Nothing amazes as much as a miracle, except the naivety with which it is taken for granted.
Mark Twain
The adoption of Christianity in Rus' is a process during which Kievan Rus in 988 she switched from paganism to the true Christian faith. That's what Russian history textbooks say, at least. But the opinions of historians differ on the issue of Christianization of the country, since a significant part of scientists claim that the events described in the textbook actually happened differently, or not in such a sequence. In the course of this article we will try to understand this issue and understand how the baptism of Rus' and the adoption of new religion- Christianity.
Reasons for the adoption of Christianity in Rus'
Start studying this important issue follows from a consideration of what religious Rus' was like before Vladimir. The answer is simple - the country was pagan. In addition, such a faith is often called Vedic. The essence of such a religion is determined by the understanding that, despite its vastness, there is a clear hierarchy of gods, each of whom is responsible for certain phenomena in the lives of people and nature.
An indisputable fact - Prince Vladimir the Saint for a long time was an ardent pagan. He worshiped pagan gods, and long years tried to instill in the country the correct understanding of paganism from his point of view. This is also evidenced by official history textbooks, which present unambiguous facts saying that in Kyiv Vladimir erected monuments to pagan gods and called on the people to worship them. Many films are being made about this today, which talk about how significant this step was for Rus'. However, the same sources say that the prince’s “insane” desire for paganism did not lead to the unification of the people, but, on the contrary, to their disunity. Why did this happen? To answer this question it is necessary to understand the essence of paganism and the hierarchy of gods that existed. This hierarchy is presented below:
- Svarog
- Alive and Alive
- Perun (14th in the general list).
In other words, there were main gods who were revered as the true creators (Rod, Lada, Svarog), and there were minor gods who were revered only by a small part of people. Vladimir fundamentally destroyed this hierarchy and appointed a new one, where Perun was appointed the main deity for the Slavs. This completely destroyed the tenets of paganism. As a result, a wave of popular anger arose, since people who had prayed to Rod for many years refused to accept the fact that the prince own decision approved Perun as the main deity. It is necessary to understand the absurdity of the situation that Vladimir the Holy created. In fact, by his decision he undertook to control divine phenomena. We are not talking about how significant and objective these phenomena were, but simply stating the fact that the Kiev prince did it! To make it clear how important this is, imagine that tomorrow the president will announce that Jesus is not god at all, but that, for example, the Apostle Andrew is god. Such a step would blow up the country, but this is precisely the step Vladimir took. What guided him in taking this step is unknown, but the consequences of this phenomenon are obvious - chaos began in the country.
We went so deep into paganism and the initial steps of Vladimir in the role of prince, because this is precisely the reason for the adoption of Christianity in Rus'. The prince, revering Perun, tried to impose these views on the entire country, but failed, since the bulk of the population of Rus' understood that the true god, to whom they had been praying for years, was Rod. So the first one failed religious reform Vladimir 980. They also write about this in the official history textbook, forgetting, however, to talk about the fact that the prince completely overturned paganism, which led to unrest and the failure of the reform. After this, in 988, Vladimir adopted Christianity as the religion most suitable for himself and his people. Religion came from Byzantium, but for this the prince had to capture Chersonesos and marry a Byzantine princess. Returning to Rus' with his young wife, Vladimir converted the entire population to a new faith, and people accepted the religion with pleasure, and only in some cities there were minor resistances, which were quickly suppressed princely squad. This process is described in The Tale of Bygone Years.
It was precisely such events that preceded the baptism of Rus' and the adoption of a new faith. Let's now figure out why more half historians criticize this description of events as unreliable.
"The Tale of Bygone Years" and the Church Catechism of 1627
Almost everything that we know about the baptism of Rus', we know on the basis of the work “The Tale of Bygone Years”. Historians assure us of the reliability of the work itself and the events that it describes. Baptized in 988 Grand Duke, and in 989 the whole country was baptized. Of course, at that time there were no priests in the country for the new faith, so they came to Rus' from Byzantium. These priests brought with them the rites of the Greek Church, as well as books and holy scriptures. All this was translated and formed the basis of our new faith ancient country. The Tale of Bygone Years tells us about this, and this version is presented in official history textbooks.
