The Baptism of Russia: the significance of the event for the fate of Christianity and Russia

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In truth, the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ began to baptize the Slavs. According to legend, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called arrived by ship in the Danube Delta. In honor of this event, a monument was erected in Vilkovo (Odessa region). From the Danube floodplains and to the northeast, Andrei began his pastoral ministry. He baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, releasing sins. Thus, among the overwhelming pagan population, Christian communities began to emerge. They were so few that the chronicles simply do not mention them. The Baptism of Russia, the significance of which can hardly be overestimated, took place almost a thousand years after the Apostle Andrew.

As it was according to the legend

The historical written source "The Tale of Bygone Years" mentions that the Kyiv prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich hesitated for a long time which faith to accept. The Volga Bulgars offered Islam, the Khazars - Judaism, and the legate of the Roman Pope - Catholicism. All these religions were rejected by the prince. The Kyiv Bishop gave preference to the Greek model of Christianity. Therefore, the baptism of Russia was important primarily for the patriarchConstantinople, whose power from this act extended far to the north.

As it was in reality

Having driven his people into the waters of the Dnieper without long conversations, Prince Vladimir of Kyiv raised the following prayer: “Great God, Creator of heaven and earth! Take a look at these new faithful and confirm the right faith in them. And help me, Lord, against the adversary enemy. Hoping in You, let me run away from all his wiles! Under the adversary, the prince meant Varda Fok. It was to suppress the rebellion of the latter that the Byzantine rulers Constantine VIII and Basil II Porphyrogenitus were looking for military allies. Vladimir, on the other hand, put forward a condition for his participation in an armed adventure: the hand of Princess Anna. This was a terrible humiliation for the Caesars, but they had nowhere to go. Their counter demand was the adoption of Christianity by Vladimir himself and the baptism of Russia. The meaning of this act at that time was purely political.

When it happened

In the "Tale of Bygone Years" the exact date is indicated - 6496 the year of the Lord from the creation of the world. Translated into modern reckoning, this is the year 988. This event is also reflected in the Byzantine chronicles. A year earlier, Patriarch Nicholas II Chrysoverg of Constantinople sent a detachment of clergy to Kyiv, on which he entrusted the mission - the baptism of Russia. The meaning - the adoption of Christianity - at that time was pushed into the background. On the agenda was the issue of Kyiv's entry into the war against the "adversary" Foki. Therefore, the prince, and even the visiting clergy, did notexpended undue effort on educational work. Christianity for the Russian people was lowered, like a government decree, “from above.”

The historical significance of the baptism of Russia

Such haste in the act of faith and, most importantly, the imposition of a foreign cult could not be perceived positively by people. Pagan gods, the cult of ancestors, the spirits of nature - all this lived in the minds of the people. The deposition of idols and the destruction of temples was perceived as a tragedy. A wooden statue of Perun, on the orders of the Greek clergy, was thrown into the Dnieper, and people ran along the shore, shouting: “Blow it out!” (swim out). Where the idol was washed ashore, the Vydubychi district rises. Pagan beliefs proved to be practically ineradicable. And soon the Orthodox priests came to terms with this, and even led this semi-Christianity. The baptism of Russia was important when an amazing phenomenon arose - dual faith. Having adopted the dogmas and theology of Christianity, the Slavic people wove pagan rites into all religious holidays.