What are the Old Believers called? Old Believers and Old Believers: what is the difference? Answered by priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of Sretensky Monastery

The split caused by Nikon's reforms did not just divide society into two parts and cause a religious war. Due to persecution, the Old Believers were divided into a great variety of different movements.

The main currents of the Old Believers are Beglopopovshchina, clericalism and lack of priesthood.

Beglopopovshchina is the earliest form of Old Believers

This movement got its name due to the fact that believers accepted priests converting to them from Orthodoxy. From beglopopovshchina in the first half of the 19th century. The Concord of the Hours occurred. Due to the lack of priests, they began to be managed by charterers, who conducted services in the chapels.

Groups of priests in organization, doctrine and cult are close to Orthodoxy. Among them, co-religionists and the Belokrinitsky hierarchy stood out.Belokrinitsky hierarchy- This Old Believer Church, founded in 1846 in Belaya Krinitsa(Bukovina), on the territory of Austria-Hungary, in connection with which the Old Believers who recognize the Belokrinitsky hierarchy are also called the Austrian Concord.

Bespopovschina at one time was the most radical movement in the Old Believers. According to their religion, they are non-priests They moved further away from Orthodoxy than other Old Believers.

Various branches of Old Believers stopped appearing only after the revolution. However, by that time so many different Old Believer movements had arisen that even simply listing them was a rather difficult task. Our list does not include all representatives of Old Believer confessions.

Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church

Consecrated Council of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church (October 16-18, 2012)

Today it is the largest Old Believer denomination: according to Paul, about two million people. Initially it arose around the association of Old Believers-Priests. Followers consider the Russian Orthodox Church to be the historical successor of the Russian Orthodox Church, which existed before Nikon's reforms.

The Russian Orthodox Church is in prayerful and Eucharistic communion with the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church in Romania and Uganda. The African community was accepted into the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church in May of this year. The Ugandan Orthodox, led by priest Joachim Kiimba, separated from the Patriarchate of Alexandria due to the transition to a new style. The rituals of the Russian Orthodox Church are similar to other Old Believer movements. The Nikonians are recognized as heretics of the second rank.

Lestovka is an Old Believer rosary. The word “lestovka” itself means ladder, staircase. A ladder from earth to heaven, where a person ascends through unceasing prayer. You run through the rows of sewn beads in your fingers and say a prayer. One row - one prayer. AND the ladder is sewn in the form of a ring - this is so that the prayer is unceasing. One must constantly pray so that the thoughts of a good Christian do not wander around, but are directed towards the divine. Lestovka has become one of the most characteristic signs of the Old Believer.

Distribution in the world: Romania, Uganda, Moldova, Ukraine. In Russia: throughout the country.

Common believers. The second largest number of parishioners is the Old Believer denomination. Common believers - The only Old Believers who came to a compromise with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Women and men of fellow believers stand in different parts church, during censing they raise their hands in prayer, the rest of the time they keep their hands crossed. All movements are kept to a minimum.

This trend of priests arose at the end of the 18th century. The persecution of the Old Believers led to a serious shortage of priests among the Old Believers. Some were able to come to terms with this, others were not. In 1787, the Edinoverians recognized the hierarchical jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate in exchange for certain conditions. Thus, they were able to bargain for the old pre-Nikon rituals and services, the right not to shave their beards and not wear German dresses, and the Holy Synod undertook to send them myrrh and priests. The rituals of the Edinoverie are similar to other Old Believer movements.

It is customary for fellow believers to come to church in special clothes for worship: a Russian shirt for men, sundresses and white scarves for women. A woman's scarf is pinned under the chin. However, this tradition is not observed everywhere. “We don't insist on clothes. People don’t come to church for sundresses,”- notes Priest John Mirolyubov, leader of the community of fellow believers.

Rdistribution:

In the world: USA. In Russia: according to the Russian Orthodox Church, there are about 30 communities of the same faith in our country. It is difficult to say exactly how many there are and where they are located, since fellow believers prefer not to advertise their activities.

Chapels. The trend of the priests, which, due to persecution in the first half of the 19th century, was forced to turn into a non-priest movement, although the chapels themselves do not recognize themselves as non-priests. The birthplace of chapels is the Vitebsk region of Belarus.

Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Vereya

Left without priests, a group of Beglopopovites abandoned the priests, replacing them with lay leaders. Divine services began to be held in chapels, and this is how the name of the movement appeared. Otherwise, the rituals are similar to other Old Believer movements. In the eighties of the last century, part of the chapels from North America and Australia decided to restore the institution of priesthood and joined the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church; similar processes are now observed in our country.