However, if we look at the issue of accepting Christianity from the point of view of church literature, we will see serious discrepancies with the version from traditional textbooks. To demonstrate, consider the Catechism of 1627.
The Catechism is a book containing the basics of Christian teaching. The Catechism was first published in 1627 under Tsar Mikhail Romanov. This book outlines the basics of Christianity, as well as the stages of the formation of religion in the country.
The following phrase is noteworthy in the Catechism: “So command that all the land of Russia be baptized. In the summer there are six thousand UCHZ (496 - since ancient times the Slavs designated numbers with letters). from the holy patriarch, from NICOLA CHRUSOVERT, or from SISINIUS. or from SERGIUS, Archbishop of Novgorod, under Mikhail Metropolitan of Kiev.” We have given an excerpt from page 27 of the Large Catechism, specifically preserving the style of that time. It follows from this that at the time of the adoption of Christianity in Rus' there were already dioceses in at least two cities: Novgorod and Kyiv. But we are told that there was no church under Vladimir and the priests came from another country, but church books assure us of the opposite - the Christian church, even in its infancy, was already among our ancestors even before baptism.
Modern history interprets this document rather ambiguously, saying that it is nothing more than medieval fiction, and in in this case The Large Catechism distorts the true state of affairs in 988. But this leads to the following conclusions:
- At the time of 1627, the Russian church was of the opinion that Christianity existed before Vladimir, at least in Novgorod and Kyiv.
- The Greater Catechism is official document of his time, according to which they studied both theology and partly history. If we assume that this book is really a lie, then it turns out that at the time of 1627 no one knew how the adoption of Christianity in Rus' happened! After all, there are no other versions, and everyone was taught the “false version.”
- The “truth” about baptism did not appear until much later and is presented by Bayer, Miller and Schlozer. These are court historians who came from Prussia and described the history of Russia. As for the Christianization of Rus', these historians based their hypothesis precisely on the tale of bygone years. It is noteworthy that before them this document had no historical value.
The role of the Germans in Russian history is very difficult to overestimate. Almost all famous scientists admit that our history was written by Germans and in the interests of Germans. It is noteworthy that, for example, Lomonosov sometimes got into fights with visiting “historians”, since they brazenly rewrote the history of Russia and all Slavs.
Orthodox or true believers?
Returning to the Tale of Bygone Years, it should be noted that many historians are skeptical about this source. The reason is this: throughout the entire story it is constantly emphasized that Prince Vladimir the Holy made Rus' Christian and Orthodox. There is nothing unusual or suspicious about this modern man, but there is a very important historical inconsistency- Christians began to be called Orthodox only after 1656, and before that the name was different - Orthodox...
The name change was in progress church reform, which was carried out by Patriarch Nikon in 1653-1656. There is no big difference between the concepts, but there is again one important nuance. If people who correctly believe in God were called true believers, then those who correctly glorify God were called Orthodox. And in ancient Rus' glorification was actually equated with pagan acts, and therefore, initially, the term devout Christians was used.
This, at first glance, insignificant point radically changes the understanding of the era of adoption of the religion of Christianity among the ancient Slavs. After all, it turns out that if before 1656 Christians were considered faithful, and the Tale of Bygone Years uses the term Orthodox, then this gives reason to suspect that the Tale was not written during the life of Prince Vladimir. These suspicions are confirmed by the fact that for the first time this historical document appeared only at the beginning of the 18th century (more than 50 years after Nikon’s reform), when new concepts had already become firmly established.
The adoption of Christianity by the ancient Slavs is very important step, which radically changed not only the internal structure of the country, but also its external relations with other states. The new religion led to changes in the way of life of the Slavs. Literally everything has changed, but that’s a topic for another article. in general, we can say that the meaning of accepting Christianity boils down to:
- Rallying the people around a single religion
- Improvement international situation countries, due to the adoption of religion that existed in neighboring countries.
- The development of Christian culture, which came to the country along with religion.
