Daniel H. Shubin History of Russian Christianity, volume 2

The content of this 2nd volume of the history of the Christianity of Russia is the period beginning about 1586, with the initiation of the effort toward establishing a Russian patriarchate, and concluding in 1726, at the death of Tsar Peter the Great. The periods covered are the Patriarchal Era and the development of the Holy Synod under Tsar Peter the Great. The 2 appendixes consist of the confession read by Dimitri Tveritinov to the Holy Synod, prior to his release from 10 years of custody, along with a short dissertation on Russian Orthodox monasteries used as prisons. The history includes the rise and fall of such immense Russian historical figures such as Patriarch Job, Tsar Boris Godunov, pseudo-Dimitri's 1 and 2, Patriarch Nikon, arch-priest Avvakum, Tsar Peter the Great, Theofan Prokopovich, as well as the initiation of the Old Believers' movement, and the mass dissension from Russian Orthodoxy after the abolition of the patriarchate and the institution of the Holy Synod.