The spiritual regulation of 1721 was abolished. Reform of the Russian Orthodox Church: the historical significance of the spiritual regulations

§ 3. "Spiritual Regulations" and the establishment of the Holy Synod

a) After the death of the last patriarch, Peter at first was content with temporary measures, and only from 1718, when the victory over the Swedes was already certain, did he intensively engage in the reorganization of state and church administration. According to Peter, both of these problems were equally important and had to be solved together, moreover, the central state authorities should have been entrusted with control over the Church. Such an attitude is already unambiguously expressed in the decree of March 2, 1717, which states that the "spiritual rank" must be subordinate to the Governing Senate. The policy of the Senate soon placed the Locum Tenens patriarchal throne into a dependent position. After the establishment of collegiums (1718-1720), accountable to the Senate, and the reforms of local administration (1719), a new structure of the state apparatus was determined. Now the time has come to adapt the church leadership to the state mechanism, incorporating the former into the latter. The necessity of the collegiate principle of governing the Church seemed to the tsar as self-evident as the subordination of the Church to his tsar's will. Nevertheless, it was clear to Peter that the introduction of this order looked like a decisive revolution in the eyes of the clergy and people, and therefore he wanted to give his reform a motivated and intelligible justification.

The conflict with the heir to the throne was the last reason for drastic measures taken by Peter against the opposition of the clergy, which emerged during the trial. At first, it was important for Peter to create top management Churches, in order to then engage in raising the educational level of the clergy. But it was also important that right now, in peacetime, when Peter was embarking on the implementation of his reform program, the clergy should work for the state. Therefore, Peter decided not only to reform the church administration through an official decree, but, moreover, to back it up with a detailed justification.

When the idea of ​​abolishing the patriarchate in Peter finally matured and it was time to issue a legislative act that would explain and justify this innovation, the only one to whom Peter could entrust this delicate and responsible matter was the young Archbishop of Pskov Feofan Prokopovich. Feofan was by far the most educated person in Peter's circle, and perhaps even the most educated Russian person of the 18th century. with universal interests and knowledge in the field of history, theology, philosophy and linguistics. Theophanes was a European, he “shared and professed the typical doctrine of the century, repeated Puffendorf, Grotius, Hobbes ... Theophanes almost believed in the absoluteness of the state ... Theophanes not only adjoins, he belongs to the Protestant scholasticism of the 17th century... If the name of a Russian bishop had not been on the Feofan's "treatises", it would have been most natural to guess their author among the professors of some Protestant theological faculty. Everything here is permeated with the Western spirit, the air of the Reformation,” writes one Russian theologian. It was important to Peter not only that Feofan possessed all this knowledge, there was one more good reason to entrust him with the rationale for the planned restructuring of church administration: Peter was convinced of Theophan's devotion to his reforms. Theophanes understood this and fulfilled the assignment, sparing neither effort nor time, putting all of himself into the cause. He was a devoted supporter of Peter's reforms and an official apologist for government measures, which was manifested more than once, especially in his treatise "The Truth of the Will of the Monarchs." Feofan's views on the relationship between the state and the Church completely coincided with the views of Peter: both were looking for a suitable model in the church institutions of Prussia and other Protestant countries.

It was natural for the king to entrust the writing of the Spiritual Regulations to Theophanes, just as it was natural for Theophanes to wait for such an assignment. Of course, Peter gave Feofan some directives, but on the whole the content of the "Regulations" reflects Theophan's ecclesiastical and political views, while his unrestricted temperament is visible in the style. The "Regulations" was conceived not only as a commentary on the law, but was supposed to contain in itself the basic law of church government. However, this goal was achieved only partially and not in the best way, since the written text does not contain clear legal definitions even of the structure and powers of the governing bodies. On the other hand, there are elements in it that give it the character of a political treatise, the author of which cannot hide his personal views (one might say, the views of Peter) and his attitude to various phenomena of church life of the past 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries. In places, the "Regulations" turns into an accusatory sermon or satire. “There is a lot of bile in the Regulations. This book is evil and vicious." The author's argument is purely rationalistic. He doesn't have any sacred concept about the Church as the Body of Christ. Arguments in favor of a collegiate system cannot hide the fact that the main point of the "Regulations" is not so much the abolition of the patriarchate, but rather the revolutionary restructuring of relations between the state and the Church. With the release of the "Spiritual Regulations" the Russian Church becomes integral part state structure, and the Holy Synod - a state institution. The Russian Church is losing close ties with universal Orthodoxy, with which it is now connected only by dogma and ritual. The Russian jurist A.D. Gradovsky defines it this way: The Most Holy Governing Synod, formerly called the Spiritual College, was established by a state act, and not by a church one - “Spiritual Regulations” ... According to the “Regulations”, the Synod was supposed to be a state institution, depending on the secular authorities".

After the manuscript was presented to the tsar and some amendments were made by him personally (February 11, 1720), on February 23 or 24, the “Regulations” were read out in the Senate and signed by the tsar. On February 14, 1721, the establishment of the Theological College was celebrated with a solemn divine service. Feofan Prokopovich delivered a sermon in which he proclaimed the task of the new "ecclesiastical government" to improve the church and religious life of the Russian people, without going into the issue of abolishing the patriarchate. Feofan turned to the "civil and military rulers" with a request to support the activities of the "ecclesiastical government".

In the royal manifesto of January 25, 1721, compiled by Feofan, along with the reasons for the reform, it is indicated that the "Spiritual Regulation" is henceforth the basic law of the highest church administration, and the reasons for the reform are stated. This makes the manifesto a legislative act. “By the grace of God, We, Peter the Great, are the tsar and autocrat of all Russia, and so on and so forth ... between many of the authorities God-given to Us in duty to care for the correction of Our people and other states subject to Us, looking at the spiritual rank and seeing in it a lot of disorder and great in his deeds, we have fear, which is not vain on Our conscience, but we will not appear ungrateful to the Most High, if we receive prosperity from Him in correcting both the military and civil ranks, we will neglect the correction and spiritual rank. And when the non-hypocritical Judge asks Us for an answer about the precept handed to Us from Him, let us not be unanswerable. For this reason, in the image of the former, both in the Old and in the New Testament, pious kings, having taken care of the correction of the spiritual rank, and not seeing a better way for this, than a conciliar government. After all, it is not without passion in a single person, and besides, it is not hereditary power, for the sake of the greater they do not care, we appoint the Spiritual College, that is, the Spiritual Cathedral Government, which, according to the following "Regulations", has all sorts of spiritual affairs in the All-Russian Church to manage. And we command all our faithful subjects, of every rank, spiritual and temporal, to have this for an important and strong government, and it has extreme matters of spiritual administration, decisions and decisions to ask, and to be satisfied with its certain judgment, and listen to its decrees in everything under great resistance and disobedience by punishment, against other colleges. There must be this collegium and henceforth supplement its “Regulations” with new rules, different cases will require such rules. However, this should be done by the Spiritual Board not without Our permission. We determine in this Theological College to be named members here: a single president, two vice-presidents, four advisers, four assessors. And then it was mentioned in this “Regulations” in the first part, seventh and eighth paragraphs that the president is subject to the court of his brethren, this is the same collegium, he would have sinned in something notably, for this we determine and have a voice equal to that with others. All the members of this college, when entering into their business, have to take an oath, or a promise, before the holy Gospel according to the attached form of the oath.

Under that is signed by the Royal Majesty with his own hand, Peter.

The text of the oath: “I, the below-named, I promise and swear by Almighty God, before His holy Gospel, that I must, and I want it according to my duty, and I will be diligent in every way in councils, and courts, and all the affairs of this Spiritual governing assembly, always seek the very essence of truth and the very essence of truth, and to act entirely according to the charters written in the "Spiritual Regulations". And if the cue will continue to be determined by the consent of this Spiritual Government and the permission of the Royal Majesty ... I swear again by Almighty God that I want and I must. to my natural and true tsar and sovereign Peter the Great, the All-Russian autocrat, and others ... and to Her Majesty Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna to be a faithful, kind and obedient slave and subject to be ” .