Chapels of the Nevyansk plant. Photos of the early 20th century

Spreading:

In the world: Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, USA, Canada. In Russia: Siberia, Far East.

Ancient Orthodox Pomeranian Church. DOC is the modern name of the largest religious association of the Pomeranian consent. This is a non-priest movement, the Pomors do not have a three-rank hierarchy, Baptism and Confession are performed by laymen - spiritual mentors. The rituals are similar to other Old Believer faiths. The center of this movement was in the Vyzhsky Monastery in Pomorie, hence the name. The DOC is a fairly popular religious movement; there are 505 communities in the world.

In the early 1900s, the Old Believer community of the Pomeranian Consent acquired a plot of land on Tverskaya Street. Enlarge The five-domed church in the “neo-Russian style” with a belfry was built on it in 1906 – 1908 according to the design of the architect D. A. Kryzhanovsky, one of the largest masters of St. Petersburg Art Nouveau. The temple was designed using the techniques and traditions of the architecture of ancient churches in Pskov, Novgorod, and Arkhangelsk.

Spreading:

In the world: Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Poland, USA, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Germany, England. In Russia: Russian north from Karelia to the Urals.

Runners. This non-popov movement has many other names: Sopelkovites, skrykniki, golbeshniks, underground workers. It arose at the end of the 18th century. The main idea is that there is only one way left for salvation: “have neither a village, nor a city, nor a house.” To do this, you need to accept a new baptism, break all ties with society, and evade all civil obligations.

Wanderer readers Davyd Vasilievich and Fyodor Mikhailovich. Photo. 1918

By its principle, running is asceticism in its most severe manifestation. The rules of the Runners are very strict, the punishments for adultery are especially severe. Moreover, there was not a single wandering mentor who did not have several concubines.

As soon as it emerged, the current began to divide into new branches. Thus the following sects appeared:

Defaulters They rejected divine services, sacraments and veneration of saints, and worshiped only certain “old” relics. They do not make the sign of the cross, do not wear a cross, and do not recognize fasts. Prayers were replaced by religious home conversations and readings. Communities of defaulters still exist in Eastern Siberia.

The Mikhailovsky plant in the Urals is one of the centers of defaulters

Luchinkovites appeared at the end of the 19th century in the Urals. It was believed that the Antichrist reigned in Rus' back in 1666. From their point of view, the only object of worship not tainted by the Antichrist was the torch, so they rejected all other means of illumination. Luchinkovites also refused money and trading equipment. Completely disappeared in the first half of the 20th century.

The Nevyansk plant in the Urals became the center of Luchinkovites

Moneyless peoplecompletely rejected money. It was not easy to do this even in the 19th century, so they regularly had to resort to the help of their host countries, who did not disdain money. Disappeared by the beginning of the 20th century.

The descendants of this direction of the Old Believers inherited the surname Bezdenezhnykh. Village TRUCHACHI VYATSKAYA GUB.

Marriage WanderersMarriage was also allowed after taking a vow of pilgrimage. Disappeared in the first half of the 20th century.

M.V. Nesterov (1862–1942), “The Hermit”

Hermits They replaced wandering with removal to remote forests and deserts, where they organized communities, living according to such ascetic standards that even Mary of Egypt would have called too harsh. According to unverified information, communities of hermits still exist in Siberian forests.

Aaronites. The non-popovian movement of the Aaronites arose in the second half of the 18th century.

Aaron. Mosaic in the Church of St. Sophia in Kyiv.

One of the leaders of the movement had the nickname Aaron, and after his “drive” they began to call this denomination. The Aaronites did not consider it necessary to renounce and withdraw from life in society and allowed marriage to be performed by a layman. They generally treated marriage issues very favorably; for example, they allowed combining married life and desert living. However, The Aaronites did not recognize the wedding performed in the Russian Orthodox Church and demanded a divorce or a new marriage. Like many other Old Believers, Aaron’s followers shunned passports, considering them “seals of the Antichrist.” It was a sin, in their opinion, to give any kind of receipt in court. In addition, the doubles were revered as apostates from Christ. Back in the seventies of the last century, several Aaron communities existed in the Vologda region.

Masons. This priestless religious denomination has nothing in common with the Freemasons and their symbols. The name comes from the Old Russian designation for mountainous terrain - stone. Translated into modern language- highlanders.

