DOCSLIB.ORG

Religious Dissent in Russia

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Religious Dissent in Russia Religious Dissent in Russia Old Believers and their Cultural Heritage § Covers one of the most dynamic periods in the history of the Old Believers § A unique example of a free and national press for religious dissenters § The most prominent and widely read periodicals § Most materials are not available in the West State Historical Public Library, Moscow Advisor: A.V. Znatnov Old Believers and their cultural heritage Two new installments complete this exciting series on the cultural and political heritage of religious dissenters in Russia. This collection comprises a wide array of sources gathered from several top libraries in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The new installments expand the collection with books in kirillicheskii shrift, polemical monographs in grazhdanskii shrift, post-revolutionary materials. Together with previously published periodicals, these materials reflect the turbulent history of Old Believers. It will appeal to Slavists, historians, theology students, and others with a special interest in the study of religious and cultural conflict. The Old Believers Illegal book printing and samizdat In only thirteen years more books The Old Believers (or ‘Old Ritualists’) Starting in 1653 with the publication of were published than during the two originated as a group of religious the first amended service book, the Old preceding centuries combined. dissenters opposed to Patriarch Nikon’s Believers rejected the alterations These years also witnessed a flood ritualistic innovations in the second imposed by Patriarch Nikon and of newspapers, journals, calendars th half of the 17 century. The dispute recognized only those books that and an impressive number of over the revision of the service books, predated his reforms. Because the State original monographs. which initially had a religious and had a monopoly on book printing and cultural character, soon escalated and confiscated old liturgical material, an resulted in the schism of the Russian alarming shortage of old religious The Old Believers’ book production Orthodox Church. books soon became felt. The Old during the ‘Golden Age’ is estimated to Believers responded by printing their exceed one thousand titles, many of Persecuted by the authorities for own service books in illegal printing which enjoyed high print runs. Old adhering to the old rituals and service houses in Russia, as well as abroad - prayer books dating from before the books, the Old Believers fled European Austria, Prussia, and the Kingdom of Nikon reforms were reprinted, some of Russia and settled in the sparsely Poland. They also ran secret print which for the first time and on the basis populated areas of Siberia and the far shops (Moscow and its surroundings, of ancient manuscripts: the Apostolos, north. Many of their communities lived the Volga region, the Urals, and the Ostrog Bible, Stoglav (a moral in almost complete isolation, thus Siberia) and often succeeded in codex of ‘hundred chapters’), the preserving the old liturgical practices misleading the authorities by putting a famous Domostroi and the Pomorskie that were crucial to their religious and false place of publication on the title otvety (Answers from Pomor´e). For the cultural identity. page. Historians agree that these first time chant books could be illegally produced materials were the accurately printed. After years of persecution, the situation first form of samizdat literature to improved for the Old Believers in appear in Russia. Old Believer printing houses 1905, when Tsar Nicholas II issued the After 1905, there were about a dozen Edict of Toleration. In 1971, the Old Believer printing houses Russian Orthodox Church revoked the throughout the country, for example, in th anathemas of the 17 century. Moscow, Ural´sk, and Nizhnii Novgorod. One of the largest and best Today, there are about 2.5 million known was the one set up in Moscow Old Believers living in Russia, the in 1907 by the prominent businessman, United States, Canada, Australia and P.P. Riabushinskii. It was housed in a other parts of the world. famous building that had been designed by the architect F. Shekhtel´ according The Old Belief is not only a to the modern style. religious movement, but also a social and cultural phenomenon. Publishing in exile From the end of the 17th until the This period of freedom was relatively beginning of the 20th century, the short, however: In 1917, the Old Believers participated Bolsheviks seized power and closed increasingly actively in the social down all religious printing houses. For and political processes in Russia. a while, the Old Believers continued Their books and periodicals are a printing books (mostly anti-Soviet unique historical source for tracing material) on Russian soil, but only in the relations between Old Believer Andrew, Archbishop of Caesarea. [Commentarius in Apocalypsin. Church those areas that were controlled by the communities and the world at large, Slavic], Moscow, 1913. White Movement. Between the second and for establishing the role and The Golden Age of book printing half of the 1920s and the collapse of status of the Old Believers within the Soviet Union in 1991, the Old Russian society, their influence on The practice of illegal book-printing came to an end with the enactment of Believers were again forced to live in the social and cultural processes in the Edict of Tolerance in 1905 – a date exile. They set up print shops in Harbin Russia, their economic activities, (China), Chisinau (which was then in and their cooperation with the generally considered to mark the beginning of the Golden Age of the Rumania, but is