were intelligent students and soon equaled their teachers in everything. The Russian land was established by many temples and monasteries, adorned with marvelous icons, filled with wise books. Our cities shone with ecclesiastical splendor - Vladimir, Kyiv, Novgorod the Great, Polotsk, ...

Chapter 4

For two thousand years, the Church has experienced more than one schism. Over the centuries, heretics have repeatedly separated from it, taking with them entire countries and peoples in Asia and Africa. Even in ancient times, Armenians, Egyptians, Syrians and Ethiopians fell away from the Church, carried away by false teachings. But the biggest division was the great schism...

Chapter 5

The capital of their country - the glorious Constantinople - the Greeks called the "New Rome" or "Second Rome", reminding all peoples that their state is the successor to the all-powerful Roman state, which in ancient times belonged to half the world. But centuries passed, the Greek state weakened and lost its former power. Mohammedan Turks attacked her from the east. Their countless hordes captured and...

Chapter 6. Third Rome

From the time of Prince Vladimir, our Church was subordinate to the Greek Patriarch, who lived in Constantinople. He appointed a metropolitan - the head of the Russian Church. Initially, the seat of the Russian metropolitans was Kyiv. But in 1240 it was destroyed by the Mongols and Tatars - nomads who came to Russia from the eastern steppes. After their raid, the devastated Kyiv became deserted, so in 1299 ...

Chapter 7

Just as clouds that suddenly roll in darken the light of the sun, so the evil deeds of rulers darken and confuse the great powers. An unimaginable misfortune came to our land in the middle of the 17th century. She came not from foreigners, not from the Gentiles, not from the rebels. Trouble came from where they did not expect, from the Orthodox Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich himself and from his ...

Chapter 8

At that time the Greek Church was in a state of distress. She was oppressed by the Turks, she vegetated in ignorance. The statutes of piety have been forgotten. The education for which the Greeks were once famous has dried up. They did not have their own printing press, so they had to be content with books printed in Western countries, from the Latins. There were a lot of mistakes, inaccuracies in those books, and frankly...

Chapter 9. Arseny Sukhanov

Anton Sukhanov, the son of the impoverished nobleman Putila Sukhanov, was smart and knowledgeable in the sciences, and loved books. He achieved everything in his life with his mind. Mind brought him to Moscow. Mind secured him a prominent position in the Church. Even in his youth, Sukhanov accepted monasticism and was named Arseny. Once in the capital, he held important positions ...

Chapter 10. Bishop Paul

The first Russian saint who suffered torment and death for his fidelity to ancient Orthodox piety and the old church rite was Hieromartyr and Confessor Pavel, Bishop of Kolomna and Kashirsky. Unfortunately, little is known about him. We do not know the names of his parents. It is only known that his father was a priest. It is not known when Pavel was born, but it is possible ...

Chapter 11

The greatest defender of the old faith was the holy martyr and confessor Archpriest Avvakum. He was born in 1620 in the village of Grigorovo in the family of the priest Peter. His countrymen were Patriarch Nikon and Bishop Pavel. Avvakum's father died early. The upbringing of the children was taken up by the mother, a humble fasting woman and prayer book. When Avvakum was seventeen years old, she decided to...

Chapter 12

We call ancient Russia Holy. But, of course, this does not mean that everything on it was holy, sinless and shameless. Humans live on earth, not angels. And people are characterized by shortcomings, offenses and mistakes. One of the main shortcomings of ancient Russian life, which has come down to our days, was drunkenness. Since the time of Ivan the Terrible in the cities ...

Chapter 13

In Pustozersk, together with Archpriest Avvakum, they languished in a dungeon, and then three more martyrs for their faith were burned in a log house: Lazar, a priest from the city of Romanov, Theodore, a deacon of the Kremlin Annunciation Cathedral, and Epiphanius, a tonsured Solovetsky monastery. Sitting in a terrible earthen prison, they did not lose heart and did not indulge ...

Chapter 14

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Nikon entrusted the “right” of our liturgical books to foreigners who found themselves in Moscow in search of honor, titles and wealth. At different times, various crooks were engaged in our church affairs: visiting Greeks and numerous Little Russians and Belarusians - natives of Western Russian Orthodox lands occupied by Poland. The Latin Poles oppressed the Russians, did not allow them to have ...

Chapter 15

In 1632, in Moscow, the daughter of Theodosius was born in the family of the courtier Prokopy Fedorovich Sokovnin. Together with her in the father's house, two older brothers and a younger sister Evdokia grew up. At the age of seventeen, the modest and pious beauty Feodosia was married to the first boyar, Gleb Ivanovich Morozov. A stern widower, he was much older than his wife...

Chapter 16

Among the holy ascetics revered by the Russian Church, a special place belongs to the Monk Job of Lgovsky. He testified to Orthodoxy not by the feat of confession and martyrdom, but by monastic humility and desert life. The future ascetic was born in 1594 into a boyar family and was named Ivan at baptism. His father, Timofey Ivanovich Likhachev, successfully served...

Chapter 17

The Solovetsky Monastery is one of the most glorious Russian monasteries, founded in the 15th century by the Reverend Fathers Zosima and Savvaty on the Solovetsky Island in the White Sea. The remote and well-fortified monastery was sometimes used by the authorities as a prison. Since 1649, the Greek monk Arseniy languished here. Educated in Italy, he traveled the world, lived in...

Chapter 18

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was married twice. His first wife was Maria Ilyinichna from the old Miloslavsky family. She died in 1669. Two years later, the sovereign married again. The second wife of the autocrat was Natalya Kirillovna from the noble family of the Naryshkins. From his first wife, the king had sons Theodore and John and a daughter Sophia. From...

Chapter 19

Among the holy men and women of the Old Testament, the prophetess Deborah stands out. This glorious woman, who lived more than three thousand years ago, in a difficult time for ancient Israel, inspired her people to war with the wicked pagan king. The Jews, encouraged by the happy predictions of Deborah and her personal presence on the battlefield, went out to battle and defeated ...

Chapter 20

From the very beginning of the church schism, the authorities persecuted pious Christian Old Believers. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Nikon punished everyone who opposed the introduction of new liturgical rites. In Russia, the new faith was affirmed by fire and sword, gallows and rack, whip and batogs. The best Russian people, who remained faithful to church antiquity and fatherly traditions, were declared church and ...

Chapter 21

One of the tireless defenders of the Old Believers was the Monk Dositheus. Preaching fidelity to ancient piety, he traveled all over Russia from the White Sea to the Black Sea, visited many monasteries, cities and villages, instructing people in the old faith. Archpriest Avvakum and noblewoman Morozova knew and loved Dositheus. He was also revered by ordinary people - townspeople, peasants and ...

Chapter 22

The monk Cyril, a famous ascetic, zealot of piety, founder of the Sunarets Trinity Hermitage, was a friend and like-minded person of the hegumen Dositheus. In the world, Cyril was called Karp Vasiliev. He was born in 1608 in the village of Andreev Navolok on the Suna River, not far from the famous village of Kondopoga. His parents were peasants. From an early age, Karp avoided games ...

Chapter 23

The memorable monk Cornelius was not only one of the most zealous defenders of the right faith, but also the oldest. He was adorned not only with piety and wisdom, but also with venerable hundred-year-old gray hairs. Born under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, he died under Tsars Ivan and Peter, the sons of Alexei Mikhailovich. The future ascetic was born in 1570...

Chapter 24

As the night sky is adorned with bright stars, so our earth is adorned with glorious ascetics. Especially a lot of them have always been in the Russian North. Neither the proximity of the icy White Sea, nor severe winters, nor barren lands, nor impenetrable forests, nor swampy swamps, nor wild animals frightened the monks who were looking for a solitary life here. One of those godly...

Chapter 25

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich loved everything foreign. Following the example of European rulers, he got himself amusement - the court theater. The autocrat did not spare money for it. The sovereign liked the entertainment so much that he sat in the theater for ten hours in a row. Tsar Feodor Alekseevich also revered everything foreign, although he abolished his father's theater. He is perfect...

Chapter 26

It is the duty of every man to defend his land and his family from invaders, robbers and oppressors. The sacred duty of every Christian is to defend his faith and his Church from heretics and atheists. Love for Christ and His Church is above love for the motherland and kindred. After all, a foreign land can become a new homeland, and ...

Chapter 27

Christians go to the temple of God for prayer. However, believers do not only pray in the church. In Orthodox churches, special sacred rites are performed, called sacraments. According to the teaching of the Church, a sacrament is a sacred act established by Christ and His apostles, through which the invisible grace of God is transmitted to believers in a visible way. The sacraments are the foundation of the Christian life. Without them...

Chapter 28

Liturgical singing is one of the main treasures of the Orthodox Church. Since ancient times, Christians have paid great attention to the beauty and harmony of the performance of prayer chants. It was the singing that struck the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir, who visited Tsargrad, in the church of St. Sophia. It was so amazing that they did not understand whether they were on earth or in heaven. Are not the faces of archangels, angels, ...

Chapter 29

The pious priest Kozma lived in Moscow. He served in the Church of All Saints on Kulishki in the White City and was one of the few metropolitan priests who dared to serve in the old way. Kozma was well acquainted with Archpriest Avvakum and noblewoman Morozova. The archpriest, when he returned to Moscow from Siberian exile, communed his spiritual children in the church...

Chapter 30

In the 18th-19th centuries, priests who converted to the Old Believers from the Synodal Church were called "fugitive priesthood" or "runaway priests." After all, they fled to the Old Believers from the New Believers and fled from representatives of the royal government. The first Old Believer priest who received ordination from a Nikonian Bishop was the holy monk Joasaph, a beloved disciple of Job of Lgovsky. As a child Joasaph followed the ascetic and took part in...

Chapter 31

Like his father, Tsar Peter Alekseevich was married twice. His first wife was Evdokia Fedorovna from the old Lopukhin family. In 1690, the royal couple had a son, Alexei, heir to the throne. But soon the sovereign lost interest in his wife. Ardent Peter did not like the quiet Evdokia. She bored her husband. And in 1698 the tsar...

Chapter 32

A daring rumor that Peter I was not a true tsar, but an insidious antichrist spread throughout Russia. According to the laws of that time, such an opinion was equated with an insult to imperial majesty and was punishable by death. Among those who lost their heads due to talk about the Antichrist was the monk Varlaam. In the world he was called Vasily Andreevich ...

Chapter 33

The monastery, founded in 1694 on the Vyg River with the blessing of Elder Cornelius, has a special place in the history of the Old Believers. The first inhabitants of the Vygovskaya hermitage were actively engaged in the preaching of priestlessness and, bypassing Pomorie, they taught: - The present time is the time of Antichrist! The Antichrist in the Church sits divinely on the throne. Thanks to this, the rumor about a new settlement spread around the shores of the White Sea. On the...

Chapter 34

At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, throughout Russia in different places, different preachers independently taught about the coming of the last times, the reign of the Antichrist and the cessation of all church sacraments. In the vicinity of Veliky Novgorod and Pskov, this doctrine was preached by Theodosius Vasiliev (1661-1711), the founder of one of the trends in priestlessness - Fedoseevsky consent. Theodosius came from...

Chapter 35

According to the doctrine of the Fedoseevsky agreement, the Filippov agreement, which separated from the Pomortsy, is close. The founder of this accord was the monk Philip (1674–1742), after whom it was named. At the beginning of the 18th century, the archer Fotiy Vasiliev left the royal service and went to Vyg. Here he accepted monasticism and a new name - Philip. The first rector of the Vygovskaya Hermitage...

