The schism began with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov’s desire to reform the Russian Church through Patriarch Nikon, modeling it on contemporary Greek and Ukrainian practices. The 17th-century reforms affected not just a narrow circle of specialists but every member of…
What kind of effort is being referred to? And why must it be achieved through effort rather than an easy, pleasant, carefree life? When reading and interpreting this phrase, it is essential to remember that the Lord spoke these words…
“Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and thy saints shall rejoice.” (Psalm 131:9) “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” (Psalm 13:2) In…
“Justice, justice shalt thou seek,that thou mayest live, and inherit the landwhich the Lord thy Godgiveth thee” (Deut. 16:20). “And to receive and profess the holy symbol, as the holy and God-bearing fathers at the First Ecumenical Council, which was…
Part 1 V.V. Buzhinsky Two thousand years have passed since the Nativity of Christ, and a thousand years since the Baptism of Rus’. And the Lord has removed the delusion — the godless regime collapsed, doomed and with hardly any…
By Metropolitan Innokenty (Usov) Preface Only that faith or church is true and salvific which was founded by Christ Himself and the Apostles and which continues uninterruptedly until the last days. All other faiths, confessions, churches, sects, or religious societies…
1. Attitude Toward Nonbelievers in the Old and New Testaments The Lord Jesus Christ, as He imparted His words to His disciples, who in turn passed them on to others, instilled in them a pure teaching—a teaching of the salvation…
In the life of a believer, prayer occupies a central place. Prayer is a conscious turning of a person toward God and His holy saints. It is founded upon the certainty that God exists, that He hears those who call…
In ancient times, reading the Lives of the Saints was one of the favorite activities of all layers of the Russian people. The readers were interested not only in historical facts from the lives of Christian ascetics but also in…
A nachotnik is a man well-versed in sacred texts. Every Christian ought to be a nachotnik— that is, one who knows his confession, is capable of defending his belief, and therefore must be well-read, first of all in the Holy…