Preface A profoundly sorrowful event transpired within the Church of Christ from 1653 to 1667. During this period, a great schism occurred in the Russian Orthodox Church, which split into two opposing and hostile factions. Until this time, almost the entire Russian nation upheld the same Orthodox faith, the same church traditions, the same rites,…
“And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.” (Rev. 11:1) “And though the Spirit is one, yet the gifts are not equal,for the recipients of the Spirit are not equal;Such is the…
The word “missionary” sounds offensive and threatening to Old Believers. For centuries, persecutions from the dominant church unfolded precisely under the banner of “missionary activity.” Yet this should not overshadow one of the chief commandments of Jesus Christ, addressed to the Apostles and to all of us: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name…
A person who has decided to follow Christ and become a true Christian needs to carefully read the Gospel and understand that hostility from relatives and close ones toward any true Christian’s faith is not unusual. Our Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples: “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:…
The Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church is the modern name for the Church founded by Christ Himself. In the Creed, we profess: “I believe… in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” By this, we affirm that we preserve the same true faith that once existed throughout the entire universe. We do not require any correction…
We believe and confess that an Orthodox priest, in relation to a heretical bishop, is by no means “lesser,” but—by virtue of his belonging to the True Church of Christ and his authority to bind and loose sins—he is “greater” than a heretical bishop who has not joined the Church of Christ. While there is…
The Holy Fathers call schismatics (heretics of the second rank) those who introduce novelties into Church tradition, thereby separating themselves from the unity of faith. The Orthodox Old Believers not only introduced no novelties but actively resisted the innovations attempted by Patriarch Nikon and his like-minded followers. The holy martyr Protopriest Avvakum wrote in his Fifth…
We believe in “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church,” as stated in the Symbol of Faith. This dogmatic teaching should, in principle, suffice for any Christian. After all, we do not doubt other dogmas, just as a mathematician does not question the axioms of the geometric system in which they work. However, human reason naturally…
The medieval Russian concept was slightly different and more comprehensive in its original form. Its essence can be summarized as follows: the First Rome, the Orthodox kingdom, fell into heresy; the Second Rome (Constantinople) fell to the Turks; now the last Orthodox kingdom is Moscow, the “Third Rome.” If Moscow were to fall, there would…
–UNDER CONSTRUCTION– Introduction Three hundred years ago, Russia professed a single Christian, Orthodox faith and formed a single true Orthodox Church. At that time, there were no heresies, no schisms, no divisions within the Russian Church. For more than six centuries, beginning from the Baptism of Rus’ in 988, the Russian Church enjoyed inner peace…