Who and why adopted Orthodoxy in Russia? Adoption of Christianity and the beginning of the formation of the Russian Orthodox civilization

The official date of the Baptism of Russia is considered to be the year 988, when Prince of Kiev Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko decided to convert orthodox faith  all lands controlled by him at that time. However, to consider the same year as the starting point for the emergence of Christianity in Russia would be wrong.

The middle of the 9th century was the beginning of the unification of Russia, the centralization of the lands of the Eastern Slavs around Kiev. This process began with the arrival on the princely throne of Oleg, who entered the chronicles under the name of the Thing. After many years of rule, he handed over power to Igor, who continued to strengthen Russia. The beginning of his reign coincided with the marriage of the prince to Olga. Conquering the neighboring tribes, Igor attached the lands to the Kiev principality, which was gaining strength, uniting the Slavs and forming a new united and strong state.

After Igor's death, the Kiev principality was inherited by his son, Svyatoslav, who became Princess Olga because of his minority. The main business of the princess was the organization of internal order in a young state. Having transferred the rule to Svyatoslav, Princess Olga went to Byzantium, to Constantinople, where she converted to Christianity. With her return to Kiev, Orthodoxy gradually began to spread among the highest nobility, including in the ranks of the prince's retinue. Olga's baptism was the first significant example of the emergence of Christianity in Russia.

Social background

After the death of Igor, the principality was divided between his sons - Oleg, Yaropolk and Vladimir - into three unequal parts. As a result of the outbreak of civil strife, Oleg and Yaropolk die, Vladimir ascended the throne of the Kiev principality.

The new united principality needed not only a single authority, but also a single faith, capable of becoming a stimulus for the unification of the people. Vladimir made the first attempt at such a union. The prince gathered all the pagan gods worshiped by various Slavic tribes — Dazhbog, Veles, Stribog, Makosh and others — into a single pantheon, placing Perun at the head. In Kiev, a huge temple was built, where the idols of all significant characters of Slavic paganism rose. Sacrifices, worship, ceremonies - it was decided to hold all this in one place. However, this attempt to transform pagan beliefs into monotheism failed — some tribes still put only their “own” patron god at the head.

Political background

The end of the 10th century was a time of strengthening the cultural and political ties of Russia with the Byzantine Empire. Strong trade relations were explained by the successful geographical position of the Kiev principality - the route “from the Varangians to the Greeks” passed through its lands, all trade with the young European states was carried out through the Slavic lands. The numerous treaties, from trade to political, concluded at the highest levels contributed to the strengthening of relations between Kiev and Constantinople.

One of these documents was a mutual assistance agreement, initiated by the conclusion of which Byzantium was. Emperor Basil II asked Prince Vladimir military assistance to fight the rebels who were trying to seize power in Constantinople. According to the chronicles, the prince undertook to place at the disposal of the emperor a large detachment of warriors. In exchange, Vasily II should have given his sister Anna to the prince as a wife, but Vladimir's adoption of Christianity was an indispensable condition for marriage.

Such a union would serve not only as a means to expand and strengthen the economic ties between the two states. The main consequence of this marriage would be the reliable support of the Russian principality from the side of the ancient empire in the world political arena, strengthening the role of the Slavic state in international political games. Therefore, the condition for accepting a new faith did not become a serious obstacle for the prince to sign the treaty.

Public background

The feudalization of the social system required not only economic changes, but also social and cultural ones. The fragmentation and fragmentation of the Slavic tribes of the 7th-8th centuries, which reached the division not only into family farms, but even into separate farmsteads, was gradually replaced by the reverse process - centralization. Connecting once fragmented farms into a single whole - settlements, cities, and then principalities, centralization led to the emergence of strong states. However, the key to the stability of such associations is not only territorial, but also spiritual integrity.

The existing beliefs - paganism - reflected the early fragmentation of the Slavic people. Each tribe had its own supreme god, providing protection only to his people and demanding appropriate rites. Polytheism - polytheism - aggravated the discord between the Slavs and slowed down the centralization process.

The new state, which united several dozens of tribes, required a single religion, which could become those “spiritual bonds” that would turn the tribes into a people. This decisive role in the unity of the Slavs was destined to play Christianity.