Immediately after the creation of the Theological College, on February 14, 1721, the latter petitioned the tsar for its renaming into the Most Holy Governing Synod, since the name of the Theological College is incomprehensible to the people and can cause confusion during public temple prayers. The king agreed with these arguments and approved the renaming. The printed edition of the “Regulations” received the following heading: “Spiritual Regulations”, by the grace and mercy of the Humanitarian God, and by the diligence and command of the God-given and God-wise most luminous sovereign sovereign Peter the Great, emperor and autocrat of all Russia, and so on, and so on, and so on, in the holy of the Orthodox Russian Church, by the permission and verdict of the All-Russian spiritual rank and the Governing Senate, composed. The details of the entire legislative process are set out at the end of the “Regulations” in the following words: “This is all written here first by the All-Russian monarch himself, His Royal Most Sacred Majesty, to listen before him, to reason, to reason and correct, he deigned to 1720, February 11th day. And then, by the decree of His Majesty, His Grace the Bishops, Archimandrites, as well as the ruling senators, listened and, reasoning, corrected this same February 23rd day. The same for the approval and for the immutable execution, by attributing the hands of the spiritual and senatorial persons present, and His Royal Majesty himself deigned to sign with his own hand.

After the meeting, Peter gave the following order to the Senate: “Yesterday I heard from you that both the bishops and you listened to the draft on the Theological College and accepted everything for the good, for this reason it is necessary for the bishops and you to sign it, which I will then fix. And it’s better to sign two and leave one here, and send the other for signing to other bishops.” However, this order was addressed not to the locum tenens, but to the Senate, by whose decree in May 1720 Major Semyon Davydov and Archimandrite Iona Salnikov collected the signatures of the bishops of all twelve dioceses (with the exception of the Siberian one due to its remoteness), as well as archimandrites and abbots of the most important monasteries . In the Senate’s instructions to the commissioners, it was: “And if someone does not become a signatory, and take from him on a letter by hand, which one, for the sake of this parable, does not sign, so that he shows exactly that ... and that he (the commissioner. - Ed.) will have a chinitsa , about that he should write to the Senate by mail for the whole week. The bishops were well aware of the consequences of the refusal, and it was not difficult for the tsar to achieve his first goal: the highest Russian clergy unquestioningly signed the "act of capitulation" of the Church to the state. The "spiritual regulation" ends with the signatures of Peter I, then - seven senators, six metropolitans, one archbishop, twelve bishops, forty-seven archimandrites, fifteen abbots of monasteries, five hieromonks; total eighty-seven signatures of clerics.

b) If the higher Russian clergy were forced to submit to the wishes and orders of Peter, mindful of his severity in the case of Tsarevich Alexei, then the attitude of the Eastern Orthodox patriarchs to all this was by no means clear to Peter. Meanwhile, their approval had great importance for ecclesiastical and political reasons: such an approval would serve in the eyes of the Russian people and the clergy as an authoritative sanction of the newly established Holy Synod and would strengthen the position of the latter in the fight against the ever-widening schism. When in 1589 arose Moscow Patriarchate The Eastern Patriarchs recognized it as equal to the rest of the Eastern Patriarchates, and the Russian Church was recognized as independent in matters of internal administration. But as part of the catholic Orthodox Church, it could not be completely independent of the latter. Much later, in the 19th century, Church historian A.N. Muravyov formulated the essence of the matter as follows: firmness of this recognition of others Eastern Churches so that the unity of the Catholic Church may be inviolable."

Peter's letter to Patriarch Jeremiah III of Constantinople (1715–1726) contains Greek translation manifesto of January 25, 1721 with significant changes in the text. At the beginning of the manifesto, critical remarks against the patriarchal system are replaced by the words: “According to much sound reasoning and advice, both with the spiritual and secular officials of Our state, it was prudent to establish the Spiritual Synod, that is, the highest Spiritual conciliar government, with equal patriarchal authority, to govern the All-Russian state of Our Church , out of worthy spiritual persons, both bishops and kinoviarchs, the number is contented. In the following sentence, the word "college" is translated by the Greek word "synod", which makes the text ambiguous. The end of the manifesto is completely different: “We have determined the same Spiritual Holy Synod through the issued instruction (meaning the “Spiritual Regulations.” - I. S.), so that the holy Church is ruled in everything according to the dogmas of the holy Orthodox Catholic Church of the Greek confession irrevocably, and this dogmas would have an infallible rule of their rule, in which they (i.e., members of the Synod. - I.S.) and obliged themselves with an oath in the holy cathedral church, kissing the holy cross and signing with their own hands. And we hope that Your All Holiness, as the first bishop of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Churches, deign to recognize this institution of Ours and the composition of the Spiritual Synod for the good, and about this to the other most blessed, Patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, initiate a message. In conclusion, it is said that the Holy Synod will continue to keep in touch with the patriarchs on church matters, after which Peter adds: “We promise to show all indulgence in your demands.” This phrase is a diplomatic allusion to the fact that the patriarchs may in the future apply to the tsar for subsidies, which they have received from Moscow so far.

This letter, sent to Constantinople already on September 30, 1721, tells the historian a lot. The absence of an ecclesiastical-political (canonical) justification for the church reform shows, first of all, that Peter and Theophanes, who, no doubt, drew up this charter, were clearly aware that there were no canonical grounds for the reform. The changes in the text of the manifesto leave no doubt that the patriarch was informed not only inaccurately, but completely wrong. The Epistle presents the matter as if it were a matter of replacing the patriarch by a Synod with the same powers. A certain “instruction” is mentioned only in passing, but the patriarch is not told that it means such a far-reaching document as the “Spiritual Regulations”. Not a word is said about the inclusion of the Holy Synod (the Spiritual College) in the collegiate system of state administration, about the subordination of the Church to the will of the monarch and about the control of the state over the Church.

In the first reply message dated February 12, 1722, the patriarch congratulated the emperor on his victory over the Swedes and expressed the hope that the matter would be resolved successfully as soon as other patriarchs could be contacted. On September 23, 1723, the emperor received a long-awaited answer from the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Antioch. The patriarchs declared that “the Synod in the Russian holy great kingdom is and is called by our holy brotherhood in Christ and the Holy Synod from all pious and Orthodox sacred Christians, and people in charge and subordinate, and from every person of rank and has permission to perform, the four apostolic holy altars, instructs, exhorts and instructs, yes it preserves and contains the unshakable customs and rules of the sacred Ecumenical Seven Councils and another, like the Eastern Holy Church contains, and abides in all the whole without creeping, God's grace and prayer and the blessing of our dimensionality be with you . September 23, 1723". In an additional message from Patriarch Jeremiah to the Holy Synod, the recent death of the Patriarch of Alexandria and the grave illness of the Patriarch of Jerusalem are reported, and assurances are expressed that letters of confirmation from both of these patriarchs will arrive later. Thus, Peter's desire to receive sanction for his reform was fulfilled. The readiness of the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Antioch to make concessions in relation to the uncanonical actions of the emperor is explained not only by the reinterpretation of the essence of the matter that took place in Peter's letter, but also by the dependence of the patriarchs under Turkish rule on Russian subsidies.

in) And so, the Most Holy Governing Synod, placed at the head of the administration of the Russian Church, should henceforth be guided in its activities by the "Spiritual Regulations".

The "Spiritual Regulations" is divided into three parts, which are divided into "paragraphs", containing either legislative orders, or comments and digressions of the compiler. They give an idea of ​​the views of Theophanes (or Peter) on a particular issue of church administration, therefore, the "Spiritual Regulations" is for us not only a monument of church legislation, but also a source for judging the views of Theophanes and, in part, Peter.

