The main directions of the church reform of Patriarch Nikon: results and significance

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 19:56

In July 1652, with the approval of the Tsar and Grand Duke of All Russia Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, Nikon (in the world called Nikita Minin) became Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. He took the place of Patriarch Joseph, who died on April 15 of the same year.

During the initiation ceremony, which took place in the Assumption Cathedral, Nikon forced the Boyar Duma and the tsar to promise not to interfere in the affairs of the church. By this act, having barely ascended the church throne, he significantly increased his authority in the eyes of the authorities and the common people.

Union of secular and ecclesiastical power

The king's compliance in this matter is explained by certain goals:

• carry out a church reform, making the church more like the Greek one: introduce new rites, ranks, books (even before Nikon was elevated to the rank of patriarch, the tsar became close to him on the basis of this idea, and the patriarch had to act as its supporter);

• solution of foreign policy tasks (war withCommonwe alth and reunification with Ukraine).

The tsar accepted Nikon's conditions, and also allowed the participation of the patriarch in solving important state issues.

Moreover, Alexei Mikhailovich granted Nikon the title of "great sovereign", which only Filaret Romanov had previously been awarded. Thus, Alexei Mikhailovich and the patriarch entered into a close alliance, finding their interests and advantages in this.

Start of change

Becoming patriarch, Nikon began to actively suppress all attempts to interfere in church affairs. As a result of his energetic activity and persuasion with the tsar, by the end of the 1650s, a number of measures were implemented that determined the main features of Nikon's reform.

The beginning of the transformation took place in 1653, when Ukraine was included in the Russian state. It wasn't a coincidence. The sole order of the religious figure provided for changes in two main rites. The church reform of Patriarch Nikon, the essence of which was to change the position of fingers and kneeling, was expressed as follows:

• prostrations have been replaced by waist bows;
• The double-fingered sign of the cross, adopted in Russia along with Christianity and which was part of the Holy Apostolic tradition, was replaced by a three-fingered sign.

First persecution

The first steps in reforming the church were not supported by the authority of the church council. In addition, they radically changed the foundations and habitual traditions, which were considered indicatorstrue faith, and caused a wave of indignation and discontent among the clergy and parishioners.

The main directions of the church reform of Patriarch Nikon were the result of the fact that several petitions lay on the table of the tsar, in particular from his former associates and colleagues in the church service - Lazar, Ivan Neronov, deacon Fyodor Ivanov, archpriests Daniel, Avvakum and Loggin. However, Alexei Mikhailovich, being on good terms with the patriarch, did not take the complaint into account, and the head of the church himself hastened to stop the protests: Avvakum was exiled to Siberia, Ivan Neronov was imprisoned in the Spasokamenny Monastery, and Archpriest Daniel was sent to Astrakhan (before that he was defrocked). priest).

Such an unsuccessful start to the reform forced Nikon to reconsider his methods and act more deliberately.

The subsequent steps of the patriarch were supported by the authority of the hierarchs of the Greek church and the church council. This created the appearance that the decisions were made and supported by the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, which significantly strengthened their influence on society.

Reaction to transformations

The main directions of the church reform of Patriarch Nikon caused a split in the church. Believers who supported the introduction of new liturgical books, rites, church ranks, began to be called Nikonians (New Believers); the opposing side, which defended the usual customs and church foundations, called itself the Old Believers,Old Believers or Old Orthodox. However, the Nikonians, taking advantage of the patronage of the patriarch and the tsar, proclaimed the opponents of the reform schismatics, shifting the blame for the split of the church onto them. They considered their own church to be dominant, Orthodox.

Patriarch's circle

Vladyka Nikon, not having a decent education, surrounded himself with scientists, a prominent role among which was played by Arseniy the Greek, brought up by the Jesuits. Having moved to the East, he adopted the Mohammedan religion, after some time - Orthodoxy, and after that - Catholicism. He was exiled to the Solovetsky Monastery as a dangerous heretic. However, Nikon, having become the head of the church, immediately made Arseny the Greek his main assistant, which caused a murmur among the Orthodox population of Russia. Since ordinary people could not argue with the patriarch, they boldly carried out their plans, relying on the support of the king.

The main directions of the church reform of Patriarch Nikon

The head of the church did not pay attention to the dissatisfaction of the population of Russia with his actions. He confidently walked towards his goal, hard introducing innovations in the religious sphere.

The directions of the church reform of Patriarch Nikon were expressed in the following changes:

• during the rite of baptism, wedding, consecration of the temple, the circumambulation is done against the sun (whereas in the old tradition it was done according to the sun as a sign of following Christ);
• in the new books the name of the Son of God was written in the Greek manner - Jesus, while in the old books - Jesus;
• double (sharp)hallelujah has been replaced by a triple (triguba);
• instead of the seven prosphoria (the divine liturgy was celebrated on seven prosphora), five prosphoria was introduced;
• liturgical books were now printed in the Jesuit printing houses of Paris and Venice, and not copied by hand; in addition, these books were considered corrupt, and even the Greeks called them erroneous;
• the text of the Symbol of Faith in the edition of Moscow printed liturgical books was compared with the text of the Symbol written on sakkos by Metropolitan Photius; discrepancies found in these texts, as well as in other books, led to the fact that Nikon decided to correct them and make them according to the model of Greek liturgical books.

This is how the church reform of Patriarch Nikon looked in general. The traditions of the Old Believers were more and more altered. Nikon and his supporters encroached on changing the ancient church foundations and rituals adopted since the time of the Baptism of Russia. Drastic changes did not contribute to the growth of the authority of the patriarch. The persecution that people who were faithful to the old traditions were subjected to led to the fact that the main directions of the church reform of Patriarch Nikon, like himself, became hated by the common people.