Научный диалог (Mar 2017)

Missionary Work in Nizhny Novgorod Diocese in the Last Third of 19<sup>th</sup> - early 20<sup>th</sup> Centuries

  • N. E. Arkhipova

DOI
https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2017-3-119-132
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 0, no. 3
pp. 119 – 132

Abstract

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The article is devoted to the study of the organization of missionary work in the Nizhny Novgorod region in the period after the great reforms of Alexander II to 1905. The article characterizes the work of two major institutions in the field of missionary work - Novgorod Committee of the Orthodox Missionary Society (OMS) and the brotherhood of the Holy cross. The Committee of OMS was responsible for the spread of Orthodoxy among the natives of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, mostly Tatars, it collected funds for the development of missionary work and propaganda of the official Orthodoxy among non-Christians in the Eastern part of the Empire. The aim of the Brotherhood was to return to the official Church the old believers and sectarians. The author reveals the problems of the organization of missionary works, analyses its results. Work on the return of “fallen away” baptized Tatars, the spread of Christianity among the Tatar Muslims in Nizhny Novgorod province was ineffective. The Committee did not have enough material resources, well-trained staff to preach in the environment of the Muslims well-read and strong in the faith. Unlike the Committee of OMS, the work of the brotherhood of Holy cross was more successful. The number of its branches in the diocese increased steadily. Missionary work extended not only priests but also the laity, among which the most active and successful missionaries stood out. Systematic interviews were popular among the population of the Nizhny Novgorod province and guests of the fair from other parts of the country. The author comes to the conclusion that the work of the brotherhood of Holy cross had a certain influence on the religious consciousness of the old believers and sectarians. With the early activities of the brotherhood the number of transitions in the official Church increased significantly, but the number of departures from it in the old believers continued to dominate.

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