First of all, the significance of the “Regulations” as a law is emphasized: “The Regulations, or the Spiritual Charter, according to which it (i.e., the Spiritual Board. - Ed.) know their duties and all spiritual ranks, as well as worldly persons, since they are subject to spiritual management , and at the same time he has to act in the administration of his deeds. In comparison with this somewhat vague characterization of the legislative significance of the "Regulations", the manifesto of January 25, 1721 says directly that the Theological College "has to manage all kinds of spiritual affairs in the All-Russian Church." Consequently, the manifesto is, to a certain extent, part of the "Regulations", which is why it was always printed along with it. Theophan titled the first part of the "Regulations": "What is the Spiritual Collegium, and what is the essence of the important guilt of such a government." Along with the “Regulations”, according to Theophanes, the canonical rules and regulations remain invariably and in full force: “And the foundation of governance, that is, the law of God, in Holy Scripture proposed, so are the canons, or rules of the cathedral holy fathers, and the rules of the civil, agreeing with the word of God, require their own books, but they do not fit here. Then follows the definition of the Theological College: “The Collegium of the Government is nothing else, only a government meeting, when the affairs of a certain person, not a single person, but many, established by that pleasing and from the highest authority, are subject to management.” Here Theophanes points out that the Spiritual College was established by the monarch. According to Theophanes, one should distinguish between "one-time" and "permanent" colleges. The former include, for example, “Church Synods”, the latter include the “Church Sanhedrin” or the “Civil Court of the Areopagites in Athens”, as well as the Petrine Colleges founded for the good of the state. “And like a Christian sovereign, orthodoxy and everyone in the Church holy deanery guardian (this formula was included in the 19th century in the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire. - I. S.), looking at spiritual needs and desiring any better management of them, deigned to establish the Spiritual Collegium, which would diligently and tirelessly observe hedgehogs the benefit of the Church, so that they may all be in order and that there will be no discord, if there is a desire of the apostle, or rather the good will of God Himself. Therefore, “let no one imagine that this management is not pleasing and it would be better for a single person to rule the spiritual affairs of the whole society.” Theophanes cites nine “vins” to the fact that “this conciliar rule is always the most perfect and is better than a one-man government, especially in a monarchical state, which is our Russian.”

The first "guilt" is a practical consideration: "what one does not comprehend, another will comprehend." The second “guilt” is that a collegial judgment has greater authority: “a conciliar sentence bows down more to assurance and obedience than a sole decree.” Thirdly, “there is a governing board under a sovereign monarch and is established by the monarch”; from here it is clear that “the collegium is not a certain faction (i.e., a group, a party. - I. S.), a secret union formed for the interest of its own, but for the good of the common, by the order of the autocrat, and with other consideration of the assembled person” . Fourth, under a collegiate system of government, death does not bring about the suspension of affairs that continue "incessantly." Fifthly, there is no place in the collegium for “addiction, deceit, and ruthless court.” Further, the advantage of the collegium is that “it is by no means possible for everyone (that is, the members of the collegium. - I.S.) to form secretly.” Here, Peter's distrust of the opposition-minded clergy shows through: "Bishops, archimandrites, abbots and from the authorities of the white priesthood, truly do not see here as such to each other and dare to reveal some insidious intention, not only to agree to wrong." Therefore, here, in the collegium, there are no “strong ones” who influence others, and, as the sixth “guilt” says, “the collegium has the freest spirit in itself to justice.”

The seventh "guilt" is of a church-political nature and reflects Peter I's assessment of the previous period in relations between the state and the Church, primarily the conflict between Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. It is set forth by Theophanes in particular detail and is indeed central to the system of his arguments in favor of the reform. Theophanes explains the main political motive that guided the king, and proves that Peter pursued primarily state interests, and not some narrow church-reform goals. In terms of content, Feofan's reasoning is closely connected with the thought briefly expressed in the manifesto that "in a single person it happens not without passion." “It is also great,” writes Theophanes, “that the fatherland does not fear revolts and embarrassment from conciliar government, which come from a single spiritual ruler of their own. For the common people do not know how the spiritual power differs from the autocratic one, but surprised by the great and highest shepherd with honor and glory, they think that such a ruler is a second sovereign, equal to or greater than the autocrat, and that the spiritual order is a different and better state, - and behold, the people used to think taco by themselves. What, then, when even the weedy power-hungry spiritual conversations will be added and fire will be placed on dry courage? So simple hearts are corrupted by this opinion, that it’s not so for their autocrat, as if they look at the supreme shepherd in any business. To prove the love of power of the clergy, Theophanes also refers to the history of Byzantium and the papacy and warns against such encroachments: “Let us not remember such former swings among us. Such an evil cannot exist under a conciliar government. And when the people still see that this conciliar government has been established by a royal decree and a Senate sentence, then it will even more so remain in its meekness and greatly postpone the hope of having help from the clergy for its rebellions.

The eighth “guilt” is seen in the fact that such “swings” within the board itself are impossible, since not only each of its members, but also the chairman himself is subject to a collegiate court, “if he makes a notable mistake”. Therefore, there is no need to convene an Ecumenical Council, which is impossible due to the rule of the Turks over the Eastern Patriarchates. The ninth "guilt" betrays Peter's concern for raising the level of education and culture of the clergy: in a certain sense school of spiritual management: “everyone can conveniently learn spiritual politics from neighbors ... therefore, the most pleasing from the number of colleagues, or neighbors, persons will come to the degree of bishopric to ascend worthy. And so in Russia, with the help of God, rudeness will soon disappear from the spiritual rank, and hope all the best.

These are the foundations of the reform, as Feofan sees them. There are no canonical considerations among them. But on the other hand, the views of Peter and Theophan himself are clearly expressed, and the reader of the "Spiritual Regulations" has no doubt that disobedience to the Spiritual College, i.e., the Holy Synod, is tantamount to resistance to the monarch. Feofan repeatedly emphasizes that the Holy Synod is a "conciliar government" and, therefore, is more than just a body of collegiate government. Already in the manifesto, this expression is deliberately used in order to evoke in the reader associations with Church Councils. In the official textbook of Russian church history of 1837, the Most Holy Synod is directly referred to as the "continuous Local Council". The History of the Russian Church by Filaret Gumilevsky says: “The Holy Synod is in its composition the same as a legitimate Church Council.” As early as 1815, Filaret Drozdov, later Metropolitan, made an attempt to present the Holy Synod as the personification of the conciliar principle of the ancient Church. In his essay “Conversations between the Probing and the Confident about the Orthodoxy of the Eastern Catholic Church,” the doubter is given an explanation that “every time in which Church a patriarch died, a Council met in it, and in Greek a Synod, which took the place of the patriarch.” This Council had the same power as the patriarch. When the Russian Church received the Holy Synod as the highest instance of its government, it “came closer to ancient image clergy". If in ancient times the patriarch himself used to convene one or two such Councils a year, then “according to the space of the Russian Church, as well as according to the current way of doing things, it was impossible in Russia to have a Synod once or twice a year, but it was necessary to always be ". To the question of a doubter: “Who should be considered the highest in the hierarchy - the patriarch or the Synod?” - the following answer is given: “The General Synod of the entire Russian Church could judge the patriarch himself (Filaret obviously meant the trial of Patriarch Nikon in the 17th century - I.S.). The Private Synod of elected bishops, in its unity, enjoys rights equal to those of the patriarch, which is why, just like the patriarch, he is called the Most Holy. The Patriarch is the Synod in one person. The synod is a patriarch in a few selected consecrated persons. This is how things were viewed Orthodox Patriarchs East, giving its consent to the establishment of the Holy Synod in the Russian Church and recognizing for it the same authority that until then the Patriarch of All Rus' had. Filaret Drozdov probably believes that by doing so he proved the legitimacy of the Holy Synod from a canonical point of view. Here we observe the same tendency, consecrated by the authorities of Peter I and Theophan, by an essentially unjustified appeal to the conciliar idea of ​​providing the Holy Synod with a kind of canonically conciliar justification. Both points so clearly formulated by Theophanes - "statehood" and "cathedralism" of the Holy Synod - become in XIX century, on the one hand, the main bastions in the protection of the synodal system by the state, and on the other hand, those weak points on which the opposition directed the fire of its criticism.

