St. Niphon Bishop of Novgorod passed away on this day in 1156. After the baptism of Rus in 988, the Russian Church became a metropolitanate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Through the early 15th century, all metropolitans came to Kiev, Vladimir, and Moscow from Constantinople. There were exceptions when the Patriarchate approved Russian candidates like St. Alexis of Moscow (d. 1378). Most of the Byzantine metropolitans had the same philosophy as the best Russian missionaries: they would come to stay with their flock forever. Besides this, the Byzantine metropolitans had a valuable quality: they could not be easily manipulated by the Russian grand dukes, and because of their “diplomatic immunity”, they had a good chance of leading them toward spiritual goals rather than rubber-stamping any particular actions by the authorities. In 1145, Metropolitan Michael travelled from Kiev to Constantinople and thereafter did not return (possibly he died there). Great Prince Iziaslav, having waited for two years, convened a Council of Bishops in Kiev, at which the majority of bishops approved a scholar, Klim (Smoliatich), as the next metropolitan. At the suggestion of Bishop Onouphry of Chernigov, the bishops used the head of St. Clement of Rome during the consecration. Although the patriarchal throne was vacant at this time, Bishops Manuel of Smolensk and Niphon on Novgorod refused to recognize these elections as canonical. For his constant resistance to concelebrate with Metropolitan Klim, Bishop Niphon was imprisoned by Iziaslav. In 1149, Yuri Dolgorukii, the Prince of Rostov and Suzdal (and founder of Moscow), took over Kiev from Iziaslav and released Bishop Niphon. In 1156, St. Niphon died in Kiev and the same year, Metropolitan Constantine I arrived from the Queen City. He required the deacons ordained by Klim to renounce him. Thus ended the second “Russian schism.” (The first one happened in the eleventh century, when the scholar Metropolitan Hilarion was installed by Prince Yaroslav “the Wise”.) For St. Niphon’s fidelity to the Great Church, he received the right to wear a polystavrion (a phelonion decorated with crosses). This right was extended to all the bishops of Novgorod and the status of the cathedra there was elevated to an archbishopric. St. Niphon’s perseverance found reflection in his troparion: Being by thy temperament a true defender of the Orthodox traditions of the Eastern Church, thou wast vouchsafed to see Theodosius, great among the fathers, as if alive in death, preaching to thee the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, whereas now partaking of its ineffable beauties, pray for us, thy children, O Niphon most praised. Source: A.A.Klimova, Klim, Pravoslavnaia Entsiklopedia. M.V.Pechnikov, Nifont, Pravoslavnaia Entsiklopedia. |
