HOW Rus' WAS BAPTIZED
Old Russian chronicles connect the baptism of Rus' with the name Prince of Kyiv Vladimir Svyatoslavich, on whose initiative Rus' adopted Christianity as the state religion in 988.
Church tradition connects the beginning of the spread of Christianity in Rus' with the name of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called - one of the disciples of Christ, according to church tradition, who undertook a “walk to Rus'” back in the first century BC. Reliable information about the spread of Christianity in Rus' dates back to the 9th century. The “District Epistle” of Patriarch Photius of Constantinople in 867 speaks of the baptism of the “Rus”, who shortly before had undertaken a campaign against Byzantium.
The story of his marriage to the Byzantine princess Anna is closely connected with Vladimir’s decision to convert to the Christian faith. The chronicle reports that in 988 Vladimir besieged Korsun and, having taken it, sent messengers to the emperors Constantine and Vasily, finding himself in hopeless situation, Byzantine rulers They demanded that Vladimir be baptized, since according to Christian laws it was not appropriate to marry pagans. Vladimir, who had already decided to be baptized, demanded that Anna come to him in Korsun, accompanied by priests, who would baptize him in the captured city. Seeing no other way out, the Byzantines agreed, and Vladimir was baptized in Korsun.
Kievans began to gather on the Dnieper for baptism at dawn. The day before it was announced that baptism was scheduled for the morning. Everyone had to appear - rich, poor, slaves. The priests and deacons had been preparing since the evening. They had to fast in order to serve the liturgy in the morning, and then go to the Dnieper with a procession of the cross. Nobody, not yet parishioners at that time, knew how or what to do. Some climbed into the water up to their necks, some up to their chests... And when you were allowed to come out of the water, how could you tell the difference between the baptized and the unbaptized? According to the ritual, they had to wear crosses. Kyiv and Novgorod were baptized, and then baptism began to spread throughout Rus'.
Returning from Kherson to Kyiv, Vladimir ordered the destruction of pagan idols. Overthrown, they were burned or chopped into pieces. The statue of Perun was tied to ponytail and were dragged down the mountain to the river, and then thrown into the water.
So, the history of Orthodoxy begins in Rus' from the 10th century. What did the adoption of Christianity give to the Russian state? The significance of this event is difficult to overestimate; with the advent of Christianity, gardening began to develop very quickly, as multi-day fasts forced believers to consume more and more vegetables. Crafts, techniques for laying walls and erecting domes, stone-cutting, as well as mosaics, which were used in the construction and decoration of churches, began to develop at a tremendous pace.
But the most important contribution was the abolition of sacrifices, which were often performed by people, and with the advent of Christianity in Rus', Slavic writing accessible to the entire population.
But the adoption of Christianity brought with it not only benefits, but also unforeseen consequences. So, for example, at the baptism of Novgorod, the population met Vladimir’s envoys with weapons in their hands, declaring: “It is better for us to die, rather than let our gods be desecrated.” Only after the Kiev army set fire to several houses, threatening to turn the entire wooden city into a huge bonfire, did the Novgorodians ask for peace. Uprisings took place not only in Novgorod, but also in other large cities.
Since the time of St. Prince Vladimir, the Russian Church expanded and flourished for more than 600 years, remaining in unity and peace.
The administration of the Russian Church was first located in Kyiv. The head of the church was the metropolitan. The first metropolitans in Rus' were Greeks, who were sent from Constantinople by the Greek patriarchs. Later, Russian metropolitans began to be elected by a council of the Russian clergy and traveled to Constantinople to accept orders from the Greek patriarch. Kyiv Metropolitan placed bishops in the most important Russian cities.
Without rose-colored glasses pseudostories. Tomorrow the Moscow Patriarchate will begin its annual ritual belts in Kyiv. Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' - important holiday in the system of pseudo-religious and pseudo-historical views that form the basis of the Kremlin ideology. A very important holiday. Because take it from them Kievan Rus and Baptism, and today’s Russia will remain without “sacred” roots, and the Kremlin sages will be forced to count the history of their state in best case scenario from the twelfth century, when the separatist Andrei Bogolyubsky self-proclaimed "Vladimir People's Republic", which soon became an ulus Mongol khans... It is no coincidence that Putin, in one of his speeches justifying the annexation of Crimea, recalled the “sacred Chersonesos” ...
Of course, in an amicable way, the “baptism of the Muscovite kingdom” should be considered as early as the middle of the fifteenth century, when Kagan Ivan the Third, through his marriage with the titular Byzantine princess Sophia Paleologus, appropriated for himself the coat of arms with a double-headed eagle, which previously belonged to this family, and with it the fallen empire. But that is another story. And what else can we expect from a country where even the first manned space flight was turned into a pagan cult? Us in in this case I am not interested in ideology, but solely in fact.
The adoption of Orthodox (Byzantine) Christianity by the Kyiv princes as official religion ruling family Rurikovich, his vassals and subjects (it’s simply ridiculous to talk about a “state” in the tenth century) had civilizational significance, and this cannot be disputed.
However, according to the largest Byzantinist Fyodor Uspensky, “the events of 988-989 still bear the stamp of mystery, which a historian is hardly able to reveal with modern scientific means...”
Indeed, only a person with a religious consciousness can blindly believe in Nestor’s version, with frankly fantasy scenes like the notorious “choice of faith.”
The most unbiased study of this interesting period to date is the work of the Polish historian Andrzej Poppe, based on which we will try to give the reader a dry summary of the facts.