If the first part of the “Spiritual Regulations” serves as an introduction, then Theophanes titled the second part: “Cases subject to this management” and subdivided it into: 1) “Cases common to the whole Church” and 2) “Kind of deeds that are necessary by their own order” (meaning , of course, a spiritual rank).

In the first section, “General Matters,” the collegium is charged with the duty to monitor “if everything is done correctly and according to the Christian law, and if anything and where is not done, it is contrary to the law.” Immediately after that, it is explained what this duty primarily consists of - in the correct performance of the divine service and in the censorship of books: “If someone writes a theological essay about something, then it should not be printed immediately, but first presented to the college. The collegium must test whether there are any errors in the composition that are contrary to the Orthodox dogma.” Further, one should observe whether “we have Christian teaching sufficient for correction.” Finally, as one of the immediate tasks of the board, it is indicated: “Compose three little books. The first is about the most important saving dogmas of our faith, as well as about the commandments of God, which are included in the Decalogue. The second is about their own positions of any rank. The third one, in which the collected will be clear sermons from various holy teachers. It is recommended to read these little books in the church after the service, so "so that all the little books here can be read in a quarter of the year."

Section two, on deeds "needed by one's own rank," discusses three topics. The first is the diocesan administration (bishopric, parish clergy and monastic affairs), the second is theological schools.

Bishop's affairs include the following: diocesan administration, supervision of parish clergy, the right to excommunicate from the Church, diocese tours and religious schools. In three canons (“regulations”), namely 13, 14 and 15, it is emphasized that bishops, as well as all the clergy of the dioceses, are subordinate to the Theological College and are subject to its judgment. Finally, Rule 23 deals with preaching.

The third topic is the Theological College itself. It must consist of twelve men, a condition that was almost never fulfilled. The manifesto speaks of eleven members: a president, two vice-presidents, four councillors, and four assessors. In the budget of the Synod, submitted for approval to the Senate, there were also only eleven members. "Bishops, abbots and archpriests" should be appointed as members of the Theological College. Three must have episcopal rank. And this order was not always followed. Immediately upon the founding of the college, the simple monk Theophilus Rabbit became a member of the Synod. Later, another trend became decisive for the composition of the Synod - to increase the number of bishops in it.

The following responsibilities of the college are listed: 1) overseeing all church administration and ecclesiastical courts; 2) evaluation of projects of all kinds of improvements; 3) censorship; 4) study and certification of miracles; 5) consideration of new sectarian teachings; 6) investigation of obscure questions of conscience; 7) testing candidates for the title of bishop; 8) taking over the functions of the former patriarchal court; 9) supervision over the use of church property; 10) defense of bishops and other clergy before secular courts; 11) verification of the authenticity of wills (together with the College of Justice); 12) the eradication of begging and the renewal of charity; 13) struggle with simony. Then follows the paragraph on the oath: “Actually, every college, both the president and others, at the beginning of taking their rank, must take an oath: that they are and will be faithful to the Royal Majesty, that not according to their passions, not for bribery, but for God and good human with the fear of God and a good conscience to judge cases, and advise, and other brethren will judge their opinions and advice, accept or reject. And he will utter such an oath on himself under a nominal penalty of anathema and corporal punishment, if, after his disgusting oath, he was caught and convicted.

At the end, there is a brief mention of "worldly persons" who must take Holy Communion once a year. Among other things, the collegium is obliged to collect information on the number of Old Believers by dioceses. Individuals cannot invite priests who do not have parishes (“sacral and dragging priests”) for house services, or give them shelter (paragraphs 7-8). Newborns should only be baptized in parish churches.

This text of the “Spiritual Regulations” written by Theophan and corrected by Peter is accompanied by “points” that were drawn up by the Theological College itself and approved by the king. Here we are talking about renaming the collegium into the Holy Governing Synod, and then follows a very diplomatically drafted request from the collegium to the tsar: from civil rulers they came to poverty and emptiness, and the Theological College swore an oath, both in loyalty and in seeking the interest of the Royal Majesty against other colleges no less; and in the "Regulations of the Spiritual" it is stipulated that such a government should be before the Spiritual College. Peter's resolution read: "Be according to this."

Soon after the first edition of the "Spiritual Regulations" - on September 16, 1721, in May 1722 a second one appeared with an addition, the authors of which, apparently, were Theophanes and Theophilus Rabbit, - "Addendum on the rules of the clergy of the church and the monastic rank." The manifesto of January 25, 1721 served as the legal basis for the "Addendum", but the Holy Synod did not ask the tsar for the necessary consent to the publication of the "Addition", as a result Peter's reprimand followed.

The first part of the "Addendum" speaks of the white clergy: "about presbyters, deacons and other clerks." The second part is entitled "On the monks" and deals with monastic life. The content of both these parts will be discussed in detail later in the relevant paragraphs on parish clergy and monasticism.

Already on July 7, 1721, Feofan published his essay “Historical Search”, which is an apology for church reform. According to Theophanes, the right of the monarch to reform also extends to the sphere of church organization and administration: The name “bishop” means overseer… Sovereign, the highest authority, is the overseer perfect, extreme, supreme and omnipotent, that is, having power and commands, and extreme judgment, and punishment over all his subjects and authorities, both worldly and spiritual. What I showed quite well from both the Old and the New Testament in the “Sermon on the Tsar's Honor”, ​​preached on the flower-bearing week of 1718, and for the sake of it I do not repeat it here. And even over the spiritual rank, the sovereign oversight from God is established, for the sake of which every highest lawful sovereign in his state is truly a bishop of bishops. In the same year, Theophan wrote a treatise "On the raising of the name of the patriarch in church prayers, which for the sake of it is now left in Russian churches ”(May 1721). And in the end, Theophan published another “Treatise, which explains from what time patriarchal dignity began in the Church and how for 400 years the Church was governed without patriarchy and until now some are not subject to to the Ecumenical Patriarchs» .

Theophan's argument in defense of the church reform, set out in the "Regulations" and in the above-mentioned treatises, can be summarized as follows: contrary to the doubts of the Old Believers, Peter I is the legitimate sovereign; he is an autocrat and, moreover, a Christian monarch; as a Christian autocrat he has the right to reform the Church; all subjects of both spiritual and secular rank owe him obedience and recognition of his state and church reforms.

G) Because of attempts to give at least some canonical justification to the Holy Synod, historians in fact forgot to ask what were the real ideological sources of its fundamental document - the "Spiritual Regulations". The question of what kind of circumstances influenced Peter I and Theophan when they drew up this document of Russian church law was left without consideration or was only touched upon very superficially. Later researchers were content with describing the actual functions of the Holy Synod as an organ of state power.

The problem of the Protestant origins of the "Regulations" first surfaced in 1900 during a discussion about the book "History of the Russian Church under the direction of the Holy Synod" by a high-ranking official of the Holy Synod, S. G. Runkevich. Critics have established that it is one apology - proof of the church-political and state-political expediency of Peter's church reform without examining its sources, and that the Protestant influence is felt not only in the text of the Regulations, but also in the very administrative practice of the Holy Synod. And only in 1916, P. V. Verkhovskaya, in his fundamental study “The Establishment of the Spiritual College and the “Spiritual Regulations””, gave a thorough scientific analysis of the sources of the “Regulations”, which deserves detailed consideration.