"Choice among the faiths"

According to historical chronicles, the preference for Christianity, or rather, its Orthodox branch, was in a certain part a measured, deliberate choice of Prince Vladimir. However, there is a legend telling exactly how the ruler determined which faith to take. Having sent ambassadors to the neighboring lands - to the Khazars, who practiced Judaism, to the lands of the caliphate, where Islam was spread, to Byzantium and to Europe, where they believed in Christ, - Vladimir demanded from them a detailed account of the peculiarities of the faiths.

Judaism did not immediately cause much enthusiasm for the prince, Catholicism was noted because of the complexity of the rituals - service in a number of European countries was conducted exclusively in Latin. There remained Islam, which attracted the prince with some kind of fierce rage and transparency of the traditions, and Orthodoxy, which was distinguished by the sincerity and beauty of the divine service. As a result, it was chosen precisely Orthodoxy, which had the greatest impression on Vladimir.

Today, in the minds of most of our compatriots and, oddly enough, in the minds of most historians, the myth prevails that Prince Vladimir adopted Orthodoxy from Byzantium solely for practical reasons, i.e. simply speaking for reasons of political gain and the strengthening of its princely power. That is why the most important question that must be answered in the process of the research we have undertaken is whether the act of adopting the Christian faith was a purely political move, i.e. Was the prince baptized for purely mercantile reasons, or were he motivated by some other unknown motive?

Answering this question, numerous researchers, both past and present, as a rule, came to the conclusion that East Slavic paganism had exhausted its internal resources, ceased to meet the demands of the country's social and state development, and had to be discarded as the old, obsolete, ideology worthless:

“According to V.N. Toporov, “the Slavic pagan religion, especially in Russia at the end of the tenth century, was in a state of deep crisis. The rather weak ties between the members of the pantheon (“higher” deities), the friability and approximation of its composition, and finally, only a partial anthropomorphism of gods who were not completely separated from natural forces — all this caused not only external, but also internal defeat of paganism ”(1 ).

However, before making such categorical and hasty conclusions, several important factors should be taken into account, which, in our opinion, refute the above quoted statement.

So, for example, in a political sense, Vladimir, even before the adoption of Christianity, had a rather extensive influence both in his country and abroad. The mere fact that the ancient Rusichs had repeatedly (and before the principality of Vladimir) threatened such a powerful state as the Byzantine Empire with their campaigns speaks of strength and power old Russian state.

As for the religious component, a legitimate question arises: what was the point of changing something when things were already going so well? Vladimir already had everything that a mortal man could wish for: the power, wealth, love and trust of his subjects, as well as the ability to satisfy any of his sensual desires. There were also no obstacles to satisfy their political ambitions. What else was needed by the pagan, whose beliefs were precisely aimed at achieving maximum well-being in this, mortal life? Well-being, which reached the Russian prince?

In a similar situation, any ruler who could have been in Vladimir’s place would simply conquer adjacent territories and then impose on the enslaved population their own belief system, a system that (in the opinion of people of that era) coped with its tasks as efficiently as possible. did not require a change.

So why did Vladimir act differently? Because you wanted to usurp your people even more? This assumption hardly corresponds to the true state of affairs, since There is no historical evidence that prior to the adoption of Christianity, Vladimir in any way oppressed his subjects. Rather, he enjoyed their love and infinite trust, which, in fact, determined the fact of quite peaceful adoption of Christianity: "If the new faith were not good, then the prince and the boyars would not accept it ..." (2), this is how the overwhelming most of the inhabitants of ancient Kiev.

But maybe Prince Vladimir wanted to raise the cultural level of his people and thereby bring Russia to the rank of the advanced world powers of his time, etc.? Or maybe he wanted to create a religion that could rally his state into a single whole, an indestructible monolith (like ancient empires) that terrifies its neighbors? As mentioned above, this version is by far the most common and, on the surface, seems quite convincing if not for a few “but”! ..

First, to this day, most of the researchers of this problem could not understand one simple thing, namely that the decline or power of the state does not depend in principle on the intrastate (religious or non-religious) ideology that dominates in this state.