1. Objective reasons
By the time Prince Vladimir came to power, the Rurikovichs, like many other European rulers, began to be burdened by their pagan status. There were several reasons. Internal political - with growth controlled territories It became increasingly difficult to manage the scattered forest tribes, who prayed to their gods and did not care about the “divine” rights of the Grand Duke, and a unified ideology was required. Foreign policy - the pagan monarch could not conduct diplomatic communication with Byzantium, Rome and Europe on equal terms, enter the “family” of European rulers through marriages, and felt like a second-class aristocrat, which had an extremely bad effect on foreign trade.
2. Preliminary attempts.
For some time, Vladimir honestly tried to develop a unified ideology within the framework of paganism. He built a temple in Kyiv. Not with the “pantheon of pagan gods,” as Soviet historians wrote, but with gods worshiped by several different tribal unions Slavs The project turned out to be a failure, since the people of Kiev had their own gods, and the Vyatichi had their own, while both of them simply did not see strangers at point-blank range. Moreover, in tribal communities, priority was given not to the common tribal gods, but to their own, family gods...
Something had to be decided and Vladimir was waiting in the wings.
3. Coupons from the Civil War.
Shortly before the Baptism of Rus' Byzantine Empire V Once again I wasn't worried better times. The commander Vardas Foka openly opposed Basileus Basil and declared himself emperor. Vasily's army was weaker than that of Phocas and he began to look for allies among foreigners.
Thus, an agreement was concluded with Vladimir, thanks to which he received in exchange for military assistance hand sister Emperor. Vladimir sent to Constantinople expeditionary force, which decided the fate of the empire - in the Battle of Chrysopolis, the rebel Phokas was completely defeated precisely thanks to the Varangian Russians and the high negotiating parties began to prepare for the solemn wedding ceremony.
4. How is our “sacred”?
The fate of Chersonese itself is extremely interesting here - after all, Vladimir besieged this Crimean city soon after his troops left Byzantium. Soviet historians They always tried to explain this by the “power” of Vladimir, who, supposedly, in order to force Vasily to fulfill his promises, started a war with him.
Actually this is not true. Chersonesos, a city with old separatist traditions, took the side of the usurper during the civil war, and therefore was simply given over by Emperor Vladimir as " valuable gift"with a double goal - to teach a strong lesson to the separatists with the wrong hands and at the same time give foreign troops the opportunity to plunder the rich Greeks far from their metropolis...
5. Baptism and its consequences.
After participating in civil war international rating Vladimir grew up sharply. After all, married to Byzantine princess Anna refused even to the newly elected to the French king, former Duke of Paris Hugh Capet. So Baptism became a completely logical next step for the Grand Duke.
Having adopted Christianity in the conquered and plundered Chersonese (there was no more sacredness here than in the sack of Rome by the Vandals), Vladimir, having received the bishop of Constantinople, went to Kyiv.
The scale of forced baptism of townspeople and, in fact, the degree of coercion to the ritual is a controversial issue. It was probably in to a greater extent"picture for ambassadors" than total forced conversion. Here it should also be taken into account that Podol (it was Kiev at that time in fact) was governed by its own Veche and was nominally not subordinate to the prince, and cases when the princes took a risk and tried to force the people of Kiev to take some actions were not recorded either before or after, until the looting of the city by that same separator-Bogolyubsky...
One way or another, the feudal aristocracy that had formed in Rus' by that time (princes and boyars (barons) and serving nobles (combatants) having become Christians, joined the then European Union, and not through Rome, but through Constantinople.
The very process of Christianization of the Slavic tribes itself continued for another hundred and three years.
6. Conclusions
Nestor's "ceremonial story" is loosely connected with reality.
The Christianization of Rus' was an important and progressive step.
Byzantine Orthodoxy was a real choice, since the Rurikovichs had neither strong ties nor mutual vital interests with Catholic Rome at that time.
Christianity was accepted not by the “state” (which simply did not exist by that time), but ruling house and his vassals.
And most importantly - it arose much later Moscow kingdom and its breakaway self-proclaimed Patriarchate have nothing to do with the Baptism of Rus', and cannot consider it as their own tradition...
Alexander Surkov's blog on Facebook
Christianity took over Rus' in 988 AD. e. during the reign of Prince Vladimir. How did this happen?
Before Prince Vladimir, paganism reigned and Rus' flourished.
Neighboring peoples persuaded Vladimir to convert to their faith, and many ambassadors came to him from the Kama Bulgarians, from German Catholics, from Jews and from Greeks, and everyone praised their faith. Vladimir initially assessed these beliefs by the beauty of what was invented. I consulted with the boyars. They told him: “Everyone praises his faith, but it is better to send different lands find out where faith is better.” Vladimir sent ten of the smartest boyars to the Bulgarians, Germans and Greeks. Among the Bulgarians they found poor churches, dull prayers, sad faces; The Germans have many rituals, but without beauty and grandeur. Finally they arrived in Constantinople.
The emperor found out about this and decided to show the Russians the service of the patriarch. “Many clergy served with the patriarch, the iconostasis shone in gold and silver, incense filled the church, singing poured into the soul.” External beauty and grandeur, luxury and wealth amazed and delighted the boyar commission, and when she returned to Kyiv, she said to Vladimir: “After eating something sweet, a person does not want something bitter, and we, having seen the Greek faith, do not want anything else.” “Well, therefore, we choose Christianity,” said Vladimir.