In the introduction, Verkhovskaya gives a lengthy review of Russian and foreign literature, both contemporary to the "Regulations" and later historical works, which, although without going into consideration of sources, are unanimous in the fact that when creating the Theological College, later - the Holy Synod, and when writing the "Spiritual Regulations" there was an imitation of Protestant models. Then the author analyzes Western European Protestant sources that Peter I and Feofan could have been guided by, and comes to the conclusion that Protestant consistories served as a model for the Theological College. Western Europe, in the first place - Livonia and Estonia. “Peter the Great not only closely knew the main features of the device Protestant Church and collegiate institutions typical of it - consistories, but he himself exercised over them (in Livonia and Estonia. - I.S.) on the basis of territorialism, the power of the Protestant Landesherr, which was obvious and seemed normal both to himself and to his contemporaries , including Feofan Prokopovich. From here there was only one step left to organize the administration of the Russian Church on the same principle. “It was foreign and Russian collegiums and Protestant consistories that served as a model of the Theological College for Theophanes ... It seems difficult to have two opinions about their significance as models of the Theological College and the ideological sources of the Spiritual Regulations.” At the same time, “Protestant theories of power ... in church affairs convince us that they could serve Feofan Prokopovich as a very convenient material for substantiating in the Spiritual Regulations the rights of Peter as a Christian sovereign, guardian of orthodoxy and every holy deanery in the Church.” In addition, this found support in “the views of individual philosophers of the school of natural law ... With all these ideas, as can be seen from his biography, Theophanes was perfectly familiar ...” As for the general plan and spirit of the “Regulations”, it cannot be compared in any way, not only with any canonical collections or conciliar deeds, but even with the same regulations of other Petrine colleges. "Spiritual regulation" bears the specific imprint of Protestant church statutes- Kirchenordnungen ... Moreover, in the "Spiritual Regulations" there are rather curious coincidences of individual thoughts and places with the Swedish church charter of 1686 by Charles XI, extended to Livonia and Estonia, although these coincidences do not give us the right to see in the latter a direct source of the "Regulations ". Verkhovskoy comes to the following conclusion: “The Spiritual College, as it was conceived by Peter and Feofan, is nothing more than a general church consistory of the German-Swedish type, and the “Spiritual Regulations” is a free copy of the Protestant church charters (Kirchenordnungen). The Theological College is a state institution, the creation of which completely changed the legal position of the Church in the Russian state. It seems to us that Verkhovsky's conclusions and his disappointing summary cannot be refuted either by sophistical reasoning in the manner of Metropolitan Filaret Drozdov, or by any other official arguments.

The later renaming of the Theological College into the Most Holy Governing Synod, which took into account the religious psychology of the Russian people, did not change anything in the essence of the Russian state church system created by Peter. Considering the history of the Holy Synod and the entire synodal system in its relations as with state power, and with the believing people, we will be convinced of the justice of this thought at every step.

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The regulation or charter of the spiritual college is a law issued in the form of a manifesto by Peter I, which determined the legal status of the Orthodox Church in Russia (the Russian Orthodox Church). The regulations were the common cause of Feofan Prokopovich and Peter himself. In Theophanes, Peter found an understanding executor and interpreter of his wishes and thoughts, not only helpful, but also obsequious. Theophan knew how to guess and finish not only what was left unsaid, but also what Peter had not thought through. The adoption of the Spiritual Regulations actually turned the Russian clergy into state officials, especially since a secular person, the chief prosecutor, was appointed to supervise the Synod.

Main provisions of the Regulation

The composition of the Holy Synod was determined according to the regulations in 12 "governing persons", of which three certainly had to bear the rank of bishop. As in civil colleges, the Synod had one president, two vice-presidents, four advisers and five assessors. In 1726, these foreign titles, which did not fit in so well with the clergy of the persons sitting in the Synod, were replaced by the words: first-present member, members of the Synod, and those present in the Synod. According to the regulations, the President, who is subsequently first present, has a voice equal to that of the other members of the board.

The representative of the emperor in the Synod was the Chief Procurator. Colonel Ivan Vasilyevich Boltin was appointed the first Chief Procurator of the Synod. The main duty of the chief prosecutor was to conduct all relations between the Synod and the civil authorities and vote against the decisions of the Synod when they were not consistent with the laws and decrees of Peter. The Senate gave the Chief Prosecutor a special instruction, which was almost a complete copy of the instruction to the Prosecutor General of the Senate. The chief procurator was subject to the court only of the sovereign. At first, the power of the chief prosecutor was exclusively observant, but little by little the chief prosecutor becomes the arbiter of the fate of the Synod and its leader in practice. The composition of the Synod was similar to that of the secular colleges. The persons who were at the Synod were the same as those at the colleges, from which its external organization was taken. Before entering into the position assigned to him, each member of the Synod had to "take an oath before the Holy Gospel." Together with the oath of fidelity to serve their cause, the members of the Synod swore allegiance to the service of the reigning sovereign and his successors, they pledged to report in advance about the damage to His Majesty's interest, harm, loss.

As in the Senate, fiscal fiscals were appointed to the position of prosecutor, so in the Synod, spiritual fiscal officers, called inquisitors, were appointed, with an arch-inquisitor at the head. The inquisitors were supposed to secretly supervise the correct and lawful course of the affairs of church life. The office of the Synod was organized on the model of the Senate and was also subordinate to the Chief Procurator. In order to create a living connection with the Senate, the position of an agent was established under the Synod, whose duty, according to the instructions given to him, was to recommend in the Senate and in the office a quick decision on the affairs of the Synod. Then the agent saw to it that the synodical messages sent to the Senate and collegiums were heard before other cases, otherwise he had to protest and inform the prosecutor general. Important papers that came from the Synod to the Senate, the agent had to carry himself. In addition to the agent, the Synod also had a commissar from the Monastery Order. His position was in many ways reminiscent of the position of commissars from the provinces under the Senate. For the convenience of managing the affairs to be administered by the Synod, they were divided into four parts, or offices: the office of schools and printing houses, the office of judicial affairs, the office of schismatic affairs and the office of inquisitorial affairs.

The new institution, according to Peter, should immediately take up the correction of vices in church life. The Spiritual Regulations indicated the tasks of the new institution and noted those shortcomings in the church structure and way of life, with which it was necessary to begin a decisive struggle.

The Spiritual Regulations ordered diocesan bishops to create schools for children (male) of the clergy at the bishop's houses; for the first time in Muscovite Rus' a system of schools was created. This innovation was intended to remove from the environment of the clergy those who enter there not by vocation, but by calculation. Before entering the school, the candidate had to pass an exam, concerning not only knowledge, but also the spiritual qualities of the future shepherd. The priest, according to Feofan Prokopovich, should not be either a mystic or a fanatic. He had to make sure he didn't have "visions" or "disturbing dreams". House confessors, "ordinary tools," says the Rules, "dark intrigues, creators of illegitimate marriages," were subject to special scrutiny. As for the clergy of the churches "maintained by widows", this institution was destroyed.

Places of miraculous phenomena not recognized as such by the Synod were abolished. Men were forbidden to enter the monastery before the age of thirty; monks were required to confess and take communion at least four times a year; compulsory labor is introduced in all monasteries, and monks are forbidden to visit nunneries and even private houses. Nuns, on the other hand, are prohibited from taking final vows before the age of fifty, and obedience continued until then cannot be an obstacle to marriage.