That is why this argument does not hold water. After all, if Christianity itself (ie, as an external factor, as an ideology imposed on society from above), could have contributed to the strengthening of the ancient Russian state, how then can the almost complete disintegration of the same state be explained by the end of the 12th early 13th century? If you follow the above "logic", all this is more like the fact that Christianity rather contributed to the collapse of the ancient Russian state, and not to strengthen its power and prosperity. Again, after long suffering under the yoke of the Tatar-Mongols, Russia was able to rise from the ashes without changing its faith, and the next collapse came at the very beginning of the 20th century. How can one explain these tragic “ups and downs” if the thesis that Christianity is capable of only strengthening the state as such is affirmed?

Moreover, from numerous examples of history, we know that such ups and downs occurred in the history of many nations and states. In the history of mankind, they reached power and plunged into the abyss of the empire and state, in which various religious doctrines dominated. And almost everywhere, these ups and downs were due to individual qualities, talent, or lack of such in people who manage this or that public education.

That is why, with a favorable confluence of all the above circumstances (the presence of managerial, military talent among the ruling elite, the presence of enormous human and natural resources, etc.), any state education with any religion or ideology can and does achieve power at all times. And in the absence of such (talents, resources, etc.) no ideology saves.

The second factor, by virtue of which we cannot agree with the generally accepted hypothesis of the dominance of social and political motives in the choice of Prince Vladimir, is that although Christianity calls people to obey the authorities, it nevertheless clearly divides the work of God and Caesar’s: " In the relationship between the Church and the state should take into account the difference of their natures. The church is founded directly by God Himself - our Lord Jesus Christ; God’s determination of state power manifests itself in the historical process indirectly ”(3).

And although in history Eastern Church Attempts were made to achieve the so-called “symphony” between the Church and the state, but none of them, as a result, were successful. As for paganism, on the contrary, in contrast to Christianity, the merging of the power of sacral (religious) and state power was completely permitted. Moreover, not only a merger was allowed, but also the actual “deification” of both the state and the ruling power. From this point of view, paganism can contribute to a closer growth of state and religious power.

The third factor to which it would be worthwhile to pay attention was that Russia at that far time was a relatively prosperous, rapidly developing state with extensive trade with its neighbors, which was due to its successful geopolitical location. And the so-called gathering of Russia (ie, the unification of the Russian lands into a single whole) was actually completed by the year 986.

Strange, but most of our historians do not seem to notice this obvious fact. In fact, already in the period preceding the Baptism of Russia, Vladimir controlled a vast territory. Having won over Vyatichi and Yatvyagi, he humbled and Radicia, who refused to pay tribute to the prince. In 985, Vladimir actually won his last major victory over the Volga Bulgarians, who at that time lived on the banks of the Volga and Kama.

Thus, in the 986th year, Vladimir united under his rule all the lands of the Eastern Slavs, in one huge state - Kievan Rus (with its capital in Kiev). And in order to secure the borders, he builds a number of fortifications along the Desna, Ostro, Trubezhu, Sule and Stugna rivers. Later, when his numerous sons grew up, he puts them to a “reign” in separate areas, retaining supreme power over the entire state for himself.

Moreover, at the earliest stage of his reign, Vladimir showed himself to be a rather ardent admirer of the pagan cult (which did not in the least hinder the consolidation of statehood, but in many ways even contributed to this). That is why today some scholars of ancient Russian religiosity still tend to think that: “Paganism by the time of baptism not only did not exhaust itself, but also had a sufficiently powerful potential for further movement ... and that the adoption of Rus as the state religion of Byzantium at the turn of the 980s - 990s, it was not historically predetermined, much less inevitable ... ”(4).

Moreover, on the historical scene, quite close in time to the era we are considering, one can find examples of how the pagan religion took precedence over the processes of Christianization. For example, in the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for a long time there was a situation of coexistence of pagan and Christian principles.

The true reasons for the adoption of Christianity by Prince Vladimir

So, in order to better understand the solution of the questions raised by us, it is important to take into account not only the socio-political reasons, but also the motives of a purely psychological nature.

