Modifications of the individual author’s worldview under the Schism (Raskol) in the Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian language picture of the world, following the adoption of Christianity, developed as a dualistic construct. This duality arose not only from the increasing complexity of its religious, philosophical, and ethical categories but also because sacred texts in Old Church Slavonic - a language structurally and systemically related to East Slavic languages-facilitated the development of a unique worldview and a genetically heterogeneous literary language. The heterogeneity was was exacerbated by the religious and political disputes of the 15th-16th centuries, which presented conflicting models for the relationship between the universal and the national, as well as for church-state relations. These tensions, under the conditions of the church reform in the mid-17th century, culminated in a schism within the consciousness of Russian society. An analysis of the works by the most prominent figures of this period in the Russian Orthodox Church-Patriarch Nikon and Archpriest Avvakum - is particularly revealing. Despite their shared roots in the Nizhny Novgorod province, similar initial views on church reform, and shared experience of disgrace, they held diametrically opposed positions regarding the implementation of church “truth.” Their petitions to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich are of particular significance for representing their individual worldviews. The causus and motivational sections of these petitions allowed them both to express his complaints, requests, and desires with utmost individuality. By appealing to the same addressee - with Nikon seeking improved conditions of exile and Avvakum advocating for the return of “ancient piety” - their profound divergences in conceptualizing and evaluating the world are laid bare. This is reflected in their distinct linguistic worldviews: one representing a “material” perception of reality, and the other generating mental and linguistic activity conditioned by an eschatological perception of the world.

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