All the scientists and researchers of this area were surprised at the qualities of the inhabitants. These mountain settlers were brave, bold, determined and confident. The famous scientist K. F. Ledebur, who visited here in 1826, noted that the psychology of communities is truly something gratifying in such a wilderness. The Old Believers were not embarrassed by strangers, whom they saw less often, and did not experience timidity and withdrawal, but, on the contrary, showed openness, straightforwardness and even selflessness. According to the ethnographer A. A. Printz, the Altai Old Believers are a daring and dashing people, brave, strong, decisive, tireless.

Masons were formed in the inaccessible mountain valleys of southwestern Altai from all sorts of fugitives: peasants, deserters. Isolated communities followed rituals characteristic of most Old Believer movements. To avoid close relationships, up to 9 generations of ancestors were remembered. External contacts were not encouraged. As a result of collectivization and other migration processes, masons dispersed throughout the world, mixing with other Russian ethnic groups. In the 2002 census, only two people identified themselves as bricklayers.

Kerzhaki. The homeland of the Kerzhaks is the banks of the Kerzhenets River in the Nizhny Novgorod province. In fact, the Kerzhaks are not so much a religious movement as an ethnographic group of Russian Old Believers of the North Russian type, like masons, the basis of which, by the way, was the Kerzhaks.

Hood. Severgina Ekaterina. Kerzhaki

Kerzhaks are Russian old-timers of Siberia. When the Kerzhen monasteries were destroyed in 1720, tens of thousands of Kerzhaks fled to the east, to the Perm province, and from there they settled throughout Siberia, to Altai and the Far East. The rituals are the same as those of other “classical” Old Believers. Until now, in the Siberian taiga there are Kerzhatsky villages that have no contacts with outside world, like the famous Lykov family. In the 2002 census, 18 people called themselves Kerzhaks.

Self-baptizers.

Self-baptizer. Engraving. 1794

The current Orthodox young generation, perhaps, perceives the concept of Old Believers, Old Believers with surprise, and even more so does not delve into what the difference is between Old Believers and Orthodox believers.

Fans healthy image lives study the life of modern hermits, using the example of the Lykov family, who lived 50 years away from civilization until geologists discovered them in the late 70s of the last century. Why did Orthodoxy not please the Old Believers?

Old Believers - who are they?

Let us immediately make a reservation that the Old Believers are people who adhere to the Christian faith of pre-Nikon times, and the Old Believers worship pagan gods that existed in folk religion before the advent of Christianity. The canons of the Orthodox Church changed somewhat as civilization developed. The 17th century caused a split in Orthodoxy after the introduction of innovations by Patriarch Nikon.

According to the decree of the Church, rituals and traditions changed, all those who disagreed were anathematized, and persecution of fans of the old faith began. Adherents of the Donikon traditions began to be called Old Believers, but there was no unity among them either.

Old Believers are adherents of the Orthodox movement in Russia

Persecuted by the official church, believers began to settle in Siberia, the Volga region and even on the territory of other states, such as Turkey, Poland, Romania, China, Bolivia and Australia.

The current life of the Old Believers and their traditions

The discovery of a settlement of Old Believers in 1978 stirred up the entire space of the then existing Soviet Union. Millions of people literally “stuck” to their televisions to see the way of life of the hermits, which has practically not changed since the times of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

Currently, there are several hundred settlements of Old Believers in Russia. Old Believers themselves teach their children; old people and parents are especially revered. The entire settlement works hard, all vegetables and fruits are grown by the family for food, responsibilities are distributed very strictly.

A random visiting guest will be received with goodwill, but he will eat and drink from separate dishes, so as not to desecrate the members of the community. Cleaning the house, doing laundry and washing dishes is carried out only with well or spring running water.

Sacrament of Baptism

Old Believers try to carry out the rite of baptism of infants during the first 10 days; before this, they very carefully choose the name of the newborn, it must be in the calendar. All items for baptism are cleaned in running water for several days before the sacrament. Parents are not present at the christening.

By the way, the bathhouse of hermits is an unclean place, so the cross received at baptism is removed and put on only after washing with clean water.

Wedding and funeral

The Old Believer Church prohibits young people from marrying who are related to the eighth generation or are related by a “cross.” Weddings take place on any day except Tuesday and Thursday.

Wedding at the Old Believers

Married women do not leave the house without a hat.

Funerals are not special event, Old Believers do not mourn. The body of the deceased is washed by people of the same sex, specially selected in the community. Wood shavings are poured into the knocked together coffin, the body is placed on it and covered with a sheet. The coffin has no lid. After the funeral there is no wake; all the belongings of the deceased are distributed in the village as alms.

