How Orthodoxy came to Russia (Part 1 of 3)
Hello! My name is Olga; I am a Russian student in St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers (NY). In Church History class we’ve been assigned to write about the history of our parish (mine is in Moscow, obviously) - namely, try to trace back and see how Orthodoxy entered our country, transformed throughout the ages, and manifested in the construction of the parish we attend now. So here goes…
***
Christianity came to my country with the baptism of Kievan Rus’ in 988. [1] According to the Primary Chronicle, as Prince Vladimir was choosing a faith under which he may unite Rus’, he sent out messengers to Bulgaria (Islam), Germany (Roman Catholicism) and to Constantinople (the so-called Greek faith) to observe the three religions, in order to adopt one of them. [2]
Therefore, even though it is often broadly thought that Orthodoxy and Catholicism emerged as a result of the Great Schism in 1054 [3] (that is, 66 years later), and before that there was One Church… the Chronicle shows that there was a striking difference between Western and Eastern Christianity even then, so Rus’ had what to choose from.
The messengers didn’t speak too highly of the first too trips, whereas by contrast, the Greek liturgy made a deep impression on them, to the extent that they “knew not whether they were in heaven or on earth.” [4] (a phrase the Russian Orthodox Church speakers and even secular media so often like to cite to express pride for our current religion)
The Baptism of Rus' by V. M. Vasnetsov.
Prince Vladimir seemed to be persuaded by the messengers’ witness. The Dnepr River, through a prayer, was announced to be the holy waters of Jordan, and all the inhabitants of Kiev were forced to enter it. Thus, a massive baptism was performed. [5]
That’s how a multitude of my ancestors became Christian in a single day. But does this answer the question of how Orthodoxy came to my country? Depends on the sources you choose to cite. For example, the Civic Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, that was registered in the Ministry of Justice of the RSFSR on May 30th 1991 (no later versions were published), plainly states that “The Russian Orthodox Church leads its historical existence from the baptism of Rus’, that took place in Kiev in 988, under the great knyaz’ Vladimir.” [6] So, de jure, the answer is quite simple - “yes.”
Map1. Rus' in the 9th-10th centuries
Map 2. Russia today.
On a more practical level, everything was a bit more complicated. First of all, the Kievan Rus’ of the time was much different from today’s Russia - both territorially (compare maps, Russia is much bigger) and in internal structure (each “knyazhestvo” (“princedom”) had its own “knyaz” (“prince”), and these “mini-rulers” (essentially, relatives) would often conduct wars against each other).
Therefore, even after the official demonstrative step in 988, it took a while for the Slavs within different regions of the Kievan Rus’ to accept the new state religion. For example, according to the Joachim Chronicle, the Novgorod region showed active resistance, and was baptized only in 990. [7]
Map 3. Rus' in the 12th century
Rus’ doesn’t equal modern Russia, even though its territory was constantly expanding. On map 1 you can see in light green the contours of Rus’ in the beginning of the 10th century. Then, in yellow, the territories that were added to it by 970 (that is, just before the Baptism). On map 3 the red lines show the borders of different countries by 1194: in a century Rus’ has grown (essentially in the north, in the Novgorod region). Thus, one might imagine that the expansion of the territories and Christianity within the new borders was a complex, ongoing process.*
*To see the changes in European borders from the 12th century till 2012, and Kievan Rus' transforming into modern day Russia (the European part, anyway) in three and a half minutes take a look video:
Originally the video is from the “Centennia Historical Atlas” by Frank E.Reed. But since it seems to have been mingled with since the beginning of March (on most video links the first 500 years or so have recently been cut out, and go straight to showing the scary Russian Empire), I took the video from vimeo.com (where the video is unchanged for now).
But thankfully, since my parish is in Moscow, the next step is to understand, how Orthodoxy came to this city. Actually, Moscow is the place where the Russian Church became autocephalous in December 15th, 1448 (before that it was merely an archdiocese of Constantinople). [8]
In 1589 - 1593 this status was finally accepted by the other Orthodox Churches, and from this moment the head of the Russian Church was called the Patriarch instead of metropolitan. The patriarchal period of the Russian Church was uneven: 1589-1700, 1917-1925, and the since 1943. The ruptures of these periods were due to the uneven relationship between the Church and the State. Namely, in 1700 Peter the Great forbade the election of a new Patriarch; and thus, a Synodal period within the History of the Church up until the Bolshevik revolution and the Bolshevik revolution and the end of the Monarchy in 1917. [9]
Note that the presence or absence of the Patriarch wasn’t a key factor within the Church’s life. On the contrary, while during monarchy the Church flourished and Orthodoxy was almost considered a state religion, the Bolsheviks, as atheists, led to mass destruction of the chapels, and even the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow was destroyed in order to build a swimming pool in its place.
