The struggle for compromise: Timofey Andreev about the old believers, the Church and the state (the second half of the 18th century)

Abstract

The article deals with the main problems of the Old Believer mentors’ polemics on the most complex and fundamental issues related to the relationship with the parish clergy and state authorities. Opposite points of view aroused during the discussion of this problem. On the one hand, there were calls for a tough confrontation with the “non-peaceful world”. A conflict with a clear inequality of forces could lead to the destruction of Old Believer settlements and severe repression. On the other hand, Old Believers’ publicists spoke in favour of a reasonable compromise, maintaining vital contacts with supporters of Patriarch Nikon’s reforms. A special role in the intense controversy that flared up belonged to Timofey Andreev, a well-known Old Believer publicist, who insisted on maintaining stable relations with Russian society, which accepted the Nikon reforms, and on voluntary registration in the relevant state accounting documents. The essence of his ideas lies in the struggle for a compromise between the Old Believer communities and the outside world that has accepted the power of the Antichrist.

Keywords

• old believers
• orthodoxy
• polemical writings
• clergy
• mentors
• eschatology
• antichrist