- Strengthening the power of the prince in the country
We will return to consider the reasons for the adoption of Christianity and how this happened. We have already noted that in an amazing way, in 8 years, Prince Vladimir turned from a convinced pagan into a true Christian, and with him the whole country (official history speaks about this). In just 8 years, such changes have occurred, and through two reforms. So why did the Russian prince change religion within the country? Let's find out...
Prerequisites for accepting Christianity
There are many assumptions about who Prince Vladimir was. Official story does not answer this question. We know only one thing for certain - Vladimir was the son of Prince Svyatoslav from a Khazar girl and with early years lived with the princely family. The brothers of the future Grand Duke were convinced pagans, like their father, Svyatoslav, who said that the Christian faith is a deformity. How did it happen that Vladimir, who lived in a pagan family, suddenly easily accepted the traditions of Christianity and changed himself in a few years? But for now it must be noted that the very adoption of a new faith ordinary residents countries in history are described extremely carelessly. We are told that without any unrest (there were minor riots only in Novgorod) the Russians accepted the new faith. Can you imagine a people who, in 1 minute, abandoned the old faith that they had been taught for centuries and accepted a new religion? It is enough to transfer these events to our days to understand the absurdity of this assumption. Imagine that tomorrow Russia declares Judaism or Buddhism its religion. Terrible unrest will arise in the country, and we are told that in 988 the change of religion took place to applause...
Prince Vladimir, whom later historians nicknamed the Saint, was the unloved son of Svyatoslav. He understood perfectly well that a “half-breed” should not rule the country, and prepared the throne for his sons Yaropolk and Oleg. It is noteworthy that in some texts one can find a mention of why the Saint so easily accepted Christianity and began to impose it on Rus'. It is known that, for example, in the Tale of Bygone Years Vladimir is called nothing more than “robichich”. This is what the children of rabbis were called in those days. Subsequently, historians began to translate this word as the son of a slave. But the fact remains that there is no clear understanding of where Vladimir himself came from, but there are some facts indicating that he belongs to a Jewish family.
As a result, we can say that, unfortunately, the issue of accepting the Christian faith in Kievan Rus has been studied very poorly by historians. We see a huge number of inconsistencies and objective deception. We are presented with the events that occurred in 988 as something important, but at the same time, ordinary for the people. This topic very extensive to consider. Therefore, in the following materials, we will take a closer look this era to understand thoroughly the events that took place and preceded the baptism of Rus'.
It was a pagan country. Many chroniclers describe that in those days the Russians were wild and cruel. In the fight against poverty, beasts and natural elements all methods were used. Endless wars flooded the land with blood, the courage of the Russian heroes was villainous, as Karamzin writes in his historiographies. This continued until Christianity appeared in Rus'. It radically changed people's lives, their behavior and attitude towards the surrounding reality.
Of course, this did not happen immediately; changes took place over time. for long years, gradually changing people's worldview. At first, paganism still existed and Christianity in Rus' was making its way far from leaps and bounds. This was facilitated by the fact that people knew little about the new faith, many were baptized against their will, by force, and pagan roots made themselves felt for a long time. To curb gross egoism, lust for power and ambition in Russian people, it took many years and a lot of effort was made to change people's consciousness.
Many people ask the question - who introduced Christianity in Rus'? How did it happen that pagan Rus' began? It all began in the distant years of the mid-10th century. She ruled then, after the death of her husband in Rus'. She was the first to be baptized in Byzantium. What led her to this - God's providence or state plans, still remains a mystery known only to God. Returning from Constantinople, Olga began to persuade her son, Svyatoslav, to follow her path. But the prince was an inveterate pagan, he loved to spend his time in battles and feasts, and the humble role of a Christian did not suit him.
But little by little Olga did her job, passionately wanting to introduce Christianity to Rus'. But the country was not yet ready for a change of religion, especially since, having accepted it from Byzantium, Rus' became dependent on it. Meanwhile, Prince Svyatoslav gradually turned Kyiv into the center of Rus', and the international prestige of the city grew. By the middle of the 10th century, Rus' became a powerful state that united all the tribes into a single whole. All that was missing was a new, unified religion that would lead the people along a completely different path. was needed political reform which I completed illegitimate son Svyatoslav - Vladimir.