now the capital of representatives of other religious Old Believers’ book printing. Moldova), Poland, Latvia, Switzerland, creeds. the United States, and Australia. Until 1991, book production in Russia was limited to a few church calendars, and these were strictly censored and scarcely distributed. Spiritual heritage The religious books that were printed prior to Nikon’s reforms have always had a sacred status among Old Believers. Considering any alteration in the text a distortion of the Word of God, they have persisted in using the Old Slavic language and the kirillicheskii shrift. Rigorous and uncompromizing, the Old Believers have played an absolutely crucial role in the preservation of the Russian book, the Russian icon and Russia’s spiritual heritage at large. Mirskaia zhizn´ Moskva, 1911-1912 Installment 1: Periodicals The series on the Old Believers texts printed in grazhdanskii shrift, provides a wide variety of materials which were introduced by Peter I in The variety of this type of Old Believer literature is extensive, that will help to shed new light on the 1708. The books printed in Cyrillic fascinating history of this religious have therefore always been the main ranging from historical and minority and its place in Russian source of information concerning the ethnographic works, polemic and political essays, scholarly works on history. The present installment history and spiritual faith of the Old includes the most prominent and Believers. The beginning of the 20th philosophy, economics, and widely read Old Believers’ periodicals century witnessed an avalanche of statistics, to works on theology and law, the minutes of Old Believer published between 1905 and 1918. The printed Old Believer religious collection includes, amongst others, literature. This literature comprises a assemblies, fiction, and even poetry. journals of the Popovtsy (Zlatostrui, number of original monographs, titled Mirskaia zhizni), of the so-called books, and icon-painting originals, as The recourse by the Old Believers to Pomor´e Union (Shchit very, Vestnik well as reprinted anti-Old Believer grazhdanskii shrift and their deliberate Vserossiiskogo soiuza khristian pamphlets in krillicheskii shrift bearing orientation toward the “outside” reader pomorskogo soglasiia), the polemic comments written by Old and secular themes, makes this Belokrinitskii Hierarchy (Tserkov´, Believer adepts. literature both more accessible and Staroobriadcheskaia mysl´, richer in substance and variety of Staroobriadets) and the Chapel Installment 3. topics. Consent (Ural´skii staroobriadets). Old Believer secular literature Published during one of the most At the dawn of the 20th century, the Libraries dynamic and turbulent periods of Old Believers exhibited an amazing The project is executed in close Russian history, these periodicals allow ability to adapt to the new social and cooperation with Russia’s main us to appreciate the traditional, yet economic conditions without libraries: the State Historical Public vibrant world of the Old Believers at abandoning their traditional culture or Library in Moscow, the National the eve of the revolution. their religious beliefs. This period saw Library of Russia and the Library of the birth and subsequent blossoming of the Russian Academy of Sciences Installment 2: the widely known business dynasties. (BAN) in St. Petersburg. Old Believer Cyrillic-script books One of the main driving forces behind The printing of Old Believer books in the printing of books in grazhdanskii kirillicheskii shrift is a unique shrift was the revival of the polemic phenomenon in book history. The Old disputes between the Old Believers and Believer movement carried on the the official Church. At the beginning of traditions of Russian Orthodox the 20th century, the Old Believers Christianity into the middle of the 20th printed their secular literature in century. The Old Believer culture was
Load more

Recommended publications
  • An Old Believer ―Holy Moscow‖ in Imperial Russia: Community and Identity in the History of the Rogozhskoe Cemetery Old Believers, 1771 - 1917
    An Old Believer ―Holy Moscow‖ in Imperial Russia: Community and Identity in the History of the Rogozhskoe Cemetery Old Believers, 1771 - 1917 Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Doctoral Degree of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Peter Thomas De Simone, B.A., M.A Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2012 Dissertation Committee: Nicholas Breyfogle, Advisor David Hoffmann Robin Judd Predrag Matejic Copyright by Peter T. De Simone 2012 Abstract In the mid-seventeenth century Nikon, Patriarch of Moscow, introduced a number of reforms to bring the Russian Orthodox Church into ritualistic and liturgical conformity with the Greek Orthodox Church. However, Nikon‘s reforms met staunch resistance from a number of clergy, led by figures such as the archpriest Avvakum and Bishop Pavel of Kolomna, as well as large portions of the general Russian population. Nikon‘s critics rejected the reforms on two key principles: that conformity with the Greek Church corrupted Russian Orthodoxy‘s spiritual purity and negated Russia‘s historical and Christian destiny as the Third Rome – the final capital of all Christendom before the End Times. Developed in the early sixteenth century, what became the Third Rome Doctrine proclaimed that Muscovite Russia inherited the political and spiritual legacy of the Roman Empire as passed from Constantinople. In the mind of Nikon‘s critics, the Doctrine proclaimed that Constantinople fell in 1453 due to God‘s displeasure with the Greeks. Therefore, to Nikon‘s critics introducing Greek rituals and liturgical reform was to invite the same heresies that led to the Greeks‘ downfall.