And then, instead of a propaganda campaign and persuasion, Vladimir went to destroy the Russian religion and introduce Christianity by force and blood. This is how the process of Christianization of Rus' is presented. From this entire official history it follows that the very procedure for choosing a religion for Vladimir and his retinue was supposedly naive in nature. AND main role in this choice it was not the meaningfulness of religion (no one understood it), but outer beauty rituals and the desire of the boyars for luxury and wealth. That is, according to the official version, the introduction of Christianity into Rus' was the result of the stupidity of Vladimir and his entourage. But what happened in reality? This whole official version, to put it mildly, is not very plausible. Let us remember that Prince Vladimir’s father, Grand Duke Svyatoslav, despised Christianity, fully understanding its essence. His words are clear: “The Christian faith is ugliness.” The son of Svyatoslav, knowing the opinion of his father, could not suddenly change the religion of all Russian ancestors. This has never happened in Rus'. And the grounds for such a serious decision as changing a millennia-old religion cannot be as primitive as is described in official history. And the people would not have tolerated such an outrage against the thousand-year-old religion of their ancestors. Such a filthy prince would have been hanged, and the squad would not have helped.
Let's see who this Prince Vladimir is and where he came from. The appearance of Jews in Kievan Rus should be attributed to a very distant era. The Jews who lived before Vladimir were from the Khazar kingdom. Around 730, the Jews saddled all the Khazar and Karaite tribes and seized power Jewish king or "Kagan". The Kagan, together with his dignitaries, accepted the Jewish faith and made it dominant in the country. This is how this Jewish kingdom arose. The kingdom was strong. Even Kyiv paid him tribute at one time, but it did not last long. In 965, Prince Svyatoslav took the Khazar fortress of Sarkel on the Sea of Azov, and in 969 the Khazar capital, Itil, also fell. Svyatoslav conquered the kingdom of the Khazar Khaganate and annexed it to Rus'. But after this, the Khazar Jews began to quickly flood Kyiv land. They were attracted there by the enormous commercial importance of Kyiv, which lay on the main waterway from the Greeks to the Varangian Sea. Infiltrating one's cadres into the highest echelons of power and seducing rulers through Jewish women is one of the most beloved Jewish methods. Prince Svyatoslav's mother, Princess Olga, not expecting any bad consequences, hired the housekeeper girl Malusha (an affectionate name for Malka - in Hebrew, queen). The father of the said Malusha was a rabbi, who also bore the Jewish name Malk (in Hebrew - king) from the Russian city of Lyubich, which at one time was a vassal of the Khazar Kaganate (V. Emelyanov “Desionization”, 1979, Paris) At the instigation of his daddy Malusha At one fine moment of rest, she got drunk and seduced Prince Svyatoslav and became pregnant. Princess Olga, having learned that Malusha conceived from Svyatoslav, was angry and exiled her to the village of Budutino near Pskov, where Vladimir was born. Even in the “Tale of Bygone Years,” Vladimir, the grandson of Rabbi Malk, remained to appear as “robichich,” i.e., “rabbinich,” but in subsequent official stories Russia began to be persistently translated as “son of a slave.” Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich himself treated the fruit of his fleeting (drunken) relationship no better. Leaving the Russian land and going to Bulgaria, Svyatoslav made his eldest son Yaropolk reign in Kyiv, the middle Oleg in the land of Drevlyanskaya, and did not assign any inheritance to the youngest Vladimir. The Novgorodians, striving for independence from Kyiv, on the advice of Dobrynya (Malka’s brother), began to ask Svyatoslav for his son Vladimir to become a prince. Svyatoslav did not like the Novgorodians and, releasing his half-breed son Vladimir to them, said: “Take him! The prince is for you." The Novgorodians took the young Vladimir to their place, and his uncle Dobrynya went with him (this is in Russian, but real name Dabran) and ruled Novgorod until Vladimir matured (source “The Tale of Bygone Years”, 1864). Dabran-Dobrynya did not sleep behind the throne, but thought about the implementation of thousand-year-old Jewish plans. First, he sent Vladimir for a two-year internship at Western Rus', where by that time the Aryan faith had greatly degraded as a result of the subtle subversive activities of pseudo-pagan Jews. It was these so-called pagans, long before the appearance of Vladimir, who slowly but surely corrupted the Western Russians by universally planting crude idols, temples and, mainly, making bloody sacrifices. Most often, innocent boys were used for these sacrifices, whose blood was in great demand among the Jews. During this internship, the Jews taught Vladimir how to take revenge on his hated paternal relatives for the loss of power by his maternal relatives in Lyubich and in Khazar Khaganate. He had to explode the Aryan faith from within by introducing the slave Christian religion. Returning to Novgorod with a squad of scum hired with Jewish money, Vladimir mercilessly and treacherously kills his brother Yaropolk (after all, he is just a goy - cattle in Jewish) and usurps power in southern Rus'. Saint Vladimir raped the pregnant widow of his brother and took for himself a second wife, Rogneda; he first raped him in Polotsk, which was taken by storm, in front of her bound princely parents, whom he then ordered to kill.
Having ascended the throne of Kiev, he, according to a pre-designed insidious plan begins to show increased respect for the Aryan Gods. Calls for the installation of previously unknown idols in Rus' and not only to worship them, but also to sacrifice innocent boys. Sacrificial blood was collected and supplied to Jewish customers. 10 years of idolatry, accompanied by bloody fanaticism, as planned, blew up the Aryan religion from the inside. The Russians began to grumble about their own Gods, whom they had previously reverently worshiped for thousands of years. Only after this Vladimir introduced Christianity by force, without causing particularly powerful resistance that could have cost this little Jew his life (V. Emelyanov “Desionization”, 1979, Paris).