The revival of Church life (at least the reconstruction of Church buildings) is thought to have started in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union. On this wave of restoration that continues up to this day, in the 21st century a temporary, mini-version of my chapel was built (and the full-bodied one is being constructed right beside it - at this very moment, as we speak). But that’s a whole different story…
(TO BE CONTINUED)
[1] Thomas Bremer, Cross and Kremlin: a Brief History of the Orthodox Chruch in Russia (Eric W. Gritsch, trans.; Grand Rapids, MI, Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eermands Publishing Company, 2013), 36.
[2] Samuel H. Cross, Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor, trans. & eds., The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text (Cambridge, MT: The Mediaeval Academy of America, 1953), 110.
[3] J. M. Hussey, The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986), 134-135.
[4] Cross, Sherbowitz-Wetzor, The Russian Primary Chronicle, 111.
[5] "Thereafter Vladimir sent heralds throughout the whole city to proclaim that if any inhabitants, rich or poor, did not betake himself to the river, he would risk the Prince's displeasure. [...] On the morrow, the Prince went forthto the Dnieper River with the priests of the Princess and those from Kherson, and a countless multitude assembled. They all went into the water, some stood up to their necks, others by their breasts, and the younder near the bank, some of them holding children in their arms, while the adults waded farther out. The priests stood be and offered prayers. [...] When the people were baptized, they returned each to their abode." Cross, Sherbowitz-Wetzor, The Russian Primary Chronicle, 116-117.
[6] Журнал Московской Патриархии ([Journal of the Moscow Patriachate]; № 10, 1991) 11-13. A copy of the text (in Russian) can be found online, for example, here: http://www.pagez.ru/olb/327.php
[7] The Joachim Chronicle was published in excerpts in the work История российская (Russian History) by a 8th century historian V. N. Tatishev. Some experts have reason to doubt its authenticity. The work can be found online (in Russian) here: http://www.bibliotekar.ru/rusTatishcev/
[8] Once again, this date of autocephaly is confirmed by the Moscow Patriarchate within the Civic Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church of 1991.
[9] "Русская Православная Церковь с Синодальную эпоху" by Vladislav Tsipin in Православная энциклопедия: Русская Православная Церковь (Москва: Церковно-научный центр "Православная энциклопедия", 2000), 109.
***
Christianity came to my country with the baptism of Kievan Rus’ in 988. [1] According to the Primary Chronicle, as Prince Vladimir was choosing a faith under which he may unite Rus’, he sent out messengers to Bulgaria (Islam), Germany (Roman Catholicism) and to Constantinople (the so-called Greek faith) to observe the three religions, in order to adopt one of them. [2]
Therefore, even though it is often broadly thought that Orthodoxy and Catholicism emerged as a result of the Great Schism in 1054 [3] (that is, 66 years later), and before that there was One Church… the Chronicle shows that there was a striking difference between Western and Eastern Christianity even then, so Rus’ had what to choose from.
The messengers didn’t speak too highly of the first too trips, whereas by contrast, the Greek liturgy made a deep impression on them, to the extent that they “knew not whether they were in heaven or on earth.” [4] (a phrase the Russian Orthodox Church speakers and even secular media so often like to cite to express pride for our current religion)
The Baptism of Rus' by V. M. Vasnetsov.
Prince Vladimir seemed to be persuaded by the messengers’ witness. The Dnepr River, through a prayer, was announced to be the holy waters of Jordan, and all the inhabitants of Kiev were forced to enter it. Thus, a massive baptism was performed. [5]
That’s how a multitude of my ancestors became Christian in a single day. But does this answer the question of how Orthodoxy came to my country? Depends on the sources you choose to cite. For example, the Civic Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, that was registered in the Ministry of Justice of the RSFSR on May 30th 1991 (no later versions were published), plainly states that “The Russian Orthodox Church leads its historical existence from the baptism of Rus’, that took place in Kiev in 988, under the great knyaz’ Vladimir.” [6] So, de jure, the answer is quite simple - “yes.”
Map1. Rus' in the 9th-10th centuries
Map 2. Russia today.
On a more practical level, everything was a bit more complicated. First of all, the Kievan Rus’ of the time was much different from today’s Russia - both territorially (compare maps, Russia is much bigger) and in internal structure (each “knyazhestvo” (“princedom”) had its own “knyaz” (“prince”), and these “mini-rulers” (essentially, relatives) would often conduct wars against each other).