In this sense, the change of paganism by Christianity, ostensibly in order to strengthen statehood, etc., does not fit the logic of a successful and ambitious ruler, as Prince Vladimir was. For, in reality, such a change of belief would mean for him the recognition of the inferiority and lack of competitiveness of his own religion and culture. And hardly elementary human pride would allow Vladimir to recognize the powerlessness of the religion of his ancestors. Moreover, judging by the annals, Vladimir was a very religious man (and a religious one in a purely pagan sense). This remark is important precisely because it allows us to move from examining external motives (which supposedly played a decisive role in changing the religious dominant of ancient Russian society), the motives of the sociopolitical order to the internal motives that pushed Prince Vladimir to accept, first of all, personal decision. To accept him sincerely, in the very depths of his soul, and not by calculation, which (as was shown above) did not have the slightest sense for him.

The fact that the religious component (albeit a pagan one) was not for Vladimir an empty sound, a dead tradition of ancestors, or just an ideology suitable for the management of subjects, is indicated by the fact that at the very beginning of his reign the Russian prince was distinguished by his firmness and tirelessness which the pagan faith of the fathers demanded of him.

However, with all his religious activity, Vladimir was clearly not distinguished by excessive fanaticism and, apparently, was a stranger to intolerance towards members of other religions, and the environment itself was quite conducive to this, since Vladimir was surrounded by people who practiced Jewish, Mohammedan and Christian (both Catholicism and Orthodoxy) religions. And the fact that Grandma Vladimir Olga was a Christian, most likely, also left an imprint on the religiosity of the Russian prince and his religious tolerance towards the Gentiles.

So, during the reign of Vladimir (and even a little earlier), Christianity more and more won the sympathy of his subjects. In this context, we can fully agree with the conclusions of many historians that the fact of the baptism of Kiev by Prince Vladimir was not the beginning of Christianization. Ancient Russia, but rather the beginning of the final stage of Christianization. But when it comes to the question of what exactly prompted Vladimir to change his own religious beliefs from pagan to Christian, then historians prefer to keep silent more, because, according to the general opinion, clarifying this issue will forever remain a mystery, inaccessible to researchers ( and religious studies).

And indeed, as is customary today to consider, the path of the human person to God is the personal secret of each person, known only to himself and to God. It is even more difficult (if at all possible) to describe such an unpredictable religious upheaval that occurred in the soul of the Russian prince, when, as a matter of fact, “blessed by heaven” (in ancient times, including the ancient Slavs, it was believed that those people which God favors, they will surely be rich and happy and will not need anything in this earthly or in the afterlife, etc.), he decides to change not only his own fate, but also the fate of the whole Russian state.

And yet, not everything is as confusing as it may seem at first glance. The fact is that later Vladimir was canonized by the Church as a holy prince equal to the apostles. And this meant that he not only played a prominent role in the formation and affirmation of the Christian faith among the Slavic population, but the fact that his subsequent Christian life was in many ways the standard of life for an Orthodox Christian. It also means that his Christian faith fits perfectly within the teachings of the Eastern Christian (Orthodox) Church, which, in turn, can help us discover some of the internal movements that took place in the soul of the Grand Duke.

How the Christian faith is born in the soul of every person

In contrast to the widespread view that there are many ways to God and that all these ways are quite individual, in Christianity there is a slightly different view on this issue, namely: faith in God itself is not considered in Christianity as something unique and guaranteeing a person’s salvation Christ In order to become a Christian, not only faith in God is necessary, it is faith that is right and necessary to save, but it begins (is born) in a person’s soul only when he becomes able to see himself as far from perfect, abnormal, spiritually sick person. It is in this state that a person begins to realize himself as perishing, and perishing so much that he himself, with his own efforts, cannot correct this profound damage to the whole human being (both soul and body), and it is from this deeply penitent feeling that a person is born faith in Christ the Savior. Thus, only a real knowledge of his fall by a man, his abnormality, can turn the human eye towards God.

This, in fact, is the whole essence and meaning of the Christian faith! The essence, without which in a person, in principle, a saving faith in Christ cannot begin! The essence, without which even the most meticulous implementation of all established rituals and rules does not lead to anything and does not give a person anything! No human being can become a true Christian without experiencing such a state of mind. From the point of view of Christian doctrine, without experiencing this state, it is generally impossible for a person to find God.

