A bridge to the schism : Edinoverie, Russian orthodoxy and the ritual formation of confessions, 1800-1918

Resource Information

The work A bridge to the schism : Edinoverie, Russian orthodoxy and the ritual formation of confessions, 1800-1918 represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in European University Institute Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

A bridge to the schism : Edinoverie, Russian orthodoxy and the ritual formation of confessions, 1800-1918

Title remainder

Edinoverie, Russian orthodoxy and the ritual formation of confessions, 1800-1918

Statement of responsibility

James Matthew White

Creator

• White, James Matthew

Contributor

• European University Institute, Department of History and Civilization

Subject

• Orthodox Eastern Church -- Russia -- History
• Russia -- Church history
• Russia -- Religion

Language

ita

Summary

Between 1800 and 1918, the Russian Orthodox Church attempted to re-unite the Old Believer schism with Russian Orthodoxy by means of Edinoverie. This was a uniate movement that would allow schismatic converts to retain their old rituals whilst being subordinated to the authority of the Church hierarchy. From the very moment of its foundation, Edinoverie was subject to high levels of suspicion from most members of the Church. The rules of Metropolitan Platon, the settlement that created Edinoverie in 1800, embodied this distrust: the provisions sought to keep the converts at the boundaries of the Orthodox confession so as to prevent them from tempting Orthodox parishioners towards the schism. Over the next 118 years, edinovertsy, churchmen and government authorities struggled with the legacy of Platon's rules as they tried to define Edinoverie's place between Orthodoxy and Old Belief. In doing so, they devised new ways about thinking of the Orthodox confession. However, the Church enacted reform of Edinoverie reluctantly. It was permanently held back by fear of apostasy. Pressure for change always came from without, primarily from the side of the state. The shifts in its policies towards Old Belief ultimately forced the Holy Synod to renovate Edinoverie so as to maintain its missionary appeal. By 1918, Edinoverie had not come any closer to bringing the Old Believers back into the Church. Its attractiveness was undermined by earlier state coercion, by the hostility of many churchmen and by the contradictions inherent within its foundation. Edinoverie also represented a fundamental misunderstanding on the side of the Church as to why the schism had begun in the first place

Member of

• EUI PhD theses

Cataloging source

IT-FiEUI

Date time place

Defence date: 23 September 2014

Dissertation note

Thesis (Ph. D.)--European University Institute (HEC), 2014.

Index

no index present

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

theses

Series statement

• EUI PhD theses
• EUI theses