All matters subject to the conduct of the Holy Synod, the Regulations divided into general matters relating to all members of the Church, that is, both secular and spiritual, and into "own" matters, relating only to the clergy, white and black, to theological school and enlightenment. Defining the general affairs of the Synod, the regulation imposes on the Synod the obligation to see to it that among the Orthodox everything is "done correctly according to the Christian law," that there is nothing contrary to this "law," and that there is no "scarcity in instruction, which is appropriate for every Christian." The regulation lists, monitor the correctness of the text sacred books. The synod was supposed to eradicate superstition, establish the authenticity of the miracles of the newly-appeared icons and relics, and monitor the order church services and their correctness, to protect the faith from the pernicious influence of false teachings, for which he put on the right to judge schismatics and heretics and to have censorship over all the "stories of the saints" and all kinds of theological writings, watching that nothing contrary to Orthodox dogma pass. The Synod, on the other hand, owns the categorical resolution of "puzzling" cases of pastoral practice in cases Christian faith and virtue.

In terms of enlightenment and education, the Spiritual Regulations instructed the Synod to ensure that “we have Christian teaching sufficient for correction,” for which it is necessary to compile short and understandable books for ordinary people to teach the people the main dogmas of the faith and the rules of Christian life.

In the matter of managing the church system, the Synod had to examine the dignity of persons appointed to the hierarchs; to protect the church clergy from insults from secular masters; see that every Christian stays in his calling. The synod was obliged to instruct and punish those who erred; Bishops should look to see if the priests and deacons are outrageous, if drunks are making noise in the streets, or, worse, if they are quarreling like men in churches.

All cases that had previously been subject to the patriarchal court were subject to the Synod's court. As far as church property is concerned, the Synod must look after the correct use and distribution of church property.

With regard to its own affairs, the Rules note that, in order to properly fulfill its task, the Synod must know what the duties of each member of the Church are, that is, bishops, presbyters, deacons and other clergymen, monks, teachers, preachers, and then devotes a lot of space to the affairs of bishops, the affairs educational and enlightening and the duties of the laity in relation to the Church. The affairs of other church clergy and concerning monks and monasteries were detailed somewhat later in a special "Addendum to the Spiritual Regulations."

Plan
Introduction
1 History of development and publication
2 Basic provisions of the Regulation

Bibliography

Introduction

The Spiritual Regulations of 1721 (full name: Regulations or Charter of the Spiritual College) is a law issued in the form of a manifesto by Peter I, which determined the legal status of the Orthodox Church in Russia (the Orthodox Russian Church). “The “Regulations” was the common cause of Feofan Prokopovich and Peter himself. In Theophanes, Peter found an understanding executor and interpreter of his wishes and thoughts, not only helpful, but also obsequious. Theophan knew how to guess and finish not only what was left unsaid, but also what Peter had not thought through. And he knew how not only to tell, but also to suggest.

1. History of development and publication

In October 1718, Peter ordered Feofan (Prokopovich) to write a project for the Spiritual College - "Spiritual Regulations".

By February 1720, the draft "Spiritual Regulations" was prepared; On February 23, Peter sent a Decree to the chief secretary of the Senate, so that the Senate and the bishops would listen to the draft and express their opinion: “so that the remarks put an explication of the guilt of the case on each remark.”

The Senate issued a Decree of March 9, 1720 "On the collection of signatures of bishops and archimandrites of the Moscow province under the text of the Regulations of the Theological Board." The text of the Regulations was sent by messengers to the bishops and archimandrites of the monasteries.

The project was accepted on January 25, 1721 with several additions. Among the signatories of the project were 6 bishops and 3 archimandrites. Seven months later, the signatures of 19 bishops, 48 ​​archimandrites, 15 abbots and 5 hieromonks were collected. There were no objections or amendments to the regulations.

2. Main provisions of the Regulation

The most important reform introduced into church administration by the Rules was the abolition of the patriarchate and the establishment of the Most Holy Governing Synod (“The Spiritual College”) in its place. The composition of the Synod was determined:

· the president;

two vice presidents

four advisers

four assessors (they included representatives of the black and white clergy).

The representative of the emperor in the Synod was the Chief Procurator. The composition of the Synod was similar to that of the secular colleges. The persons who were at the Synod were the same as those at the colleges, from which its external organization was taken. Under the Synod, there was also a whole department of fiscals.

The Spiritual Regulations ordered diocesan bishops to create schools for children (male) of the clergy at the bishop's houses; for the first time in Muscovite Rus' a system of schools was created. This innovation was intended to remove from the environment of the clergy those who enter there not by vocation, but by calculation. Before entering the school, the candidate had to pass an exam, concerning not only knowledge, but also the spiritual qualities of the future shepherd. The priest, according to Feofan Prokopovich, should not be either a mystic or a fanatic. He had to make sure he didn't have "visions" or "disturbing dreams." House confessors were subject to special scrutiny, "ordinary tools," says the Rules, "dark intrigues, creators of illegitimate marriages." As for the clergy of the churches "maintained by widows", this institution was destroyed.

Spiritual censorship was institutionalized.

Places of miraculous phenomena not recognized as such by the Synod were abolished.

Men were forbidden to enter the monastery before the age of thirty; monks were required to confess and take communion at least four times a year; compulsory labor is introduced in all monasteries, and monks are forbidden to visit women's monasteries and even private homes. Nuns, on the other hand, are prohibited from taking final vows before the age of fifty, and obedience continued until then cannot be an obstacle to marriage.

Literature

1. Valishevsky K. Peter the Great. M., 1993

2. Verkhovskoy P.V. Establishment of the Spiritual College and Spiritual Regulations. T. 1-2. Rostov n / a, 1916.

3. Levchenko I.V. Russian Orthodox Church and State. Irkutsk, 1997.

4. The text of the "Spiritual Regulations"

Bibliography:

1. Prot. Georgy Florovsky. Ways of Russian theology. Paris, 1937, p. 84

Peter did not deny the Church as an institution, but turned to it from a pragmatic side - as an institution that brings two benefits to the state: in the field of education and through moral influence on his flock. Therefore, Peter consistently strove to turn the Church into a part of state administration that has an impact on the people. Which is justified from the point of view of rational religiosity, which reduces all religion and religious life to morality. Such a worldview determined all the measures of spiritual power directed by him. Peter and his duties as autocrat in the same way. Duty of an autocrat: ruling over a people and transforming the life of that people in a direction pleasing to the king.Peter was a believer, but he did not understand or underestimate the metaphysical side of Orthodoxy. In religion, he recognized as valuable only its ethical content and, accordingly, its impact on society - the most important side of religion for the public life of the people. Peter understood the inner connection of the Russian people with Orthodoxy and the significance of Orthodoxy for national and, consequently, state self-consciousness. Therefore, he saw in the Church an institution necessary for the interests of the state.

For a long time, Peter was content with temporary measures, but from 1718, when the victory over the Swedes left no doubt, he intensively engaged in the reorganization of church administration. According to Peter, state institutions should have been entrusted with control over the Church. Such an attitude is already unambiguously expressed in the decree of March 2, 1717, which states that the "spiritual rank" must be subordinate to the Governing Senate. The policy of the Senate soon placed the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne in a dependent position. After the establishment of colleges (1718 - 1720), accountable to the Senate, and the reforms of local administration (1719), a new structure of the state apparatus was determined. Now the time has come to adapt the church leadership to the state mechanism, incorporating the former into the latter. The necessity of the collegiate principle of governing the Church seemed to the tsar as self-evident as the subordination of the Church to his tsar's will. It was clear to Peter that the introduction of this order through an official decree looked like a decisive revolution in the eyes of the clergy and the people, and therefore he wanted to give his reform a motivated and intelligible justification. When the idea of ​​abolishing the patriarchate in Peter finally matured and it was time to issue a legislative act that would explain and justify this innovation, the only one to whom Peter could entrust this delicate and responsible matter was the young Archbishop of Pskov Feofan Prokopovich.