Old Believer cross and sign of the cross

Church rituals and services take place around the eight-pointed cross.

On a note! Unlike Orthodox traditions, there is no image of the crucified Jesus.

In addition to the large crossbar to which the Savior’s hands were nailed, there are two more. The top crossbar symbolizes a tablet; the sin for which the condemned person was crucified was usually written on it. The lower small board is a symbol of scales for weighing human sins.

Old Believers use an eight-pointed cross

Important! The current Orthodox Church recognizes the right to exist of Old Believer churches, as well as crosses without the Crucifixion, as signs of Christianity.

Orthodox believers use the modern Bible, but only the pre-Nikon Scripture, which is carefully studied by all members of the settlement.

Main differences from Orthodoxy

In addition to non-recognition of the traditions and rituals of the modern Orthodox Church and the above differences, Old Believers:

• make only prostrations;
• they do not recognize rosaries made of 33 beads, using ladders with 109 knots;
• baptism is performed by immersing the head in water three times, while sprinkling is accepted in Orthodoxy;
• the name Jesus is written Isus;
• Only icons made of wood and copper are recognized.

Many Old Believers currently accept the traditions of the Old Believer Orthodox churches, which has been encouraged in the official Church.

Who are the Old Believers?

What are the differences between Orthodoxy and the Old Believers?

Priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery, answers:

The Old Believers arose in the mid-17th century in response to the unification of worship and church texts undertaken by Patriarch Nikon in 1653-56. Having adopted Christianity through Byzantium, Rus' adopted worship and statutory texts from the Church of Constantinople. Over the course of 6.5 centuries, many discrepancies in texts and ritual differences arose. Newly printed Greek books were taken as the basis for the new Slavic text. Then variants and parallels from the manuscripts were given. As for the ritual, the changes actually affected only a few minor elements: the two-fingered sign of the cross was replaced by a three-fingered one, they began to write “Jesus” instead of “Jesus”, walking towards the sun, and not “salting”, along with the eight-pointed cross, they began to recognize the four-pointed one. We can agree that these steps were taken without sufficient preparation and the necessary flexibility, sometimes even abruptly. However, it must be said decisively that there was nothing heretical in these church events to bring the terrible accusation of loss of grace to the Church. It is impossible to avoid fundamental questions: did Archpriest Avvakum and his followers believe that the changes made deprived people of the opportunity to be saved in the Church. If he thought so, then it means he suffered from ritualism - a serious spiritual illness that blinded and destroyed the Jewish leaders during the time of the Savior. If I didn’t think so, then why did I cause a schism in the Church, which the holy fathers always considered a grave sin. There were very difficult periods in the history of the Byzantine Church. Sometimes the patriarchal throne was occupied by heretics (monothelite Sergius, iconoclast Anastasius, etc.). With the support of some emperors, this sometimes continued for many years, but the fighters for Orthodoxy did not think of causing a schism. Having a deeply ecclesiastical consciousness, they knew well that this always turns into a tragedy. Saint John Chrysostom says that breaking the unity and completeness of the Church is no less evil than creating heresy.

A living tree must bear fruit. Since the purpose of the Church is to lead its children to salvation, it must be assessed by the spiritual gifts that members of the church community have acquired. The host of saints is the fruit of the Church. Holiness clearly proves that the life of the Church is grace-filled, that the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit operates in it. Lamps cannot be hidden under a bushel. Our saints are known to Orthodox, Old Believers and even non-church people. Why are there no such saints in the Old Believers as Tikhon of Zadonsk, Mitrofan of Voronezh, Seraphim of Sarov, John of Kronstadt, the great Optina elders, Ksenia of Petersburg and Matrona of Moscow and many other wondrous saints of God?

At the end I would like to give an example. I have long known an Orthodox woman who was born into an Old Believer family. Many years ago she began visiting Orthodox churches. Her sister (already deceased) remained a non-church person: she did not pray in any way. Old Believer temple, nor in the Orthodox. When she became seriously ill (liver cancer) and before her death wished to confess and receive communion, her sister Marina literally carried her into the Old Believer church in her arms. We looked at the lists there. Irina was not listed in them. They categorically refused to confess and receive communion. The sisters returned home. Opportunities to lead in Orthodox church was no longer there. Marina went alone. The first person she turned to was Father Konstantin (I have known this priest for several years). He was busy, but he left his business and went. Only on the way did Marina decide to tell the priest that she was taking him to her sister, who had been baptized in the Old Believers. Without any hesitation, he continued on his way, confessed and gave communion to the dying Irina.