Chapter 36

After the death of St. Paul of Kolomna, the Church temporarily lost its episcopal administration. The highest spiritual authority passed to pious priests, educated monks and virtuous laity. One of the prudent helmsmen who wisely steered the church ship at that stormy time was the holy monk Theodosius. He was ordained by Patriarch Joseph, Nikon's predecessor, to the church of St. Basil the Great in St. Nicholas Monastery...

Chapter 37

At the beginning of the 16th century, St. Lawrence performed the feat of foolishness in the city of Kaluga. According to legend, he came from a noble noble family Khitrovo. A difficult man, he lived mainly in the house of the local prince Semyon Ioannovich. And for spiritual exploits, he retired to a secluded place on the top of the mountain, where there was a church and a hut. Summer and...

Chapter 38

The ancient hermits tortured their flesh. They were silent for decades, lay in coffins, lived in stinking caves, chained to the darkest corner. They struggled with temptations, showing the laity an example of a sinless life. One of the types of monastic feat is living in caves, in “caves” in the old way. The first Russian cave monastery is the Pechersky Monastery in Kyiv. It was founded by Rev...

Chapter 39

The order of succession to the throne, established by Peter I, was imperfect. Because of this, in the 18th century, many faces, mostly women, changed on the Russian throne. Often the appearance of a new face was accompanied by a military coup. In 1741, with the support of the army, Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter, ascended the throne. She didn't have children. Therefore, she announced her nephew Karl Peter Ulrich as her successor ...

Chapter 40

We know God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. With God, everyone is alive. Therefore, the Holy Church is formed not only by living Christians, but also by the deceased righteous. In the 18th century, this allowed the Old Believers to console themselves with the thought that, although they do not have a living bishop, all the dead are invisibly with them ...

Chapter 41

In 1762, Empress Catherine II came to the Russian throne. The wise and prudent queen understood what benefits rich Old Believers, industrialists and merchants, could bring to the country. In the same year, she issued a decree inviting fugitive Old Believers, primarily residents of Vetka, to return to Russia. They were promised benefits: permission not to shave their beards...

Chapter 42

The path of many clergy who converted to the Old Believers from the state Church began in Moscow at the Rogozhsky cemetery. They were brought here discreetly so that the police would not recognize them. Here they were anointed with myrrh and left at the chapels to learn the right service from old books. Mysterious letters spread from Moscow all over Russia: “We found salt, but raw, dried it on matting ...

Chapter 43

Lying at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, the region of Bukovina has always attracted conquerors. In the 16th century, these fertile lands were captured by Turkey. But in 1775 she was forced to yield to a stronger Austria. In the twentieth century, Bukovina belonged to Romania and the Soviet Union. Now this area is divided between Ukraine and Romania. During the times we are talking about...

Chapter 44

In 1791, in the Greek village of Maistra captured by the Turks, the son of Andrei was born to the priest George. George was the twenty-second priest in his family. And no one doubted that the son would inherit his ministry. Therefore, from childhood, his father prepared Andrei for the priesthood. The young man entered the spiritual school. In 1811 he married and...

Chapter 45

The church structure, which includes three degrees of priesthood (bishops, priests and deacons), is called a hierarchy. This word is Greek, translated into Russian means "sacred power", "hierarchy". The first bishop ordained by Metropolitan Ambrose was Vladyka Kirill. Then Ambrose and Cyril ordained Bishop Arkady (Dorofeev). Thus the fullness of the Orthodox hierarchy was restored. She began to be called "Belokrinitskaya" ...

Chapter 46

In the second half of the 19th century, science, art and literature flourished in Russia. At that time, gifted scientists, composers, artists, writers and poets gained worldwide fame for our country with their work. Then many literary works were written, now known to every schoolchild. In 1859, Ostrovsky's play was staged for the first time in the theater...

Chapter 47

In the middle of the 18th century, in the villages of Cherkizovo and Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow, there were no more than twenty bespopov families of the Fedoseevsky consent. Their prayer room was located in Preobrazhensky. The large brick factories of the wealthy merchant Ilya Alekseevich Kovylin (Kavylina, 1731–1809) were also located here. Having got acquainted with the inhabitants of the village, Kovylin decided to go over to the Old Believers. The Bespopovites considered the Synodal Church to be an assembly of Antichrist and...

Chapter 48

The fate of the Suzdal sufferers could be shared at any day and hour by the supreme saint of the Russian Old Believers - Archbishop Anthony. Only the mercy of God saved him from prison. Protected by providence, Anthony led the Church for many years. Andrei Illarionovich Shutov - the future archbishop - was born in the village of Nastasino near Moscow into a poor peasant family that belonged to the Synodal ...

Chapter 49

At the beginning of the 18th century, under Peter I, when life was especially hard for the Old Believers, preachers without priests taught that the Antichrist had taken over the Russian kingdom and the whole world. In the Volga region, such a sermon was launched by Kozma Andreev and Kozma Panfilov, peasants from Kerzhenets. Their teaching was simple. They argued: “There is no grace of God either in churches, or in reading, or ...

Chapter 50

Since the time of the schism, the Urals has become a refuge for thousands of Christians who did not want to accept the innovations of Alexei Mikhailovich and Nikon. Numerous refugees settled in this vast area from the Pechora River in the north to the Yaik River in the south. Local Old Believers were engaged in arable farming, trade and various crafts, mined ore and worked in iron factories...

Chapter 51

Lying is one of the most heinous sins. But at the same time - one of the most common. Unfortunately, people lie often and a lot. They lie big and small. Everyone lies, but Christians should not lie. After all, the Gospel says that the father of lies is the devil. Whoever lies, fulfills the lusts of the devil...

Mother Volga, our great river, connects many cities famous not only in the history of the Russian state, but also in the history of the Russian Church. Throughout the river, there are still Old Believer parishes - in Rzhev and Yaroslavl, in Kostroma and Kazan, in Samara and Saratov, in Volgograd and Astrakhan. Nizhny Novgorod is also on the Volga...

Chapter 53

From time immemorial, many secret bespopovtsy lived on the Vladimir land. Most of them were considered members of the Synodal Church. They visited her temples, got married in them and baptized children, but at home they prayed according to pre-Nikon books. In 1840, a secret Old Believer, peasant Vasily Shvetsov, who lived in the village of Ilyina Gora, had a son, Anisim. First...

Chapter 54

To a modern person, the word "reader" may seem lifeless and inert. This is how the explanatory dictionary explains it: “A teacher is a person who has read a lot, but is familiar with everything superficially.” Meanwhile, even a hundred years ago the word "reader" sounded proud, and many Christians considered it an honor to be called that. We are talking about the Old Believers who were highly respected ...

Chapter 55

In the Russian Empire, the merchant class consisted not only of people engaged in buying and selling, but also industrialists and bankers. The prosperity and well-being of the country depended on them. The largest entrepreneurs were Old Believers. The main wealth of Russia was concentrated in their hands. At the beginning of the 20th century, their names were widely known: the owners of porcelain production, the Kuznetsovs, textile manufacturers, the Morozovs, industrialists...

Chapter 56

An enlightened Russian of the 19th century could judge the old faith primarily from the writings of the writers of the Synodal Church. In them, the Old Believers were declared a "superstition" stemming from the age-old illiteracy of our people. Then it was customary to speak derogatoryly about the Old Believers: "schismatics", "prudents", "superstitators". Of course, such ignorance was not worth the attention of high society. But in the reign of Nicholas I, public opinion ...

Chapter 57

At least 15 million Old Believers lived in the Russian Empire. According to some reports, up to a third of all Great Russians professed the old faith. In the 19th century, the need to grant freedom of religion to the Old Believers became obvious. In that century, darkened by wars, conspiracies and assassination attempts, Christians had the opportunity more than once to testify sincere loyalty to the Russian autocrats. Not without reason at the beginning of the twentieth century ...

Chapter 58

The Old Believer community of Moscow has always been the most numerous and richest. The richest merchants lived in the ancient capital. Many of them collected ancient icons and books. For example, in the vast collection of the millionaire Stepan Pavlovich Ryabushinsky (1874-1942) there were many icons, remarkable not only for their beauty, but also for their antiquity. After the granting of freedom of religion, the Moscow Old Believers began to build churches ...

Chapter 59

Since 1805, since the time of Tsar Alexander I, even children have served in the Russian army. The little soldiers were called cantonists. As a rule, these were the legitimate and illegitimate sons of military personnel or the poor, orphans and foundlings. At first, the boys were taught in special schools, and from the age of 18 they were sent to military service, which then lasted 25 ...

At the beginning of the 19th century, in addition to the almshouses, there was an orphanage at the Rogozhsky cemetery, where foundlings and children of poor parents were brought up. For the education of boys, a school was created, in which reading, writing, counting and church singing were taught. Not only orphans studied here, but also children who were sent to the Rogozhskoye cemetery in their adolescence. From school...

In July 1914, the First World War began. Our country entered into a confrontation with Austria, Germany and Turkey. Russia's allies were England and France. Gradually, many countries of Europe, Asia and America were drawn into the war, so that it became truly global. In the war, new weapons were used, hitherto unseen: planes and tanks, mortars...

Chapter 62

After the death of Archbishop Anthony, Savvaty (1824–1898), Bishop of Tobolsk and All Siberia, was elected to the Moscow hierarchal throne. In October 1882, the Council of Bishops elevated him to the higher dignity of Archbishop. In August 1897, Savvaty was forced to give the police a signature that he would no longer be called the Moscow Archbishop. This...

Chapter 63

Literacy, erudition and love of books have always distinguished the Old Believer from the representative of the state Church. At the time when the Synod issued decrees prohibiting the wedding of young men and women who did not know the Our Father prayer, the Old Believers knew the entire church liturgical circle. Every Christian home had a hymnal and a chapel, but reading was not limited to prayer books. ...

Chapter 64

On December 10, 1879, Ivan Gavrilovich Kudrin, the future famous priest, was born in the family of the Old Believers of the Chapel Accord, who lived in the Perm village of Nozhovka. His father, Gavriil Nikolaevich Kudrin, worked at a local iron and steel plant. In 1886, the inhabitants of Nozhovka accepted the priesthood of the Belokrinitsa hierarchy. A priest came to the village and for the first time...

Chapter 65

The Gospel contains not only a story about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ - the true God and the Son of God. Also on the pages of this holy book are the names of those who betrayed the Lord, condemned Him to death on the cross and executed him - the Apostle Jude, the high priests Anna and Caiaphas, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Judas betrayed his teacher...

Chapter 66

In the middle of the 19th century, works preaching a new unusual doctrine began to circulate among the Old Believers. These scriptures claimed that wine and potatoes were allegedly created by the devil, so Christians should not eat them. The day of the end of the world and the second coming of Christ was predicted. But most importantly, it was announced that the Nikonians believe and worship another god. Not the true God...

Chapter 67

No invaders, no foreigners or gentiles, no pagans or infidels could have come up with torments like those that the communists came up with for Russia. Our country has become one big prison. Tsarist hard labor was replaced by camps. They were called corrective labor, because in them, according to the Bolsheviks, the prisoners had to be corrected by labor. Image of the murdered Nicholas II, ...

Chapter 68

The life of Bishop Gerontius, like a mirror, reflected the history of the Church in the 19th and 20th centuries. Having overcome many difficulties, he managed to maintain sincere faith and the dignity of his dignity. Grigory Lakomkin - the future saint - was born on August 1, 1872 in the Kostroma village of Zolotilovo in the family of priest John Lakomkin. The parish was poor, so the priestly family had to...

Chapter 69

For 30 years of terror, the Soviet government managed to do what the tsarist government could not do in 250 years of persecution of the Old Believers. The church was almost completely destroyed. The communists imposed huge taxes on the priests. Some, not being able to pay them, renounced their dignity. Others asked parishioners for help. If the help was insufficient, the priest was forced to sell...

