UrFU Historians Palkin and White Co-Publish a Paper in Cambridge University's Journal

15:55, July 8, 2020

Alexander Palkin co-published his article 'Clerical Outsiders: The Edinoverie Priesthood in Imperial Russia, 1800–1917' with James White in The Journal of Ecclesiastical History (Camrbridge University, UK)

Historians analyzed the origins, social structure and economics of the Edinoverie (Single-Faith) Priesthood in 19th - early 20th Centuries. The results were finalized in the article 'Clerical Outsiders: The Edinoverie Priesthood in Imperial Russia, 1800–1917', written about the pre-revolutionary period of a unique phenomena in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. The research was published in The Journal of Ecclesiastical History of the University of Cambridge.

The publication is the result of several years of research by the director of the Department of History, Alexander Palkin and senior researcher at the Laboratory for Studying Primary Sources and Laboratory of Archaeographical Studies, Ural Federal University, James White. A grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research allowed the researchers to work with the archives of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Perm, Yekaterinburg. Palkin and White uncovered the historical dynamics of The Edinoverie community, and its regional characteristics. 

“The idea of ​​The Edinoverie in the second half of the XVIII century - as an attempt by the state and the Russian Orthodox Church - to overcome the consequences of the split between the official church and the Old Believers, a harbinger of anathema during the Patriarchate of Nikon in the second half of the XVII century,” says Prof. Alexander Palkin.

Officially, The Edinoverie was established in 1800. Old Believers, who got converted to The Edinoverie , were allowed to conduct church services according to the old rite (using old printed books, a double sign of the Cross, etc.), but under the jurisdiction and control of the Holy Synod.

“Contrary to popular belief, Edinoverie was not a compromise between the Old Believers, on the one hand, and the Russian throne and the Russian Orthodox hierarchs, on the other. It was aimed not at recognition of the equality of two religious movements, but at the gradual inclusion of the former in the structure of the Russian Orthodox Church with subsequent assimilation, so that in two or three generations Edinoverie followers would become full-fledged, “normal” Orthodox. Therefore, those who entered into The Edinoverie were forbidden to go back to the Old Believers,” explains Alexander Palkin.

In this sense, the Edinoverie was a marginal movement on the border of the Old Believers and Orthodoxy. Edinoverie were treated equally by the Old Believers, as well as by the Orthodox, who considered the co-religionists to be “half-splitters”.

“Under such conditions, clergymen were often outsiders, and their spiritual estates differed to varying degrees from their Orthodox fellows. This led to the fact that in 1851 there were about 180 Edinoverie parishes in the entire Russian Empire, and by the end of the 19th century almost 280. This is quite a bit, compared to thousands of Orthodox parishes in the same period, ”the historian states.

Even passing into Edinoverie, in order to have formally subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, in fact the 'Orthodox Old-Believers', as they were called, tried to maintain autonomy and self-government. It was expressed in its own way. So, in some Edinoverie parishes, for example, a wedding could done differently. Communities such as baptism and absolution continued to improve in age in the communities. In large cities, community leaders often remained the most active and influential merchants who themselves beat Orthodox priests, who in fact did not have the right to ministry, and thus preserved.

“During the reign of Nicholas I, the state allocated funds for the construction of single-faith churches and temples, as well as for small salaries to Edinoverie clergy. It was believed that the main burden in the maintenance of the parishes should be borne by the parishioners themselves. At the same time, the Holy Synod sought to control Edinoverie parishes. In Yekaterinburg, the largest Edinoverie parish was located in the Holy Trinity Church (now the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church), erected at the expense of wealthy merchants the Ryazanovs, Kazantsevs and others. Once the local church authorities requested a report from the parish on internal parish life and finances. To which the merchants refused categorically and threatened to close the cathedral. Since the diocese did not have the opportunity to support him, the Church had to withdraw demands,” Prof. Dr. Alexander Palkin gives an example.

On the whole, secular and church authorities tried not to provoke sharp conflicts and clashes with religious communities. The documents invariably contain recommendations to act with caution, convincing people with words.

As can be seen from the research of Alexander Palkin and James White, the financial situation of sole priests was very different depending on the geography and financial situation of the parishes. So, in the metropolitan St. Petersburg, four priests of the St. Nicholas single-faith church (currently the Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic) had a huge sum of 28 thousand rubles a year. At the same time, in the Shadrinsky district of Perm province, that is, in the countryside, the annual salary of priests was only 120 rubles. Moreover, due to the large scatter of villages, especially in the Asian part of the Russian Empire, the clergy were forced to travel considerable distances by horse-drawn transport. So, the report of the clergy from Nizhny Tagil says that over the year they traveled more than 6 thousand miles, that is, about 6.5 thousand km.

“In the same way, clergy of the Edinoverie differed in educational attainment. Only a few could be educated in theological academies. Most of them did not even have seminary education, limiting themselves to studies in parish schools and theological schools. Well-educated priests avoided the Edinoverie parishes: Edinoverie communities were not loyal to the official church. On the other hand, service in Edinoverie parishes was considered difficult, a hard work, 'a harmful job' and could be a springboard for further career development. Therefore, the sons of Orthodox clergymen who did not get a place of service in the Orthodox parish also went to Edinoverie priests,” explains Alexander Palkin.

In the 20th century, the Russian Orthodox Church recognized the old rite as equal to the new. Today in Russia there are about 30 Edinoverie parishes in Russia. Edinoverie still allows followers of the Old Russian liturgical tradition to join it, while remaining in the fence of the Russian Orthodox Church.