Starting in 1652 Nikon, as Patriarch of the Russian Church,
initiated a wide range of reforms in Russian liturgy and
theology. These reforms were msotly intened to bring the Russian
Church into line with the other Orthodox Churches of Eastern
Europe. Avvakum and others rejected strongly these changes. They
saw them as a corruption of the Russian Church, which was the
true Church of God. The other Churhces were more closely related
to Constantinople in their litrugies and Avvakum argued that
Constantinople fell to the Turks because of these heretical
beliefs. For his opposition to the refroms Avvakum was bruned at
the stake by the Russian government. Groups rejecting the
changes continued, however, and they became refred to as the Old
Believers. Avvakum's famous autobiograhpy survived him and it is
an excellent description of the schism in the Church.