    [Show full text]
  • Fifty Years of the Renewal of the Macedonian Orthodox Church •Fi
    Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe Volume 37 Issue 2 Article 3 3-2017 United Bible Societies and the Macedonian Bible: Fifty Years of the Renewal of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric Aco A. Girevski State University in Skopje, Macedonia Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Eastern European Studies Commons Recommended Citation Girevski, Aco A. (2017) "United Bible Societies and the Macedonian Bible: Fifty Years of the Renewal of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 37 : Iss. 2 , Article 3. Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol37/iss2/3 This Article, Exploration, or Report is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNITED BIBLE SOCIETIES AND THE MACEDONIAN BIBLE Fifty Years of the Renewal of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric By Aco A. Girevski Aco Girevski is a professor at St. Clement of Ohrid Faculty of Orthodox Theology, State University in Skopje. His research and pedagogical interests include Macedonian translation of the Bible, church administration, Orthodox agiology, and homiletics. Bible Societies are voluntary societies of various Christian denominations that are locally organized, and mostly of national and sometimes international character. There are several main functions allotted to Bible Societies: a) translation and revision of Biblical texts; b) printing; c) distribution and, d) animation of the Bible usage.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ukrainian Weekly 1934
    UKRUHUSupplement to the SVOBODAN , UkrainiaWEEKLn Daily Y •#r— II fjT.|li РиЬВДЙЙ by the junk* Department of tb* -Ukrainian-Hational АмосЬ&ми *r„ n. <HTti І 'іптірмйгШ No. 30. Joriey City, N. J, Friday, Jtdy 27, 1934. П. Y. L. of N. A. ISSUES CALL . LfiVE EABLfc TO PARTICIPATE IN YOUTH WMINIJIlf flWTH MOVEMEW ІГШАВРШГ . By Tare* Sbevcheoko CONGRESS In a previous issue mention was mj.de of Pidkarpat- Every American-Ukrainian youth Love each other, early, children.! ska RUB, the official name for the westernmost section of There're many In tme world to club-, whether it be cultural, social, Ukrainian ethnographic. territories, known also as Pid­ or sport, which intends to take •• .-love— - part in the forthcoming Secohd karpatya. As we learned thenrfittat is the Ukrainian laud. Though not for gate} Luck un- Ukrainian Youth's Congress of which during the heyday of the Austrian-Hungarian bestairchefl America,—which will be held un- Empire was the object of unmitigated Hungarian ^per­ And willing, Meet from up above ... dcr the auspices of .the Ukrainian ІГІІЯІІ)ІІ«Й >1IJ і|Імя"ІІІІ Viiljj(tl ВІИііТіу secution. The Hungarians sought with all means possible . Add during life and strife will be Youth's League of N. A. Septem­ tp denationalize out people; to make them even beHete- ber 1st and 2nd in Mew York City, Yonr one.companion on toe road— at the International Institute, 341 that they were Russians, anything to make them forget Tten and' after.' East 17th Street,—should send its their Ukrainian nationality. To that end they even seized •••• TransUtted by #.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian Apocalyptic Extremism: a Study of Two Cases
    CHRISTIAN APOCALYPTIC EXTREMISM: A STUDY OF TWO CASES Alar Laats Ph.D. in Systematic Theology, Professor of Religious Studies, Tallinn University, Estonia, [email protected] ABSTRACT. The article treats two cases of large scale Christian extremism: the estaBlishment of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in China in the middle of the 19th century and the Russian Old Believers movement that started in the second half of the 17th century. In Both cases there were intense expectations of the end of the world. In Both cases their extreme actions were provoked By the violent activity of the state authorities. The extremism of the Chinese Christians was directed outside whereas the extreme Behaviour of the Russian Old Believers was directed first of all inside, towards themselves. One of the reasons of the difference in their actions was the difference in their respective theological thinking. Key words: Christian extremism, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Russian Old Believers, eschatological figures, utopias and dystopias. There are various ways to classify the phenomena of extremism. One possiBility is to divide these phenomena into external and internal ones. In the first case the extremism is directed towards others. Its aim is to change the other, usually to reBuild the whole world. It can easily Become aggression. In the case of the internal extremism it is directed towards the extremists them- selves. Its aim can Be a withdrawal or a change of themselves. Sometimes it Becomes self-denial. The last one hundred years have mainly Been an era of the atheistic extremism. Tens of millions of people have perished in the concentration camps created By national socialist or communist extremists.