Tragedy ancient paganism consisted precisely in the fact that people were searching for God in the external world, and their whole faith was directed only to escaping the suffering inherent in this earthly reality, to some other area (paradise, peace, etc.) where there is no suffering where only joy and peace await man. In this sense, almost all ancient religions are religions of transition from this world to another world, and almost all cultures born under the influence of such notions, with their outstanding religious buildings, are cultures of transition, escape from themselves. And few people in ancient world  (i.e. before the Savior's arrival) could understand that the path to this state, the path to immortality and enduring happiness, lies not in the sphere of external ritual norms, not in the sphere of magic and occultism, but through the man’s viewing of himself, through changing his inner state (changes in their spiritual qualities) in the image of God the Creator, through the likeness of God.

So, from the point of view of Christianity, there is not and cannot be any other way to God. That is why we can safely assert that, being a sincere Christian, Vladimir certainly experienced this state of mind.

Seeing his inferiority, his abnormality, seeing the actual frailty and illusory nature of human existence, in the soul of Vladimir, as, indeed, in the soul of any true Christian, the search for a way out of this catastrophic situation was to begin. And, most likely, Vladimir felt all this much more acutely than any ordinary person who was not burdened with power.

The fact is that we, ordinary people, are characterized by a constant stay in some kind of illusion with respect to the life of the powerful. Being, overwhelmingly, dissatisfied with our life, life, which is an eternal pursuit of fleeting blessings, vanity and struggle for existence, we are modern people, being completely enslaved by the ethics of hedonism (search for sensual pleasures), in our irresistible desire for pleasure Most often with envy we look at the powerful of the world, thinking that they are certainly completely satisfied with life, because in fact, they can fulfill all their whims and wishes. So envious of people known, rich and endowed with power, we often (after the death of someone from the powerful of the world) find that, as a rule, they were simple people, with their own small weaknesses and that they often valued the simple joys of life above luxury, wealth and fame. And it even happens that some of them in general have their own high position in society, which is why they deliberately imposed heavy exploits, restrictions and works on themselves. And there is nothing surprising in this: the answer to the question of why this is happening is quite simple and consists in the fact that human life has always been and will be endless suffering, regardless of the conditions and form of human existence. Alas, even the joys of life and numerous sensual pleasures are already, in fact, suffering. Suffering, killing a man and causing him unbearable mental pain.

Apparently, the future saint, Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (in whose soul, no doubt, this complex and controversial process took place) chose the first, chose the direction to the Truth, to God!

Understanding and aware of the gravity and hopelessness of human existence, including the whole gravity of his position, Vladimir could not help but think about the issues of saving a person, the meaning of life and the search for the Highest Good. In the end, all this led the prince to the fact that he did not just decide to change the internal structure of his state’s life - HE BECAME TO SEARCH FOR TRUTH! TRUTH AS AN OUTPUT FROM THEIR OUTLOOKING SITUATION! Truth, which, in principle, could not be found in paganism.

1. Vasiliev M. Rus in the 980s: the choice of religious alternatives. http://www.gumer.info/bibliotek_Buks/History/Article/Vas_Rus980.php

2. S.M.Soloviev. History of Russia since ancient times. Volume 1. Chapter 7. http://www.magister.msk.ru/library/history/solov/solv01p7.htm

3. Basics of the Russian social concept Orthodox Church. http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/141422.html

4. Vasiliev M. Rus in the 980s: the choice of religious alternatives.

The baptism of Russia, which occurred in 988, is associated with the name of St. Prince Vladimir, whom historians have called the Great, the church is the holy Equal to the Apostles, and the people nicknamed him Vladimir the Red Sun.

Prince Vladimir was the grandson of Grand Duchess Olga and the son of Prince Svyatoslav and the “things of the virgin” Malusha, who became a Christian with Princess Olga in Constantinople. He began to rule on his own from the age of 17 and spent the first six years hiking. Tradition in these years prince prince of a real pagan, the favorite of the squad, a lover of sensual pleasures, military campaigns and noisy feasts.

In 983, after a successful campaign, Vladimir decided to make a human sacrifice to his pagan gods. It was decided to choose the victim with the help of the lot, which fell on the young man John. The father of the young man Theodore, who was a Christian, did not want to give up his son and began to condemn pagan idols and praise the Christian faith. An angry mob of pagans killed Theodore and his son. These were the first martyrs Christians in Russia; The memory of the holy martyrs Theodore and his son John is celebrated on July 12 (25).