What do Old Believers believe and where did they come from? Historical reference

IN last years All large quantity Our fellow citizens are interested in issues of a healthy lifestyle, environmentally friendly methods of farming, survival in extreme conditions, the ability to live in harmony with nature, and spiritual improvement. In this regard, many turn to the thousand-year experience of our ancestors, who managed to develop the vast territories of present-day Russia and created agricultural, trade and military outposts in all remote corners of our Motherland.

Last but not least, in this case we are talking about Old Believers- people who at one time populated not only the territories Russian Empire, but also brought the Russian language, Russian culture and Russian faith to the banks of the Nile, to the jungles of Bolivia, the wastelands of Australia and to the snowy hills of Alaska. The experience of the Old Believers is truly unique: they were able to preserve their religious and cultural identity in the most difficult natural and political conditions and not lose their language and customs. It is no coincidence that the famous hermit from the Lykov family of Old Believers is so well known all over the world.

However, about themselves Old Believers not much is known. Some people believe that Old Believers are people with a primitive education who adhere to outdated farming methods. Others think that Old Believers are people who profess paganism and worship the ancient Russian gods - Perun, Veles, Dazhdbog and others. Still others wonder: if there are Old Believers, then there must be some kind of old faith? Read the answer to these and other questions regarding Old Believers in our article.

Old and new faith

One of the most tragic events in history Russia XVII century became schism of the Russian Church. Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich Romanov and his closest spiritual companion Patriarch Nikon(Minin) decided to carry out a global church reform. Having begun with seemingly insignificant changes - a change in the folding of fingers during the sign of the cross from two to three fingers and the abolition of prostrations, the reform soon affected all aspects of the Divine Service and the Rule. Continuing and developing to one degree or another until the reign of the emperor Peter I, this reform changed many canonical rules, spiritual institutions, customs of church government, written and unwritten traditions. Almost all aspects of the religious, and then cultural and everyday life of the Russian people underwent changes.

However, with the beginning of the reforms, it became clear that a significant number of Russian Christians saw in them an attempt to betray the doctrine itself, to destroy the religious and cultural structure that had developed for centuries in Rus' after its Baptism. Many priests, monks and laity spoke out against the plans of the tsar and the patriarch. They wrote petitions, letters and appeals, denouncing innovations and defending the faith that had been preserved for hundreds of years. In their writings, apologists pointed out that the reforms not only forcibly reshape traditions and legends, under pain of execution and persecution, but also affected the most important thing - they destroyed and changed the Christian faith itself. Almost all defenders of the ancient church tradition wrote that Nikon’s reform was apostate and changed the faith itself. Thus, the holy martyr pointed out:

They lost their way and retreated from the true faith with Nikon, an apostate, a malicious, pernicious heretic. They want to establish faith with fire, the whip, and the gallows!

He also called not to be afraid of torturers and to suffer for “ old Christian Faith" A famous writer of that time, a defender of Orthodoxy, expressed himself in the same spirit Spiridon Potemkin:

Striving for the true faith will be damaged by heretical pretexts (additions), so that faithful Christians will not understand, but may be seduced into deception.

Potemkin condemned the Divine services and rituals performed according to the new books and new orders, which he called “evil faith”:

Heretics are those who baptize into their evil faith; they baptize blaspheming God into the One Holy Trinity.

The confessor and martyr Deacon Theodore wrote about the need to defend the fatherly tradition and the old Russian faith, citing numerous examples from the history of the Church:

The heretic starved the pious people who suffered from him for the old faith in exile... And if God vindicates the old faith as a single priest before the whole kingdom, all the authorities will be disgraced and reproached by the whole world.

The monastic confessors of the Solovetsky Monastery, who refused to accept the reform of Patriarch Nikon, wrote to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in their fourth petition:

Commanded, sir, that we should be in our same Old Faith, in which your father the sovereign and all the noble kings and great princes and our fathers died, and the venerable fathers Zosima and Savatius, and Herman, and Metropolitan Philip and all the holy fathers pleased God.

So gradually it began to be said that before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, before church schism there was one faith, and after the schism there was another faith. The pre-schism confession began to be called old faith, and the post-schism reformed confession - new faith.