Although old religion was largely compromised, the new Christian faith was not accepted by the Russian people. Both Christianity and communism were imposed on Russia by force, brutal force. Both Jewish religions shed a sea of blood in Rus' of the best sons of the fatherland. First, Vladimir and his gang killed the pagan magicians. Then the Jews in priestly robes invited by Vladimir from Constantinople began a war against “filthy paganism,” which these Jews called the bright religion of our ancestors.
...On wide haystacks, in night fires, they burned pagan “warlocks.” Everything that the Russian people from time immemorial drew on birch bark in Glagolitic alphabet, flew like a chump into the throat of the fires, Overshadowed by the Constantinople Trinity. And in the birch bark books, marvelous wonders, secret mysteries, the commanded dove verse, wise herbs, distant stars, burned. (Igor Kobzev).
In 996, Prince Vladimir destroys the detailed Chronicle Code Russian Empire and establishes a ban on Russian history before Christianization, that is, it closes history. But, despite all their efforts, Vladimir and his gang were unable to completely eliminate historical sources. There were too many of them and they were very widespread. They accepted someone else's faith, which preached beggary and internal slavery, and abandoned their own calendar. Anyway, it's begun Russian slavery, which continues to this day. Vladimir was distinguished by truly Varangian cruelty, unbridledness, disregard for all human norms and indiscriminateness in the choice of means - qualities that were rare even for the morals of those times. Having been refused by the Polotsk princess Rogneda, she did not want to marry him, because Vladimir was a bastard, illegitimate son Svyatoslav from the Drevlyan slave-housekeeper Malusha - Vladimir goes to war in Polotsk, captures the city and rapes Rogneda in front of his father and mother. As the chronicler notes, “he was insatiable in fornication, bringing to himself married women and corrupting girls." Having killed Yaropolk, he immediately takes his wife, that is, his brother’s wife. And she was already pregnant. A son was born from Yaropolk. And the attitude towards him in the family was appropriate. As in his time to Vladimir himself. And he behaved, presumably, also accordingly... In general, Svyatopolk grew up, the future murderer of his own brothers Boris, Gleb and Svyatoslav, nicknamed by the chronicler Svyatopolk the Accursed...
But one way or another, Prince Vladimir, so terrible in his unbridled passions, became key figure in the history of Rus'. Everything that happened after him was only a consequence of his (?) choice of faith. Prince Vladimir, eight years after the murder of Yaropolk, baptized Rus' and became Vladimir the Saint. (!?) As the chronicler concludes, “he was ignorant, but in the end he found eternal salvation.” Chronicle evidence of the forced baptism of Rus' Laurentian Chronicle Ancient text see: PSRL, vol. 1, v. 1, M., 1962; repetition of ed. PSRL, L "1926; or in the book. "Literature Ancient Rus' 1X-HP ev". M., 1978. Translation by B. Kresen. 6488 (980). And Vladimir began to reign alone in Kyiv, and placed idols on a hill outside the courtyard of the tower: the wooden Perun - the head of silver, and the mustache of gold, and Khorsa-Dazhbog, and Stribog, and Simargl, and Mokosh...
Vladimir imprisoned Dobrynya, his uncle, in Novgorod. And, having come to Novgorod, Dobrynya placed an idol over the Volkhov River, and the Novgorodians offered sacrifices to him as to a god. Vladimir was overcome by female lust, and this is what his spouses were: Rogneda, whom he planted on Lybid, from her he had four sons: Izeslav, Mstislav, Yaroslav, Vsevolod, and two daughters; from a Greek woman he had - Svyatopolk; from the Czech - Vysheslav; from the other - Svyatoslav and Mstislav; and from the Bulgarian - Boris and Gleb, and he had 300 concubines in Vyshgorod, 300 in Belgorod and 200 in Berestov. And he was insatiable in fornication, bringing married wives to himself and corrupting girls. He was as much a womanizer as Solomon, for they say that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He was wise, but in the end he died. This same one was ignorant, but in the end he found salvation. In the year 6496 (988) Vladimir went with an army to Korsun, a Greek city. And he sent it to the kings Vasily and Constantine, and told them this: “Here you have taken your glorious city; I heard that you have a virgin sister; If you do not give it for me, then I will do to your city (the capital) the same thing that I did to this city.” And when they heard this, they (Basily and Constantine) were saddened, and sent him a message, and thus answered: “It is not proper for Christians to marry their wives to infidels. If you are baptized, then you will receive it, and you will receive the kingdom of heaven, and you will be of the same faith with us.” By God's providence, at that time Vladimir's eyes hurt, and he couldn't see anything, and he grieved greatly, and didn't know what to do. And the queen (Anna) sent to him and conveyed: “If you want to get rid of this illness, then be baptized quickly; Otherwise you will not get rid of this illness.” Having heard, Vladimir said: “If this is truly fulfilled, then the Christian God will truly be great.” And he ordered himself to be baptized. The bishop of Korsun with the Tsarina’s priests, having announced, baptized Vladimir. And when he laid his hand on him, he immediately received his sight. Vladimir, feeling his sudden healing, glorified God: “Now I have seen the true God:” After this, Vladimir took the queen and the Korsun priests with the relics of St. Clement, took both church vessels and icons for blessing himself. He took two copper idols and four copper horses, which still stand behind the church of St. Mother of God. Korsun gave it to the Greeks as a vein for the queen, and he himself came to Kyiv.
