Russian Rulers History Podcast · Mark Schauss

Raskol - The Schism within the Russian Orthodox Church

·23 min

Russian History Retold examines the Raskol—the only major schism in Russian Orthodox Church history (mid-17th century). Begins with the Zealots of Piety (1635), reformers who blamed the Time of Troubles on insufficient piety. Patriarch Nikon (1652+), former Zealots member, implements radical reforms, including changing the sign of the cross from two fingers to three. Archpriest Avakum, fellow Zealot, becomes Nikon's fiercest opponent. Old Believers reject the reforms as Antichrist's work, creating apocalyptic schism. To Western listeners, finger positions seem trivial, but in Russian consciousness (where faith, ritual, and national identity fuse), the change threatens the cosmos. Three hundred years later, Old Believer churches still view themselves as the sole true church. Historians note the Old Believers retained populist spiritual authenticity better than the reformed Church—suggesting the schism was also a clash between institutional modernization and grassroots faith.

As heard by us

A church reform fight that became the Russian Orthodox Church's only major split.

The episode lays out the Raskol with a clear hand, treating it as the Russian Orthodox Church's only major split and keeping the sequence easy to follow.

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Why you'd press play

You want the story of Patriarch Nikon's 1653 reforms and the Russian Orthodox split they triggered.

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