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Russia THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG 122

gregational church at St. Petersburg. In Archangel the Lutherans and Reformed united in 1818. The Unity of the Brethren congregation at St. Petersburg numbers about 45. The Mennonites, who settled in the governments of Tauris, Yekaterinoslaf, and Samara after 1784 and 1804, numbered 34,217 in 1860, while in 1903 there were in Samara 1,218 Mennonites in 10 congregations. Since 1880 the Baptists have been officially recognized.

III. Sectarianism in Russia: The stress laid by the Eastern Church on the forms of worship as a means of grace, with consequent insistence on the abrogation of all innovations and opposition to any alleged emendation, however alight, became the cause of Russian sectarianism when, in the seventeenth century, the attempt was made to revise the liturgy. In the course of time devia-

r. Origin. tions in ritual had naturally developed, but in 1551 the " Synod of the Hun dred Chapters " had definitely sanctioned the lit urgy then observed. When the task of printing the ritual began, the uncertainties of the text became painfully evident, and while stern measures were adopted to prevent emendations, the double halle luiah was substituted for the triple (1610) and the sign of the cross with two fingers was adopted (1641) -the principal matters of the subsequent contro versy. When Nikon (q.v.) became patriarch, he energetically undertook the emendation of the rit uals and had them sanctioned by the synods of 1654,56. The form of the Greek and old Slavonic books was made the norm, and the approbation of the patriarchs of Antioch, Servia, and Constanti nople was secured. Reforms of so sweeping a char acter naturally evoked opposition, but the vigor ous policy of Nikon prevailed, and the synod of 1656 pronounced the anathema over the adherents of the old uses. His enemies gradually gained strength, however, but even while the synod of 1666-67 condemned Nikon, it confirmed his reform, and thus became the starting-point of the great schism which still exists in the Russian Church. In the north it was the monastery of Solovetakii on the White Sea that formed the center of the oppo sition. It was treacherously surrendered in 1676, after a seven years' siege, and 400 of its inmates were put to death. Yet this, and other stern meaa u:es, failed to crush the " ancient faith." The new ritual was regarded by its opponents as the doc trine of Antichrist. The making of the sign of the cross with three fingers instead of two, the pronun ciation ITsus instead of Isus (" Jesus "), the three fold halleluiah instead of the twofold during mass, the four-armed cross instead of the eight-armed, celebration with seven " prosphers " instead of with five, procession in a direction contrary to the ap parent course of the sun, the omission of " very " (instead of " Lord ") as applied to the Holy Ghost in the Nicene Creed, and the prayer " Jesus Christ, our God " instead of " Jesus Christ, Son of God " were all considered essential heresies of Antichrist. Later still numerous other heresies were alleged against the State Church, especially all innovations of Peter the Great and the entire infiltration of occidenta,lism.

Within the schism itself the dying-out of priests ordained before the separation from the State Church led to a distinction between the " Priestly " (Popovshchina) and " Priestless " (Bezpopovshchina), since the lack of any bishop rendered

a. The it necessary either to have all sacraPopovsh- ments administered by priests who

china. had renounced the State Church, or entirely to surrender the sacraments excepting baptism, which, in case of necessity, might be performed by a layman. The Popovsh china, as the less radical sectaries, were the more successful in founding a new church. Their chief center at the end of the seventeenth century was on the island of Vietka in one of the tributaries of the Dnieper, in the government of Moghilef, where more than 30,000 gathered. Two attacks, in 1735 and 1764, destroyed their possessions, and many of them were exiled, chiefly to Siberia. While Nijni-Novgorod was a favorite residence of the Skiti, a sub-sect of the Popovshchina, the center of the latter became Starodub in the government of Chernigof. Since 1771, except for an interruption of a few years, the Rogoshski cemetery at Moscow has been the center of the Popowhchina, as the Preobradahenski cemetery has been for the Bez popovshchina. The question of reanointing priests who had become converts from the State Church led, in 1779, to a loss of the prestige of the Popovsh china, who were forbidden in 1832 to receive priests from the Russian Church. A few years later, how ever, they received priests ordained by a deposed Bosnian patriarch, though they were long obliged to officiate in secret. A variety of liturgical and other questions have caused more or less serious divisions among the Popovshchind; while the per mission of the Synod (1800) for priests to officiate according to the ancient rite resulted in the recon ciliation of many Popovshchina with the Church the Yedinavyeretzxi, or " Coreligionists." The mon asteries of the Yedinovyerefzi are recognized by the State, but they have not been able to obtain an in dependent hierarchy. The number of this sect scarcely exceeds a million; in 1886 it possessed 244 churches.

The Bezpopovshchina, who number between two and three million, are much more radical than the Popowhchina, and are split into a greater number of minor sects. Their chief home is between Lakes Ladoga and Onega and the White Sea, so that they are termed Pomoryane, or " Sea-

3. The Dwellers." Since all priests ordained Bezpopovsh- before the time of Nikon had died,

china. these sectaries declared that the time of Antichrist had come, in which all sacraments except baptism were abrogated. In stead of ordained priests they had only elders and readers, who expounded the Scriptures, heard con fessions, and baptized, the mode of baptizing being the cause of many divisions. They observe the fasts of the Russian Church, venerate icons and relics, and avoid tobacco, sugar, and certain sorts of food. Their formal organization was begun in 1691, and their monastery on the River Vyga long formed their center. After the time of Peter the Great they enjoyed a certain degree of toleration;