Russian Church
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary [1]
The Russians, like other nations, were originally Pagans, and worshipped fire, which they considered as the cause of thunder, under the name of Perun, and the earth under the name Volata; at the same time having some notions of a future state of rewards and punishments. Christianity was first professed by the Princess Olga, who was baptized at Constantinople. She recommended it to her grandson Vladimir, on whose baptism, in 988, it was adopted by the nation generally; and from that time the Greek church has been the established religion throughout Russia, and Greek literature greatly encouraged. During the middle ages, however, the doctrine of transubstantiation, and some other popish peculiarities, were covertly introduced; and, by the irruption of the Mongol Tartars, in the fifteenth century, a stop was put to learning and civilization for full two centuries; but, on the accession of the present dynasty in 1613, civilization and Christianity were restored, and schools established for the education of the clergy. The Russian clergy are divided into regular and secular; the former are all monks, and the latter are the parochial clergy. The superior clergy are called archires; but the title of metropolitan, or bishop, is personal, and not properly attached to the see, as in the western church. Next after the archires rank the black clergy, including the chiefs of monasteries and convents, and after them the monks. The secular priests are called the white clergy, including the protoires, or proto-popes, priests, and deacons, together with the readers and sacristans. These amounted, in 1805, throughout the empire, to ninety- eight thousand seven hundred and twenty-six. The white clergy must be married before they can be ordained, but must not marry a second time; they are at liberty then to enter among the black clergy, and a way is thus opened for their accession to the higher orders. The whole empire is divided into thirty-six diocesses, or eparchies, in which are four hundred and eighty-three cathedrals, and twenty-six thousand, five hundred and ninety-eight churches. The churches are divided into three parts. 1. The altar, where stands the holy table, crucifix, &c, which is separated from the body of the church by a large screen, on which are painted our Saviour, the virgin, the Apostles, and other saints. Upon a platform before this are placed the readers and singers, and here the preacher generally stands behind a movable desk. 2. The nave, or body of the church, which may be called the inner court. 3. The trapeza, or outer court. The two last are designed for the congregation, but neither have any seats. The walls of the church are highly embellished with Scripture paintings, ornamented with gold, silver, and precious stones, but no images.
The church service is contained in twenty-four volumes, folio, in the Slavonian language, which is not well understood by the common people. Parts of the Scriptures are read in the service; but few, even of the ecclesiastics, possess a complete Bible. The patriarch of Russia was formerly almost equal in authority with the czar himself; but Peter the Great, on the death of the patriarch in 1700, abolished his office, and appointed an exarch. In 1721 he abolished this office also, and appointed a "holy legislative synod" for the government of the church, at the head of which is always placed a layman of rank and eminence. The monastic life was once so prevalent in this country, that there were four hundred and seventy-nine convents for men, and seventy-four for women, in which there were about seventy thousand monks and nuns, &c; but this kind of life was so much discouraged by Peter the Great and the Empress Catherine, that the religious are now reduced to about five thousand monks and seventeen hundred nuns. Great part of their revenues has also been alienated, and appropriated to the support of hospitals and houses for the poor.
Charles Buck Theological Dictionary [2]
See Greek CHURCH. 1. Notes 2. Sabbatarians 3. Sabbath 4. Sabellians 5. Sacophori 6. Sacrament 7. Sacramentarians 8. Sacrifice 9. Sacrilege 10. Sadducees 11. Saint 12. Salvation 13. Samaritans 14. Samaritan Pentateuch 15. Sanctification 16. Sanctions 17. Sandemanians 18. Sanhedrim 19. Sarabaites 20. Satan 21. Satanians 22. Satisfaction 23. Saturnians 24. Saviour 25. SAVOY Conference 26. SAVOY Confession 27. Sceptic 28. Schewenkfeldians 29. Schism 30. SCHISM BILL 31. SCHOLASTIC Divinity 32. Schoolmen 33. Scorner 34. Scotists 35. Scribe 36. SCRIPTURE 37. Seceders 38. SECT 39. SECULAR Clergy 40. Secundians 41. Seducer 42. Seekers 43. Seleucians 44. Self-Deception 45. Self-Dedication 46. Self-Defence 47. Self-Denial 48. Self-Examination 49. SELF-EXISTENCE OF GOD 50. Self-Government 51. Selfishness 52. Self-Knowledge 53. Self-Love 54. Self-Seeking 55. Sembiani 56. Semi-Arians 57. Semi-Pelagians 58. Sensation 59. Sense 60. Septuagint 61. Septuagesima 62. SEPTUAGINT Chronology 63. Seriousness 64. Sermon 65. Serpentinians 66. Servants 67. Servites 68. Sethians 69. Seventy 70. Severities 71. Sexagesima 72. Shakers 73. Shame 74. Shaster 75. SHROVE TUESDAY 76. SIBYLLINE Oracles 77. Simony 78. SIN 79. Sincerity 80. Singing 81. SIX ARTICLES 82. Slander 83. Sobriety 84. Socinians 85. Soldins 86. Solfidians 87. SON OF GOD 88. Sorcery 89. Sorrow 90. SOUL 91. Southcotters 92. Sovereignty OF GOD 93. Spinosism 94. Spirit 95. HOLY SPIRIT 96. Spirituality OF GOD 97. Spiritual-Mindedness 98. Sponsors 99. Sports 100. Statute Bloody 101. Steadfastness 102. Stoics 103. Stylites 104. SUB Deacon 105. Sublapsarians 106. SUBMISSION TO GOD 107. SUBSCRIPTION, CLERICAL 108. SUCCESSION UNINTERRUPTED 109. SUFFERINGS OF Christ 110. Sunday 111. Supererogation 112. Superintendent 113. Superstition 114. Supralapsarians 115. Supremacy OF THE POPE 116. SUPREMACY, OATH OF 117. Suspicion 118. Swearing 119. Swedenborgians 120. Symbol 121. Synagogue 122. Synergists 123. Synod 124. Syrian Christians
Webster's Dictionary [3]
The established church of the Russian empire. It forms a portion, by far the largest, of the Eastern Church and is governed by the Holy Synod. The czar is the head of the church, but he has never claimed the right of deciding questions of theology and dogma.