Chapter 70

The city of Rzhev has long been famous for its large Old Believer community. At the beginning of the 20th century, many residents of Rzhev were adherents of ancient piety. There were two Old Believer churches in the city. To this day, only the bell tower has survived from one, Trinity. But the second, Pokrovsky, has been completely preserved. Wooden church in the name of the Holy Trinity with a stone bell tower and a chapel in the name of the archangel...

Chapter 71

In 1894, in the Nizhny Novgorod village of Chernukha, Semyon Illarionovich Kuznetsov was born - an Old Believer usher who lived a surprisingly complex and rich life. Initially, the inhabitants of Chernukha were Nikonians, but were baptized with two fingers. Illarion, Semyon's father, was still a child when they heard about the priesthood of the Belokrinitsa hierarchy in the village and accepted it. The local synodal clergy tried to inform...

Chapter 72

In 1888, in the village of Krasny Yar near Elisavetgrad, a son, Ilya, was born into the family of Old Believer peasants Ignatius and Paraskovia Blizhnikov. Like his parents, Ilya worked on the ground. He mastered the stove business and could fold any stove. At the same time, he diligently attended Old Believer churches - there were two of them in the village. Elders served at churches...

Chapter 73

In June 1978, geologists were looking for deposits of iron ore in the upper reaches of the Abakan River. Flying around the deserted taiga by helicopter, they saw a garden and a hut on the mountainside. Having chosen a fine day, the researchers went to visit the mysterious forest dwellers. They came to a hut blackened by time and rain. The low door creaked. And to the uninvited...

Chapter 74

In a sad time, when it seemed that God had turned away from Christians, on August 14, 1929, in Nizhny Novgorod, the son of Alexander, the future Metropolitan Alimpiy, was born into the family of Old Believers Kapiton Ivanovich and Alexandra Ivanovna Gusev. His parents were from Lyskovo. Father worked as a blacksmith. When the parents got married, the shipyard began to be rebuilt in ...

Chapter 75

In December 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, disintegrating into 15 independent states. Now they are home to more than a million believers belonging to the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church. It is one of the largest religious communities in modern Russia. The church is headed by the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. His residence is...

Chapter 76

The First World War ended in 1918 with the change of state borders in Europe. Not only Russia, but also Austria lost its ancestral lands: Bukovina, which belonged to it, became part of the Romanian kingdom. In September 1935, exercises of the Romanian army took place in Bukovina. They were led by King Carol II himself. Along with retinue...

Chapter 77

The Crimean peninsula is an unusual crossroads, where different peoples met at different times. Who has not seen this earth! Scythians, Greeks, Goths, Huns, Alans, Khazars, Karaites, Jews, Pechenegs, Cumans, Mongols, Tatars. The history of Ancient Russia is inextricably linked with the peninsula. After all, it was here, in the city of Korsun, that Prince Vladimir, the holy baptist of our...

Chapter 78

We know from the Gospel that an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, the husband of the Virgin Mary, and commanded him to take the newborn baby Christ and His Mother and flee to Egypt. The Savior was miraculously saved from the cruel beating of babies committed by King Herod. Thus God the Word revealed himself to the inhabitants of Africa. According to legend, the apostle and evangelist Mark preached the true...

Dictionary of the Old Believer

Hallelujah - in Christian worship, a laudatory exclamation addressed to God. The altar is the main, eastern part of the church, where the throne is located, separated from the rest of the temple by an iconostasis. Anathema - a church curse, excommunication from the Church. Antimins (antimis) - a square board with sewn-in particles of relics, necessary for serving the liturgy. Antichrist is an adversary of Christ and a persecutor of Christians who will reign...

More than three centuries have passed since the church schism of the 17th century, and most people still do not know how the Old Believers differ from Orthodox Christians. Let's figure it out.

Terminology

The distinction between the concepts of "Old Believers" and "Orthodox Church" is rather conditional. The Old Believers themselves admit that it is their faith that is Orthodox, and the Russian Orthodox Church is called New Believers or Nikoninans.

In the Old Believer literature of the 17th - the first half of the 19th century, the term "Old Believer" was not used.

The Old Believers called themselves differently. Old Believers, Old Orthodox Christians ... The terms "orthodox" and "true Orthodoxy" were also used.

In the writings of the Old Believers of the 19th century, the term "truly Orthodox Church" was often used.

The term "Old Believers" became widespread only towards the end of the 19th century. At the same time, the Old Believers of various accords mutually denied each other's Orthodoxy and, strictly speaking, for them the term "Old Believers" united religious communities, devoid of church and religious unity, on a secondary ritual basis.

fingers

It is well known that during the schism the two-fingered sign of the cross was changed to a three-fingered one. Two fingers - a symbol of the two Hypostases of the Savior (true God and true man), three fingers - a symbol of the Holy Trinity.

The sign of the three fingers was accepted by the Ecumenical Orthodox Church, which by that time consisted of a dozen independent Autocephalous Churches, after the preserved bodies of the martyrs-confessors of Christianity of the first centuries with folded fingers of the three-fingered sign of the Cross were found in the Roman catacombs. Examples of finding the relics of the saints of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra are similar.

It was not in vain that I attached to the article this particular work by the artist Surikov, where the protagonist, Boyarynya Morozova, demonstrates “double-fingeredness”. A little about the painting itself:

"Boyar Morozova"- a gigantic (304 by 586 cm) painting by Vasily Surikov, depicting a scene from the history of the church schism in the 17th century. After the debut at the 15th traveling exhibition in 1887, it was purchased for 25 thousand rubles for the Tretyakov Gallery, where it remains one of the main exhibits.

Surikov's interest in the topic of the Old Believers is associated with his Siberian childhood. In Siberia, where there were many Old Believers, the handwritten “lives” of the martyrs of the Old Believer movement, including the Tale of the Boyar Morozova, became widespread.

The image of the noblewoman is copied from the Old Believers, which the artist met at the Rogozhsky cemetery. And the artist's aunt, Avdotya Vasilievna Torgoshina, became the prototype.

The portrait study was painted in just two hours. Prior to this, the artist could not find a suitable face for a long time - bloodless, fanatical, corresponding to the famous description of Habakkuk: "The fingers of your hands are subtle, your eyes are lightning fast, and you rush at enemies like a lion."

The figure of the noblewoman on a sliding sledge is a single compositional center, around which representatives of the street crowd are grouped, reacting differently to her fanatical readiness to follow her convictions to the end. For some, the fanaticism of a woman causes hatred, mockery or irony, but the majority looks at her with sympathy. The hand raised high in a symbolic gesture is like a farewell to old Russia, to which these people belong.

Consensus and talk

The Old Believers are far from homogeneous. There are several dozen agreements and even more Old Believer interpretations. There is even a saying: "Whatever a man is good, whatever a woman, then consent." There are three main "wings" of the Old Believers: priests, bespopovtsy and co-religionists.

Name of Jesus

During the Nikon reform, the tradition of writing the name "Jesus" was changed. The double sound “and” began to convey the duration, the “stretching” sound of the first sound, which in Greek is denoted by a special sign, which has no analogy in the Slavic language, therefore the pronunciation of “Jesus” is more consistent with the universal practice of sounding the Savior. However, the Old Believer version is closer to the Greek source.

Differences in the Creed

In the course of the “book right” of the Nikon reform, changes were made to the Creed: the union-opposition “a” was removed in the words about the Son of God “born, not created.”

From the semantic opposition of properties, a simple enumeration was thus obtained: "born, not created."

The Old Believers sharply opposed arbitrariness in the presentation of dogmas and were ready to go to suffering and death “for a single az” (that is, for one letter “a”).

In total, about 10 changes were made to the Creed, which was the main dogmatic difference between the Old Believers and the Nikonians.

Towards the sun

By the middle of the 17th century, a universal custom was established in the Russian Church to make a salting procession. The church reform of Patriarch Nikon unified all the rites according to Greek models, but the innovations were not accepted by the Old Believers. As a result, the New Believers make a movement during the processions of the salting, and the Old Believers make the processions of the salting.

∗ Salting is a movement along the sun, contributing to an increase in vitality and acceleration of spiritual evolution.

Ties and sleeves

In some Old Believer churches, in memory of the executions during the Schism, it is forbidden to come to the service with rolled up sleeves and ties. Rolled up sleeves are associated there with executioners, and ties with gallows.

Question of the cross

The Old Believers recognize only the eight-pointed cross, while after Nikon's reform in Orthodoxy, four and six-pointed crosses were recognized as equal. On the tablet of the crucifixion, the Old Believers usually write not I.N.Ts.I., but “King of Glory”. On pectoral crosses, the Old Believers do not have an image of Christ, since it is believed that this is a personal cross of a person.

Severe and demanding Hallelujah

In the course of Nikon's reforms, the purely (that is, double) pronunciation of "alleluia" was replaced by a treble (that is, triple). Instead of "Alleluia, alleluia, glory to you God" they began to say "Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, God."

According to the New Believers, the triple pronunciation of alleluia symbolizes the dogma of the Holy Trinity.

However, the Old Believers argue that the pure pronunciation along with “glory to Thee, God” is already a glorification of the Trinity, since the words “glory to Thee, God” are one of the translations into Slavic of the Hebrew word Alleluia (“praise God”).

Honors in the service

At services in Old Believer churches, a strict system of bows has been developed; it is forbidden to replace bows with bows. There are four types of bows: “normal” - a bow to the chest or to the navel; "medium" - in the belt; a small prostration - “throwing” (not from the verb “to throw”, but from the Greek “metanoia” = repentance); great bow to the earth (proskineza).

Throwing was banned by Nikon in 1653. He sent out a "memory" to all Moscow churches, which said: "It is not appropriate in the church to throw things on your knees, but to bow to you from the waist."

Hands in a cross

During the service in the Old Believer Church, it is customary to fold your arms in a cross on your chest.

Beads

Orthodox and Old Believer rosaries are different. Orthodox rosaries can have a different number of beads, but most often rosaries with 33 beads are used, according to the number of earthly years of Christ's life, or a multiple of 10 or 12.

In the Old Believers of almost all consents, the ladder * is actively used - a rosary in the form of a ribbon with 109 "beans" ("steps"), divided into unequal groups. Let us turn once again to the picture of Surikov:

∗ Lestovka — in the noblewoman's hand. Leather Old Believer rosary in the form of stairs - a symbol of spiritual ascent, hence the name. At the same time, the ladder is closed in a ring, which means unceasing prayer. Every Christian Old Believer should have his own ladder for prayer.

Baptism by full immersion

Old Believers accept baptism only by full triple immersion, while in Orthodox churches baptism by pouring and partial immersion is allowed.

monodic singing

After the split of the Orthodox Church, the Old Believers did not accept either the new polyphonic style of singing or the new system of musical notation. The hook singing (znamenny and demestvennoe) preserved by the Old Believers got its name from the way the melody is recorded with special signs - “banners” or “hooks”.

Recently, being carried away by the study of Russian culture, various ways of spiritual and physical development, many people have become interested in the Old Believers. Indeed, the Old Believers - who are they? There are many opinions and views on this matter. Some believe that these are Orthodox Christians who profess the faith that existed before the church schism during Nikon's reform. Others think that these are people who have chosen for themselves a faith that Orthodox priests call pagan. The old faith, which was spread before the Baptism of Russia by order of Prince Vladimir.

Old Believers - who are they

The first associations that come to mind are people living in the taiga, who have rejected all the benefits of civilization, follow the old way of life, do everything themselves, without using any equipment. Medicine is also not common, all diseases are cured by the prayers of the Old Believers and fasting.