Feofan was by far the most educated person in Peter's circle, and perhaps even the most educated Russian person of the 18th century. with universal interests and knowledge in history, theology, philosophy and linguistics. Theophanes was a European, he "shared and professed the typical doctrine of the century, repeated Puffendorf, Grotius, Hobbes ... Theophanes almost believed in the absoluteness of the state"It was important to Peter not only that Theophan possessed all this knowledge, there was another good reason to entrust him with the rationale for the planned restructuring of church administration: Peter was convinced of Theophan's devotion to his reforms. Theophanes understood this and fulfilled the assignment, sparing neither effort nor time, putting all of himself into the cause. He was a devoted supporter of Peter's reforms and an official apologist for government measures, which was manifested more than once, especially in his treatise "The Truth of the Will of the Monarchs." Feofan's views on the relationship between the state and the Church completely coincided with the views of Peter: both were looking for a suitable model in the church institutions of Prussia and other Protestant countries. It was natural for the king to entrust the writing of the "Spiritual Regulations" to Theophanes, just as it was natural for Theophanes to wait for such an assignment.

The “Spiritual Regulations” is the main act of the Petrine legislation on the church, containing the most important beginnings of the reform and a number of separate measures, of which the most prominent place is occupied by the replacement of the sole patriarchal power by the collegiate administration of the Synod.“The regulations were the common cause of Feofan Prokopovich and Peter himself. In Theophanes, Peter found an understanding executor and interpreter of his wishes and thoughts, not only helpful, but also obsequious. It is generally characteristic of the Petrine era that ideological programs were published under the guise of laws. Theophanes drew up regulations precisely for such a “collegium” or “consistory”, which were established and opened for spiritual affairs in the reformed principalities and lands.

It seems that Peter gave Feofan some directives, but on the whole the content of the "Regulations" reflects Theophan's ecclesiastical and political views, while his unrestricted temperament is visible in the style. The "Regulations" was conceived not only as a commentary on the law, but was supposed to contain in itself the basic law of church government. However, this goal was achieved only partially and not in the best way, since the written text does not contain clear legal definitions even of the structure and powers of the governing bodies.

The author of the Rules divided it into three parts: in the first he gives a general definition of the new structure of church administration through the spiritual college and proves its legality and necessity, in the second he defines the terms of reference of the Synod, in the third - the duties of individual clergy, while paying special attention to bishops . In its form and partly in its content, the "Spiritual Regulations" is not only a purely legislative act, but at the same time a literary monument. In its tone, the "Spiritual Regulations" brings to mind the "Leviathan" of Hobbes. It proclaims the necessity of autocracy, since all human beings are inherently vicious and will inevitably go to war with each other unless they are held back by a firm autocratic power, which was not the case before, when the power of the patriarch competed with the power of the king.The nature of his presentation is all imbued with the spirit modern wrestling reforms with prejudices and phenomena that oppose it, and therefore it is distinguished by an accusatory direction, tendentiousness, even passion. O wines of a new form of church government, it says that collegiate government, in comparison with individual government, can decide matters faster and more impartially, is less afraid of strong people and, like a conciliar one, hasmore authority.

The "Regulations" is filled with general theoretical arguments, for example, about the superiority of collegial management over the sole one. The regulation contains various projects on the establishment of academies in Russia, and often falls into a tone of satire. Such, for example, are passages about episcopal power and honor, about hierarchal visitations, about church preachers, about popular superstitions shared by the clergy.“The regulation is essentially a political pamphlet. It contains more accusations and criticism than direct and positive decisions. This is more than the law. It is a manifesto and declaration of a new life. And with the intention under such a pamphlet and almost a satire, signatures were taken away and required from the spiritual authorities and ranks, and, moreover, in the order of official obedience and political reliability.In general, the Spiritual Regulation sets out in a strictly legislative form only the general principles and procedure for synodal government, and only in this part of its content does it still retain its binding force: the establishment of the Synod instead of the patriarchate, the circle of activity of the central church administration, the attitude of the Synod to the highest authority and to regional church (diocesan administration) - all this in essence remains the same, as determined by Peter in his Spiritual Regulations. But this same legislative act gives the Synod the right to supplement its Rules with new rules, submitting them for the highest approval.

The details of the entire legislative process are set out at the end of the “Regulations” in the following words: “This is all written here first by the All-Russian monarch himself, His Royal Most Sacred Majesty, to listen before him, to reason, to reason and correct, he deigned to 1720, February 11th day. And then, by decree of His Majesty, His Grace, the bishops, archimandrites, and also the ruling senators, listened and, reasoning, corrected this same February 23rd day. The same for the approval and for the immutable execution, by attributing the hands of the spiritual and senatorial persons present, and His Royal Majesty himself deigned to sign with his own hand.The project drawn up by Feofan was corrected by Peter (mainly the personal form of the document was replaced).This first moment of the birth of church reform takes place in complete secrecy from the church and its hierarchy. Reform is a product of the will of the absolute monarch.Further, the document was submitted for consideration by senators and a number of clergy, among whom, in addition to the author of the document, were such bishops: Stefan Yavorsky, Sylvester Kholmsky, Pitirim Nizhny Novgorod, Aaron Eropkin, Varlaam Kosovsky. The clergy, noting the need for minor corrections, stated in relation to the Rules as a whole that "everything was done pretty well."

After the meeting, Peter gave the following order to the Senate: “Yesterday I heard from you that both the bishops and you listened to the draft on the Theological College and accepted everything for the good, for this reason it is necessary for the bishops and you to sign it, which I will then fix. And it’s better to sign two and leave one here, and send the other for signing to other bishops.” However, this order was addressed not to the locum tenens, but to the Senate, by decree of which in May 1720 Major Semyon Davydov and Archimandrite Iona Salnikov collected the signatures of the bishops of all twelve dioceses (with the exception of the Siberian one due to its remoteness), as well as archimandrites and abbots of the most important monasteries . The instruction of the Senate to the commissioners was: “And if someone does not become a signatory, and from him to take on a letter by hand, which, for the sake of this parable, does not sign, so that he shows exactly that ... and that he will have a chinitsa, about that to him in The Senate writes at the post office all week long. The bishops were well aware of the consequences of the refusal, and it was not difficult for the tsar to achieve his first goal: the highest Russian clergy unquestioningly signed the "act of capitulation" of the Church to the state.

As a result, the Rules were signed by all the bishops, with the exception of Belgorod and Siberia (the latter, apparently, it was a long way to go), 48 archimandrites, 15 abbots and 5 hieromonks.Only the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Stefan Yavorsky, for some time shied away from signing the "Spiritual Regulations", referring to the ambiguity of its individual points, but he also had to give in.Having successfully completed the "combat operation", Lieutenant Colonel Davydov returned to St. Petersburg on January 4, 1721, and on January 25, Peter signed a manifesto on the establishment of the Theological College consisting of the president - Stefan Yavorsky, two vice-presidents - Theodosius Yanovsky and Feofan Prokopovich. The Manifesto gave the president of the Theological College equal rights with its other members, and thus paralyzed his ability to exert any special influence on the resolution of church issues. The Imperial Manifesto obliged the members of the supreme church body before taking office to take an oath "to the extreme Judge of the Spiritual Board, the most All-Russian monarch." From the 25th From January to February 14, gradually all the appointed 11 members of the Collegium appeared in the Senate, received a decree and took an oath, as was the case for all collegiums serving the sovereign and consisting under one Senate “cap” covering them.

In the autumn of 1721, more than half a year after the opening of the actions of the Synod, the "Spiritual Regulations" was printed.The printed edition of the “Regulations” received the following heading: “Spiritual Regulations”, by the grace and mercy of the Humanitarian God, and by the diligence and command of the God-given and God-wise most luminous sovereign sovereign Peter the Great, emperor and autocrat of all Russia, and so on, and so on, and so on, in the holy of the Orthodox Russian Church, by the permission and verdict of the All-Russian spiritual rank and the Governing Senate composed.