Since childhood, Vladimir had been eyeing the new faith that his grandmother, Princess Olga, brought with her from Byzantium. Having come to power after the death of Svyatoslav, Vladimir, who had a single central power, decides to baptize Rus'. This act was of great international significance, since, having abandoned paganism, Rus' became on a par with others developed countries. This is how Christianity appeared in Rus'. It played a lot important role in the development of culture under the influence of Byzantium, strengthened the position Kyiv State and power Prince of Kyiv including.
Vladimir himself also changed under the influence of the new faith. If at the beginning of the journey it was Cruel person, a lover of women and drunken feasts, then having become a Christian, the prince was the first to apply the tenets of the new religion to himself. He released all his wives, keeping only one with him, thereby showing an example of refusal of polygamy to his subjects. Then he destroyed all the idols reminiscent of pagan times. Vladimir's character began to change towards complacency, the prince became less cruel. But still, apparently, the birth from above did not fully visit him, so the drunken feasts continued, except that they were now dedicated to
Christianity in Rus' gradually won more and more followers. Cyril and Methodius created the Cyrillic alphabet, Slavic language Church books began to be translated. Monasteries became centers for book publishing, and almshouses were created for the poor and needy. Churches taught good attitude to the people around him, mercy and humility. Vera condemned the rude attitude towards forced people, cruel morals gradually softened, like echoes of paganism. The bloodshed stopped, even the villains did not always dare to punish, fearing the wrath of the Lord. Temples were built, and people had the opportunity to go to churches and learn the word of God. Thus, Rus' gradually turned into a respectable Christian country.
Every Christian should know the answer to the question in what year was the Baptism of Rus'. The Baptism of Rus' was a grandiose event, since in a short period of time key changes took place that turned the course of history. The Baptism of Rus' took place in 988 by order of Prince Vladimir. The fate of the entire people may depend on the decision of one ruler. This was the case during the reign of Saint Prince Vladimir. He did not immediately come to the decision that it was necessary for his subjects to accept the Orthodox faith. He had fluctuations between religious teachings, which are monotheistic, that is, they recognize the existence of one God, and not many deities. The fact that Prince Vladimir was already inclined to accept a monotheistic religion testifies to his wisdom as a ruler and desire to unite his people. Several factors played a role in choosing faith. One of them was that the grandmother of the saint Prince Equal to the Apostles Vladimir, Saint Olga, was an Orthodox Christian. She built temples and wanted to spread Christianity in Rus'. However, the main reason that Prince Vladimir chose the Orthodox faith is God's providence. It was by the will of the Lord Himself that many things happened amazing events, which led Prince Vladimir himself to sincere faith. Before receiving the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, the prince was deprived of his sight. After sincere repentance and immersion in the holy baptismal font, he regained his sight, but not only his physical eyes were opened, but also his spiritual eyes. He began to look at his past life with different eyes. A sincere desire appeared in his heart to please the Lord and spread the holy faith for the salvation of the souls of people. Saint Prince Vladimir began to perform many acts of mercy: he helped the poor, released his concubines, and spiritually instructed people.
In what year was the Baptism in Rus' by Prince Vladimir?
What was the faith before the adoption of Christianity?
Until 988, when Christianity was adopted, pagan beliefs dominated in Rus'. Not only the fruits of plants and animals were sacrificed to idols, but there were also human sacrifices. Many people sincerely believed that in this way they asked for mercy and deserved it. In what year was Baptism in Rus', we need to remember, since our ancestors received this Baptism. Thanks to the light Christ's teachings the hearts of people began to be enlightened by the spirit of meekness, humility, love, and pleasing to God. Now it’s even difficult for us to imagine how we could live if the Orthodox faith had not been widespread in Rus'. Now we have a great host of ascetics and saints of the Church who illuminate our lives with their example. Their sacrificial love for people, renunciation of worldly goods, desire to retire for the sake of prayer and communication with God elevates the soul and lifts it to spiritual reflection. Therefore, in what year was the Baptism of Rus' by Prince Vladimir, every child starting from school should know. However, you should remember not only this date, but also the events associated with it. Now that every year the Orthodox Church celebrates the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, it would not be amiss to remember the event of the Baptism of Rus'. On the feast of Epiphany, water is blessed; it is called Epiphany water and has special spiritual power. It can be given to children during illness with prayer to improve their physical condition. They sprinkle this water on their homes and drink it in the morning on an empty stomach, saying a specific prayer. When taking Epiphany water in the morning, at least sometimes you need to remember the events of the Baptism of Rus' and thank the Lord for the great mercy towards our people.