Therefore, even after the official demonstrative step in 988, it took a while for the Slavs within different regions of the Kievan Rus’ to accept the new state religion. For example, according to the Joachim Chronicle, the Novgorod region showed active resistance, and was baptized only in 990. [7]
Map 3. Rus' in the 12th century
Rus’ doesn’t equal modern Russia, even though its territory was constantly expanding. On map 1 you can see in light green the contours of Rus’ in the beginning of the 10th century. Then, in yellow, the territories that were added to it by 970 (that is, just before the Baptism). On map 3 the red lines show the borders of different countries by 1194: in a century Rus’ has grown (essentially in the north, in the Novgorod region). Thus, one might imagine that the expansion of the territories and Christianity within the new borders was a complex, ongoing process.*
*To see the changes in European borders from the 12th century till 2012, and Kievan Rus' transforming into modern day Russia (the European part, anyway) in three and a half minutes take a look video:
Originally the video is from the “Centennia Historical Atlas” by Frank E.Reed. But since it seems to have been mingled with since the beginning of March (on most video links the first 500 years or so have recently been cut out, and go straight to showing the scary Russian Empire), I took the video from vimeo.com (where the video is unchanged for now).
But thankfully, since my parish is in Moscow, the next step is to understand, how Orthodoxy came to this city. Actually, Moscow is the place where the Russian Church became autocephalous in December 15th, 1448 (before that it was merely an archdiocese of Constantinople). [8]
In 1589 - 1593 this status was finally accepted by the other Orthodox Churches, and from this moment the head of the Russian Church was called the Patriarch instead of metropolitan. The patriarchal period of the Russian Church was uneven: 1589-1700, 1917-1925, and the since 1943. The ruptures of these periods were due to the uneven relationship between the Church and the State. Namely, in 1700 Peter the Great forbade the election of a new Patriarch; and thus, a Synodal period within the History of the Church up until the Bolshevik revolution and the Bolshevik revolution and the end of the Monarchy in 1917. [9]
Note that the presence or absence of the Patriarch wasn’t a key factor within the Church’s life. On the contrary, while during monarchy the Church flourished and Orthodoxy was almost considered a state religion, the Bolsheviks, as atheists, led to mass destruction of the chapels, and even the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow was destroyed in order to build a swimming pool in its place.
The revival of Church life (at least the reconstruction of Church buildings) is thought to have started in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union. On this wave of restoration that continues up to this day, in the 21st century a temporary, mini-version of my chapel was built (and the full-bodied one is being constructed right beside it - at this very moment, as we speak). But that’s a whole different story…
(TO BE CONTINUED)
[1] Thomas Bremer, Cross and Kremlin: a Brief History of the Orthodox Chruch in Russia (Eric W. Gritsch, trans.; Grand Rapids, MI, Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eermands Publishing Company, 2013), 36.
[2] Samuel H. Cross, Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor, trans. & eds., The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text (Cambridge, MT: The Mediaeval Academy of America, 1953), 110.
[3] J. M. Hussey, The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986), 134-135.
[4] Cross, Sherbowitz-Wetzor, The Russian Primary Chronicle, 111.
[5] "Thereafter Vladimir sent heralds throughout the whole city to proclaim that if any inhabitants, rich or poor, did not betake himself to the river, he would risk the Prince's displeasure. [...] On the morrow, the Prince went forthto the Dnieper River with the priests of the Princess and those from Kherson, and a countless multitude assembled. They all went into the water, some stood up to their necks, others by their breasts, and the younder near the bank, some of them holding children in their arms, while the adults waded farther out. The priests stood be and offered prayers. [...] When the people were baptized, they returned each to their abode." Cross, Sherbowitz-Wetzor, The Russian Primary Chronicle, 116-117.
[6] Журнал Московской Патриархии ([Journal of the Moscow Patriachate]; № 10, 1991) 11-13. A copy of the text (in Russian) can be found online, for example, here: http://www.pagez.ru/olb/327.php
[7] The Joachim Chronicle was published in excerpts in the work История российская (Russian History) by a 8th century historian V. N. Tatishev. Some experts have reason to doubt its authenticity. The work can be found online (in Russian) here: http://www.bibliotekar.ru/rusTatishcev/
[8] Once again, this date of autocephaly is confirmed by the Moscow Patriarchate within the Civic Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church of 1991.
[9] "Русская Православная Церковь с Синодальную эпоху" by Vladislav Tsipin in Православная энциклопедия: Русская Православная Церковь (Москва: Церковно-научный центр "Православная энциклопедия", 2000), 109.