Reforms of Nikon

In the 18th century, a religious and social movement emerged in Russia, called Old Believers, or a split. The reason for it were the reforms of Nikon, the Moscow Patriarch, to which he began in 1653 to strengthen the church. Their essence boiled down to unifying the system of theology throughout the country. First, the implementation of the Nikon reform was planned to be carried out by eliminating absolutely all differences in the conduct of rituals. It was also necessary to eliminate the moments of discrepancy in the books that were used in the performance of the divine service. There were also such zealots of faith, headed by Protopop Avvakum and Daniel, who believed that the church reform of Patriarch Nikon should be based on ancient Russian writings. The Patriarch insisted on following the models adopted in Greece. In his opinion, such a step should promote the unification of all Orthodox churches in Asia and Europe under the Moscow principle.

Reform of Nikon supported the king himself. This explains the perseverance of the patriarch and his confidence in his actions. Soon he appointed the Council of all bishops of the Russian land, on which they recognized the necessity of immediate correction of rituals and church literature. The second convocation, which, in addition to the saints of Russia, was also attended by the Serbian and Antiochian patriarchs, was held in 1656. On it, the corrected books were fully approved. The churches were commanded to use them in worship, and burn the former ones.

The first steps were made back in 1653. Then all the churches were ordered to bring in the ritual some changes concerning bows, the imposition of the cross. The printing house began to publish books on a new model. The defenders of the previous rites were declared heretics and betrayed anathema.

Change of some moments of the Creed symbol occurred after it was checked with the analogue adopted in the Greek churches. But the schismatics reform Nikon refused to accept categorically. For them, this meant betraying the faith of the ancestors, traditions that were observed for centuries. Innovations were perceived by the Old Believers as an attempt on something untouchable, sacred. Followers of Nikon, on the contrary, believed that these reforms would help the church to emerge from the crisis that was brewing. This move was also politically motivated. The role of Russia as the heiress of Byzantium and the defender of all Orthodox believers could not come to pass if she did not coordinate her books and rituals with those adopted in other Orthodox countries.

Finally, the Niconians established themselves in the correctness of their chosen path after reunification with Little Russia.

The church schism and its consequences had a more unexpected character than the patriarch and his supporters counted on. The opposition to reforms was massive. The Old Believers were unshakable from their convictions. They accused the Nikonians of declaring the former as heretical, thereby questioning the correctness of the canonization of the saints in Russia and the decisions taken at Stoglav's Cathedral, that is, all that was the basis of faith.

True, the conflict was caused not only by the reform of the patriarch. Influenced and social problems. The Old Believers were worried by the fall of the church authority, connected with the fact that the tsar began to play the role of vicegerent of God on earth, began to actively participate in resolving those issues that previously were in the competence of the clergy only. They accused the new, ignorant clergy in that it spoils the people, oppresses and removes them from themselves.

In a split, no less than a third of the population of the state was left. And after the Council, held in 1666-1667, decided on the exile and executions of opponents of the reform, it acquired a mass character. Despite the repressive measures taken by the authorities, after the Streltsy rebellion in 1682, the number of Old Believers grew. Instead of strengthening the society, a new turmoil was brewing. Nikon solved this issue by depriving him of his rank and sending the leaders of the split into exile.

But soon the patriarch himself suffered. Intrigues boyars spoiled his relationship with the king. In 1658, Nikon voluntarily imprisoned himself in the Resurrection monastery, and eight years later a trial took place over him, on which the patriarch was deprived of his rank and sent to Belozersky monastery for repentance.

And, nevertheless, the cause of the defenders of antiquity still did not go downhill even after the opal of the main reformer. The same Council, which judged Nikon, condemned and philosophized the schismatics, calling them heresy and anathematizing.