Russia and Orthodoxy... From time immemorial, these concepts are united and inseparable. Orthodoxy is not just a religion, it is a way of life, spirituality and mentality of a nation. Therefore, the adoption of Christianity in Rus' in short is an event that determined its integrity, historical path and a place in the treasury of universal human culture and civilization. It is difficult to overestimate its importance not only for the history of the state, but also for world history in general.
Prerequisites for accepting Christianity
The adoption in Rus' in the 10th century was preceded by whole line objective reasons. First of all, this was required by the interests of the state, torn apart by internecine strife under the threat of numerous raids external enemies. A unified ideology was required that could unite the people in opposition to pagan polytheism with its tribal idols according to the principle: one God in heaven, one anointed of God on earth - the Grand Duke.
Secondly, everything European states by that time they were already in the bosom of a single christian church(the split into Orthodox and Catholic branches was still to come), and Rus' with its paganism risked remaining a “barbaric” country in their eyes.
Thirdly, Christian teaching with its moral standards proclaimed a humane attitude towards all living things and gave clear ideas about the limits of what was permitted, which should have served to improve the health of society in all spheres of activity.
Fourth, entering with new faith in European culture could affect the development of education, writing and spiritual life.
Fifth, development economic relations always leads to deepening inequality among people. A new ideology was needed that could explain this inequality as a divinely established order and reconcile the poor and the rich. “Everything is from God, God gave - God took, we all walk under God, for the Creator we are all one” - filmed to some extent social tension and reconciled people with reality. The focus was not on power, wealth and success, but on virtue, tolerance, and the ability to come to the aid of one’s neighbor. Christianity could console a person, forgive him his sins, cleanse his soul and give hope for eternal life. All this, taken together, served the moral purification of society, raising it to a new stage of development.
Finally, sixthly, the young princely power needed to legitimize itself. It was necessary to somehow convince the people to worship not their local princes and wise men, but the Kyiv prince, and, as a result, pay tribute to him.
Summarizing the above, the main prerequisite for the adoption of Christianity in Rus' can be briefly described as having matured against the backdrop of political and social factors the need to strengthen and ideologically unify the young state.
How it was
Historians note that Prince Vladimir, choosing state religion, also considered Islam and. The latter fell away by itself, since he was professed by the eternal enemy ancient Russian state Khazar Khaganate. Islam as a religion was just emerging. And Christianity, with its majestic ritualism and conciliarity, was closest to the spiritual collectivism of the Slavs. Not last role played both by close economic and cultural connections with Byzantium, which was the center of civilization European world. The chronicles of those times noted that the Russian embassy, which found itself in the Constantinople Church, was shocked by the splendor of the Orthodox worship. According to them, they did not know whether they were in heaven or on earth.
By the end of the 10th century, the Christian religion was already quite widespread in Rus'. Many merchants, boyars and representatives of the middle class considered themselves Christians. Prince Igor's wife, Princess Olga, was baptized in Orthodox faith back in 955. But for the most part, this met with fierce rejection from the pagan majority. The first martyrs for the faith also appeared, denouncing the service of “clay gods.”
On July 28 (15th old style), 988, by the will of Vladimir, the entire population of Kyiv was gathered on the banks of the Dnieper and baptized in its waters. The ceremony was performed by Byzantine priests invited specially for this purpose. This date is considered the official day of celebration of the baptism of Rus'. It only marked the beginning of the process of spreading Christianity, which lasted for several centuries. In many principalities, paganism remained very strong, and many divisions had to be overcome before the new faith was fully established as official. In 1024, the uprising of adherents of the old faith in the Vladimir-Suzdal principality was suppressed, in 1071 - in Novgorod, only at the end of the 11th century Rostov was baptized, Murom lasted until the 12th century.