And when he arrived, he ordered the idols to be knocked over - some to be chopped up, and others to be put on fire. Perun ordered to tie the horse to the tail and drag it from the mountain along the Borichev road to the Stream, and ordered twelve men to beat him with rods. This was done not because the tree feels, but to mock the demon. Yesterday he was honored by people, but today he is reviled. When Perun was dragged along the Stream to the Dnieper, unfaithful people mourned him. And, having dragged it, they threw it into the Dnieper. And Vladimir said to those accompanying him: “If he lands somewhere, you push him away from the shore until he passes the rapids, then just leave him.” They did as he ordered. As soon as they left him behind the rapids, the wind brought him to the shoal, which was later called Perunya Strand, which is what it is called to this day. Then Vladimir sent throughout the city to say: “If anyone on the river does not convert tomorrow - be it rich, or poor, or beggar, or slave - he will be disgusted with me.” Mazurin chronicler PSRL. t. 34, M., 1968. Translation by B. Kresen. 6498 (992). Dobrynya, Vladimir's uncle, went to Velikiy Novgorod, and he crushed all the idols, and destroyed the temples, and baptized many people, and erected churches, and placed priests in the cities and villages of the Novgorod border. They flogged the idol of Perun and threw him to the ground, and, tying ropes, dragged him along the ditch, beating him with rods and trampling him. And at that time a demon entered that soulless idol of Perun and cried out in him like a man: “Oh woe is me! Oh me! I fell into unmerciful hands." And the people threw him into the Volkhov River and commanded that no one take him over. He, sailing through the great bridge, hit the bridge with his club and said: “Here let the people of Novgorod amuse themselves, remembering me,” and here crazy people did things for many years, gathered on certain holidays and staged performances and fought. Joachim Chronicle Ancient text in the book. Tatishchev V. N. Russian History, 1 volume. M., 1963. Translation by B. Kresen. 6499 (991).
In Novgorod, people, seeing that Dobrynya was coming to baptize them, held a veche and all swore not to let them into the city and not to allow them to refute the idols. And when he came, they swept away the great bridge and came out with weapons, and no matter what threats or kind words Dobrynya did not admonish them, they did not want to hear, and they brought out two large crossbows with many stones, and placed them on the bridge, as if against their real enemies. The highest over the Slavic priests, Bogomil, who because of his eloquence was called Nightingale, forbade people to submit. We stood on the trading side, walked through the marketplaces and streets, and taught people as best we could. But to those perishing in wickedness, the word of the cross that the apostle spoke appeared to be madness and deception. And so we stayed for two days and baptized several hundred people. Then the thousand Novgorod hijacker rode everywhere and shouted: “It is better for us to die than for our gods to be desecrated.” The people of that country, enraged, destroyed Dobrynya’s house, plundered his estate, and beat his wife and relatives. Tysyatsky Vladimirov Putyata, a smart and brave man, having prepared a boat and selected 500 people from the Rostovites, at night crossed above the city to the other side and entered the city, and no one was careful, since everyone who saw them thought that they were seeing their warriors. He, having reached Ugony's courtyard, immediately sent him and the other first husbands to Dobrynya across the river. The people of that country, having heard about this, gathered up to 5000, surrounded Putyata, and there was a vicious battle between them. Some went and swept away the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and began to rob the houses of Christians. And at dawn Dobrynya arrived in time with the soldiers who were with him, and he ordered to set fire to some houses near the shore, which made the people very frightened, and they ran to put out the fire; and they immediately stopped flogging, and then the first men, coming to Dobrynya, began to ask for peace. Dobrynya, having gathered soldiers, forbade robbery, and immediately crushed the idols, burned the wooden ones, and broke the stone ones, throwing them into the river; and there was great sorrow for the wicked. Husbands and wives, seeing this, with a great cry and tears asked for them, as if for real gods. Dobrynya, mocking them, said to them: “What, crazy people, do you regret those who cannot defend themselves, what benefit can you expect from them.” And he sent everywhere, declaring that everyone should go to baptism. And many came, and the soldiers dragged and baptized those who did not want to be baptized, men above the bridge, and women below the bridge. And so, baptizing, Putyata went to Kyiv.
That’s why people revile the Novgorodians, saying that Putyata baptized them with a sword, and Dobrynya with fire. Laurentian Chronicle Translation by B. Kresen. 6532 (1024). That same year, the Magi rebelled in Suzdal, they beat the old child at the devil’s instigation and demon, saying that they were hiding supplies. There was a great rebellion and famine throughout the country. Yaroslav, having heard about the Magi, came to Suzdal; Having captured the Magi, he expelled some and executed others, saying this: “For sins, God sends famine, or pestilence, or drought, or other execution to every country, but man does not know why.” 6779 (1071). At the same time, a sorcerer came, seduced by a demon; Having arrived in Kyiv, he spoke and then told people that in the fifth year the Dnieper would flow back and that the lands would begin to change places, that the Greek land would take the place of the Russian one, and the Russian land would take the place of the Greek one, and other lands would change. The ignorant listened to him, but the faithful laughed, telling him: “The demon is playing with you to your destruction.” That’s what happened to him: one night he went missing. 6579 (1071). There was a famine in Rostov region, and then two wise men rebelled near Yaroslavl. And they came to Belozero, and there were 300 people with them. At the same time, it happened that Yan, the son of Vyshatin, was collecting tribute from Svyatoslav. Yan ordered to beat them and pull out their beards. When they were beaten and their beards were torn out with a splinter, Yan asked them: “What do the gods say to you?” They answered: “We should stand before Svyatoslav!” And Yan ordered them to put rubles in their mouths and tie them to the mast of the boat and let them go before him in the boat, and he himself followed them. They stopped at the mouth of the Sheksna, and Yan said to them: “What are the gods telling you now?” They answered: “So the gods say to us: we will not be alive from you.” And Yan said to them: “They told you the truth.” They seized them, killed them and hanged them on an oak tree. 6579 (1071) Such a sorcerer appeared under Gleb in Novgorod; spoke to people, pretending to be God, and deceived many, almost the entire city, assuring that “he knows and foresees everything,” and blaspheming the Christian faith, he assured that “the Volkhov will cross before everyone.” And there was a rebellion in the city, and everyone believed him and wanted to destroy the bishop. The bishop took the cross and put on his vestments, stood up and said: “Whoever wants to believe the sorcerer, let him follow him; whoever believes, let him go to the cross.” And the people split in two: Prince Gleb and his squad went and stood near the bishop, and the people all followed the sorcerer. And a great rebellion began between them.
