Greek Old Believers?

[Revnitel]

I was wondering if there was ever a Greek equivalent to the Old Believers in Pontus or in Cappadocia or something. They can be fascinating at times.

[Matthew]

I do not believe that any such a group has ever existed in Greece, namely because the Greeks never seem to have adopted a two-fingered cross for laymen, as done in Russia. Also, because the Greeks have always used the original ancient Byzantine Greek texts used by the Holy Fathers and Ecumenical Councils, there did not arise the differences in spelling or words that arose in the Slavonic Translations (like the spelling of Ісусъ [Isus], versus Іисусъ [Iisus] or two alleluias versus three, etc. Interesting question though.

[frphoti]

It's funny, this topic. When I was helping an old believer friend get through work release (yes, from prison), he would tell his family that" Greek Old believers" were helping him out. What kind of image passed through their minds I can only guess at, but that's what they all thought of us "Old-Calendarist/Traditionalist" Orthodox as. This conjures an image up in my mind of some Greeks who were fed up even with "Old Calendarism" and united with the Russian Old Believers. "Too much innovation in their tradition."

[Matthew]

Perhaps there are Russian Old Believers who are living in Greece, just as they do in all the Balkan countries and in Brazil, Uruguay, and North America, and formerly in China. Their children would speak perfect Greek but they would be Old Believers.

[Revnitel]

Actually, the two finger sign of the Cross was imported from Byzantium and reflects an older useage and is even written about by St. John Chrysostom. There are Georgian Old Believers. The Old Rite survived in the Balkans for a while I just wanted to know if there is a Greek paralllel. Russian Orthodoxy is not its own unique organism, but reflects Byzantine Orthodoxy delivered by Bulgarians and Athonites mostly.

[Barbara]

Interesting facts here.

Revnitel do you know more about this Byzantine two=fingered sign of the Cross ?
From what era would that have been practiced ?

I had never heard of that. Assumed always uniformly 3 fingered Cross in the Greek world.

[Maria]

Interesting facts here.

Revnitel do you know more about this Byzantine two=fingered sign of the Cross ?
From what era would that have been practiced ?

I had never heard of that. Assumed always uniformly 3 fingered Cross in the Greek world.

I was reading from a biography of St. Seraphim of Sarov.
An Old Believer had come to him for advice. St. Seraphim took the Old Believer's right hand and told him the correct way to make the Sign of the Cross, and the reason behind the 3 fingered Cross (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Three Persons in One God). The man repented.