Holy ruling synod

This article deals with the governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church, for other meanings see Holy Synod .

The members of the Extraordinary Session of the Most Holy Synod on Jul 26, 1911 in the main hall of the Metropolitan District in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery .

The holiest ruling synod (also: Heiligste Dirigendes Synod , Russian Святейший Правительствующий Синод ) was the highest governmental institution of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1721 to 1918. After that, the patriarchy was restored, albeit without powers. The jurisdiction of the holiest ruling synod extended to all questions of ecclesiastical life and also included some secular areas.

The synod was established by Peter I on January 25, 1721 as part of his church reform . With the establishment of the Synod, the patriarchy was abolished. The synod consisted partly of church dignitaries and partly of lay people appointed by the tsar . Members included the Metropolitans of Saint Petersburg , Moscow and Kiev , as well as the Exarch of Georgia . Initially ten clergy belonged to the synod. The number was later increased to twelve.

Despite the name, it was a purely rational ecclesiastical administrative authority. It distinguished itself from the existing sobory and leaned on the Greek synods . The role of the church in the Russian state changed fundamentally. The tsar and emperor now stood alone at the head of the state, while the synod was one step lower, on the same level as the imperial senate .

background

Senate and Synod , seat of the Most Holy Synod in St. Petersburg

A whole series of reforms by Peter the Great resulted in the establishment of the Most Holy Synod. The new imperialist orientation of the Russian Empire made radical changes and developments in economic, social and cultural terms necessary. Peter traveled to Western Europe twice and enacted reforms that made clear his desire to adapt Russia to Western standards and that were created to Russify Western European models. Not only was the patriarchy subordinate to the emperor in the manner of the sovereign church regiment, other traditional values, which were upheld by boyars and aristocrats, traders, clergy, peasants and unfree people, were challenged by the reforms. Tsar Peter wanted to enforce the ideals of the Enlightenment without, however, at the same time introducing authoritarian government or political and religious freedom. Among other things, he introduced the Julian calendar ; reorganized the Russian army on the Prussian model; created a meritocracy (in contrast to the previous custom of assigning office according to descent) and banned and taxed beards (a hallmark of the Old Believers ). Peter's will to reform also led to the establishment of the Most Holy Synod. A single strong leader (patriarch) of the church posed too great a threat to the rule of the tsar and he was unwilling to share his power.

Development up to the establishment of the Synod

When the conservative patriarch Adrian I died in 1700, the tsar did not appoint a new patriarch, but instead let Metropolitan Stephen Jaworski , a supporter of the reform, lead the church for the next twenty years. In 1721 the church was officially subordinated to the Russian government. The spiritual order that was necessary for this was drawn up by Archbishop Theophanes Prokopovich .

After the death of Patriarch Adrian, Peter decided, on the suggestion and encouragement of his official AA Kurbatov , to abolish the patriarchal rank of Razryadnyi Prikas , which extended to civil and military administration, and transferred all tasks to the associated Prikas, an administrative office. Through this action, the tsarist administration gradually disempowered the church structures and transferred their tasks to equal government offices. While it has been suggested that Peter did not want to abolish the patriarchy from the start, delaying the election of a new patriarch turned out to be lucrative, as it made church assets available and the clergy's financial privileges no longer available. - The state saved a lot of money, which provided Peter with further arguments to finally abolish patriarchy.

The 1711 reform also gave the Senate jurisdiction over all people, including churchmen. This meant that the state could now decide on issues that had previously been reserved for the church authorities. Linked to this was the authority of the government to appoint clerics in certain positions for administration in religious positions.

In 1716 Peter formulated an oath for the electoral bishops of Vologda , Astrakhan and Yavorskii . The oath, divided into seven paragraphs, served as a supplement to the existing oath. The first two paragraphs dealt with dealing appropriately with heretics and oppositionists. The third section stipulated that monks should not move outside of their diocese except for urgent business and even with written permission. The oath also prohibited the building of superfluous churches (paragraph 4) and the employment of unnecessary clergy (paragraph 5). He also stated that bishops should visit their diocese at least once a year to abolish superstition, curb apostates , and to assemble the faithful (paragraph 6). The last paragraph of the oath required the bishops to swear that they would not engage in secular affairs or interfere in judicial processes.

Peter's relationship with the Church

Peter was willing to westernize Russia during his reign and church reform was an integral part of his campaign. The new church structure was similar in many respects to that of other Western European countries such as Sweden and Germany. Secularization was a necessary step in this political realignment. The expropriation of church property and the unification of the legal situation gave the state more resources and authority, while the church lost much of its power. The church was finally subjected to the government and the previous network of relationships dissolved, in which the rulers like Ivan the Great felt obliged to the Orthodox Church in order to maintain their legitimacy.

Peter also used the Synod to track down and punish dissidents. An amendment to the church laws of 1722, which also abolished the office of patriarch, required the clergy to report any "seditious" confessions .

Before the creation of the Most Holy Synod, the Tsar himself was engaged in reforming the Church. He was particularly interested in improving the education of the clergy, as many were illiterate and did not know how to properly administer the sacraments.

When Peter the Great founded the Synod, he also issued the Spiritual Order mentioned earlier. A key phrase of this edict was the denial of a "divinity" (holiness) of the church. Peter saw it primarily as a state institution.