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of Religion on Ethnic Survival: Russian Old Believers in Al Aska
    CALIFORNIA GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY Vol. XXXI, 1991 THE IMPACT OF RELIGION ON ETHNIC SURVIVAL: RUSSIAN OLD BELIEVERS IN AL ASKA Susan W. Hardwick istorical and cultural geographers have long been in­ Hterested in the processes of immigrant settlement and subsequent cultural change (Joerg, 1932; Jordan, 1966; Mannion, 1974, 1977; McQuillan, 1978; Ostergren, 1988; Swrerenga, 1985). However, except for limited studies of ethnicity in the central United States, very little has been ac­ complished to date on the significant relationship between religion and ethnic retention and sense of place (Jordan, 1980; Ostergren, 1981; Legreid and Ward, 1982). Russian Old Believers in North America offer a particularly fascinat­ ing case study for an investigation of the role of religion as a key variable in culture change. For over three hundred years, in Russia, China, South America, and the United States, Old Believers have maintained their Russian lan­ guage, their religious beliefs, and their traditional lifestyle while living within very different, dominant majority cul­ tures (Colfer, 1985; Smithson, 1976). Will they continue to Dr. Hardwick received her Master's degree in Geography at California State University, Chico, and is now Associate Professor of Geography there. 19 20 THE CALIFORNIA GEOCRAPHER maintain their distinctive cultural and religious identity in Alaska in the 1990s? Regional Setting The tip of the Kenai Peninsula can barely be seen in the thick coastal fog. Glaciated peaks, fiorded coasts, and roar­ ing mountain streams dominate first impressions of this rolling, spruce-covered landscape. Old Believer settlements in Alaska are located in isolated, inaccessible places in three regions of the state of Alaska including Kenai forests, the Matanuska Valley, and islands just north of Kodiak (Figure 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Russian Copper Icons Crosses Kunz Collection: Castings Faith
    Russian Copper Icons 1 Crosses r ^ .1 _ Kunz Collection: Castings Faith Richard Eighme Ahlborn and Vera Beaver-Bricken Espinola Editors SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS SERIES PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Emphasis upon publication as a means of "diffusing knowledge" was expressed by the first Secretary of the Smithsonian. In his formal plan for the Institution, Joseph Henry outlined a program that included the following statement: "It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge." This theme of basic research has been adhered to through the years by thousands of titles issued in series publications under the Smithsonian imprint, commencing with Stnithsonian Contributions to Knowledge in 1848 and continuing with the following active series: Smithsoniar) Contributions to Anthropology Smithsonian Contributions to Astrophysics Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Smithsonian Contributions to the Earth Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology Smithsonian Folklife Studies Smithsonian Studies in Air and Space Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology In these series, the Institution publishes small papers and full-scale monographs that report the research and collections of its various museums and bureaux or of professional colleagues in the worid of science and scholarship. The publications are distributed by mailing lists to libraries, universities, and similar institutions throughout the worid. Papers or monographs submitted for series publication are received by the Smithsonian Institution Press, subject to its own review for format and style, only through departments of the various Smithsonian museums or bureaux, where tfie manuscripts are given substantive review.