Gleb took the ax under his cloak, approached the sorcerer and asked: “Do you know what will happen tomorrow morning and what will happen today until the evening?” - “I foresee everything.” And Gleb said: “Do you know what will happen to you today?” “I will create great miracles,” he said. Gleb, taking out an ax, cut the sorcerer, and he fell dead. Nikon Chronicle PSRL, vol. 10., M., 1965; sings. St. Petersburg, 1862. Translation by B. Kresen. 6735 (1227) Magi, sorcerers, conspirators appeared in Novgorod, and they performed many sorceries, and tricks, and false signs, and did a lot of evil, and deceived many. And the assembled Novgorodians caught them and brought them to the archbishop's courtyard. And the men of Prince Yaroslav stood up for them. The Novgorodians brought the Magi to the courtyard of Yaroslav's husbands, and built a great fire in the courtyard of Yaroslav, and tied up all the Magi, and threw them into the fire, and then they all burned.
Tomorrow the Moscow Patriarchate will begin its annual ritual belts in Kyiv. The anniversary of the baptism of Rus' is an important holiday in the system of pseudo-religious and pseudo-historical views that form the basis of Kremlin ideology.
A very important holiday. Because take away Kievan Rus and Baptism from them, and today’s Russia will remain without “sacred” roots, and the Kremlin sages will be forced to count the history of their state, at best, from the twelfth century, when separatist Andrei Bogolyubsky self-proclaimed the “Vladimir People’s Republic,” which soon became ulus of the Mongol khans... It is no coincidence that Putin, in one of his speeches justifying the annexation of Crimea, recalled the “sacred Chersonesus”...
Of course, in an amicable way, the “baptism of the Muscovite kingdom” should be considered as early as the middle of the fifteenth century, when Kagan Ivan the Third, through his marriage with the titular Byzantine princess Sophia Paleologus, appropriated for himself the coat of arms with a double-headed eagle, which previously belonged to this family, and with it the fallen empire. But that is another story.
And what else can we expect from a country where even the first manned space flight was turned into a pagan cult? In this case, we are not interested in ideology, but exclusively in fact.
The adoption of Orthodox (Byzantine) Christianity by the Kyiv princes as the official religion of the ruling Rurik family, its vassals and subjects (it is simply ridiculous to talk about a “state” in the tenth century) had civilizational significance, and this cannot be disputed.
However, according to the largest Byzantinist Fyodor Uspensky, “the events of 988-989 still bear the stamp of mystery, which a historian is hardly able to reveal with modern scientific means...”
Indeed, only a person with a religious consciousness can blindly believe in Nestor’s version, with frankly fantasy scenes like the notorious “choice of faith.”
The most unbiased study of this interesting period to date is the work of the Polish historian Andrzej Poppe, based on which we will try to give the reader a dry summary of the facts.
1. Objective reasons
By the time Prince Vladimir came to power, the Rurikovichs, like many other European rulers, began to be burdened by their pagan status. There were several reasons. Internal political - with the growth of controlled territories, it became more and more difficult to manage the scattered forest tribes who prayed to their gods and did not care about the “divine” rights of the Grand Duke; a unified ideology was required. Foreign policy - the pagan monarch could not conduct diplomatic communication with Byzantium, Rome and Europe on equal terms, enter the “family” of European rulers through marriages, and felt like a second-class aristocrat, which had an extremely bad effect on foreign trade.
2. Preliminary attempts.
For some time, Vladimir honestly tried to develop a unified ideology within the framework of paganism. He built a temple in Kyiv. But with a “pantheon of pagan gods,” as Soviet historians wrote, but with gods who were worshiped by several different tribal unions of the Slavs. The project turned out to be a failure, since the people of Kiev had their own gods, and the Vyatichi had their own, while they simply did not see strangers. Moreover, in tribal communities, priority was given not to the common tribal gods, but to their own, family gods...
Something had to be decided and Vladimir was waiting in the wings.
3. Coupons from the Civil War.
Shortly before the Baptism of Rus', the Byzantine Empire was once again going through hard times. The commander Vardas Foka openly opposed Basileus Basil and declared himself emperor. Vasily's army was weaker than that of Phocas and he began to look for allies among foreigners.
Thus, an agreement was concluded with Vladimir, thanks to which he received the hand of the emperor’s sister in exchange for military assistance. Vladimir sent an expeditionary force to Constantinople, which decided the fate of the empire - in the Battle of Chrysopolis, the rebel Phocas was completely defeated precisely thanks to the Varangian Russians, and the high contracting parties began to prepare for the solemn wedding ceremony.