Formation of the Synod

The Most Holy Synod replaced the office of patriarch with a college of ten, later 12 clergy. The chief procuror ( обер-прокурор , Colonel IV Boltin ), a non-cleric, presided over the synod to ensure that the procedures and resolutions were lawful and that the members of the synod properly fulfilled their responsibilities. Peter asked the priests to report the confessions of traitors, but did not use his power to the last. For example, he refrained from expropriating the Church's lands. Under the leadership of the Synod, the Church became more tolerant of various denominations and even tolerated the Old Believers at times . Mixed denominational marriages between Orthodox and Protestant or Catholic Christians were permitted in the first year after the Synod was founded.

The synod, however, was based on the model of church-state relations in the Lutheran countries of Northern Europe. Although the emperor did not interfere in matters of faith, the government ultimately controlled the organization, finances, and policies of the church. After the idea that the government should actively intervene in the lives of the citizens, Peter expected the church to do the same. He urged the church to start social projects to support the common people, including poor houses and Christian schools.

In November 1718 Peter founded the “Church College” (Духовный регламент) in St. Petersburg, which was also the center of civil government, and soon after the “College” was renamed the “Most Holy All-Governing Synod”.

tasks

The synod was regulated by the statute of church regulations and had the aim of administering and reforming the church. The statute stipulated that the synod should consist of eleven members of different classes and ranks. A president, two vice-presidents, four councilors and four assessors belonged to the synod and each member had one vote in votes.

In response to Peter's views on the comparison between Russia and Western Europe, the synod consisted of clergy who had received extensive higher education. The body fought to gain as much influence as possible over church property, and after gaining control over patriarchal property, it was responsible for about 6,000 subordinates (serfs?). He was given full honors and the synod had "patriarchal power, honor, and authority."

The main task of the Synod was the guidance of the Orthodox faith, the instruction in religious matters, the organization of the religious festivals and the clarification of questions regarding custom and liturgy. The synod was also responsible for the suppression of heresies, the evaluation of miracles and relics, and the prosecution of witchcraft. The synod administered the church property and was accordingly responsible for monasteries and churches.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Nicholas Valentine Riasanovsky, Mark D. Steinberg: The Reign of Peter the Great. A History of Russia. Vol. I. New York: Oxford University Press 2011: 215-219.
2. ↑ Nicholas Valentine Riasanovsky, Mark D. Steinberg: The Reign of Peter the Great. A History of Russia. Vol. I. New York: Oxford UP 2011: 211-230.
3. ↑ James Cracraft: The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford , CA: Stanford University Press 1971: 114-115.
4. ↑ James Cracraft: The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP 1971: 137.
5. ↑ James Cracraft: The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP 1971: 141.
6. ↑ Nicholas Valentine Riasanovsky, Mark D. Steinberg: The Reign of Peter the Great. A History of Russia. Vol. I. New York: Oxford UP 2011: 230-231.
7. ↑ James Cracraft: Diplomatic and Bureaucratic Revolutions, Revolutions and Resistance. The Revolution of Peter the Great. Cambridge, Mass .: Harvard University Press 2003: 62
8. ↑ James Cracraft: Diplomatic and Bureaucratic Revolutions, Revolutions and Resistance. The Revolution of Peter the Great. Cambridge, Mass .: Harvard UP 2003: 120.
9. ↑ James Cracraft: The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP 1971.
10. ↑ Alexey Krindatch: Changing relationships between Religion, the State, and Society in Russia. In: GeoJournal 67.4 (2006): 267-282 (269).
11. ↑ James Cracraft: The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1971: 175.
12. ↑ Nicholas Valentine Riasanovsky; Mark D. Steinberg: The Reign of Peter the Great. A History of Russia. Vol. I. New York: Oxford UP 2011: 230-231.
13. ↑ Nicholas Valentine Riasanovsky; Mark D. Steinberg: The Reign of Peter the Great. A History of Russia. Vol. I. New York: Oxford UP 2011: 230-231.
14. ↑ James Cracraft: The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1971: 153.
15. ↑ James Cracraft: The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1971: 165.
16. ↑ patriarchal power, honor, and authority. James Cracraft: The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1971: 183, 230.
17. ^ Adrian Fortescue: The Most Holy Synod. [1] In: The Catholic Encyclopedia vol. 7, Robert Appleton Company 1910.

literature

Wikisource: Holy Synod  - Sources and full texts (English)

• Adrian Fortescue: The Most Holy Synod. [2] In: The Catholic Encyclopedia vol. 7, Robert Appleton Company 1910.
• Statesman's handbook for Russia. 1896.
• James Cracraft: Diplomatic and Bureaucratic Revolutions, Revolutions and Resistance. The Revolution of Peter the Great. Cambridge, Mass .: Harvard University Press, 2003. 60-65, 120-130.
• James Cracraft: The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1971.
• Alexey Krindatch: Changing relationships between Religion, the State, and Society in Russia. In: GeoJournal 67.4 (2006): 267-282.
• Nicholas Valentine Riasanovsky; Mark D. Steinberg: The Reign of Peter the Great. A History of Russia. Vol. I. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 211-29.