At the Council of 1666-1667 Paḯsios Ligarídis,cunning Jesuit,wheeled and dealt with everything, who required correction of old books.
Further, the author points out: "... the influence of ex-inhabitants of Kiev grew up strongly in Moscow by that time. Malorossia (Rus' Minor)joined to Muscovy, and a great number of South Western monks, teachers, politicians and other dealers came to Moscow. They all were strongly infected with Latinism. They gained great importance at the court of tsar.
The influence of the Western trends was getting stronger in governmental circles and among entourage of Tsar, and at this timePaḯsios Ligarídisconducted serious negotiations withRome about uniting the Russian Church with the Latin. He bowed the Eastern patriarchs to it also. Russian bishops obeyed the tsar in everything ... In order to make devout Russian people to adopt a new faith and new books,Council blessed to torment persons, who disobey decrees of Council, with the gravest punishments:to imprison them, to exile, to beat with beef tendons, to cut off ears, noses, to cut tongues, to cut off the hands and the like. "
It is known, that Arseny Sukhanov was sent by the tsar and Nikon to the East and after return from there described everything seen in "Proskynitárion", including description ofAthos monks burning books of the Moscow printing.
This is a very sad fact, that the Greek orthodox Christians and Athos monks by that time refused of the ancient faith, and danced to the tune of the Latins.
People said: "The Poles and Roman kostel (church), by the hand of the God`s enemy, Nikon, want to dissent and put into darkness the Russian land."
At the same time, to stop old procedures of service everywhere, Nikon ordered to take away old booksin all the parishes urban and rural.
The elite looked at these events with indifference. - As always…
The role of the Jews
Examining the works of Russian theologians, you do not find out from them about the role played by Jews in the schism. But it is clear, that the Jews were behind the Catholics and their role in the schism was rather significant.
The largest historian and specialist in Russian history,Librarian of Congress EmeritusJames Hadley Billington[77]gives interesting facts:
Old Believers accused Nikon of allowing the Jews to translate the holy books of the Old Believers, but supporters of Nikon accused old-believers of allowing the Jews to conduct church service. ... Both sides considered the Council of 1666-1667 to be "Jewish meeting (gang)", but the Council accused its opponents of becoming victims of “deceptive Jewish words” in it`s decree... There were rumors everywhere, that the government was given to "cursed Jewish rulers", and Tsar married according defiling "western" rituals, when befuddled with love potions of Jewish doctors.
We can`t abstain from believing theLibrarian of Congress Emeritus, he certainly had accessto the closed archives and will not publish unverified information. Then, it becomes clear, who supported the process of the schism. But for what? What was the main goal, because the schism by itself - is not the goal?
But this becomes clear from the book of the XIX century by theologian Solskiy[78]:
"And in 1674 Alexey Mikhailovich adopted a decree and received a blessing from the holy Council to translatethe Old and the New Testaments. But only Psalms were translated from German Bible by Luther, but it was not published. "
Nikon
Alexey Mikhailovich conducted reforms by hands of Patriarch Nikon.
In "Thelife of protopop Avvakum, written by himself”[79], Avvakum writes:
"I know Nikon: he was born near my homeland between Murashkina andLyskova in a village. His father wasCheremis[80]and his mother was mermaid, Minka and Man`ka. And he, Nikita, became sorcerer, and in Zheltovodye (place of power - the lake, flooded by river Volga now, auth.) got acquainted with book, and - higher, and - higher, and was taken to devil as chieftain. "
It is likely, that Nikon was a supporter of the Vedic faith, so Avvakum calls him a sorcerer, but when the Latin version of Christianity was began to be introduced, he was in the forefront of the new faith supporters.
Nikon breaks the holy icons on the church floor slabs
Wikipedia: "Nikon became part of an informal circle of spiritual and secular persons. The main announced targets of the circle were: revival of church and religious life in the Moscow state improving morality both people and clergy, spreading education; the target by default was the correction of liturgical books. "
Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary says,thatthe leader of circleStephan (Stefan) Vonifat'ev influenced Alexey Mikhailovich.Stephan, together with Nikon, was an admirer and defender of Kiev theologians, who brought Latinism to Russia and were it`s defenders.
State of religion in Russia at the end of the XVII century
Kapustin N.S. writes[81]:
"Historians and religious philosophers have to admit, thatpure Orthodoxy did not exist.It is was a mixture of Byzantium, Slavonic heathenism, cult of Solar gods and veneration of the dead ancestors.In spite of centuries of domination, the Orthodoxy did not manage to gain a foothold in consciousness of the Russian nation totally[82]. "
The Christianization of the masses has not reached its goals. Somehistorians of church had to recognize it.Yevgeny Golubinskyin his "History of the Russian Church," noted, that"the Russian people didn`t have proper understanding of Christianity till the epoch of Peter I."
Here Golubinsky is right: we did not have proper understanding of Latin Christianity, but not Orthodox, and we can add: Russia did not want to accept Latin version of Christianity.
When at the end of the XVII century they began to burn the heretics, these were clear signs of the Catholic Inquisition already. "And having exposed that blasphemer, to execute him,to burn", as it was provided inSobornoye Ulozheniye(Code of Russian laws) of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich. Executioners Catholics had fulfilled their job.
"Confession" by Ignatius of the Solovki.
Many priests and monasteries did not agree to accept innovations. Solovetsky monastery had especially strong resistance. When besieged from 1668, it was taken in 1676, and the rebels were hanged, besides mercenaries according some information"true Latins”, were used for destroying monks, because Russians refused to fight against compatriots[83].
We find out many interesting things in the "Confession" by Ignatius of the Solovki[84]. He calls reformers "blasphemers, heretics andapostates from the true gracefull gospel law, converted to Latin Roman heresies":
"And now you dare to attempt to create yoursly,a new Jewishset of godsagainstChrist-Light,moreover this was not provided (defined) by holy fathers.