How true is this? It is difficult to say, because the Old Believers do not talk about their life, do not sit in social networks, do not write about it in blogs. The life of the Old Believers is secretive, takes place in closed communities, they try not to contact people once again. One gets the feeling that they can only be seen by accidentally getting lost in the taiga, wandering for more than one day.

Where do the Old Believers live?

For example, the Old Believers live in Siberia. In a harsh and cold climate, it was thanks to them that new unexplored and hard-to-reach corners of the country were mastered. There are villages of Old Believers in Altai, there are several of them - Upper Uimon, Maralnik, Multa, Zamulta. It was in such places that they hid from persecution by the state and the official church.

In the village of Upper Uimon, you can visit the Museum of the Old Believers and learn in detail about their way of life and faith. Despite the fact that the attitude towards them has changed for the better with the course of history, the Old Believers prefer to choose remote corners of the country for life.

To clarify the questions that involuntarily arise when studying them, it is worth first understanding where they came from and what is the difference between them. Old Believers and Old Believers - who are they?

Where did they come from

To find out the answer to the question of who they are, the Old Believers, you first have to plunge into history.

One of the significant and tragic events in Russia was the schism of the Russian Church. He divided believers into two camps: followers of the "old faith" who did not want to accept any innovations, and those who humbly accepted the innovations that arose due to Nikon's reforms. appointed by Tsar Alexei, who wished to change the Russian Church. By the way, the concept of "Orthodoxy" appeared along with Nikon's reform. Therefore, the phrase "Orthodox Old Believers" is somewhat incorrect. But in modern times, this term is quite relevant. Because at the moment the Russian Orthodox Church officially exists, in other words, the Church of the Old Believers.

So, changes in religion took place and led to many events. It can be said that at that time in the 17th century the first Old Believers appeared in Russia, whose followers exist to this day. They protested against the Nikon reforms, which, in their opinion, changed not only the features of some rites, but also the faith itself. These innovations were carried out with the aim of making Orthodox rites in Russia as similar as possible to Greek and global ones. They were justified by the fact that church books, which were copied by hand, since the time of Baptism in Russia had some distortions and typos, according to supporters of innovations.

Why people opposed Nikon's reforms

Why did people protest against the new reforms? Perhaps the personality of Patriarch Nikon himself played a role here. Tsar Alexei appointed him to the important post of patriarch, gave him the opportunity to radically change the rules and rituals of the Russian church. But this choice was a little strange and not very justified. Patriarch Nikon did not have sufficient experience in creating and implementing reforms. He grew up in a simple peasant family, eventually became a priest in his village. Soon he moved to the Moscow Novospassky Monastery, where he met the Russian Tsar.

Their views on religion largely coincided, and soon Nikon became patriarch. The latter not only did not have sufficient experience for this role, but, according to many historians, he was imperious and cruel. He wanted power that had no boundaries, and envied Patriarch Filaret in this regard. Trying in every possible way to show his significance, he was active everywhere and not only as a religious figure. For example, he personally participated in the suppression of the uprising in 1650, it was he who wanted a brutal reprisal against the rebels.

What changed

Nikon's reform brought significant changes to the Russian Christian faith. That is why opponents of these innovations and followers of the old faith appeared, who later began to be called Old Believers. They were persecuted for many years, were cursed by the church, and only under Catherine II did the attitude towards them change for the better.

In the same period, two concepts appeared: "Old Believer" and "Old Believer". What is the difference and who they stand for, today, many no longer know. In fact, both of these concepts are essentially the same.

Despite the fact that Nikon's reforms brought only splits and uprisings to the country, for some reason there are opinions that they have changed almost nothing. Most often, only two or three changes are indicated in history books, in fact there are more. So, what has changed and what innovations have occurred? You need to know this in order to understand how the Old Believers differ from the Orthodox believers belonging to the official church.

sign of the cross

After the innovation, Christians crossed themselves by folding three fingers (or fingers) - thumb, index and middle. Three fingers or "pinch" means the holy Trinity - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Although earlier, before the reform, only two fingers were used for this. That is, two fingers - the index and middle fingers were left straight or slightly curved, and the rest were folded together.

It should depict the main two creeds - the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Christ. It was the two-fingered that was depicted on many icons and came from Greek sources. Old Believers or Old Believers still use two-fingered, overshadowing themselves with the sign of the cross.

Bows during services

Before the reforms, several types of bows were performed in the service, there were four in total. The first - to the fingers or to the navel, was called ordinary. The second - in the belt, was considered average. The third was called "throwing" and was made almost to the ground (small prostration). Well, the fourth - to the very earth (great prostration or proskineza). This whole system of bows is still in effect during Old Believer services.

After the Nikon reform, it was allowed to bow only to the waist.

Changes in books and icons

In the new faith and the old one they wrote the name of Christ in different ways. They used to write Jesus, as in Greek sources. After the reforms, it was necessary to stretch out his name - Jesus. In fact, it’s hard to say which spelling is closer to the original, since in Greek there is a special symbol for stretching the letter “and”, in Russian it is not.

Therefore, in order for the spelling to match the sound, the letter “and” was added to the name of God. The old spelling of the name of Christ has been preserved in the prayers of the Old Believers, and not only among them, but also in Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Belarusian and Ukrainian.

Cross

The cross of the Old Believers and followers of innovations is significantly different. The followers of ancient Orthodoxy recognized only the eight-pointed version. The Old Believer symbol of the crucifixion is represented by an eight-pointed cross located inside a larger four-pointed one. On the most ancient crosses there are also no images of the crucified Jesus. For its creators, the form itself was more important than the image. The pectoral cross of the Old Believer also has the same appearance without the image of the crucifix.

Among Nikon's innovations concerning the cross, Pilatov's inscription can also be distinguished. These are the letters that are visible on the uppermost small crossbar of an ordinary cross, which is now sold in church shops - I N Ts I. This is an inscription left by Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator who ordered the execution of Jesus. It means "Jesus of Nazareth, King of Judah." She appeared on new Nikon icons and crosses, the old versions were destroyed.

At the very beginning of the split, fierce disputes began about whether it is permissible to depict this inscription. Archdeacon Ignatius from the Solovetsky Monastery wrote a petition to Tsar Alexei on this occasion, rejecting the new inscription in it and demanding the return of the old I X C C denoting "Jesus Christ the King of Glory." In his opinion, the old inscription speaks of Christ as God and Creator, who took his place in heaven after the Ascension. And the new one speaks of him as of an ordinary person who is on earth. But Theodosius Vasiliev, deacon of the Church of the Red Pit, and his followers for a long time, on the contrary, defended the "Pilate inscription." They were called Fedoseevtsy - a special offshoot of the Old Believers. All other Old Believers still use an older inscription in the manufacture of their crosses.

Baptism and procession

Among the Old Believers, only complete immersion in water is possible, carried out three times. But after Nikon's reforms, either partial immersion during baptism, or even just pouring, became possible.

The procession used to take place according to the sun, clockwise or salting. After the reform, during the rites, it is performed counterclockwise. This caused strong discontent at one time, people began to consider a new darkness.

Criticism of the Old Believers

Old Believers are often criticized for their indispensable observance of all dogmas and rituals. When the symbolism and some features of the old rituals were changed, this caused strong discontent, riots and uprisings. The followers of the old faith might even have preferred martyrdom rather than accept the new rules. Who are the Old Believers? Fanatics or selfless people who defend their faith? This is difficult for a modern person to understand.

How can one doom oneself to death because of one letter that has been changed or thrown out or, on the contrary, added? Many authors of articles write that the symbolism and all these minor, in their opinion, changes after the Nikon reform are only external. But is it right to think so? Of course, the main thing is faith, and not just blind observance of all the rules and customs. But where is the limit of these acceptable changes?

If you follow this logic, why do you need these symbols at all, why call yourself Orthodox, why do you need baptism and other rituals, if they can be easily changed just by gaining power, while killing hundreds of people who disagree. Why is such an Orthodox faith needed if it does not differ at all from Protestant or Catholic? After all, all these customs and rituals exist for a reason, for the sake of their blind execution. It was not in vain that people kept the knowledge of these rituals for so many years, passed from mouth to mouth, rewrote books by hand, because this is a huge work. Perhaps they saw something more behind these rituals, something that modern man is not able to understand and sees in this unnecessary external paraphernalia.

Discuss

Many people ask the question: "Old Believers and Old Believers - what is the difference in terminology and is there any at all?" The history of the emergence of these unusual groups of people is directly related to one famous person. His name is Nikon, and it was this man who was destined to lead the Russian Orthodox Church and become a lever that led to the formation of a strange, original culture of the Old Believers.

Man as a split theory

The future patriarch was born into a poor peasant family in May 1605 in the village of Veldemanovo near Nizhny Novgorod. The boy's mother died immediately after his birth, and his father married a second time. The stepmother did not like the child. She starved him and bullied him in every possible way.

There is evidence that the woman repeatedly tried to deprive the named son of life. But every time Nikita (Nikon received such a name at birth) was saved by a happy accident. Later, memories of amazing, fantastic situations where he overcame death gave him confidence in his divine mission.

It was great ambitions that led to the formation of such a trend as the Old Believers. Who they are and what role the patriarch plays in their formation, the material will tell further.

She often stood up for her grandson and grandmother. Since childhood, the boy was supportive of religious literature. A priest who taught literacy was an ideal for a child. Sometimes Nikita could not sleep. He was constantly disturbed by nightmares that he might forget church texts. A pious boy ran away without the permission of his parents to a monastery.

In 1624, under the pretext of the death of his beloved grandmother, the young man was returned home. There he was married to a stranger. Nevertheless, the man did not leave religion. The young husband got a job as a priest in a local church. Then he did not even know that the Old Russian Church of the Old Believers, in which Nikon began to rule, would later hate him.

His erudition, deep faith and extreme diligence made him a good reputation. Merchants who came to the city noticed the talents of the young priest and offered him to move to work in Moscow.

First steps towards tragedy

The death of all his children was a heavy blow. Nevertheless, in this event he saw a divine symbol. Nikon sent his wife to a monastery and dedicated his life to serving the Almighty.

Very quickly he achieved success and soon entered the highest circles of the clergy. Then the idea arose to refresh the church and improve the morality of the people. The ideas that originated during this period later led to a movement that was dubbed the "Old Believers". Who they were, until the XVII did not know. This word appeared after Nikon's accession to the patriarchal throne in 1652.

As soon as he mastered the new title, the reforms did not slow down. Throughout the Christian history of the Russian lands, the clergy kept a reference point to the Byzantine Church. In the mid-1600s, the canons of Russian Orthodoxy were very different from the Greek ones. This led to different methods of conducting ceremonies and customs in rituals. Nikon tried in every possible way to correct the differences.

At first, the traditions of Russian and Byzantine churches were identical, but after a certain period of time, the rites of the latter changed. Most of the features were acquired after the fall of Constantinople.

The conditions for changing customs in the Russian lands were harsh. Books with ingrained rituals were publicly burned, and those who adhered to the old laws were called heretics.

Consequences of the mission of life

Now historians firmly state that if the patriarch introduced changes gradually, then there would be no such thing as the Old Believers. Who they are and what their principles are, humanity today would not know.

The patriarch's church reform of 1650-1660 was aimed at introducing new and destroying old canons. This was the reason for the emergence of supporters of Nikon. On the other side were adherents of his enemy - Habakkuk. The latter believed that the records in Russian books reflect Orthodoxy better, and the Greek works were incorrectly changed by time.

Regarding the fate of the man who split the Russian Church, it was disappointing. For a long time, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich respected the patriarch. But due to the aggressive mood towards Nikon of a large group of clergy, their relationship cooled.

In 1666 he was demoted and sent to prison in a monastery. This was partly at the initiative of the sovereign. It is worth noting here that although this person lost his respect, the church of the Old Believers did not support, and the laws that the priest so vehemently defended were adopted at the official level.