This case of public condemnation of the pagan gods forced Prince Vladimir to reflect on the truth of his pagan faith.

The chronicle account of the “choice of beliefs” (“test of beliefs”) by Vladimir is a kind of legend. As chronicles tell, in 986, embassies from various nations came to the prince to Kiev, calling on Russia to convert to their faith. First came the Volga Bulgarians of the Muslim faith and praised Mahomet; then foreigners from Rome from the Pope preached the Catholic faith, and the Khazar Jews - Judaism. Vladimir did not accept Judaism - he did not like that for their sins the Lord scattered Jews throughout the land. The faith of the Mohammedans (Bulgarians of the Volga-Kama) Vladimir did not like the dryness of their worship, with their interpretation of the afterlife, their wives and the prohibition of drinking wine. In 962, at the request of Princess Olga, the German emperor sent bishops and priests to Kiev, who were not received by the prince.

The last arrived preacher, sent from Byzantium. He began to tell Vladimir about Orthodoxy, and Vladimir listened to him with all the attention. Towards the end, the Greek showed the prince a cloth that showed the judgment seat of the Lord. On the right stood the righteous, in joy go to heaven, and on the left - sinners, going to the torment. Vladimir, having sighed, said: "It is good for those on the right and bad for those on the left." “If you want to become righteous with the right, then be baptized,” said the Greek. But Vladimir replied: "I will wait a little more," wanting to find out more about all the faiths.

Tradition says that Prince Vladimir, in order to experience on the spot, whose faith is better, sent nine envoys. When the Russian ambassadors were in Constantinople, the magnificence of the St. Sophia Church, the harmonious singing of the choristers, and the solemnity of the patriarchal service touched them deeply. They then told Prince Vladimir: "We did not know whether we were on earth or in heaven." The boyars who listened to this said: “If the Greek faith were not better than other faiths, then your grandmother Olga, the wisest of people, would not have accepted.” And the ambassadors said: “And just as one who has eaten a sweet doesn’t want a bitter one, we don’t want to be more pagans”.

However, Vladimir did not immediately accept Christianity. In 988, he captured Korsun (Chersonesos in the Crimea) and demanded the sister wife of the Byzantine emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII Anna, threatening to go to Constantinople otherwise. The emperors agreed, demanding in turn the baptism of the prince, so that the sister went beyond the co-religionist. Having received the consent of Vladimir, the brothers sent Anna to Korsun. In the same place in Korsun, Vladimir with many warriors was baptized by the bishop of Korsun, after which he performed the marriage ceremony. In baptism, Vladimir adopted the name Basil, in honor of the ruling Byzantine Emperor Basil II.

Returning to Kiev, accompanied by Korsun and Greek priests, Vladimir first of all baptized his twelve sons. All of them were baptized in one source known in Kiev under the name of Khreshchatyk. Following them, many boyars were baptized.

And on the appointed day, there was a mass baptism of the people of Kiev at the place where the Pochaina River flows into the Dnieper. The chronicles say: "The next day, Vladimir came out with the priests Tsaritsyn and Korsuin on the Dnieper, and there were people who didn’t number. They went into the water and stood there to the neck, others to the chest, small children along the shore, some kept babies , while the adults were already wandering, the priests were making prayers, standing still ... "This major event took place, according to the chronicle chronology, in 988. Following Kiev, Christianity gradually came to other cities of Kievan Rus: Chernigov, Novgorod, Rostov, Volynsky, Polotsk, Turov, Tmutarakan, where dioceses were created. So, under Prince Vladimir, the overwhelming majority of the Russian population accepted the Christian faith, and Kievan Rus became a Christian country.

Having adopted Christianity, Prince Vladimir began to fulfill the precepts of Christ. Across Russia, began to assist the poor and the sick. Vladimir contributed to the spread of Christian enlightenment in Russia, built new cities, built churches in them. Died over. Prince Vladimir July 15, 1015 and was buried in the Church of the Tithes in Kiev.

The material is based on information from open sources.

Jan 14 2014

I found a very interesting article online. If you believe the data presented in it, then it contains a very interesting alternative.

The theme of the baptism of Russia is quite complicated, so I will try to do without unnecessary information. Therefore, if somewhere is not scientifically written, then all because it is written in simple language for good people.