And many pagan holidays have survived to this day - Kolyada, Maslenitsa, Ivan Kupala, which naturally got along with Christians and became integral part ethnic culture of the people.
Of course, the events unfolded in somewhat more detail. But detailed analysis is only possible in our training courses. I will only say that there is an opinion that Vladimir accepted not Christianity, but the Arian heresy, which places God the Father above God the Son. However, this is also a long story.
The rise of culture and writing
Overthrow wooden idols, baptismal ceremonies and construction Orthodox churches do not yet make people convinced followers of Christianity. Historians believe main activity Kyiv prince widespread construction of schools for children. Pagan parents were replaced by a new generation raised according to Christian canons.
During the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, who replaced his father, Prince Vladimir, on the princely throne in 1019, there was a true flowering of the culture of Kievan Rus. Monastery walls everywhere become centers of cultural and educational life. Schools were opened there, chroniclers, translators, and philosophers worked there, and the first handwritten books were created.
Already 50 years after baptism appears literary work outstanding merits is the “Sermon on Law and Grace” by Metropolitan Hilarion of Kyiv, which clearly shows the idea of the unity of the state as an integral component of “grace and truth” that came with the teachings of Christ.
Architecture is developing rapidly, and along with them such types of urban art as frescoes and mosaic icon painting. The first ones appear monumental monuments stone construction - the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God in Kyiv, white stone architecture of Novgorod, Pskov, Vladimir-Suzdal land.
The formation of crafts is taking place: jewelry making, artistic treatment non-ferrous and ferrous metals, stones. Decorative and applied art reaches heights - wood carving, stone carving, bone carving, gold embroidery.
Conclusion
Historical meaning the adoption of Christianity in Rus' lies in its fundamental role in the formation of the young Russian state. It united disparate appanage principalities, strengthened central government, contributed to an increase in defense capability, economic and cultural revolution, establishing trade and diplomatic ties, raising the country’s prestige in the international arena.
The seemingly simple question of what year the baptism of Rus' took place has a rather complex answer. The reason is that the process of Christianization of the ancient Russian state was long and controversial. Therefore, we propose to understand this issue step by step.
Reasons for accepting baptism in Russia
Before answering the question about in what year the baptism of Rus' took place, let us find out the reasons for such sudden change in cultural orientation ancient Russian society. The state of Kievan Rus was created from several large tribal unions Eastern Slavs who professed pagan cults. Each tribe had its own gods, and the rituals of worship also varied. When the question arose about the need to consolidate society, the idea naturally arose of creating a unified ideology based on a successful monotheistic religion. Last fact, associated with monotheism, was also very important, since it formed the idea of a single strong power of one prince over everyone, including over the intra-tribal elite. Among Rus''s neighbors, Byzantium stood out with special power and wealth, with which Rus' had close economic, cultural, and political ties. Therefore, Orthodox ideology was more suitable than any other for state building.
Prince Vladimir
The main work of the life of Vladimir the First, which also influenced his nickname - the Saint - was the baptism of Rus'. The date and year of this event are controversial due to the fact that the conversion occurred gradually. First the prince and his squad were baptized, then the people of Kiev, and then the residents of other regions of the huge state. The prince himself did not immediately come to the idea of adopting a new religion. In the first years of his reign, the ardent pagan Vladimir tried to create a pantheon of gods common to all tribes. But it did not take root, and did not solve all government problems. Having thought about adopting the Byzantine religious cult, the prince still hesitated. The Russian ruler did not want to bow his head to the Emperor of Constantinople. The baptism of Rus' took a long time to prepare. It is not clear exactly how many years the negotiations took place. But during the period from 980 to 988, Byzantine ambassadors visited Kiev (by the way, not alone: Catholics, representatives of the Khazar Kaganate, and Muslims also came), and Russian ambassadors visited several countries, choosing a liturgical cult, and negotiations were held about the marriage of the Byzantine princess Anna With Kyiv ruler. Finally, the Russian prince ran out of patience, and he took decisive measures to speed up the process.
