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In [[1551]], the [[Stoglavy Sobor|Moscow Stoglav Church Council]] declared in favour of revision. The council's purpose was to regulate the church's relationship to the state, reform its internal life, strengthen the authority of the bishops, and eradicate non-Christian folk customs from among the populace. It would not introduce anything new but would purify the Russian church of irregularities. The council called for many irregularities in church life to be corrected. Among other things, drunkenness among the clergy was to be eradicated, parish priests were to be better educated, and priests and laity alike were to be protected against rapacious episcopal tax collectors. "Pagan" and foreign practices popular among the laity were prohibited, such as minstrels playing at weddings and the shaving of beards. [[Patriarch Filaret Philaret (Feodor Romanov)of Moscow|Patriarch Philaret (Romanov) of Moscow]], during the reign of his son Tsar Michael, took part in abortive attempts to reform the church books; and under [[Tsar Alexis of Russia|Alexis]], the second of the Romanovs, in [[1654]], a council of thirty-six bishops assembled at [[Moscow]], over which the [[Patriarch Pat. Nikon]] presided, and earnestly recommended the long-contemplated project to the attention of the Tsar. Macarius, the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], with his archdeacon, [[Paul of Aleppo]], and the head of the Serbian church, were present upon this occasion. At length, under the auspices of the Moscow Sobor of [[1667]], attended by the [[Patriarch of Alexandria]] and the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], with delegates from both the [[Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem]] and the [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople]], the revision of the liturgical books of the Slavonic church was effected; and the revised texts were formally declared to be the only true, lawful, and authorised copies. Alexis in person presided over this conclave. By its voice the ambitious and turbulent [[Patriarch Nikon]] was deposed from the Russian patriarchate and the canon against shaving was repealed.

The effect of the above salutary measure in the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], and that of the nearly contemporaneous [[Act of Uniformity]] in the [[Anglican Church]], was in some degree similar. Dissent arose on an extensive scale, and persecution was vigorously applied to reclaim or crush the nonconformists.

Internal dissensions troubled the Russo-Greek communion at an early period, leading to separation Russian Orthodoxy from the Greek. The earliest controversies referred to trifling or ridiculous points of difference, yet were none the less furious on account of the causes being trivial. There was warm contention whether the [[hallelujah]] should be repeated two or three times at the end of the psalms, and whether the [[sign of the cross]] should be made with three fingers, symbolising the Trinity, according to the [[Byzantine Rite]], or with two fingers, in allusion to the two natures in the person of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], as prescribed by the [[Armenian Rite]]. But in [[1375]], [[Strigolniki|Karp Strigolnik]], a citizen of [[Novgorod]], touched upon topics of greater moment. Accusing the clergy of [[simonyclergy]] of simony and abuse of the rite of confession, he raised a violent outcry against them, and proclaimed doctrines in which the fanatical blended with the sober.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] realized that the forced introduction of the so-called "new rite" was carried out in a violent and uncanonical way, and that the old rite kept in [[Russia]] is actually a historic rite of the ancient [[Patriarch of Antioch|Antiochian Patriarchate]]{{citation}}. At least three Fathers of that Patriarchate (namely, [[Meletius of Antioch]], [[Theodoret of Cyrus]] and [[Peter of Damascus]]) had given homilies on the sign of the cross being made with two fingers, in the manner of the Russian Old Believers. Perhaps the fact that [[Michael I of Kiev (metropolitan)|St. Michael]], the first [[Metropolitan of Kiev]], was possibly of [[Syrian]] origin, can explain how this tradition arrived in [[Russia]]. What cannot be understood is how the tradition was lost in [[Antioch]] itself. However, [[Nicodemus the Hagiorite|St. Nicodemus]], in the Rudder also mentions that Christians made the sign of the cross with two fingers, in honor of the two natures of [[Christ]], and that the current custom is now to use three fingers, for the [[Holy Trinity]].

In the early days, services in temples and monasteries of the Russian church were conducted according to the Studite liturgical [[typikon]]. This statute received wide acceptance because of the high importance of the [[Studion Monastery]] founded in the year 463 in Constantinople at the Church of [[John the Forerunner]]. This [[monastery ]] in the course of short time became one of the main spiritual and liturgical centers of orthodoxy. This monastery acquired singular value during the epoch of the [[Iconoclasm]], when the monks of monastery were the most zealous defenders of icon veneration. Studite regulations prepared by Constantinople Patriarch Alexius were brought to Russia in 1065. He also glorified the renowned Old-Russian St. Theodosius Pecherskiy as a saint. From Kiev, the Studite regulations were extended along other cities and abodes of our country.

In the 14th century during the service of the metropolitans of Fotiya and [[Cyprian of Moscow]], the Russian divine services began to gravitate towards another eastern regulation - Jerusalem. It, first of all, reflects the liturgical practice of the ancient monastery of the Holy Land. The authors of the Jerusalem typikon are considered to be Saints Savva Osvyashchenny and Efim Velikiy. In the 15th century, the Jerusalem typikon obtained a certain advantage in the Russian church. One of the first translations of the Jerusalem regulations into the Slav language was completed at the end of the 14th century by the student of Saint St. [[Sergius of Radonezh]] - Saint St. Afanasy Vysotsky, the founder of the Vysotsky monastery in Serpukhov. This regulation obtained the designation “eye of the church” [“oko tserkovnoe”].

Along with the transfer of liturgical regulations into the Russian church from Byzantium passes the ancient tradition of liturgical singing. In the 10th century a Greek Osmoglasie style developed in the form of monotone or unison singing which defined the entire style of Christian hymns. In Russia, the Christian monotone Osmoglasie is called “cherubic”, according to the legends of the saints hearing the holy angels singing. In the course of a short time Christian church singing penetrated all corners of our country. Already in the 11th century in Russia appear raspevy songs dedicated to the native saints. Unknown Russian authors by the 15th- 17th centuries create the huge amount of forms of pesnopeniy [??]: travelling, stolpovoy [??], large and small sign demestvenny [??], [[Novgorod]], [[Pskov]] and many others. Possessing significant variety, Russian sacred music nevertheless remained for hundreds of years in the present Christian church, distant from the influence of fashionable secular trends.

* Chasovennye (from a word ''chasovnya'' - a [[chapel]]) - Siberian branch. The Chasovennye initially had priests, but later decided to change to a priestless practice. Also known as Semeyskie (in the lands east of Baykal Lake).

In the past the Old Believers' movement was often perceived as an obscure faith in rituals that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of ignorant people. Old Beliers were accused of not being able to distinguish the important from the unimportant. To many people of that time, however, rituals expressed the very essence of their faith. Old Believers hold that the preservation of a certain "microclimate" that enables the salvation of one's soul requires not only living by the commandments of [[Christ]], but also carefully preserving Church tradition, which contains the spiritual power and knowledge of past centuries, embodied in external forms.

Although [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox Churches]] and the rest of Christendom ([[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox Churches]] and the [[Roman Catholic Church]]) separated in 451 AD following the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]], striking similarities can be found today between the Old Believers Russian Orthodox Christians and the Oriental Orthodox Christians, such as the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Copts]], the [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenians]], the [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syriacs]], the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopians]], and the [[Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Eritreans]].