If you have a deeper interest I can advise various sources and common sense.

If you are familiar with the story and do not want to bother yourself, just squander the text before the picture "The Baptism of Russia."

If you are not interested in questions of faith at all or are bored with the topic of baptism, then do not bother yourself at all with reading. Here is the same as everywhere.

General information about Russia of the 9th century.

The tribes of the Slavs, once the former one, settled in the territory from the Danube to the Volga, from the Balkan Peninsula to Lake Ladoga. Left behind the general trips to Rome, joint war with the Germanic tribes and others. The tribes no longer wander, but lead a sedentary lifestyle. They gradually move away from each other and unite into tribal unions according to the principle of residence. What used to be originally becomes a tribe. An example of this is Vyatichi and Radimichi, who came from the same kind of Lyakhov.

Eastern sources speak of the Slavs as a warlike people. Thus, the Arab writer Abu-Obeid Al-Bekri in his writings notes that if the Slavs, this powerful and terrible people, were not divided into many generations and clans, no one in the world could resist them. Other Oriental authors also write about this. The militancy of the Slavic tribes is noted by almost all Byzantine writers.

From sedentary lifestyles and militancy, neighborly disassembly begins. Because of the land and various goods. In addition, the religious worldviews are changing, there are borrowings of cults from neighboring non-Slavic tribes. As a result, differences arise between the pantheon of the north and south, the west and east.

At that time, Rus was an association of various Slavic tribes subordinate to one leader. Polyana with a center in Kiev, Krivichi (Smolensk, Polotsk, Izborsk centers), Volynyans (centers in the cities of Volyn and Vladimir-Volynsky), and other equally worthy ones. Each tribe had its own fortresses and fortified cities. The fortress had to do because of the constant civil strife between the princes and the tribes, intimacy with its neighbors. In addition to the Slavic tribes, various non-Slavic tribes lived in the territory occupied by the Slavs. To the north and northeast - Finnish tribes (Chud, all, Meria, Murom, Cheremis, Mordovians, etc.). To the west - Lithuania, to the south and southeast - Turks (Khazars, Pechenegs, Polovtsy). They also had their cities and centers. A huge number of cities and fortresses, which the Scandinavians called Gardariki.

The population of the country was not homogeneous, the tribes fighting among themselves. That Drevlyane glades hung, the glade Vyatichi. In addition, various steppe dwellers enjoyed disunity, attacking individual tribes and making them their tributaries. Sometimes the tribes united to repel the attack of enemies or to make a raid.

  About Vladimir.

Separately, I want to dwell on the personality of Prince Vladimir. He is the unwanted son of Svyatoslav, low by birth. His mother was Malusha, the housekeeper or the mercy of Princess Olga. According to some sources she was from the Drevlians, according to others she was Jewish, in any case her position at the court was low. Since childhood, Malushi’s son has been reproached for being of low birth, while Uncle Dobrynya brings up. Vladimir does not like his father, he distributes allotments to all his sons, except Vladimir. Then seven-year-old Vladimir is called to reign in Novgorod, knowing his relationship with his father. Svyatoslav says: "Take it! By you and the prince!". Having become Prince of Novgorod, Vladimir, too, does not receive due honors, because Novgorodians use it for their own purposes. Having reached a certain age, he woos to the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogneda. She refuses, citing his origin. Vladimir, on the other hand, is going to war on Polochan, seizes Rogneda, rapes her in front of her parents, whom she kills afterwards.

This shows his "character" based on the humiliation of childhood. All his desire for power, and mood swings are easily explained from the point of view of psychology. Nowadays, such people often become criminals, maniacs, pedophiles.

Vladimir does not love the world of his ancestors, and will destroy it when there is such an opportunity.

He cracked down on his brother Yaropolk, luring him into an ambush, and became the ruler of Russia. Vladimir inherits an artificially created union between Kriviches, glades, Ilmen Slovens, Radimichi, Vyatichi, Drevlyans, Northerners and other smaller tribes. He replaces the tribal leaders on his people. They are called boyars, each with their own squad. So in Novgorod, Dobrynya rules from Vladimir, in Chernihiv Pretich, and so on. What naturally does not please the Slavic tribes.