Capture of Chersonesus
Both Kievan Rus and Byzantium invested a political component in the fact of adopting Christianity according to the Orthodox model. The Byzantine emperors needed strong army the Kyiv prince as an ally, and Vladimir wanted to maintain independence and independence. The receipt of assistance by the emperor against the uprising of Bardas Phocas from the Russian prince was provided for dynastic marriage the latter with a representative of the imperial family. Byzantine princess was supposed to marry Vladimir. But making a promise is easier than keeping it. Therefore, Vasily the Second, the Byzantine emperor, was in no hurry to send Anna to Slavic lands. Vladimir, having gathered an army, went to the Byzantine colony in Crimea - Chersonese. After a long siege, he managed to capture the city. Threatening the continuation of hostilities, he demanded Byzantine ruler keeping promises. Anna was sent to Crimea, but on the condition that Vladimir was baptized. The Tale of Bygone Years indicates the time of these events - 988. The baptism of Rus' had not yet been carried out in in every sense words. Only the prince and a small part of his squad accepted the ritual.
Baptism of Kievites
Returning to the capital as a Christian, with a new wife, Vladimir continued to make efforts to introduce a new Christian ideology. First of all, the pagan pantheon of gods was destroyed. The statue of Perun was thrown into the waters of the Dnieper, having previously suffered abuse and ridicule. The chronicler testifies that the townspeople cried and sobbed for Perun, but could not do anything. Having baptized his closest assistants from the boyars, his many children, ex-wives and concubines, Vladimir took on the citizens. All Kyivians, young and old, were herded to the river bank and literally driven into its waters. Addressing his subjects, Vladimir declared that everyone who opposes baptism also opposes the will of the prince. And from now on they will be his personal enemies. In fear, sobs and lamentations, under the blessings of Byzantine priests from the shore, this grandiose baptismal ceremony was performed. Researchers argue about what year the baptism of Rus' took place in general and the people of Kiev in particular. Most of Historians are inclined to believe that these are events of 988-990.
Methods of converting the Slavs
It is difficult to imagine that anyone can sincerely believe that, having emerged from the waters of the Pochayna (a tributary of the Dnieper, where mass baptism took place), the people immediately became Christian. The process of daring away from old, familiar norms of behavior and pagan rituals was quite difficult. Temples were built, sermons were read in them, and conversations were held. The missionaries made considerable efforts to change the pagan worldview. How it turned out, too controversial issue. Many still claim that Russian Orthodoxy represents dual faith, a certain synthesis of Christian and pagan ideas about the world. The further from Kyiv, the stronger the pagan foundations were. And in those places we had to act even tougher. Those sent to conduct the baptism ceremony in Novgorod encountered resistance local residents, including armed ones. The prince's army suppressed discontent by baptizing Novgorod with "fire and sword." It is possible to perform the ritual by force, but how to put new ideas into the minds of people? This is not a matter of one, or even a decade. For several centuries, the Magi called on the people to resist the new religion and raised uprisings against the princes. And they resonated with the population.
Official date of the baptism of Rus'
Recognizing the fact that it is impossible to accurately name the year of the baptism of Rus', Orthodox Church and the state still sought to establish an official date for this important event. For the first time, the celebration of the baptism of Rus' was held at the proposal of the head of the Synod, K. Pobedonostsev. In 1888, the 900th anniversary of the Christianization of Rus' was solemnly celebrated in Kyiv. And although it is historically correct to consider the year 988 as the time of baptism of only the prince and his associates, it was this date that marked the beginning of the whole process. In all history textbooks, a clear answer is given to the question of what year the baptism of Rus' took place - in 988 AD. Contemporaries went further, establishing the exact date baptism. July 28 was previously celebrated as the day of remembrance of St. Vladimir, Equal to the Apostles. Now on this day, ceremonial events dedicated to baptism are officially held.