This opinion was not denied by the supporters of Patriarch Nikon’s reforms themselves. Thus, Patriarch Joachim, at a famous debate in the Faceted Chamber, said:

First a new faith was established; with the advice and blessing of the most holy ecumenical patriarchs.

While still an archimandrite, he stated:

I don’t know either the old faith or the new faith, but I do whatever the leaders tell me to do.

So gradually the concept “ old faith", and people professing it began to be called " Old Believers», « Old Believers" Thus, Old Believers began to call people who refused to accept the church reforms of Patriarch Nikon and adhere to church institutions ancient Rus', that is old faith. Those who accepted the reform began to be called "newovers" or " new lovers" However, the term new believers" did not take root for long, but the term “Old Believers” still exists today.

Old Believers or Old Believers?

For a long time, in government and church documents, Orthodox Christians who preserved ancient liturgical rites, early printed books and customs were called “ schismatics" They were accused of being faithful to church tradition, which allegedly entailed church schism. Long years schismatics were subjected to repression, persecution, and infringement of civil rights.

However, during the reign of Catherine the Great, attitudes towards the Old Believers began to change. The Empress believed that the Old Believers could be very useful for settling the uninhabited areas of the expanding Russian Empire.

At the suggestion of Prince Potemkin, Catherine signed a number of documents granting them rights and benefits to live in special areas of the country. In these documents, the Old Believers were not named as “ schismatics", but as " ", which, if not a sign of goodwill, then undoubtedly indicated a weakening of the state’s negative attitude towards the Old Believers. Old Orthodox Christians, Old Believers However, they did not suddenly agree to use this name. In apologetic literature and the resolutions of some Councils it was indicated that the term “Old Believers” was not entirely acceptable.

It was written that the name “Old Believers” implies that the reasons for the church division of the 17th century lay in the same church rituals, while the faith itself remained completely intact. Thus, the Irgiz Old Believer Council of 1805 called co-religionists “Old Believers,” that is, Christians who use old rituals and old printed books, but obey the Synodal Church. The resolution of the Irgiz Cathedral read:

Others retreated from us to the renegades, called Old Believers, who, like us, keep old printed books and conduct services from them, but have no shame in communicating with everyone in everything, both in prayer and in eating and drinking.

In the historical and apologetic writings of the Old Orthodox Christians of the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries, the terms “Old Believers” and “Old Believers” continued to be used. They are used, for example, in " Stories of the Vygovskaya desert"Ivan Filippov, apologetic work" Deacon's answers"and others. This term was also used by numerous New Believer authors, such as N.I. Kostomarov, S. Knyazkov. P. Znamensky, for example, in “ A Guide to Russian History The 1870 edition says:

Peter became much stricter towards the Old Believers.

At the same time, over the years, some Old Believers began to use the term “ Old Believers" Moreover, as the famous Old Believer writer points out Pavel Curious(1772–1848) in his historical dictionary, title Old Believers more inherent in non-priest agreements, and “ Old Believers" - to persons belonging to the accords accepting the fleeing priesthood.

And indeed, the agreements accepting the priesthood (Belokrinitsky and Beglopopovsky), by the beginning of the 20th century, instead of the term “ Old Believers, « Old Believers" began to be used more and more often " Old Believers" Soon the name Old Believers was enshrined at the legislative level by the famous decree of Emperor Nicholas II “ On strengthening the principles of religious tolerance" The seventh paragraph of this document reads:

Assign a name Old Believers, instead of the currently used name of schismatics, to all followers of rumors and agreements who accept the basic dogmas of the Orthodox Church, but do not recognize some of the rituals accepted by it and conduct their worship according to old printed books.

However, even after this, many Old Believers continued to be called Old Believers. The non-priest consents especially carefully preserved this name. D. Mikhailov, author of the magazine “ Native antiquity", published by the Old Believer circle of zealots of Russian antiquity in Riga (1927), wrote:

Archpriest Avvakum speaks about the “old Christian faith,” and not about “rites.” That is why nowhere in all the historical decrees and messages of the first zealots of ancient Orthodoxy is the name “ Old Believer.

What do Old Believers believe?

Old Believers, as the heirs of pre-schism, pre-reform Rus', they try to preserve all the dogmas, canonical provisions, ranks and successions of the Old Russian Church.

First of all, of course, this concerns the main church dogmas: the confession of St. Trinity, the incarnation of God the Word, two hypostases of Jesus Christ, his atoning Sacrifice on the Cross and Resurrection. The main difference between confession Old Believers from other Christian confessions is the use of forms of worship and church piety characteristic of ancient Church.