4. How is our “sacred”?
The fate of Chersonese itself is extremely interesting here - after all, Vladimir besieged this Crimean city soon after his troops left Byzantium. Soviet historians have always tried to explain this by the “power” of Vladimir, who, supposedly, in order to force Vasily to fulfill his promises, started a war with him.
Actually this is not true. Chersonesos, a city with old separatist traditions, took the side of the usurper during the civil war, and therefore was simply given by Emperor Vladimir as a “valuable gift” with the dual purpose of teaching a strong lesson to the separatists with the wrong hands and at the same time giving foreign troops the pleasure of plundering rich Greeks far from of his metropolis...
5. Baptism and its consequences.
After participating in the civil war, Vladimir's international rating rose sharply. Indeed, even the newly elected French king, the former Duke of Paris, Hugo Capet, was denied marriage to the Byzantine princess Anna. So Baptism became a completely logical next step for the Grand Duke.
Having adopted Christianity in the conquered and plundered Chersonese (there was no more sacredness here than in the sack of Rome by the Vandals), Vladimir, having received the bishop of Constantinople, went to Kyiv.
The scale of forced baptism of townspeople and, in fact, the degree of coercion to the ritual is a controversial issue. It was probably more of a “picture for ambassadors” than a total forced conversion. Here it should also be taken into account that Podol (it was Kiev at that time in fact) was governed by its own Veche and was nominally not subordinate to the prince, and cases when the princes took a risk and tried to force the people of Kiev to take some actions were not recorded either before or after, until the looting of the city by that same separator-Bogolyubsky...
One way or another, the feudal aristocracy that had formed by that time in Rus' (princes and boyars (barons) and the serving nobility (combatants) became Christians and joined the then European Union, not through Rome, but through Constantinople.
The very process of Christianization of the Slavic tribes itself continued for another hundred and three years.
6. Conclusions
Nestor's "ceremonial story" is loosely connected with reality.
The Christianization of Rus' was an important and progressive step.
Byzantine Orthodoxy was a real choice, since the Rurikovichs had neither strong ties nor mutual vital interests with Catholic Rome at that time.
Christianity was not rooted in the “state” (which simply did not exist by that time), but in the ruling house and its vassals.
And most importantly, the Muscovite kingdom that arose much later and its breakaway self-proclaimed Patriarchate have nothing to do with the Baptism of Rus', and cannot consider it as their own tradition...
The significance of the baptism of Rus' for history Slavic peoples cannot be overstated. It was this that became the basis for the cultural development of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples.
The Baptism of Rus' as an outstanding event for all Slavic peoples
The Baptism of Rus' is an outstanding event in world history. It influenced not only Rus', but also the states surrounding it, and changed the course of many cultural processes.
The birth of Christianity in the East Slavic lands
According to numerous historical sources, the spread of Christianity in Rus' began long before its baptism. The Baptism of Rus', the date of which is generally accepted as 988, actually began at the very beginning of our era. This was predicted by the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who traveled through Russian lands in the first century AD. “The Tale of Bygone Years” reports it this way: Andrei and his students sailed in a boat along the Dnieper and saw mountains and hills. And he told his disciples that in this place there would stand a city, overshadowed by the Grace of God. And on these mountains he erected a cross.
The personality of Prince Vladimir - the baptist of Rus'
The Great Vladimir, the prince who baptized Rus' in 988, was an extraordinary person. His grandmother, Princess Olga, was baptized and tried to persuade her son Svyatoslav to be baptized, but was unsuccessful. Svyatoslav and his squad remained pagans. But Olga’s grandson Vladimir took a different path. This was largely due to the fact that Olga was involved in his upbringing and managed to instill Christian concepts in him.
Even in his youth, the prince who baptized Rus' did not really adhere to Christian moral standards. He had several wives, and all of these wives had children. The Christian commandments about non-resistance to evil and the ban on killing one’s neighbors were also a novelty for the pagan ruler, who was used to going on campaigns and mercilessly taking revenge on enemies for any offense. He took part in internecine strife in Rus', and it was thanks to this that he sat on the Kiev throne.
The personality of the one who baptized Rus' was influenced by different cultural traditions. But after his thirtieth birthday, he still decided to accept Christianity. His own baptism took place either in the city of Chersonesos (not far from present-day Sevastopol), or at his residence in the city of Vasilyev. Now on the site of this settlement is the city of Vasilkov in the Kyiv region.
Considering that Prince Vladimir had great authority among the people, the people willingly followed the prince and changed their faith. The ease of spreading Christianity among us was also facilitated by the fact that all services were conducted in the Slavic language.
Religious customs of the Slavs before the baptism of Rus'
The Baptism of Rus' cannot be considered a completely new form of spiritual life. Before him, a coherent system of pagan beliefs existed in Rus'. And the one who baptized Rus' understood that it would not be possible to instill a completely new and unusual religion here. After all, even before the advent of Christianity in Rus', there was a cult of the god Rod, who was heavenly god, ruled the clouds, breathed life into all living things. In fact, the baptism of Rus' only pushed the transition of the Slavic peoples from polytheism, that is, polytheism, to monotheism, that is, monotheism.
The choice of religion for the Slavs
The one who baptized Rus' understood that the country needed a strong religion that would unite the people, and at the same time would not be disgusting to them. But which religion should you choose? Prince Vladimir’s choice of faith is described in detail in The Tale of Bygone Years.
