# Bespopovtsy

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{{Short description|Priestless Old Believers that reject Nikonite priests}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=June 2021}}
{{Eastern Orthodox sidebar|width=22.0em}}
thumb|right | Old Believers in Russian North. Late 19th - early 20th century
'''Bespopovtsy''' ({{lang-rus|беспоповцы|p=bʲɪspɐˈpoftsɨ|t=priestless ones}}), often called '''Priestless Old Believers''' in English, are one of the two major groups of [Old Believers](/source/Old_Believers). Unlike the [Popovtsy](/source/Popovtsy) ("priested"), the Bespopovtsy reject priests ordained following the liturgical reforms of [Patriarch Nikon of Moscow](/source/Patriarch_Nikon_of_Moscow) in the 17th century.

==Historical background==
After the reforms of [Patriarch Nikon of Moscow](/source/Patriarch_Nikon_of_Moscow) in the 1650s, many members of the [Russian Orthodox Church](/source/Russian_Orthodox_Church) refused to acknowledge the changes which he had made to bring the church in line with the [Greek Orthodox Church](/source/Greek_Orthodox_Church).<ref>[https://cnewa.org/eastern-christian-churches/orthodox-church/orthodox-churches-of-irregular-status/the-old-believers/ Catholic Near East Welfare Association website, ''The Old Believers'', article dated September 4, 2021]</ref>

==Modern beliefs==

Priestless Old Believers may have evolved into the first [Spiritual Christians](/source/Spiritual_Christians) which were divided into various and diverse tribal sects including: [Pomortsy](/source/Pomortsy), [Fedoseyans](/source/Fedoseyans), [Filippians](/source/Filippians), [Chasovennye](/source/Chasovennye), ''[Beguny](/source/Beguny)'' ("Runners"), Saviour's Confession (''Netovtsy''/''Netovshchina''), and many others. Some reject [priest](/source/priest)s and a number of church [rite](/source/Rite_(Christianity))s, such as the [Eucharist](/source/Eucharist), believing that any priest or [hierarch](/source/hierarch) who has used the Nikonite Rites has forfeited [apostolic succession](/source/apostolic_succession). Others still believe in the existence of a priesthood, but happen to find themselves without priests. Many such sects have historically received Nikonite priests that have publicly repented from the reforms of Patriarch Nikon.

==The US==
In the 21st century, over 7,000 Old Believers live in the US,<ref>[https://journals.ku.edu/folklorica/article/view/3800/3638 University of Kansas website, Journals, ''Traditional Customs of Russian Old Believers in Woodburn, Oregon'', article by Elena Razumovskaya (2008)]</ref> with settlements in Oregon and Alaska.<ref>[https://nhlrc.ucla.edu/nhlrc/article/166943 University of California, National Heritage Language Resource Center section, ''Russian Old Believers in the USA: Language and Belief'', by Tamara Morris, published August 19, 2016]</ref><ref>[https://alaskawatchman.com/2022/01/05/the-arrival-of-russian-old-believers-in-alaska-part-2-of-2/    Alaska Watchman website, ''The Arrival of Russian Old Believers in Alaska, Part 2'', article by Alexander Dolitskey, published January 5, 2022]</ref>

==Sources==
* Crummey, Robert O. ''The Old Believers & The World Of Antichrist; The Vyg Community & The Russian State'', Wisconsin U.P., 1970.
* Zenkovsky, Serge A. "The ideology of the Denisov brothers", ''Harvard Slavic Studies'', 1957. III, 49–66.
* {{cite book| author = Нильский, И. | url = http://dlib.rsl.ru/viewer/01003852959#?page=7 | title = Семейная жизнь в русском расколе. Вып. 1: От начала раскола до царствования императора Николая I |location= СПб. |date = 1869a |language=ru}}
* {{cite book| author = Нильский, И. | url = http://dlib.rsl.ru/viewer/01003852957#?page=5 | title = Семейная жизнь в русском расколе. Вып. 2: Царствование императора Николая I |location= СПб. |date = 1869b |language=ru}}
* {{ВТ-ЭСБЕ|Раскол|[Василенко Н. П.](/source/%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%BE%2C_%D0%9D%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B9_%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%84%D1%8C%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87)|ref=Василенко}}
* {{cite book| author = Казьмина О. Е.| author-link = Казьмина, Ольга Евгеньевна| chapter = Беспоповцы| chapter-url = http://static.iea.ras.ru/books/narody_i_religii_mira_enciklopediya.pdf | title = [Народы и религии мира: Энциклопедия](/source/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%8B_%D0%B8_%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%B8_%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B0%3A_%D0%AD%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%8F)<!-- | agency = Гл. ред. [В. А. Тишков](/source/%D0%A2%D0%B8%D1%88%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%2C_%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87)--> | edition =  {{nowrap|100000 экз}} |location= М. |date = 1999 |publisher= [Большая Российская энциклопедия](/source/%D0%91%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%88%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D1%8D%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%8F_(%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE)) | pages = 692–693| isbn = 5-85270-155-6| ref = Казьмина}}
* {{cite book| author = Миловидов В. Ф.| author-link = Миловидов, Владимир Фёдорович| chapter = Беспоповщина| chapter-url = http://terme.ru/termin/bespopovschina.html#item-51346| title = Религии народов современной России: Словарь <!--| agency = Ред-кол.: [Мчедлов М. П.](/source/%D0%9C%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%2C_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD_%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87) (отв. ред.), [Аверьянов Ю. И.](/source/%D0%90%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%8C%D1%8F%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%2C_%D0%AE%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%98%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87), [Басилов В. Н.](/source/%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%2C_%D0%92%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80_%D0%9D%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87) и др--> | edition = 2-е изд., испр. и доп {{nowrap|4000 экз}} |location= М. |date = 2002 |publisher= [Республика](/source/%D0%A0%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0_(%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE)) | pages = 45–46| isbn = 5-250-01818-1| ref = Миловидов}}
* {{cite journal |author = Попов С. Н. |title= Типология (классификация) христианских церквей. (Русские староверы – старообрядцы или реформаторы?) |type= сб. ст |edition= Теология и религиоведение  |location= [Барнаул](/source/%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%83%D0%BB) |date=  2007  |publisher= [Изд-во Алт. ун-та](/source/%D0%90%D0%BB%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%82) |issue= 2 |ref= Попов }}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
* [Popovtsy](/source/Popovtsy), another major strain of Old Believers, the ones who accept priests.
*[Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy](/source/Belokrinitskaya_Hierarchy)
*[Edinoverie](/source/Edinoverie) Old-Ritualists
*[Russian Old-Orthodox Church](/source/Russian_Old-Orthodox_Church)

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Category:Old Believers

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bespopovtsy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bespopovtsy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bespopovtsy?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.