Old Believers

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PHJ № 4 (48) 2025 — P. V. Sedov. OLD BELIEVERS IN THE VVEDENSKY TIKHVIN MONASTERY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 17TH CENTURY

The article under scrutiny here focuses on the Old Believers of the Vvedensky Convent in Tikhvin in the latter half of the 17th century. The author conducted a detailed analysis of the adherence to the pre-Nikon rite in this convent, utilising newly obtained archival data as a foundation for their research. The authorities of the neighbouring Great Dormition Monastery utilised accusations of schism against the Vvedensky elders in a protracted land dispute, which subsequently served as the impetus for the eradication of the pre-Nikonian rite in that locale. For many years, the residents of the monastery maintained the traditional church rite. However, under pressure from the Nikonian authorities, they repented and did not openly resist. This tendency was prevalent among a significant proportion, perhaps even the majority, of Old Believers, a strategy that enabled them to endure adversity and maintain their spiritual beliefs in the face of oppression from the authorities.

PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — A. V. Apanasenok. IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE “BLUE SNAKE”: THE PROBLEM OF TOBACCO SMOKING ON THE PAGES OF OLD BELIEVER MAGAZINES OF THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY

The present paper is devoted to an examination of the history of the anti-smoking campaign that emerged in Russia in the pages of thick Old Believer magazines between 1906 and 1916. It is demonstrated that following the Russian Old Believers’ attainment of fundamental civil liberties in 1905, their customary anti-smoking rhetoric transitioned from the intra-confessional domain to the national stage. The active fight against tobacco use in the territory of the Russian Empire was intended to become a kind of calling card of the Old Believer communities in the process of their integration into the public life of the country. The paper examines the various arguments against smoking that were advanced by Old Believer monthly magazines, as well as the proposed ways to limit the impact of tobacco on Russian society. The study concludes that the expressed ideas had little chance of widespread dissemination and mass support in the context of the growing crisis in Russian society. Nevertheless, they represented a noteworthy landmark in the evolution of the national “anti-smoking discourse”.