The former patriarch spent 15 years in exile. Before his death, Alexei Mikhailovich asked the priest for forgiveness. The king's son, Theodore, also felt affection for the priest. He allowed him to return from exile. But on the way the old man died. Despite significant protests from the new head of the church, Nikon the reformer was buried as a patriarch. He was buried in the Cathedral of the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery. Fyodor Alekseevich himself read the Apostle over it with tears in his eyes.

Road 700 years long

Since the time of Kievan Rus, the Old Believers have been leading their history. "Who are they?" is a question that requires deep analysis.

The theory of their religion was born immediately after the adoption of Christianity by Prince Vladimir. Then the ruler took the Orthodoxy of the Greeks as a basis. Since 988, the inhabitants of the great power began to live according to new laws, which in many respects contradicted paganism.

In the course of historical events, since 1439, the Russian Church fell out of the power of Constantinople and began to develop independently. This happened until Nikon came to the patriarchal throne, who in 1653 again headed for the Greek canons. Of course, the drastic changes in the rules aroused considerable resistance from the masses, who considered the innovations unacceptable and unlawful. There was a public condemnation of all those who ignored Greek laws and continued to adhere to the rites of their ancestors, which were known since the time of Prince Vladimir. The manner of prayer, the exclamation of "Hallelujah", the number of prosphora and the cross of the Old Believers were changed.

The biggest blow for them was the adoption of innovations officially. For some time the country was on the verge of a religious war. Repressions began and the pursuit of all those who were against the novelties of the church. From now on, those who disagree were not just called heretics, excommunicated from the holy trinity and cursed, but also physically exterminated. Moreover, all this was done at the national level and with the assistance of the tsarist authorities.

Religious community as a political threat

During the reign of Peter the Great, a double tax was imposed on the Old Believers. In 1722, a decree was issued on the death penalty for those who would contribute to the split of the church, that is, continue to pray according to the old traditions.

Already by that time, some of the representatives began to hide. Many families have left the places where their ancestors lived and worked for centuries. They went to distant, wild lands deep into Russia. Thousands of people left the empire and sought their fortune abroad.

During the reign of Catherine II, a policy of religious tolerance was promoted. It was then that the terminology "Old Believers" and "Old Believers" arose. What is the difference between these two concepts?

Nothing, they are absolutely identical. The first meaning arose as a word that characterized people who remained true to their religious preferences. All those who did not obey the innovations bore the insulting name of schismatics, heretics and Old Believers. The synonym "Old Believers" was introduced by Catherine II. The queen introduced fresh reforms in the religious sphere of her country. Thus, the persecution of these groups ceased for some time.

Whole families were returning from abroad. But these changes did not last long. Despite the fact that the representatives of this trend were socially active and, thanks to their hard work, brought profit to the state, they also posed a great threat to the tsarist regime.

In the rhythm of time

The Orthodox Old Believers were perceived by the authorities as a political movement that played the role of opposition for the imperial court. And indeed, as soon as Catherine II gave them official permission to build churches, this current founded and arranged its own city in a short period of time. Today it is located on the territory of Belarus. In the 18th century, there were about 5,000 Old Believers there.

Some of these people were killed by order of the queen. All who remained alive were forcibly relocated to the east of Russia. Their descendants still live there. Today they are known as Semeyskie.

It should be noted that other religious minorities, from Protestants to Buddhists, received state support.

According to official sources, in the 19th century, a third of the population of the Russian Empire still lived according to the rules of their ancestors, who were baptized in Kievan Rus.

Later, the authorities began to treat this trend more loyally. Increasingly, the question arose: "Old Believers - who are they?" Their customs and canons were not considered as those that could damage the integrity of the state. But they were forbidden to build temples, print books, spread the teachings, and even hold high positions. Even marriage for couples was illegal.

In the early 1900s, the rights of this denomination were equated with other religious minorities.

Canons - the foundation for disagreements

Before the advent of Nikon, the Russian people for almost 700 years lived according to the rules that were formed during the time of the baptism of Russia. The patriarch also introduced a reform, the result of which was a split in religion into two strong directions. The first trend was supporters of innovation. Other dissenters were left out of society, because they did not perceive the proposed theories. So who are the Old Believers, what is the difference between this part of the people and the other?

The first and main difference is the translation and editing of scriptures. The process went down in history under the name "book business". The Symbol of Faith, where the fundamental tenets of religion are indicated, was also subject to change. Several important words have been removed or replaced from the text. For example, the Holy Spirit was now used without the characteristic "true", and in the lines that talked about the future, the phrase "there is no end" was replaced by "there will be no end."

In addition, liturgical literature acquired a different form. Nikon wrote the Russian word "Jesus" in the new style "Jesus".

Remained in the past and the cross of the Old Believers. The prayer gesture used to be performed with the help of two fingers (a special addition of the fingers of the right hand), and after the reform, the church switched to three fingers. Admirers of ancient Orthodoxy claimed that two fingers are a cross, which symbolizes the divine and human principles. And three folded fingers (three fingers) is a sign of the Trinity, which has nothing to do with the crucifix.

Bows were made differently. From now on, walks around the church were made against the sun. Hallelujah was sung three times instead of twice. The number of prosphora has changed.

The culture of antiquity in the present

The Old Believers preserved the traditions of their ancestors. You can see them to this day. In addition to the above canons, they are guided by other laws. The process of baptism occurs only through a full three-time immersion. These people do not recognize four-pointed crucifixes, but such a cross (without Jesus) is present in their homes.

The icons of the Old Believers are still decorated in the style that was adopted and approved by the clergy 1000 years ago. The service is based on books that were published in the period before Nikon's reforms.

These communities lead a modest lifestyle. They have little fun and are very pious. But their religious holidays are no less cheerful and colorful than in other religions. The family charter is patriarchal. A woman obeys the orders of her husband and relatives on his part (even those who are younger than herself). Since often a small village consists of one family, the guys had to look for girls for themselves, in fact, far away. They travel thousands of miles to another community to woo and get married.

Morality in the theory of life

All this knowledge was constantly carried with them by the Old Believers, the Old Believers. Who they were, the features of their faith, the essence of their principles, Catherine II understood. It was on the initiative of the queen that these people left the cultivated lands and went with their families in an unknown direction to the edge of Russia. There they began a new life, albeit difficult, but free and safe.

Their characteristic feature is boundless love for work and God. They are guided by such rules in life. According to their theory, the Almighty created a person similar to himself, therefore it is considered a great sin to change something in your appearance. Haircuts and shaving are not practiced.

The prayers of the Old Believers occupy a special place in life. It is imperative to talk with the Lord in the morning and in the evening. If at the beginning of the day it is difficult to allocate time, then you can pronounce the holy words in a minute free from work during the light part of the day.

The clothing of this community is also unique. Festive dress in church. Men wear caftans, young ladies - sundresses and scarves. Hats for a married woman are obligatory, since open hair and a naked body are considered a great obscenity.

Girls learned the art of tailoring from childhood. Usually, before marriage, they did not do heavy domestic work, but only watched. From childhood, boys were taught to work in the field and to manage.

Through the ages

Today, science is particularly interested in the phenomenon called "Old Believers". Who are they? The photo in the material shows communities from different parts of the world, but all of them are united by deep family values.

These people lead a closed life, rarely give interviews and believe that being on camera is an unkind thing. They believe that photographs take away the divine energy that is stored in the human body. But without someone else's, unusual equipment, they are good-natured, friendly and pleasant.

Many families still live without electricity, the Internet, they are not interested in the crisis and defaults. Previously, the Old Believers did not use money, did not buy clothes, food, medicines, and did not even eat overseas potatoes. They do not visit hospitals, very rarely enjoy the benefits of civilization.

The community lives by its own rules. The first to sit at the table is the father of the family. Everyone is praying. They all leave the kitchen together. A man should not see how food is being prepared, so the door to the room where it is made is hung with a cloth.

Unnecessary to either the church or the state, they managed to preserve their originality and spirituality, which the first Christians of Kievan Rus inherited from them. These are people who did not know such vices as alcohol, tobacco and entertainment. But they cherished the science of antiquity. The secret of the past lurks in their souls.

In the modern evil time, the "pastors" were filled with love for everyone without exception, including the enemies of Christ. They are ready to merge in prayerful communion with the enemies of Christ and the persecutors of the Orthodox Church, pulling the entire Orthodox people into the abyss with them.

The problem is this: having picked up the tops, i.e. having told you about the "Stoglavy Cathedral" - at which, allegedly, they decided to be baptized with two fingers, about the Nikon reform, according to which the Patriarch reprinted liturgical books, prayers with errors and with his own corrections ... and decided to be baptized with three fingers; talking about how they were persecuted by the authorities (and, for sure, how they burned themselves, they will miss, because modern people will not understand this unambiguously); about the local council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971, which abolished the anathema on all Old Believers; then the conclusion will be unequivocal: here they are, the true zealots of the pure Orthodox faith and guardians of uncorrupted rites.
But digging a little deeper, everything will immediately fall into place - why the cathedrals have imposed an anathema on the Old Believers - after all, this is the highest punishment in the church. Why such authoritative saints as Seraphim of Sarov, John of Kranstadt, Ignatius Brianchaninov, Theophan the Recluse and many other saints who labored in the field of God were against the Old Believers' wisdom. And why the Russian government was forced to persecute these distraught zealots. To understand all this, one must turn to the origins of the origin of the Old Believers.
The origins lead us to the earliest Russian schism, the Kapitonovshchina, in the 30s of the 17th century. So, at the head of the schismatics stood the rebellious elder, the builder of the monastery, the monk Kapiton. "According to natural signs," he predicted the imminent arrival of the Antichrist. In order to save himself from the coming misfortune, Kapiton offered to abandon the Holy Mysteries and the Church. By the severity of monastic life, the Trinity builder attracted many like-minded people to his side. In 1639 Kapiton was arrested and exiled to Tobolsk, from where he fled in the early 1940s. 17th century to their homeland. Among the students of Kapiton there was a certain great and wise Vavila, about whom later in one of the schismatic writings it was said: philosophy and theology; knew the languages ​​Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Slavic.

We can only guess in what ways and for what purpose this Frenchman (heretic), a pupil of the Paris Sorbonne, a contemporary of Cardinal Richelieu, who knows not only learned languages, but also Hebrew, and, most surprisingly, Slavic, ended up in the forests near Vyazniki. But it was there that Vavila, “putting heavy chains on himself,” brought the views of his teacher Kapiton to the extreme and began to preach mass self-immolation.

Self-immolation. After the death of Kapiton, a split occurred in the community into the so-called "Yukhra" charter - which did not approve of suicide and the "Kshar" charter, which radically approached the issue of suicidal deaths for the faith. “At the head of this direction was Vavila the Young (heretic Frenchman) and the elder Leonid. The facts of their active participation in mass and individual suicides were revealed by the investigative commission of I.S. Prozorovsky in Vyazniki. In the course of the proceedings, the connection between the Vologda suicides of the “capitones” and Vavila Molodoy was proved ... "

The leaders of the "Kshar" charter (Vavila the Young, Leonid, and others) behave like people who have already escaped the Last Judgment. They "saved" other people from him. The elders of this charter burned, drowned, and starved people, but they themselves did not even think of following the example of their victims.

By 1667, "Kapitonovism" had almost completely exterminated itself, since mass self-immolations fell on the time of the "apocalypse" of 1666. Among the survivors, positions began to strengthen about uniting with other currents of ancient church piety. The connecting link between the Old Believers and the "Kapitos" was the preaching of the main "zealot" of piety, Avvakum, of committing suicide for the faith. “Those who have burned their bodies, but betrayed their souls into the hands of God, rejoice with Christ forever and ever, self-willed martyrs.”

