Old Believer
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Who are the Old Believers?
The Old Believers are members of Russian religious groups who dissented against the liturgical reforms imposed on the Russian Orthodox Church by Patriarch Nikon in the 17th century. Opposed to change, they resisted the Western innovations of Peter I, who they considered the Antichrist.
The reforms, which were considered necessary for salvation, were supported by Tsar Alexis Romanov, but led to a major schism in the church. Millions of lower clergy and laity rejected Patriarch Nikon's decrees, forming the Raskol, or schism, of the Old Believers.
The Old Believers split into two groups, the Popovtsy (priestly sects) and the Bezpopovtsy (priestless sects). Despite facing persecution and lacking an episcopal hierarchy, they spread to remote regions of Russia and beyond. In 1971, the Russian Orthodox Church rescinded the 17th-century anathemas and recognized the validity of the old rites.
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Why did the Old Believers split from the Russian Orthodox Church?
The Old Believers split from the Russian Orthodox Church because they refused to accept the liturgical reforms imposed by Patriarch Nikon in the mid-17th century. Nikon sought to align Russian Orthodox practices with contemporary Greek Orthodox practices, correcting what he saw as corruptions in Russian books and rituals.
These changes, though seemingly minor, were perceived by many Russians as a rejection of holy traditions and essential to Russia’s salvation. This resistance led to a major schism or Raskol, within the Russian Orthodox Church. Those who rejected the reforms became known as Old Believers. Despite Nikon's deposition, his reforms were upheld by a church council, further solidifying the split.
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What changes did the Old Believers object to in the church reforms?
The Old Believers dissented against the Russian Orthodox Church reforms initiated by Patriarch Nikon in the mid-17th century. These reforms aimed to align Russian practices with Greek Orthodox traditions, which Nikon believed were more authentic.
Key changes that the Old Believers opposed:
* The use of three fingers instead of two when making the sign of the cross
* Alterations in the form of bowing during church services
* Singing three alleluias instead of two
* Revisions of Russian books and rituals to match Greek modelsThese changes, though seemingly minor, were perceived by the Old Believers as a rejection of holy Russian traditions and essential for salvation, leading to a major schism within the Russian Orthodox Church.
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How did the government treat the Old Believers after the split?
After the schism caused by Patriarch Nikon's reforms in the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century, the Old Believers faced significant persecution. Those who dissented from the reforms were anathematized, and many, including prominent leaders, were executed.
Resisting change and Western innovations, the Old Believers were most numerous in remote regions of Russia. Despite facing opposition, the Old Believers benefited from the edict of toleration in 1905, and many groups survived the Russian Revolution of 1917, with some even gaining official recognition by the Soviet state. In 1971, the Russian Orthodox Church completely rescinded the 17th-century anathemas and recognized the validity of the old rites.
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What are some traditions and customs that the Old Believers kept?
The Old Believers were Russian religious dissenters who rejected the liturgical reforms imposed by Patriarch Nikon in the Russian Orthodox Church between 1652 and 1658.
Opposed to change, the Old Believers resisted the Western innovations introduced by Peter I, who they considered the Antichrist. Lacking an episcopal hierarchy, they split into two groups: the Popovtsy (priestly sects), who tried to attract ordained priests, and the Bezpopovtsy (priestless sects), who renounced priests and all sacraments, except baptism.
The Old Believers benefited from the edict of toleration in April 17, 1905, and most groups survived the Russian Revolution of 1917.
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Where do Old Believer communities exist today, and how have they kept their faith alive?
Today, Old Believer communities exist in Russia, especially in remote areas like Siberia, the Urals, Kazakhstan, and the Altai, as well as in other parts of Asia, and in Brazil and the United States.
These groups have maintained their faith, resisting change and Western innovations, and preserving pre-reform rituals. They split into two main groups: the Popovtsy, who retained priests, and the Bezpopovtsy, who rejected priests and most sacraments. Despite facing persecution and schisms, the Old Believers have survived, benefiting from the edict of toleration in 1905 and the rescinding of anathemas against them in 1971.
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Old Believer, member of a group of Russian religious dissenters who refused to accept the liturgical reforms imposed upon the Russian Orthodox Church by the patriarch of Moscow Nikon (1652–58). Numbering millions of faithful in the 17th century, the Old Believers split into a number of different sects, of which several survived into modern times.
Patriarch Nikon faced the difficult problem of deciding on an authoritative source for the correction of the liturgical books in use in Russia. These books, used since the conversion of Rus to Christianity in 988, were literal translations from the Greek into Old Slavic. In the course of centuries, manuscript copies of the translations, which were sometimes inaccurate and obscure at the start, were further mutilated by the mistakes of the scribes. Reform was difficult, for there was no agreement as to where the “ideal” or “original” text was to be found. The option taken by Patriarch Nikon was to follow exactly the texts and practices of the Greek Church as they existed in 1652, the beginning of his reign, and to this effect he ordered the printing of new liturgical books following the Greek pattern. His decree also required the adoption in Russia of Greek usages, Greek forms of clerical dress, and a change in the manner of crossing oneself: three fingers were to be used instead of two. The reform, obligatory for all, was considered “necessary for salvation” and was supported by Tsar Alexis Romanov.
Opposition to Nikon’s reforms was led by a group of Muscovite priests, notably the archpriest Avvakum Petrovich. Even after the deposition of Nikon (1658), who broached too strong a challenge to the Tsar’s authority, a series of church councils culminating in that of 1666–67 officially endorsed the liturgical reforms and anathematized the dissenters. Several of them, including Avvakum, were executed.
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The dissenters, sometimes called Raskolniki, were most numerous in the inaccessible regions of northern and eastern Russia (but later also in Moscow itself) and were important in the colonization of these remote areas. Opposed to all change, they strongly resisted the Western innovations introduced by Peter I, whom they regarded as Antichrist. Having no episcopal hierarchy, they split into two groups. One group, the Popovtsy (priestly sects), sought to attract ordained priests and were able to set up an episcopate in the 19th century. The other, the Bezpopovtsy (priestless sects), renounced priests and all sacraments, except Baptism. Many other sects developed out of these groups, some with practices considered extravagant.
The Old Believers benefitted from the edict of toleration (April 17, 1905), and most groups survived the Russian Revolution of 1917. Numerous branches of both the Popovtsy and the Bezpopovtsy succeeded in becoming registered and thus officially recognized by the Soviet state. The membership of one Moscow-centred Popovtsy group, the convention of Belaya Krinitsa, was estimated in the early 1970s at 800,000. Little is known, however, of the Old Believer settlements supposed to exist in Siberia, the Urals, Kazakhstan, and the Altai. Some groups exist elsewhere in Asia and in Brazil and the United States.
In 1971 the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church completely rescinded all the anathemas of the 17th century and recognized the full validity of the old rites.