    [Show full text]
  • NEWSLETTER of Course in Ukraine2
    Integration of Music - Speech - Movement - Dance as a Process of Intercultural Understanding 22nd International Summer Course of Encounter „Orff – Schulwerk“ From Monday, July 29th till Saturday, August 3rd 2019 in Ostrog / Ukraine Theme of the 5 days Seminar “Elemental Music and Dance Education inspired by the musical style and form of the Baroque” The goals of the seminary are the deepening and further development of the principles of holistic and elemental Music and Dance Pedagogy (for schools, music schools and other educational establishments). Introduced and transmitted by international Orff-Schulwerk Experts, this seminary is open for participants (students, teachers, educators, therapists) from all over the world. The official teaching language is English. Since 1996 this project permanently works out successful cooperations between Central and Eastern European countries. Changing themes build the bridge between elemental Music and Dance Education and the Arts. This time the course focuses on the music and dance from Baroque. Art-Teacher with special emphasis to the Orff-Pedagogy will create exciting opportunities to put the sophisticated music of the Baroque in an elemental and holistic context. Demonstrating ways, how music of artistic level can be implemented for an experience-oriented playful way already with small children. Cooperation and support: This international Master Class Course of Encounter 2019 is carried out in cooperation with the Ukrainian Orff Association and the National University of Ostroh Akademy. The course is supported by the Carl Orff Foundation and Studio49 - Orff-Instrumente Builder in Munich. The artistic and organizational team of this course is looking forward to welcome participants from all over the world at this International Orff-Master Class.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Mass Suicide Before Jonestown: the Russian Old Believers Author(S): Thomas Robbins Source: Sociological Analysis, Vol
    Religious Mass Suicide before Jonestown: The Russian Old Believers Author(s): Thomas Robbins Source: Sociological Analysis, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Spring, 1986), pp. 1-20 Published by: Oxford University Press Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3711273 Accessed: 26-05-2020 23:39 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms Oxford University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Sociological Analysis This content downloaded from 146.244.101.138 on Tue, 26 May 2020 23:39:38 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms RELIGIOUS MASS SUICIDE BEFORE JONESTOWN: THE RUSSIAN OLD BELIEVERS Thomas Robbins Rochester, MN Over a period of several decades in late seventeenth and early eighteenth century Russia, tens of thousands of "Old Believers" committed suicide, generally by self-immolation. Most of the suicides were not individual acts but transpired in the context of catastrophic collective events at hermitages or monasteries. In several instances the number of persons who perished at a burned-out settlement far ex- ceeded the number of deaths at Jonestown. Convergences with the People 's Temple holocaust include: a general climate of apocalyptic excitation; a sectarian mani- chean outlook which perceived absolute evil triumphant in the world, and in which political" themes became more prominent over time; and a conviction of imminent armed assault by hostile forces.
    [Show full text]
  • Die Entstehung Einer Weltreligion V INÂRAH Schri⌃En Zur Frühen Islam Geschichte Und Zum Koran
    Die Entstehung einer Weltreligion V INÂRAH Schri⌃en zur frühen Islam geschichte und zum Koran Hg. von Inârah – Institut zur Erforschung der frühen Islam geschichte und des Koran Verantwortlich: Karl-Heinz Ohlig Markus Groß / Karl-Heinz Ohlig (Hg.) Die Entstehung einer Weltreligion V Der Koran als Werkzeug der Herrschaft INÂRAH Schri⌃en zur frühen Islam geschichte und zum Koran Band 9 Bibliogra sch e In form a tion der D eu tsch en N a tion a lbiblioth ek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliogra*e; detaillierte bibliogra*sch e D aten sind im In te rn e t ü b e r h ,p://dnb.dnb.de abru/ar. Alle Rechte vorbehalten Kein Teil dieses Buches darf in irgendeiner Form (D ruck, Fotokopie oder einem anderen Verfahren) ohne schri⌃liche G enehm igung des Verlages reproduziert oder unter Verw endung elektronischer System e verarbeitet werden. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, tra n sm i,ed or utilized in any form or by any m eans, electronic, m echanical, photocopying, recording or otherw ise, without perm ission in writing fro m th e P u b lish e rs. © 2020 Hans Schiler & Tim Mücke GbR Berlin und Tübingen Erstausgabe 1. Au<age 2020 Um schlagabbildungen: siehe Seite 617 Druck: Standartu Spaustuve Printed in Litauen ISBN : 978-3-89930-215-8 Inhalt DIE ENTSTEHUNG EINER WELTRELIGION V DER KORAN ALS WERKZEUG DER HERRSCHAFT K.-H. OHLIG Vorwort...............................................................................7 I. ZUR VOR- UND FRÜHGESCHICHTE DES ISLAM ROBERT M.