Thus, the main authority and ideologist of the schism, Avvakum (among the Old Believers, he was canonized as a saint and is commemorated in everyday morning and evening prayers), being imprisoned in Pustoozersk, actually blessed self-immolation already in the 1670s and thereby contributed to their spread. Suicide was declared voluntary martyrdom and thus justified. Among other methods, "death by fire" was preferred, and to encourage this particular type of self-destruction, along with the motif of martyrdom, another one was invented. Self-immolation began to be interpreted as a second baptism, "baptism by fire."

Once upon a time, in the era of persecution in the Roman Empire, such “voluntary martyrs” were Gnostic sectarians, condemned for this by the Universal Church; now they have become Russian Orthodox Christians, from the faithful children of the Church, who have turned heretics ...

Schismatics often say that self-immolations were a response to persecution. But, as we pointed out above, this is pure fiction; for the burning began long before the official persecution. Apart from the self-immolation of the "kapitons", which began in the 1660s, the first mass self-immolation, which killed 2,000 people, was organized in the Nizhny Novgorod district in 1672 year, that is, self-destruction began 13 years before the start of the persecution.

The Law on the Execution of the Most Dangerous Dissenters (see “The Twelve Articles of Princess Sophia - a legal code on adherents of the old faith, consisting of 12 points, 1685 year.")

In the book of D.I. Sapozhnikova "Self-immolation in the Russian schism from the second half of the 17th century." detailed information about 117 self-immolations is given, and in the appendix their “List by years for the period 1667” is given. to 1784”, as well as “List of the leaders of the schism and their associates found in the description of self-immolations”. Let us give only one case of self-immolation from many.

In 1682-1684. Gary began in Pomorye, in the town of Dory, where a certain Andronik, a priestless man, settled. He managed to organize a whole series of self-immolations and at the same time stay alive. Priest Euphrosynus writes about these burns in his Reflective Writing. The first time 70 people were burned, the second time - 17, the third - 350, and in total 437 people died, among whom, as always, the majority were old women and children. In 1684, in the same Dory, Andronicus prepared about 200 more people for self-immolation, but the authorities found out about this, and archers were sent there to prevent the atrocity. Andronicus with his victims locked themselves in the refectory, defended themselves, then set fire to the house. Streltsy, knocking down the doors, burst in, who they managed to grab, pulled out of the fire: 47 people were burned, out of 153 saved 59 soon died of wounds and burns. 82 people saved from death by archers brought repentance for blaspheming the four-pointed cross and opposing the Church. Andronicus did not repent, and according to the verdict of the Boyar Duma of April 8, 1684. was burned. The royal decree reads: “That black Andronicus for Evo against the holy and life-giving cross of Christ and the Church of Evo, the holy opposition to execute, burn.”

Since the archers saved people from the fire and did not burn them, one can think that they were sent to the Dory, where 437 people had already been burned, not for a "mass punitive operation", but to prevent another burning. They did everything they could to save the people. But modern priests consider the hero of the possessed Andronicus, who persuaded more than 500 people to go to a terrible death, and they call the archers, who saved 153 people, "servants of Satan" and "hands of the Antichrist."

Habakkuk. Avvakum is the main spiritual person of the Old Believers. As we mentioned above: Avvakum was canonized as a saint by the Old Believers. The best way to help us figure out what kind of person was Avvakum himself, or rather his letters addressed to the king and his followers.

In the Fifth Petition to Alexei Mikhailovich, Avvakum tells a vision that happened to him at a time when during Great Lent he lay on a bed, not taking food for ten days, reproaching himself for the fact that on such great days he does without a “rule” and only reads prayers according to rosary. In the second week, his body greatly increased and spread widely. First, the tongue increased, then the teeth, then the arms and legs, finally, it all became wide and spacious and spread throughout the earth, and then God placed heaven and earth and all creation in it. “Do you see, Autocrat? - he continues, you own in freedom one Russian land, and the son of God conquered me for the prison seat and heaven and earth. It is not surprising that with the consciousness of such an enormous power of his, Avvakum was not averse to entering into an argument and strife with the Son of God himself. After he was badly beaten on the orders of Pashkov for his intercession for two widows, he, according to him, got into his mind: “Why did you, son of God, let him kill me so painfully? I have become your widows! Who will judge between me and you? he asked in the words of Job. “When you stole, and you didn’t insult me ​​like that, but now we don’t know that you have sinned.” Having finally lost hope that Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich would support the old faith, Avvakum began to bully him in the same way as he bullied Nikonians in general. Drawing gloatingly the fate of the wicked Tsar Maximian in hell and clearly alluding at the same time to the fate of Alexei Mikhailovich himself, he exclaims: “Poor, poor, crazy tsar! What have you done to yourself? ... Well, disappear through the earth, you son of a bitch! It’s enough to torture those Christians!”

Obscene interpretation of holy texts is found in all of Avvakum's correspondence. So in a letter to Simeon we read:

“And is there Maksimian under you, a downy featherbed and a head? And the eunuchs plow your health so that the flies do not bite the great sovereign? And how do you go to shit there, do the robots wipe their sleeping bags in your fiery bogey? The Holy Spirit said to me: no, they are already shying those around you - everyone has remained here, and you don’t even grey out food, the worms themselves eat the great sovereign. Poor, poor king! What have you done to yourself?"

There is already an obvious blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, who, according to Habakkuk, simply speaks obscenities.

“God willing, before the judgment of Christ, who took Nikon, I will break his snout. Damn son, dog, confused our land. Yes, and I will gouge out those eyes, and I will push him in the eye: well, go into the darkness, it is not fitting for you to appear to Christ in my light. And I will order Tsar Alexei to put Christ on trial. Tovo I need to soar with whispers.

“Nikola the miracle worker endures, but we are weak: at least one dog turned his head back in his mug, let him walk around Moscow like that.”

“So you, Fyodor, wrote in your fucking letters, God gave them to me in my hands, and you wanted to send them out with a shish, a servant of God to confusion and destruction ... Give me a time, in Christ, I will have a Nikonian, your beloved, in the hands, the same as you, prelaga-thai whore children, I will hang you all on oak.

Well, to hell with you, you don’t need the holy trinity, bastards, you’re good for nothing.

In such a tone, as can be seen not infrequently and with obscenities, all his proud and pompous letters to all those who do not agree with the opinion, during his lifetime, of "saint" Habakkuk.

“The Trinity is an ineffable being, three names, three faces, three holy, three eternal ( a clear delusion, since it contradicts the second member of the creed about consubstantiality “... she was born, and not created, consubstantial with the Father, by Him all things were.”), trisodetelnaya, triune, tripartite. One being in three compositions.

And from written notebooks and from Nikonian whoring books you will not comprehend the truth about the holy trinity.

Saint John of Damascus: “The hypostases of the Holy Deity are consubstantial. It cannot be said that the Father is of one essence, and the Son is different, but (both) are one and the same. Similarly, we believe in one Holy Spirit, as consubstantial and co-eternal. For it is only by their hypostatic properties that the three holy hypostases differ from each other, inseparably distinguished not by their essence, but by the distinctive property of each hypostasis ... ".

From this consideration it is very clearly seen that Avvakum fell into a destructive heresy. From a historical point of view, this heresy repeats the teaching of the Arians, who reproached the Council of Nicaea precisely for the fact that it included in its Confession the words: essence, consubstantial. It is also noteworthy that the Arians were signified with two fingers, although for a slightly different reason.

Editing books. After the above example, when Avvakum swallows an elephant, when he does not correctly interpret the dogma, and stubbornly clings to the rearrangement in the books "Az", "I" and other phrases and letters. From here it becomes clearer how right the Old Believers are in their beliefs. So, for example, in the Sunday canon of the 6th tone we read: “The Trinity that rules over all, is three-fold in nature ... return singing with a cry ...” (7 Song. Trinity). It is the same in the canon of the All-Merciful Savior: “The three-part nature, the being is inseparable, uncreated, without beginning, and inherent” (Song 7. Trinity).

It also becomes clear here that the old service books definitely needed serious editing. It was not Habakkuk himself who invented this heresy about the three compositions of God; after all, he himself testifies that it was taken from the trinity hymns. And this once again shows that the Russian Church was on the verge of heresy.

Repositioning. In their doctrine of two-fingeredness, the Old Believers rely on "Stoglav", for this is the only book where, as it seems to them, the doctrine of two-fingered addition is derived.

Well, let's take a look at this book. Although the original of Stoglav has not been preserved, and under the remaining manuscripts there is no signature of the king or even bishops anywhere, and the rest of the copies abound in discrepancies and clearly apocryphal inserts, however, we will try to select the very essence, discarding contradictory and unclear points.

Chapter 31 narrates about the sign of the cross: "as it should be, bless with the hand of the bishop and priest, and signify other Orthodox Christians and worship." Already from the very title of this chapter it is clear that there are two parts to it: about the blessing of the saint and about the simple sign of the cross. “The thumb and the two lower fingers in one copulation, and the upper finger with the middle copulated, stretched out a little bending, so bless the saint and the priest,” This is a blessing with Jesus Christ or the name of the Lord, which is appropriate only for clergy, as those who have assumed the image of Christ.

Reference: The pastors of the Orthodox Church give blessings to believers in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for this they fold the fingers of their right hands so that they represent the first and last letters of the blessed name ICXC, i.e. Jesus Christ, in particular, the second and third fingers, otherwise the index and middle, copulate, so that the second, extended, represents the letter I, and the third, extended and somewhat inclined, the letter C, the first, or thumb, copulate with two the latter so that, crossing the fourth finger, it represents the letter X with it, and the fifth finger, or the little finger, stretched out and somewhat inclined, represents the letter C with them - this composition is called nominative.

Distortion of dogmas. But is this opinion correct?

From the "Word on the outrageous and unsanctified apostate"

In the second part of the chapter, at its very end, we read literally the following: “I have three fingers together, in the image of the trinity, God the Father, the Son, God the Holy Spirit, not three bozi, but One. God in the Trinity of names is divided, but the Godhead is one, the Father is not born, but the Son is born, and not created, the Spirit proceeds, three in one Godhead. One power, one
Honor to the Deity, a single bow from all creatures, from angels and from humans, so with that finger a decree.

Have two fingers inclined, not outstretched, but those decrees represent such, two natures - Deity, and humanity, God according to Divinity, and man according to humanity, and in both is perfect, the upper finger forms the Divine, and the lower humanity, having come down from above our salvation, also destruction will be pushed through: for the heavens will bow down from our bottom for the sake of salvation.

It is very clearly seen here that we are not talking about the sign that in the first part “I stretched out my fingers a little bit”, but about the other “two fingers should be inclined, not stretched out”. And this phrase clearly indicates that three fingers should be stretched out (i.e., facing upwards), and two “inclined, not stretched out” I.e. here we are clearly talking about the familiar triplets. Further, suppose that the Old Believer is right, and three fingers are at the bottom, and two are at the top, in an inclined position, as it is said.

Then the question arises: if both fingers are bent, then which of them forms the Divine, and which is humanity (you can even do the experiment yourself)? – The answer seems to be unsolvable. But if we bend, as it should be, the two extreme fingers, then it will immediately become clear that the ring finger (and not by chance, for the Divine is incomprehensible) forms the Divine, and the little finger, as the smallest of all fingers, humanity. Yes, and it is surprising if humanity was higher than the Divine, higher than the Holy Trinity.

However, the Old Believers themselves sometimes strongly oppose Stoglav, for in chapter 27 he commands: “Which saints will be books ... you will find the essence of wrong, descriptive, and you would correct all those holy books from good translations in the council” ...

