Canon of Sacred Texts among the Old Believers and Organization of Religious Life in the Communities

Abstract

The article addresses the problem of Old Believers’ reasoning for organizing religious life in the communities. It focuses on a unique attitude toward the texts, which had an almost sacred status. The author outlines a process of formation of the canon of the Old Believers’ sacred texts in the second half of the 17th century. This canon included fragments from authoritative manuscripts and printed editions that provided foundational arguments for the opponents of the church reform in any disputes, primarily related to the reformation of the rite and liturgical practice of the Russian Orthodox Church. The author also indicates a process in the first quarter of the 18th century associated with the Old Believers’ continued attempts to find citations to expand the canon of sacred texts. The article analyzes the analysis of miscellany compiled by the Vyg Old Believers in the first quarter of the 18th century. It contained fragments of texts that several generations of defenders of the Old Rite had selected. From their perspective, these texts testified to the justness of their views on controversial issues of religious life. The contents of this miscellany, given in the appendix to the article, show how citations of these texts used to be practical tools to resolve debatable issues related to theology, rites, and liturgy, as well as the organization of everyday religious life in the communities. The miscellany's compilers were keen to find texts that strengthened their positions and enabled their disciples to defend the Old Rite in debates with official church representatives and within the religious and social movement. The article concludes by arguing that the Old Believers’ canon of sacred texts was significantly expanded in the first quarter of the 17th century to include fragments of texts, which covered not only issues of theology, liturgy, and rituals but also the organization of the communities’ everyday life (for instance, performing occasional Christian services when no priest is around).