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

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

During the dedication ceremony held at the Assumption Cathedral, Nikon forced the Boyar Duma and the tsar to make a promise of non-interference in the affairs of the church. By this act, he, having hardly entered the church throne, significantly raised his authority in the eyes of the authorities and the ordinary people.

Union of secular and ecclesiastical authority

The concession of the king in this matter is due to certain goals:

• To carry out church reform, making the church more like the Greek: to introduce new rituals, ranks, books (even before the construction of Nikon to the rank of patriarch, the king approached him on the basis of this idea, and the patriarch was to advocate it);

• The solution of foreign policy tasks (war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and reunification with Ukraine).

The king accepted the terms of Nikon, and also allowed the participation of the patriarch in resolving important state issues.

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

The beginning of change

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

The transformation began in 1653, when Ukraine was included in the Russian state. It was not a coincidence. The sole order of the religious figure provided for changes in the two main rites. The church reform of Patriarch Nikon, the essence of which was to change the perpostposition and kneeling, was expressed in the following:

• Earthly obeisances were replaced by the waist;

• The two-fingered sign of the cross, accepted in Russia together with Christianity and being part of the Holy Apostolic tradition, was replaced by a tripartite.

The first persecutions

The first steps in the reform of the church were not supported by the authority of the church council. In addition, they radically changed the foundations and customary traditions that were considered indicators of true faith, and caused a wave of resentment 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 were placed on the table of the king, in particular, from his former associates and colleagues in the church service - Lazar, Ivan Neronov, deacon Fedor Ivanov, Protopop Daniil, Avvakum and Loggin. However, Alexei Mikhailovich, in good relations with the patriarch, did not take complaints into account, and the head of the church hastened to stop the protests: Avvakum was exiled to Siberia, Ivan Neronov was imprisoned in the Spaska monastery, and the archpriest Daniel was sent to Astrakhan (before that he was deprived of his rank Clergyman).

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

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

Reaction to transformation

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 rites , began to be called Niconians (New Rites); The opposing party, defending customary customs and church principles, called itself Old Believers, Old Believers or Old Orthodox. However, the Niconians, using the patronage of the patriarch and the king, proclaimed the opponents of the reform the schismatics, shifting their blame for the split of the church. They considered their own church to be predominant, Orthodox.

Surroundings of the patriarch

Vladika Nikon, not having a decent education, surrounded himself with scientists, a significant role among which played Arseniy the Greek, brought up by the Jesuits. Moving to the East, he accepted the Mohammedan religion, after a while - Orthodoxy, and after that - Catholicism. He was exiled to the Solovetsky Monastery as a dangerous heretic. However, Nikon, becoming the head of the church, immediately made Arseniy the Greek his main assistant, which caused a murmur among the Orthodox population of Rus. Since the ordinary people could not contradict the patriarch, he boldly made the plan, relying on the support of the king.

The main directions of the church reform of Patriarch Nikon

The head of the church paid no attention to the dissatisfaction of the people of Rus with their actions. He confidently went to the goal, rigidly introducing innovations in the religious sphere.

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

• During the rite of baptism, the wedding, the consecration of the temple, the encirclement is made against the sun (whereas in the old tradition it was done according to the sun as a sign of following Christ);

• In new books the name of the Son of God was written in the Greek manner - Jesus, whereas in the old books - Jesus;

• The double (singular) hallelujah was replaced by a triple (tribute);

• Instead of the seven-digression (the divine liturgy was performed on seven prosphoras), a five-point survey was introduced;

• The liturgical books were now printed in the Jesuit printing houses of Paris and Venice, and they did not correspond by hand; Moreover, these books were considered distorted, and even the Greeks called them error;

• 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 the sakcos of Metropolitan Photius; The discrepancies found in these texts, as well as in other books, led to the fact that Nikon decided to correct them and make the model of the Greek liturgical books.

So in general, the church reform of the Patriarch Nikon looked like. Traditions of the Old Believers were more and more altered. Nikon and his supporters encroached on the change of ancient church principles and rituals, dating from the time of the Baptism of Rus. Sharp changes did not contribute to the growth of the authority of the patriarch. The persecution of people loyal to the old traditions led to the fact that the main directions of the church reform of Patriarch Nikon, like himself, were hated by the common people.