Hence the dislike of the Old Believers for the faithful Tsar John, however, as well as for all kings and royal power in general.

Holy relics. The holy relics of the ascetics of the 11th-12th centuries, who rest incorruptibly in Kiev caves, and namely the Monk Elijah of Muromets and Joseph the Painful, in whom the first three fingers of the right hand are connected, although unequally, but together, and the last two, nameless and little fingers, are bent to the palm , and the Monk Spyridon, in whom the first three fingers are connected even quite equally.

And in vain the Old Believers are trying to interpret that the right hand of Ilya Muromets and Joseph the Painful, (whose three fingers are connected unequally), as a two-finger addition.

After all, if you add up the sign of the cross as the Old Believers understand it, referring to Stoglav, (“The thumb and the two lower fingers in one copulation, and the upper finger with the middle copulation, stretched out a little bending ...”), then the lower two fingers will not be bent to palms, as is undeniably noticeable on the relics of St. devotees.

Also, the imperishable right hand of John Chrysostom clearly shows a three-fingered addition.

1. right hand of John Chrysostom

2. Hand of John the Baptist

Cancellation of oaths on the old rites.

Metropolitans Sergius of Starogorodsky and Anthony Khrapovetsky. The participation of these church leaders in the history of the revival of the Old Believers can be traced very clearly. So back in 1912. in St. Petersburg, the All-Russian Common Faith Congress took place. The center of the movement at that time was the fellow faith community of St. Petersburg, based in the St. Nicholas Church, where the brother of Andrei Ukhtomsky was the headman. Two prominent figures of the Synodal Church actively participated in the work of the congress - Archbishop Sergius (Starogorodsky), future Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and Metropolitan Anthony of Volhynia (Khrapovitsky), future Metropolitan of Kyiv, ROCOR chairman.

Subsequently, when these bishops received the long-desired power, their Old Believer sympathies were expressed as follows. So April 10 (23), 1929. the Decree of the Patriarchal Holy Synod chaired by Sergius Starogorodsky, called “The Acts of the Archpastors”, was issued, on the abolition of the oaths of the Moscow Cathedral of 1656 and the Great Moscow Cathedral of 1667, imposed by them on the old church rites. This decree also canceled other cathedral oaths of the 17th century . This document openly declared the legitimacy of the old liturgical rites, including the two-finger, in accordance with the books of the pre-Nikonian press (containing heretical dogmas). And, as a consequence of this, the conclusion is the illegality of the oaths imposed by the councils in the 17th century, both on the rites themselves and on the believers who adhered to them.

According to Archbishop of Geneva and Western Europe (ROCOR) Anthony (Bartoshevich, 1911-1996), Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) did the same: When Metropolitan Anthony was abroad, he wrote an appeal to the Old Believers. And he wrote cordially and with love: until now you have been persecuted, and we are, as it were, in the position of persecutors, the Church is official, and now, he says, we are just as persecuted as you.

Nikodim Rotov. In 1971, at the Local Council, the initiator of the abolition of the "oaths of 1667" was Metropolitan Nikodim Rotov, known for his ecumenical activities (the First Mentor of the current Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev). He proposed to repeat in a modified form the Decree of the Holy Synod of 1929 as a Council decision. It was on his report that the Council adopted a resolution on the "cancellation of oaths." Acts of the Local Council "On the abolition of oaths to its old rites and to those who adhere to them" dated June 2, 1971, it was said: We, who make up the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, are equivalent in dignity and significance to the Moscow Council of 1656 and the Great Moscow Council of 1667 Having considered the issue of the oaths imposed by these councils from the theological, liturgical, canonical and historical sides, we solemnly determine to the glory of the All-Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1) Approve the decision of the Patriarchal Holy Synod of April 23 (10), 1929 on the recognition of the old Russian rites as saving, like the new rites, and equal to them.
2) Approve the decision of the Patriarchal Holy Synod of April 23 (10), 1929 on the outcast and as if not the former reprehensible expressions relating to the old rites, and in particular to the two-faced, wherever they occur and whoever utters.
3) Approve the decision of the Patriarchal Holy Synod of April 23 (10), 1929 on the abolition of the oaths of the Moscow Cathedral of 1656 and the Great Moscow Council of 1667 imposed by them on the old Russian rites and on Orthodox Christians who adhere to them, and consider these oaths as not former."

(ep. Kirill (Gundyaev), now Patriarch, m. Nikodim (Rotov) - ecumenist, A.I. Osipov. - an ecumenist, develops heresies already condemned by the Ecumenical Councils, and now a schismatic - m. Filaret (Denisenko),)

ROCOR Bishops' Council. Also in 2000, the Council of Bishops of ROCOR, on behalf of the Russian Church, repented before the Old Believers: “We deeply regret the cruelties that were inflicted on adherents of the Old Rite, about those persecutions by the civil authorities, which, which were inspired by some of our predecessors in the hierarchy of the Russian Church…”
Rev. Paisius Velichkovsky on the annulment of oaths.

“An oath or anathema on those who oppose the Catholic Church, i.e. on those who are baptized with two fingers, or who otherwise oppose, being conciliarly imposed by the eastern patriarchs, the grace of Christ has to remain firm, unshakable and insoluble until the end of time.

You are still asking: was the imposed anathema subsequently allowed by some Eastern Council or not?

I answer: could there be such a Council, with the exception of some contrary to God and the holy Church, which would gather to refute the truth and affirm falsehood? In the Church of Christ there will never be such an evil Council.

You are still asking – can any bishops, besides the Council and the consent and will of the eastern patriarchs, allow such an oath?

I answer: it is impossible; there is no discord God, but peace. Know firmly that all bishops, upon their ordination, receive the same grace of the Holy Spirit and are obliged, like the apple of their eye, to preserve the purity and integrity of the Orthodox faith, as well as all the apostolic traditions and rules of the holy apostles, Ecumenical and Local Councils, and God-bearing fathers which the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church contains.

From the same Holy Spirit they received the power to bind and loose according to the order which the Holy Spirit established through the holy apostles in the holy Church. To destroy the apostolic traditions and church rules - the bishops did not receive such power from the Holy Spirit, therefore, it is impossible for either the bishops or the Eastern patriarchs to resolve the aforementioned anathema on the opponents of the Catholic Church, as correctly and in accordance with the Holy Council, but if someone tried to do it , then it would be contrary to God and the holy Church. You are still asking: if none of the bishops can resolve this anathema without the Eastern patriarchs, then is it not permitted by the Eastern ones?
I answer: not only is it impossible for any bishop without the Eastern Patriarchs, but even for the Eastern Patriarchs themselves, it is impossible to resolve this oath, as enough has already been said about this, for such an anathema is eternally insoluble ... "

Crushing of the Old Believers. From the time of the split to the present day, the Old Believers have divided themselves into many parts - interpretations, which in the "truth" are in no way inferior to each other. Here are some of them: the Kerzhen "old men", the Beglopopov's consent, the Belakrinitsk hierarchy, the Novozybkov hierarchy, the Pomor's consent, the Filippov's consent, the Fedoseev's consent, the Spasov's consent. I wonder what kind of Old Believers the Russian and foreign hierarchs blame? Old Believers of what consent or sense? If they repent and ask for forgiveness from the Old Believers without priests of the Pomeranian consent, then they must agree to recognize themselves as followers of the Antichrist.

Subversive activities of the Old Believers in the Russian statehood. Since the beginning of the schism, for the Old Believers, there has not only been no true hierarchy, but there has also been no statehood, but that which is either Antichrist or Antichrist's servants or Antichrist's hands or antichrist's forerunners. With such speculation, of course, there was no talk of any patriotism. When not the King, but the Antichrist, not the minister, but the Antichrist's servant.

So, for example, writes the hierarch of the Belokrinitsky consent T. Seredinov: “as a result of the Time of Troubles, the most unprincipled and greedy group came to power, relying on the oprichnina noble ruff and rallied around the clan of the Romanov boyars. This clan, having no dynastic rights, went to power without choosing means ... A strong church began to interfere with the Romanovs ... They decided to blow it up from the inside, for which they found Nikon, a simple man from the national outskirts ”

Knowing the attitude of the Old Believers to Russian statehood, other countries willingly used this. When they could not crush from the outside, with the support of the peasants of the "old faith" they tried from the inside.
Here is a list of centuries-old rebellions and riots with the participation of the Old Believers:

1670-1671. Razinshchina. Riot of the Cossacks - "Old Believers" led by Stepan Razin.

1668-1676. Capture of the Solovetsky Monastery by Kapitons and Razintsy.

1681. Rebellion of archers in Moscow under the leadership of schismatics.

1708-1710. Bulavinsky rebellion and the departure of the Cossacks "Old Believers" to Turkey. (Later these Cossacks fought on the side of Turkey and its European allies).

1765. “This year, a crowd of schismatics, including 23 people, seized the Zelensky monastery, drove out the monks from there and locked themselves in its high walls. This disaster destroyed a lot of church property, especially books and manuscripts” (St. Ignatius).

1771. "Plague riot" in Moscow. Assassination of Archbishop Ambrose.

1773-1774. Pugachevshchina. Riot of the Yatsky Cossacks - "Old Believers"

These riots, led by schismatics, as a rule, did not rise in the central regions of Russia with a primordially Orthodox population, but in the outskirts, inhabited by homelessness and foreigners, where, in addition to the Old Believers, the population traditionally harbored some kind of dissatisfaction with the Orthodox Church and the Muscovite kingdom.

A characteristic feature of the riots was imposture. The impostor-king always promised to restore the "old faith". Razin's rebellion was accompanied by the nomination of the false prince Alexei, who had died shortly before.

Pugachev declared himself Emperor Peter III.

That is why even the church, which anathematized all the rebels and those who help them, could not stop all those people who followed the impostors, because they were not children of this church, but established their faith and their state. But in fact, they were only a tool of the Western countries to destroy Russia.

It was the same during the revolution of 1917. Foreign agents-Masons had all the same popular support in the person of the "Old Believers" who gladly helped to overthrow the Antichrist from the Russian throne and restore the "old faith" and "people's" power.

Holy Fathers about the Old Believers.

St. Seraphim of Sarov. Leave your nonsense! How can you be saved without a helmsman? (The words of St. Seraphim, spoken to one schismatic.)
Once, 4 people from the zealots of the Old Believers, residents of the village of Pavlova, Gorbatovsky district, came to the reverend to ask about the two-finger addition with the verification of the truth of the senile answer by some miracle or sign.

They had just crossed the threshold of the cell, before they had time to say their thoughts, when the elder approached them, took the first of them by the right hand, folded his fingers into a three-finger addition according to the order of the Orthodox Church and thus baptized him. delivered the following speech: “Here is the Christian laying of the cross! So pray and tell others. This addition is betrayed from St. apostles, and the addition of two fingers is contrary to the holy statutes. I beg and pray you: go to the Greek Russian Church: it is in all the glory and power of God! Like a ship with many riggings, sails and a great helm, she is ruled by the Holy Spirit. Her good helmsmen are the teachers of the Church, the archpastors are the successors of the apostles. And your chapel is like a small boat without a helm or oars; she is moored with a rope to the ship of our Church, sails after her, flooded with waves, and would certainly drown if she were not tied to the ship.

At another time, an Old Believer came to him and asked:

- Tell me, elder of God, which faith is better: the current church or the old one?

- Leave your nonsense, - answered Father Seraphim - our life is the sea, St. Our Orthodox Church is a ship, and the helmsman is the Savior Himself. If with such a helmsman, people, due to their sinful weakness, with difficulty cross the sea of ​​life and not everyone is saved from drowning, then where are you striving with your little boat and on what do you base your hope of being saved without a helmsman?