The grounds for replacing the Patriarchal Administration with a Synodal Administration are set out in detail in the preface to the Spiritual Regulations itself. The council is more likely to find the truth than one person. The definitions emanating from the Council are more authoritative than individual decrees. With sole control, affairs are often suspended due to the personal circumstances of the ruler, and in the event of his death, the course of affairs stops altogether for a while. In the collegium there is no place for partiality, from which one person may not be free. The college has more freedom in the affairs of government, because it does not need to fear the wrath and vengeance of those dissatisfied with the court, and one person may be subject to such fear. And most importantly, from the conciliar government, the state has nothing to fear from rebellions and troubles, which can occur from one spiritual ruler. All members of the college have equal votes and all, not excluding its president, are subject to the court of the college, while the patriarch might not want to sue the bishops subordinate to him, and this very court in the eyes of common people would seem suspicious, so that for the trial of the patriarch it would be necessary to convene Ecumenical Council, which, in view of Russia's relations with the Turks, is very difficult. Finally, the conciliar government must become a school of spiritual administration.

With the release of the "Spiritual Regulations", the Russian Church becomes an integral part of the state system, and the Holy Synod - a state institution. The Russian Church is losing close ties with universal Orthodoxy, with which it is now connected only by dogma and ritual. The Russian jurist A. D. Gradovsky defines it this way: “The Holy Governing Synod, formerly called the Spiritual College, was established by a state act, and not by a church one - “Spiritual Regulations” ... According to the “Regulations”, the Synod was supposed to be a state institution, dependent on secular power.

So, Peter's reforms, aimed at the secularization of the Church, were carried out to a greater extent by the Bishop of Pskov, then by the Archbishop of Novgorod, Feofan Prokopovich. It was he who was the compiler of the "Spiritual Regulations", which determined the order of collegiate management of the Church. Archbishop Feofan Prokopovich, "an agent of the Petrine reform", belonged to those few in the ranks of Peter's closest associates I who really treasured the transformations.The "Spiritual Regulations" established church administration within the strict framework of "church statehood."

S. 156.

Samarin, Yu. F. Works of Yu. F. Samarin: [in 12 volumes]. / Stefan Yavorsky and Feofan Prokopovich // [ed. foreword: prot. A. Ivantsov-Platonov, D. Samarin]. - 1880. S. 283.

Verkhovskoy, P. V. Establishment of the Spiritual College and Spiritual Regulations: On the Question of the Relationship between Church and State in Russia: A Study in the History of Russian Church Law. Study. T. 1 / Verkhovskoy P.V., prof. Imp. Varsh. university - Rostov-on-Don: Type. V. F. Kirshbaum, 1916. pp. 118 - 141; / 1868. S. 625.

Chistovich I. A. Feofan Prokopovich and his time./ I. A. Chistovich. - St. Petersburg: Edition of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1868. S. 118.

Florovsky G., archpriest. Ways of Russian theology. - Paris, 1937; 2nd edition (reprint) - Paris: YMCA-Press, 1983; 3rd edition (reprint) - Vilnius, 1991. P. 82 - 85.

Verkhovskoy, P. V. Establishment of the Spiritual College and Spiritual Regulations: On the Question of the Relationship between Church and State in Russia: A Study in the History of Russian Church Law. Study. T. 1 / Verkhovskoy P.V., prof. Imp. Varsh. university - Rostov-on-Don: Type. V. F. Kirshbaum, 1916. S. 156.

Christianity: Encyclopedic Dictionary in 3 vols. T. I . / Ed. S. S. Averintseva and others - M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 1993. S. 509.

Hosking J. Russia: people and empire (1552 - 1917). / J. Hosking. - Smolensk: Rusich, 2000. S. 239.

Znamensky P.V. History of the Russian Church. / P. V. Znamensky. M .: Krutitsy Patriarchal Compound, Society of Church History Lovers, 2000. P. 199.

Florovsky G. Ways of Russian theology. / G. Florovsky. - Vilnius, 1991. S. 82 - 85.

Pavlov A. The course of church law. / A. Pavlov. - S.-P., 2002. S. 134.

Verkhovskoy, P. V. Establishment of the Spiritual College and Spiritual Regulations: On the Question of the Relationship between Church and State in Russia: A Study in the History of Russian Church Law. Study. T. 1 / Verkhovskoy P.V., prof. Imp. Varsh. university - Rostov-on-Don: Type. V. F. Kirshbaum, 1916. S. 163.

John (Ekonomtsev), abbot. The national-religious ideal and the idea of ​​empire in the Petrine era: to the analysis of Peter's church reform I . / Hegumen John (Ekonomtsev) // Orthodoxy. Byzantium. Russia. - M .: Christian literature, 1992. S. 157.

The text of the "Spiritual Regulations": Spiritual Regulations // Website of Yakov Krotov [website]. URL : http :// www . krotov. info/acts/18/1/1721regl. html (date of access: 07.02.2010)

Tsypin V., archpriest.History of the Russian Orthodox Church. Synodal and Newest periods / Archpriest V. Tsypin. – M.: Publishing Center of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2004.S. twenty;Tsypin V., archpriest. Canon law. / Archpriest V. Tsypin. – M.:Publishing Center of the Russian Orthodox Church, 1994. S. 236.

Smolich, I.K. History of the Russian Church. 1700–1917 In 2 parts. / I. K. Smolich. - M .: Publishing house of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery, 1996. // Church Scientific Center " Orthodox Encyclopedia» [website]. URL: http://www.sedmitza.ru/text/439968.html (date of access: 07.02.2010)

"Spiritual Regulations" of 1721

"Regulations Spiritual" (Moscow, 1776)

Spiritual Regulation 1721 (full name: Regulations, or Charter of the Theological College) - a law issued in the form of a manifesto by Peter I, which determined the legal status of the Orthodox Church in the Russian Empire (Russian Orthodox Church). By this regulation, the conciliar and patriarchal power in Russia was actually abolished; instead of the patriarch, an advisory body for governing the Church was created with his complete subordination to the power of the monarch.

“The “Regulations” was the common cause of Feofan Prokopovich and Peter himself. In Theophanes, Peter found an understanding performer and interpreter of his wishes and thoughts, not only helpful, but also obsequious. Theophan knew how to guess and finish not only what was left unsaid, but also what Peter had not thought through. And he knew how not only to tell, but also to suggest.

History of development and publication[ | ]

The Spiritual Regulations ordered diocesan bishops to create schools for children (male) of the clergy at the bishop's houses; for the first time in Muscovite Rus', a system of schools was created. This innovation was intended to remove from the environment of the clergy those who enter there not by vocation, but by calculation. Before entering the school, the candidate had to pass an exam concerning not only knowledge, but also the spiritual qualities of the future shepherd. A priest, according to Feofan Prokopovich, should not be either a mystic or a fanatic. He had to make sure he didn't have "visions" or "disturbing dreams." House confessors, “ordinary tools,” says the Rules, “dark intrigues, creators of illegal marriages,” were subject to special verification. As for the clergy of the churches, " maintained by widows", this institution was destroyed.

Places of miraculous phenomena not recognized as such by the Synod were abolished.

Significance and evaluation[ | ]

In terms of form and presentation, the “Regulations” are least of all regulations. This is "reasoning", not. And this is precisely its historical meaning and strength. It is more of an explanatory note to the law than the law itself. But it is generally characteristic of the Petrine era that ideological programs were published under the guise of laws. The "Regulations" is essentially a political pamphlet. It contains more accusations and criticism than direct and positive decisions. This is more than the law. It is a manifesto and declaration of a new life. And with the intention under such a pamphlet and almost satire, signatures were taken away and required from the spiritual authorities and ranks, and, moreover, in the order of official obedience and political reliability. It was a demand to recognize and accept new program life - to recognize the new order of things and accept a new worldview. It was a demand for an internal fracture and adjustment...

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