The Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church : 

The Russian Orthodox Church an overview of its history and life

Early History : 

Early History The first missionary, St. Andrew worked in Scythia and along the Black Sea coast. He erected a cross in Kiev upon which now stands the church in his name. Sts. Cyril & Methodios (863-869) evangelised the southern Slavs and created an alphabet for liturgical use, now called Church Slavonic.

Christianity in Kiev (Ukraine) : 

Christianity in Kiev (Ukraine) Princess St. Olga the first major influential convert (945) Her grandson St. Vladimir adopted Orthodox Christianity for Kievan Rus (988) "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth, nor such beauty, and we know not how to tell of it."  (St. Vladimir’s envoys returning from Holy Wisdom, Constantinople)

The Reforms of St. Sergius : 

The Reforms of St. Sergius St. Sergius of Radonezh (1314?-1392) provided spiritual leadership during the long period of Tatar oppression. His monastic reforms led to the founding of the Holy Trinity Monastery (Sergei Possad) north of Moscow which continued to play a pivotal role in the Russian Church and nation until the present day.

Spiritual Renewal, late 14th, early 15th centuries : 

Spiritual Renewal, late 14th, early 15th centuries St. Stephen of Perm (1340 – 1396) – his evangelistic efforts amongst the Permic peoples of mid-western Russia had the unintended effect of consolidating the influence of Moscow at Novgorod’s expense. St. Andrei Rublev (1360?-1430?) This great icon writer, trained by the Greek master, Theophanes the Great, was at the centre of a spiritual ascent in the Russian tradition of Orthodoxy and his masterpiece, the Hospitality of the Abraham (typologically, the Trinity) originally in the Monastic Lavra of Sergei Possad, is now in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. St. Epiphanius the Wise(died 1420) A disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, St. Epiphanius was a notable monastic who greatly influenced the Russian literary tradition through his hagiographies and panegyric writings.

Third Rome? : 

Third Rome? In 1448, Moscow became a Metropolitanate and achieved independence from Constantinople, its ancient mother church. This was just 5 years before the fall of that city to the Ottoman Turks. Many in Russia after that came to see Moscow as the “Third Rome” but this was never accepted by the wider Orthodox Church. Archbishop Jonas was acclaimed by his brother bishops as the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. The Byzantine heraldry of the double headed eagle (originally the western and eastern Roman Empire) was adopted by the newly confident Russian Church. The Fall of Constantinople to Mehmed II in 1453 brings the millennial plus Byzantine Empire to an inglorious close. The Russian Church did not however receive patriarchal status until 1589.

Possessors and Non-Possessors : 

Possessors and Non-Possessors In the 15th Century the Possessors believed with St. Joseph Volotsky that the Church should hold on to her vast estates as this was the only way (amongst other things) to maintain a reasonable standard of living for the rural poor . The Non-Possessors led by St. Nilus of Sora adhered to a more strict renunciation for the monk and preached that the Church should not involve herself in worldly affairs. ALTHOUGH ST. JOSEPH WON THE ARGUMENT BOTH MEN WERE MADE SAINTS! St. Joseph St. Nilus Also at this time in Russia, the Church had to struggle against various Judaising heresies that would have emphasised the law rather than saving grace. This was also the time of great monastery building.

The Old Believer Schism : 

The Old Believer Schism In 1652, Patriarch Nikon began a process of reform that simultaneously tried to turn Russia into a theocratic state (which failed and for which he was deposed and exiled) and also attempted to harmonise Russian liturgical practice with the then prevailing Greek norms. This latter policy was upheld by Tsar Aleksey but unfortunately led to a schism (1667) with those who maintained the old Russia traditions, the Old Believers. These were bitterly persecuted until more modern times when the Moscow Patriarchate made formal provision for priests to serve their communities. The Expulsion of the Old Believers by Mikhail Nesterov Old Believer church in Moscow

The Reforms of Peter the Great (1682-1725) : 

The Reforms of Peter the Great (1682-1725) The reforms of Peter the Great which modernised the political economy and made Russia a formidable player on the international stage earned him his title. His enforced reforms of the Church, however, were disastrous from an Orthodox point of view, abolishing the Patriarchate and making the Church effectively a department of State. Catherine the Great (1762-1796) extended this policy by nationalising monastic assets and making the clergy state employees. The Patriarchate and the independence of the Church were not restored until 1917, the eve of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Missionary Expansion (18th to 19th centuries) : 

