The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1702 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Nik
(Japanese leader of sect):
Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain:
Nikolai (Kasatkin), Père
(Russian Orthodox missionary):
Nikon
or Nikita Minin
(1605–81)
. Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, 1652–8. He was a married parish priest, with three children. But when the children died, he went, with the agreement of his wife, into monastic solitude. He was drawn back into ecclesiastical life by the support of the Tsar, but continued the pursuit of reform when he was made patriarch, thereby creating the fierce resistance of the
Old Believers
. He fell out of favour with the Tsar and resigned. He made an attempt to return to office, but was imprisoned. When at last he was invited to return to Moscow, he died before he could get there. He remains deeply respected (except by descendants of the Old Believers) as one of the greatest of the patriarchs for his reforms.

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