Moscow’s Diocesan Revolution

Abstract

In the months after the February Revolution, the Church was convulsed by a general revolt against ecclesiastical authority. The Church survived this revolt, and organized an “All-Russian Council (Sobor)” from September of 1917 until August of 1918, which re-established the Patriarchate of Moscow and negotiated a reform of the Church’s authority structure. The ultimate success of the reform process depended on the ability of the Church’s various communities to forge a compromise in the midst of a political and ecclesiastical revolution. This article traces the development of that compromise through the discourse of canon law.