Missionary Expansion (18th to 19th centuries) Notwithstanding the erosion of the Church’s independence in the 18th century her vitality remained evident in her missionary endeavours into the 19th. Notable amongst these were:- The missions to Siberia and Alaska pioneered by St. Innocent (1797-1879) and St. Herman (1756-1837). A truly indigenous church of aboriginal peoples was created and the vigorously defended them against exploitative Russian merchants who would have otherwise subjugated them. When Alaska was later sold to the US in 1867, this would contribute greatly to the development of Orthodoxy in North America. The mission to Japan started by St. Nicholas (Kasatkin) – (1836 – 1912) was astonishingly successful thereby creating an indigenous Japanese Orthodox Church which endures to this day. Other missions opened up China and the Far East to the Orthodox Church. Right: St. Innocent, Below Left: St. Nicholas, Right: St. Herman

Spiritual Renewal : 

Spiritual Renewal The late 18th century saw the beginning of a spiritual revitalisation of the Russian Church at home with Athonite hesychastic prayer being introduced to the monasteries by St. Paisiy Velichkovsky. His disciples, the Fathers of the Optina Monastery amongst others were in continual demand for their spiritual counsel. This also fostered the Slavophile movement which sought to return Orthodoxy in Russia to her historical legacy in the fathers and gradually broke the grip of the western Latin influence that had begun with the reforms of Peter Mogila in the 17th century. Two spiritual giants in this period were St. Seraphim of Sarov (1759 – 1833) and St. John of Kronstadt (1829 -1908). St. Seraphim was a humble monk who even in this life through his ascetic labours and prayers experienced the transfiguring Light of the Mt. Tabor (Luke 9:28-36). He was a guide to countless people. St. John was a married parish priest whose ministry had a similar impact and who became an exemplar for many who followed. Toward the end of the 19th century the Orthodox Church in Russia was very far from being the moribund corrupt Tsarist entity that later Soviet propaganda tried to make it out to be. The Optina Monastery St. John of Kronstadt St. Seraphim of Sarov

The Soviet Yoke : 

The Soviet Yoke For over 70 years in the 20th century from the to Revolution in 1917 to the thaw in the hostility toward Christianity by the State marked by the millennial celebrations in 1988 the Orthodox Church sustained its most bitter and continuous persecution since the early church era of Nero and Diocletian. Marxism could tolerate n0 rival for the hearts and minds of the people, no independent voice in an atheist State and society. In the first 5 years alone after the Bolshevik revolution, 28 bishops and over 1200 priests were summarily executed. The State then embarked on a campaign of persecution, torture, execution and exile in order to eliminate all forms and traces of religion. Between 1927 and 1940, the number of Orthodox Churches in the Russian Republic fell from 29,584 to less than 500. Between 1917 and 1935, 130,000 Orthodox priests were arrested. Of these, 95,000 were put to death. Cynically and opportunistically Stalin eased the restrictions during the War in order to revive the morale of the people ... a telling indictment of Communism’s own failure to inspire them. After the War the persecutions returned with a vengeance especially under Khrushchev and Brezhnev. During this 70 year period untold numbers of martyrs and confessors graced the Russian Church and Christianity was by no means vanquished. In 1987, between 40-50% of babies were still baptised and 60% of those who died received a Christian funeral service. When Marxism collapsed under Gorbachev, the Church was poised to make its recovery. The people had kept the faith.

Recovery and Growth : 

Recovery and Growth The rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow, an identical copy of the original which was dynamited and flattened by Stalin for a swimming pool. During the reign of Patriarch Alexy II (1990 – 2008) over 15,000 churches have been rebuilt or restored. Although constitutionally Church and State remain separate there can be no doubt that the Russian Orthodox Church has reassumed its rightful place in the “public square.” Some resentment has remained that those churchmen who survived by colluding with the KGB were not excluded from office after the fall of Communism but largely speaking the Church has started to put her house in order. Ecclesiastically tensions have waxed and waned in the ecumenical relations between Moscow and Rome over the Uniate churches and relations have also been strained with Constantinople over issues of jurisdiction in some of the former Soviet republics. The greatest challenges that now face the Church are in its calling to re-evangelise of Russia and its contribution to Russian society as this evolves to face a very different world in the 21st Century.