Among them are immersion baptism, unison singing, canonical iconography, and special prayer clothing. For worship Old Believers They use old printed liturgical books published before 1652 (mainly published under the last pious Patriarch Joseph. Old Believers, however, do not represent a single community or church - over the course of hundreds of years they were divided into two main directions: the priests and the non-priests.

Old Believers—priests

Old Believers—priests, in addition to other church institutions, they recognize the three-tier Old Believer hierarchy (priesthood) and all the church sacraments of the ancient Church, among which the most famous are: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Priesthood, Marriage, Confession (Repentance), Blessing of Anointing. In addition to these seven sacraments in Old Believers There are other, somewhat less well-known sacraments and sacred rites, namely: tonsure as a monk (equivalent to the sacrament of Marriage), the greater and lesser Consecration of water, the consecration of oil on Polyeleos, the priestly blessing.

Old Believers without priests

Old Believers without priests They believe that after the church schism caused by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the pious church hierarchy (bishops, priests, deacons) disappeared. Therefore, some of the church sacraments in the form in which they existed before the schism of the Church were abolished. Today, all Old Believers without priests definitely recognize only two sacraments: Baptism and Confession (repentance). Some non-priests (Old Orthodox Pomeranian Church) also recognize the sacrament of Marriage. The Old Believers of the Chapel Concord also allow the Eucharist (Communion) with the help of St. gifts consecrated in ancient times and preserved to this day. Also, the chapels recognize the Great Blessing of water, which on the day of Epiphany is received by pouring into new water water that was blessed in the old days, when, in their opinion, there were still pious priests.

Old Believers or Old Believers?

Periodically among Old Believers of all agreements, a discussion arises: “ Can they be called Old Believers?? Some argue that it is necessary to call ourselves exclusively Christians because no old faith and old rituals exist, as well as a new faith and new rituals. According to such people, there is only one true, one right faith and only true Orthodox rituals, and everything else is heretical, non-Orthodox, crooked Orthodox confession and wisdom.

Others, as mentioned above, consider it absolutely obligatory to be called Old Believers, professing the old faith, because they believe that the difference between the Old Orthodox Christians and the followers of Patriarch Nikon is not only in the rituals, but also in the faith itself.

Still others believe that the word Old Believers should be replaced with the term " Old Believers" In their opinion, there is no difference in faith between the Old Believers and the followers of Patriarch Nikon (Nikonians). The only difference is in the rituals, which among the Old Believers are correct, while among the Nikonians they are damaged or completely incorrect.

There is a fourth opinion regarding the concept of Old Believers and the old faith. It is shared mainly by the children of the Synodal Church. In their opinion, between the Old Believers (Old Believers) and the New Believers (New Believers) there is not only a difference in faith, but also in rituals. They call both old and new rituals equally honorable and equally salutary. The use of one or another is only a matter of taste and historical and cultural tradition. This is stated in the resolution of the Local Council of the Moscow Patriarchate of 1971.

Old Believers and Pagans

At the end of the 20th century, religious and quasi-religious cultural associations began to appear in Russia, professing religious views that have nothing to do with Christianity and, in general, with Abrahamic and biblical religions. Supporters of some such associations and sects proclaim the revival of the religious traditions of pre-Christian, pagan Rus'. In order to stand out, to separate their views from the Christianity received in Rus' during the time of Prince Vladimir, some neo-pagans began to call themselves “ Old Believers».

And although the use of this term in this context is incorrect and erroneous, the view began to spread in society that Old Believers- these are truly pagans who revive old faith in the ancients Slavic gods- Perun, Svarog, Dazhbog, Veles and others. It is no coincidence that, for example, the religious association “Old Russian Inglistic Church of the Orthodox” appeared Old Believers-Ynglings" Its head, Pater Diy (A. Yu. Khinevich), called “Patriarch of Old Russian Orthodox ChurchOld Believers", even stated:

Old Believers are supporters of the old Christian rite, and Old Believers are the old pre-Christian faith.

There are other neo-pagan communities and Rodnoverie cults that may be mistakenly perceived by society as Old Believer and Orthodox. Among them are the “Veles Circle”, “Union of Slavic Communities of the Slavic Native Faith”, “Russian Orthodox Circle” and others. Most of these associations arose on the basis of pseudo-historical reconstruction and falsification of historical sources. In fact, apart from folklore popular beliefs, no reliable information about the pagans of pre-Christian Rus' has been preserved.