Realizing that he needed to leave paganism and come to one of the monotheistic religions, Prince Vladimir thought for a long time which religion was better for him to take. First, he asked the Volga Bulgarians, who by that time professed Islam, about their faith. The Bulgarians told him that their faith prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Vladimir thought and said that fun in Rus' consists of drinking wine, and therefore such a religion does not suit him. The fact is that all important matters were discussed by the Russian nobility during feasts with the prince, and the refusal to drink alcoholic beverages looked strange against this background.
After the Bulgarians, the Germans came to Vladimir. They were sent by the Pope and offered Vladimir Catholicism. But Vladimir knew that German Empire trying with all his might to conquer Slavic lands, so he rejected their proposals.
Jews also came to Vladimir and talked about their righteousness ancient faith. These were the Khazars. But Khazaria by that time did not exist as a state, and Vladimir did not want to accept the religion of a people who did not have their own state and their own territory.
The very last person to come to Vladimir was a Greek teacher of philosophy. He told Vladimir about the basics of Orthodox doctrine and almost convinced him that he was right. The prince decided to ask his boyars for advice.
The boyars wanted to know more about the worship of these faiths, and the Greek Orthodox worship was most to their liking. The Russians later told Vladimir that they really liked the temple in Constantinople. That’s why it became a turning point for Russian history 988, the baptism of Rus' took place in this year.
Reasons for the Baptism of Rus'
Exist different opinions about the reasons for the baptism of Rus'. The historian N.M. Karamzin believed that the prince who baptized Rus' sought to enlighten it. He sent priests to the cities and villages of Rus' who preached the Word of God, and people gradually studied Christian religion. Prince Vladimir ordered to take away from families noble people children in Kyiv and sent them to study literacy, and the mothers of these children cried for them and cried out. This act of Vladimir was dictated by the need for the development of the state. In order to properly maintain records in agriculture and in trade, people who could read and write were needed.
Historian S. F. Platonov believes that the main reasons for the baptism of Rus' were economic. The one who baptized Rus' wanted the role of the state to strengthen, so that state traditions prevailed over communal traditions. In addition, pagan Rus' risked remaining isolated among Christian peoples who did not want to communicate and trade with pagans.
The meaning of the baptism of Rus'
The Baptism of Rus' had a huge impact on the country. Material culture began to develop. After baptism, icon painting and mosaics developed in Rus', and houses began to be built from brick, a more durable material than wood. The one who baptized Kievan Rus hoped that Christianity would change the harsh pagan morals. And he turned out to be right. Under Christianity, the slave trade and human sacrifice were prohibited.
The adoption of Christianity made Rus' equal to others European states. Europeans no longer looked at the Russians as barbarians, but began to engage in dialogue with them. But Rus' still felt isolated, because Christianity in it was Orthodox and came from Byzantium, and in Western Europe Catholicism dominated at this time. And the one who baptized Kievan Rus did not know that Greek Byzantium would soon fall, and therefore Rus' would remain the only Orthodox state.
Rus' itself also received writing from Christianity. Schools began to open, handwritten books appeared, and the number of literate people increased.
How the Slavs perceived the baptism of Rus'
The Baptism of Rus' was a drama for part of the Russian people of that time. The Tale of Bygone Years states that Prince Vladimir baptized Rus' by force. First, an order was given to all Kiev residents to appear on the Dnieper River for baptism. Those who wanted to refuse baptism were declared enemies of the prince.
The baptism of various Russian lands was accompanied by various armed conflicts. The Joachim Chronicle reports that residents of the Sofia side of Novgorod resisted baptism with weapons in their hands. In 989, a massacre was carried out against the parishioners of the Spassky Church, and it was set on fire.
That part of the people that did not particularly support paganism accepted the spread of Christianity relatively calmly. Christianity in Rus' was introduced with the help of the Bulgarian Church, and therefore all services were conducted in the Slavic language, accessible to understanding. At that time Kyiv was considered the main Russian city. The baptism of Rus' began here. Kyiv maintained close ties with the First Bulgarian Kingdom, and from there missionaries arrived in Rus' to implement the catechetical program. It must be said that Bulgaria was baptized in 865, that is, a century earlier than Rus', and by the time Rus' was baptized there were already developed Christian traditions and a rich library. Therefore, when the year 988 came, the baptism of Rus' became a completely natural phenomenon.
Consequences of the baptism of Rus'
After the baptism of Rus', not everyone agreed with the assertion of the power of the Kyiv prince. Selected regions Novgorod, in particular, was against it. The dissenters were led by the Magi.
The Baptism of Rus', the date of which falls on the year 988, gave rise to an extensive cultural development. Many monasteries were built, in particular Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. At the beginning of the 12th century it became the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In 1037, construction of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv began. It is being built with the support of the prince.
Myths about the Baptism of Rus'
The Baptism of Rus', like any significant historical event, surrounded by fictions and falsifications. Most famous myth claims that Christianity in Rus' destroyed a highly developed pagan culture. But why then from this high culture no traces left?
The second well-known myth claims that Christianity in Rus' was instilled by force, so to speak, by fire and sword. But at the same time, in no way historical sources no information about happening massacres Russian pagans. Prince Vladimir did not force rebellious cities, such as Rostov or Murom, to be baptized. At the same time, the majority of townspeople calmly perceived the baptism of Rus'; the name of Prince Vladimir - the initiator of baptism - was perceived by them with respect.
The third myth says that even after the baptism of Rus', paganism dominated the country. This statement is somewhat true. Even after baptism, pagan magicians ruled the masses, especially in the villages. For a hundred years after baptism, many still worshiped idols and engaged in sacrifices. The final establishment of Christianity occurred in the 13th and 14th centuries, when Russian society faced the need for unification in the face of the offensive of the Golden Horde.