One winter, a sick woman was brought on a sleigh to the monastery cell of Fr. Seraphim and this was reported to him. Despite the multitude of people crowding in the entrance hall, Fr. Seraphim asked to bring her to him. The patient was all crouched, her knees brought to her chest. She was brought into the elder's dwelling and laid on the floor. Father Seraphim locked the door and asked her:

- Where are you from, mother?

- From the Vladimir province.

- How long have you been sick?

- Three and a half years.

- What is the cause of your illness?

- Before, father, I was of the Orthodox faith, but they gave me in marriage to an Old Believer. For a long time I did not bow to their faith - and everything was healthy. Finally, they persuaded me: I changed the cross to two fingers and did not go to church. After that, in the evening, I once went about household chores to the yard; there one animal seemed to me fiery, even scorched me; I fell in fright, I began to break and writhe. Not a little time passed, the Households missed me, looked for me, went out into the yard and found me lying. They carried me into the room. Since then I have been sick.

“I understand,” the elder answered. “Do you believe in St. Orthodox Church?

“Now I believe again, father,” answered the sick woman.

Then about. Seraphim folded his fingers in the Orthodox way, put a cross on himself and said: - Cross yourself like this in the name of the Holy Trinity.

“Father, I would be glad,” answered the sick woman, “but I don’t control my hands.”

Fr. Seraphim took oil from the icon lamp from the Mother of God of Tenderness and anointed the chest and hands of the patient. Suddenly she began to straighten, even her joints cracked, and immediately she received perfect health. The people standing in the hallway, seeing the miracle, divulged throughout the monastery, and especially in the hotel, that Fr. Seraphim healed the sick.

When this event was over, she came to Fr. Seraphim, one of the Diveevo sisters, Fr. Seraphim said to her:

- This, mother, was not the wretched Seraphim who healed her, but the Queen of Heaven. - Then he asked: - Do you, mother, have any of those in your family who do not go to church?

“There are none, father,” answered the sister. - And my parents and relatives all pray with a two-fingered cross.

“Ask them on my behalf,” said Fr. Seraphim, so that they put their fingers together in the name of the Holy Trinity.

- I told them, father, about this many times, but they do not listen.

- Listen, ask on my behalf. Start with your brother who loves me, he will be the first to agree.

– Did you have relatives among the deceased who prayed with a two-fingered cross?

“Unfortunately, everyone in our family prayed like that.

“Although they were virtuous people,” remarked Fr. Seraphim thinking. – But they will be bound: the Holy Orthodox Church does not accept this cross… Do you know their graves?

The sister named the graves of those she knew, where they were buried.

- Go down, mother, to their graves, put three bows and pray to the Lord that He will resolve them in eternity.

The sister did just that. She also told the living to accept the Orthodox folding of fingers in the name of the Holy Trinity, and they definitely obeyed the voice of Fr. Seraphim, for they knew that he was a servant of God and understood the mysteries of St. Christian faith." ("Soulful Reading" 1867)

Similar examples from the holy life of St. Seraphim of Sarov is a great multitude. You can bring and bring...

And now listen and be inspired by the words of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, a miracle worker, told by him about all the same “Old Believers” — schismatics:

“Ole accursed, our last times! - exclaims the saint. - As now the holy Church is greatly oppressed, belittled, ova from external persecutors, ova from internal schismatics, like, according to the Apostle, out of us: but do not besha from us(1 John 2:19). And only because of the schism, the most true Catholic Apostolic Church has diminished, as if there is hardly anywhere to find the true son of the Church: almost in every city some other special faith is invented, and even simple men and women, who do not know the true path very much, dogmatize and they teach, as if speaking about the addition of three fingers, the wrong and new cross of life and in their stubbornness of repentance stand, despising and rejecting the true teachers of the church ... ”(“ The Life of St. Demetrius ”).

holy Dimitry of Rostov, the great Orthodox writer, author of the "Lives of the Saints", also wrote a wonderful extensive work - "The Search for the Bryn Faith", which revealed the pernicious spirit of the schism. In this essay, he clearly and convincingly proved that the faith of the Old Believers-schismatics is wrong, their teaching is soul-damaging, and their deeds are not pleasing to God.

The Search for the Bryn Faith is divided into three parts. In the first part, the saint resolves two questions: “is the faith of the schismatics right”? And “is there their old faith”? Answering the first question, St. Demetrius easily proves that the schismatics do not have the true faith, for their faith is limited to old books and icons, the eight-pointed cross, their sign of the cross, and the sevenfold number of prosphora in the Liturgy, which does not constitute faith. Solving the second question, St. Demetrius says, approximately the same as St. Theophan the Recluse in his sermons, that the faith of the schismatics is new or has renewed old heresies and errors. In the second part of the essay, the author points out that the teaching of the Old Believers-schismatics, which comes from teachers of impostors, is 1) false, 2) heretical and 3) blasphemous. In the third part - about the deeds of the schismatics - it is proved that their apparently good deeds are spoiled by arrogance, vanity and hypocrisy, and then the evil and obviously lawless deeds of the schismatics are listed.

Rereading our Holy Fathers of the Church, one never ceases to be amazed and admired by their inexhaustible power of faith and wisdom from the Holy Spirit. You never cease to be amazed at their simplicity and insight. And most of all, it causes joy and admiration - their unshakable standing on the field of spiritual battle, guarding the purity of the Orthodox Faith. They give us spiritual and impenetrable protection from the attack of the Old Believers-schismatics and various kinds of heretics. What other authorities do we need in order to stand in the Truth today and not succumb to the demonic temptation, including the demonic temptation on the part of the apologists of the "Old Belief"? Or which of them can compare with Rev. Seraphim of Sarov; holy Theophan the Recluse or St. Dimitri Rostovsky???

Here is what St. Theophan the Recluse Vyshensky:

“...they (the Old Believers. - M.D.) keep repeating that their rumors are the ancient patristic tradition. What ancient? These are all new inventions. The ancient patristic Tradition is contained by the Orthodox Church. We borrowed St. teaching from St. Orthodox Greek Church, and all the sacred books passed from it to us. These books in antiquity contained everything as we now contain. But 100 or 150 years before the blessed Patriarch Nikon and the most pious sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich, inexperienced scribes began to spoil them, and during that time they spoiled and spoiled everything, and, finally, they spoiled everything so much that it was no longer possible to endure. These corruptions introduced into the books, all without exception, were novelties. When they were later canceled and the books were put in the same form as they were from ancient times, did this mean that novelty was introduced into the books ?! They did not introduce a novelty, but returned them to the old. In our books now everything is as it is in the Greek and as in our ancient ones, after the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. Go, who wants to, look in the Patriarchal Library, in Moscow, old books, and - see for yourself. So, the old books are with us, and not with the schismatics, and the ancient patristic Tradition is also with us, and not with them. They have all the novelties, the books are new and the tradition is new. Let me explain this to you with an example: St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv - the oldest cathedral - was originally painted on the walls. Sometime later, no one will remember, this painting was plastered over and the temple was painted again on the new plaster. The old painting remained under the bottom. But recently, this new plaster and with the timetable were beaten off and the timetable that was under it was restored - the oldest. What is it - they brought a novelty to the St. Sophia temple or put it in an ancient form? Of course, they put it in the ancient form. Now the St. Sophia Church is in the same form as it was in antiquity, and not in the way it was for 20 years. That's how it was with books. When they threw out everything newly introduced from them, they did not renew them, but returned them to the ancient one, and our corrected books are truly ancient, and not schismatic - corrupted.

So reflect when one of the schismatics begins to explain to you that they have ancient books. Their books are no more than two, many three hundred years old; and our 1000 have more. And when they begin to assure that they have an ancient patristic tradition, ask them where you have an ancient patristic tradition - among the priests or bespopovtsy, among the Filippovtsy or Fedoseyevtsy, among the Savior consent, or among the Perekrestsev, or among the new Austrian rogues? Are there 10 ancestral traditions? After all, it is one. When they have more than one, it has become, it is not ancient, but all human inventions. We have only one, and it is in complete agreement with our most ancient Tradition, in agreement with the Greeks and all Orthodox Christians who exist throughout the earth. We have agreement everywhere, and they have disagreement everywhere. In another village, there are three or four people, or even in one house, it also happens - and they do not communicate with each other. Where is the one Church of Christ? What is the body of the Church when all the members have broken up and gone in different directions? Where is this one herd? and how can one say that the one, true, Divine Shepherd is their shepherd?

Judging by this, it is clear as day that they have no truth, no following of Christ, no Church. And when there is no Church, there is no salvation: for salvation is only in the Church, as in Noah's ark. The Church of Christ has a priesthood. They don't have a priesthood; there was no Church. The Church of Christ has the Sacraments. They have no one to perform the Sacraments; therefore, they do not have a Church either. How dare they still open their mouths and, approaching the Orthodox, seduce them! Save, they say, we want. How to save when they themselves are dying?! They themselves perish and others are dragged into ruin, and not saved. Note to yourself, salvation without grace is impossible; grace is not given without the Sacraments; The sacraments are not performed without the priesthood. There is no priesthood, no sacraments; no sacraments, no grace; no grace, no salvation.

Some of them say: now we have found the priesthood, or have brought the root of the priesthood. They brought a root, but rotten - barren. Judge for yourself: Ambrose, whom they lured to them, was bound by a ban, bound by legal authority. The Lord promised this lawful authority: if you bind on earth, they will be bound in heaven (Matt. 18:18). Therefore, Ambrose, too, was bound in heaven. If he is bound in heaven, how could he, bound in heaven, communicate heavenly grace? Where did he get her?! He could not tell her, and did not tell; and all who were ordained by him, as they were laymen, have remained laymen, even though they are called priests and bishops. These are the same names, as when children playing give themselves different titles - colonels, generals, commanders in chief.

Let them say it was banned. The elders allowed him. Wonderful business! Ordinary laity allow the bishop and return to him the power to episcopate. Don't you know that only the one who has the power to ordain can authorize. The old men did not have their deacon's consecration, how could they return the episcopal power to the bishop, when this is the same as ordaining? They didn’t return it, and Ambrose remained forbidden, despite the rituals that were ridiculous over him. If it is forbidden, then grace is stopped in him, if it is stopped, then it could not be poured out on others. When, for example, water flows through a trough, then it overflows from it onto other kolobs and vessels; and when the gutter is closed, the water will not flow through it and will not overflow onto other places and things. So Ambrose, until he was forbidden, was like a trough overflowing water; and when he fell under the ban, he became like a dry, closed trough, and could no longer impart to others the blessed water, which he himself did not have. Thus, some of the schismatics deceive themselves and others in vain, thinking that they have obtained the priesthood. Names were brought, but there is no case.

Yes, Orthodox Christians! Do not listen to these flattering words! There is no truth in them, but only lies and deceit. They deceive themselves and plunge others into the same deception, but the truth of God is clear. She does not hide, but goes openly and presents all the evidence of her truth. We are standing on a solid stone - build a former on the basis of the Apostle and Prophet, the cornerstone of Jesus Christ Himself (Eph. 2, 20). This leading courageously stand in the faith and boldly testify to its truth, and not only do not succumb to schismatics, but, on the contrary, try to win them over to your side, sincerely convincing them that they have fallen into lies and error and stand on the path of destruction, holding on to novelties, which, by deceit, are considered old. Amen".

There are other excellent sermons by St. Theophan the Recluse on the same subject about the Old Believers-schismatics. They supplement the above words, seem to echo with them, and even more strongly and more fully denounce the schismatic lies.

The article is based on the book by A. Petrov (creator of the film about Ivan the Terrible "His name is John"), and his friend A. Pavlov "OLD BELIEVERS WHO ARE THEY?"