At some point in the early 2000s, the term " Old Believers"became very widely perceived as a synonym for pagans. However, thanks to extensive explanatory work, as well as a number of serious lawsuits against the “Old Believers-Ynglings” and other extremist neo-pagan groups, the popularity of this linguistic phenomenon has now begun to decline. In recent years, the overwhelming majority of neo-pagans still prefer to be called “ Rodnovers».

G. S. Chistyakov

Who are the Old Believers and how do they differ from the Old Believers?

Christianity has several directions. Moreover, they are not limited to the familiar Orthodoxy and Catholicism. This is a complex structure that requires careful study. Some milestones of Christianity rooted in the distant past, while others appeared relatively recently.

Perhaps many have heard about the Old Believers and Old Believers, but not everyone understands who these people are. In order to answer this question and understand whether there is a difference between them, or whether they are synonyms of the same faith, you need to delve into history.

Historical reference

In the 17th century there was schism of the Church. This became the most significant event of the entire century for Kievan Rus. Patriarch Nikon, under the patronage of Tsar Alexei Romanov, carried out a church reform, which meant changing some rituals and the charter of the church.

During the reform, the rule of making the sign of the cross and the service process itself changed, and bows were abolished. Those who did not accept the reforms christened themselves Old Believers and continued to serve God according to the old canons. The government called them schismatics and began persecuting apostates from the royal will.

Old Believers-schismatics were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in the most distant and sparsely populated corners of the state. Archpriest Avvakum became the defender of the old way of life.

He called for enduring any punishment for the sake of the “old faith.” The Solovetsky Monastery also did not accept the innovations and decided to go with a petition to the Tsar.

Until the era of Catherine II, the Old Believers were exiles. However, the queen decided that these people could even benefit the state. It was decided to use them for uninhabited territories of Russia.

In the royal decree, instead of the word “schismatics,” the term “Old Believers” was used. As a result, this name stuck. True, the supporters of the old faith themselves for a long time did not recognize such an appeal; they argued that their protest did not relate to rituals, but to the perception of faith in general.

Several centuries passed before the concepts “Old Believers” and “Old Believers” ceased to be synonymous.

Old Believers

So, Old Believers are considered those people who separated from the mainstream of Orthodox Christianity. They support the rituals of pre-reform Rus' and still live the same way as our ancestors.

Old Believers do not buy food. They grow on their own vegetables and fruits, raise livestock. Many dress according to traditions, men wear beards. These are hard-working people, they don't drink or smoke. They don’t like strangers, they behave modestly and don’t talk about their lives.

Old Believers are very scrupulous about rituals. The most important thing is the baptism of a child. They try to do this as soon as possible, in the first days of life. The name is chosen according to the calendar. The baby's parents are not allowed to participate in the ceremony.

Weddings with relatives up to the eighth generation are strictly prohibited. Tuesday and Thursday are considered forbidden days for weddings. After the wedding ceremony, a woman is always required to wear a headdress. His absence in public is considered a great sin.

The dead are washed not by relatives, as is customary here, but by strangers, specially selected people. Moreover, men are washed only by a man, and women - by a woman. During the wake you will not find a drop of alcohol on the tables. This is only a small part of the unspoken laws by which the Old Believers live.

If we compare Orthodox Christianity and the Old Believers, we can highlight the following: differences:

1. After the reform, people began to cross themselves with three fingers, but those who did not accept this order still use the two-fingered sign.
2. Old Believers use prostrations.
3. The spelling and sound of the name of the Almighty is different. Basically, it is written with one small “i”, but there are other variations.
4. For worship, the Old Believers have a special traditional clothes, just like many centuries ago.

It is interesting that even among the Old Believers there are various currents. Among the supporters of this faith there is a division into “priests” and “non-priests”.

The first recognize the Church and the hierarchical system that existed before the schism. The latter are of the opinion that as a result of the reform, the hierarchy of the church has lost all meaning, and therefore many sacraments have lost their meaning.

Old Believers

Since the beginning of the 20th century, new religious movements began to appear and develop. Since then, the word “Old Believer” has lost its original meaning. Now Old Believers are those who adhere to the faith that existed before the advent of Christianity in Rus'. The idea that these are pagans is considered erroneous.

The pre-Christian faith that existed on the territory of Kievan Rus is called Rodnoverie. Rodnovers put their family first. They have no written rules, prayers or rituals.

It is based mutual love with your loved ones. Respect and understanding. These traditions could differ in different families, and what was written down was kept secret and passed down from generation to generation.