CHURCH REFORM

RUSSIAN CHURCH LEADERS

• wanted to modify ritual practices using accurate texts
• Inspired by Orthodox Greece and eastern Europe
• Ceremonies: important in Orthodox Christianity
• Reformers wanted everyone to follow the same rituals

PATRIARCH NIKON OF MOSCOW

NIKONーHEAD OF ORTHODOX CHURCH

• faced great resistance and campaigns against his reforms
• Built Byzantine style churches, schools, academies
• ーtaught Latin, Greek, Church Slavonic
• Russian priests made sign of the cross with three fingers
• ーStarted schism

AVVAKUM AND OLD BELIEF

AVVAKUMーANTI-REFORMS

• Believed that adopting new ways and rituals would
• threaten their ability to receive God's grace and gain
• eternal life
• Viewed state tax collectors as representatives of Antichrist
• Believed czar was evilーczar supported reforms

CZARIST GOVERNMENT

• banned Avvakum's beliefs
• sent Avvakum and followers to Siberia
• tortured and executed others
• allowed Old Belief followers to practice their
• faith secretly

CZARIST CONTROL OVEF THE CHURCH

SCHISM

• weakened Russian Orthodox Church and religious leaders' authority
• Strengthened czarist state; czars control increased over the church
• Large monasteries used as military fortresses during times of stress
• Czar had increasing control over church property

PETER THE GREAT

• Replaced patriarch of Moscow with state council
• military officer chosen by czar to supervise council's work
• Clergy required to report suspicious behavior to state authorities.
• Russian church became part of state government.