    [Show full text]
  • Textbook on HUUC 2018.Pdf
    MINISTRY OF HEALTH CARE OF UKRAINE Kharkiv National Medical University HISTORY OF UKRAINE AND UKRAINIAN CULTURE the textbook for international students by V. Alkov Kharkiv KhNMU 2018 UDC [94:008](477)=111(075.8) A56 Approved by the Academic Council of KhNMU Protocol № 5 of 17.05.2018 Reviewers: T. V. Arzumanova, PhD, associate professor of Kharkiv National University of Construction and Architecture P. V. Yeremieiev, PhD, associate professor of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University Alkov V. A56 History of Ukraine and Ukrainian Culture : the textbook for international students. – Kharkiv : KhNMU, 2018. – 146 p. The textbook is intended for the first-year English Medium students of higher educational institutions and a wide range of readers to get substantively acquainted with the complex and centuries-old history and culture of Ukraine. The main attention is drawn to the formation of students’ understanding of historical and cultural processes and regularities inherent for Ukraine in different historical periods. For a better understanding of that, the textbook contains maps and illustrations, as well as original creative questions and tasks aimed at thinking development. UDC [94:008](477)=111(075.8) © Kharkiv National Medical University, 2018 © Alkov V. A., 2018 Contents I Exordium. Ukrainian Lands in Ancient Times 1. General issues 5 2. Primitive society in the lands of modern Ukraine. Greek colonies 7 3. East Slavic Tribes 15 II Princely Era (9th century – 1340-s of 14th century) 1. Kievan Rus as an early feudal state 19 2. Disintegration of Kievan Rus and Galicia-Volhynia Principality 23 3. Development of culture during the Princely Era 26 III Ukrainian Lands under the Power of Poland and Lithuania 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Old Believers and Society in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Eighteenth Century: Religious Tolerance and Its Causes
    LITHUANIAN HISTORICAL STUDIES 6 2001 ISSN 1392-2343 pp. 55–68 THE OLD BELIEVERS AND SOCIETY IN THE GRAND DUCHY OF LITHUANIA IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY: RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE AND ITS CAUSES GRIGORIJUS POTAŠENKO ABSTRACT. The appearance of an organized Fedoseevian community in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the eighteenth century was a result of the massive migration of the Old Believers (Old Ritualists), closely related to the resettlement and disturbances of the peasants and out-of- town settlers (posadskie liudi) in Russia. It was the first wave of an extensive emigration from Russia into the Baltic countries, and in particular into Lithuania. Its aftermath was the rise of the Pomorian communities (поморские общества) of the Old Believers. In the late eighteenth century there were between 100,000 and 180,000 Old Believers (about 1.1 to 2 per cent of the total population of the 8.79 million citizens of the Republic of Poland-Lithuania). The main motives behind this emigration of the Russians in the eighteenth century were the following: (1) religious persecution of the Old Believers and the social oppression of the peasants and posadskie liudi in Russia; (2) freedom of religion for the Old Believers and more favourable social and economic conditions in Poland and Lithuania; and (3) intense eschatological feelings and impulsiveness, urging the Old Believers to avoid society and the state, in their belief dominated by the spiritual Antichrist. This article is devoted to the issue of religious toleration in respect to the Old Believers in the GDL and its reasons. Religious tolerance as a factor conditioning the emigration and formation of a united Fedoseevian community in Lithuania has not yet been properly researched.
    [Show full text]
  • POCKET CHURCH HISTORY for ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS
    A POCKET CHURCH HISTORY for ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS Fr. Aidan Keller © 1994-2002 ST. HILARION PRESS ISBN 0-923864-08-3 Fourth Printing, Revised—2002 KABANTSCHUK PRINTING r r ^ ^ IC XC NI KA .. AD . AM rr In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. GOD INCARNATES; THE CHURCH FOUNDED OME 2,000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ directly intervened in human history. Although He S is God (together with the Father and the Holy Spirit), He became a man—or, as we often put it, He became incarnate —enfleshed. Mankind, at its very beginning in Adam and Eve, had fallen away from Divine life by embracing sin, and had fallen under the power of death. But the Lord Jesus, by His incarnation, death upon the Cross, and subsequent resurrection from death on the third day, destroyed the power death had over men. By His teaching and His whole saving work, Christ reconciled to God a humanity that had grown distant from God1 and had become ensnared in sins.2 He abolished the authority the Devil had acquired over men3 and He renewed and re-created both mankind and His whole universe.4 Bridging the abyss separating man and God, by means of the union of man and God in His own Person, Christ our Saviour opened the way to eternal, joyful life after death for all who would accept it.5 Not all the people of Judea, the Hebrews, God’s chosen people (Deut 7:6; Is 44:1), were ready to hear this news, and so our Lord spoke to them mostly in parables and figures.
    [Show full text]