At the same time, Prince Vladimir comes up with a cunning move. He decides to strengthen his power by arranging a reform of the pagan faith. Thereby it was possible to kill several birds with one stone, to cajole and unite the Slavic tribes under the common pantheon, to show the power of Constantinople and the Scandinavians, and to strengthen their power.

Pagan reform of Vladimir.

"Starting Volodymer in Kyev is one.
  And put the idols on the hill in the courtyard of the courtyard:
  Perun Drevyan, and his head syrebryanu, and ys gold,
  and Harsa,
  and Dazhbog,
  and Striboga,
  and Semargla,
  and makosh.
  And give them zhryahu, narachayusche I gods and bring my own sons and daughters and zhryahu demon and Oskvrnyah earth with their demands "(From the tale of bygone years.)

Vladimir, capturing Kiev, destroys the Christian church built by Yaropolk. And it builds temples in its place.

Vladimir makes a bloody sacrifice.

In short, the meaning of the reform was as follows: to put at the head of the pantheon of "his god", and to subordinate to him the gods of the tribes belonging to Kievan Rus. In the pantheons of the Slavic tribes there were small differences among themselves, both by name and by the functions of the gods. This was due to the interpenetration of the ideas and cults of individual gods, communication with other peoples and internal changes. Many tribes believed they were descended from one particular patron god, or they worshiped one more than others. This can be traced, if you look at the local names. But we will not go into it.

The only deity that everyone had was Rod. In addition, at this time, estates begin to be laid. Occur professional wars, merchants, artisans. Which begin to honor the gods patronizing their activities, more than others. So Perun was the god of weapons and patron of the squad, Velez patronized trade and hunting, Svarog - blacksmiths and artisans. It is quite possible for us not to catch all the interrelations between the gods that our ancestors carried out for themselves, but we may well see the idea.

Please note that in the pantheon was not Veles and Rod. It was a political move. Velez was put "under the mountain" on the market. On the one hand, he is the place and there, because Velez patronized the trade. On the other hand, perhaps this step was aimed at humiliating the tribes who worshiped Veles more than others and the estate of the merchants (which was often interrelated). And Veles was revered most of all by the Krivichi and Ilmen Slavs (Novgorod and Yaroslavl). Who have always been in conflict with the glades and Kiev. At about the same time, a myth emerges about the struggle of Perun and Veles, in which Velez is cast down.
  The genus was the generally accepted supreme deity, if he were present in the pantheon, then people would worship him first. Vladimir also wanted Perun to be the supreme god.

Vladimir in an incomprehensible headdress with Ukrainian money.

Knowing Vladimir as a war, his choice as the supreme deity of the god of war is understandable. The idea of ​​reform, he apparently learned from the Scandinavians, who had been guests before. This was due to the lack of his governmental mind.

The tribes were not enthusiastic about the fact that Perun was put at the forefront. In addition, Vladimir began to bring bloody human sacrifices to idols, like the Scandinavians, which people also did not like. To top it off, according to legend, in Perun, a lightning struck and split it, because his head was covered with silver and gold, and he was the highest. People saw this as a sign from above. The pagans interpreted this as the fact that the gods do not like the actions of Vladimir. Christians interpreted this in their own way. Come on gossip.

In general, instead of uniting on the old basis, even greater grievances between the tribes came out. The Krivichi and Novgorod Slovenes are the most dissatisfied. They had previously opposed themselves to Kiev and to the beloved polyanian god Perun, and here their beloved god was not placed in the pantheon and moreover "lowered" below.

In the picture Dobrynya puts the idol of Perun. According to the Christian chronicler, Perun is a red man with a spear on the right, surrounded by demons.

The annals speak about dissatisfaction with the actions of Vladimir, in the interval between the establishment of the pantheon and the adoption of Christianity there are various strife. Radimichi and Vyatichi are revolting, or simply from separatism, or the reason was dissatisfaction with Vladimir's pantheon, or maybe both. The fact is that Radimichi and Vyatichi were descended from the glorious ancestor Radim and Vyatko respectively. It is quite possible that they were not satisfied with not respecting their ancestor-protectors in the pantheon. Or because of insufficient respect, or the lack of their worshiped deity in the pantheon. According to various sources, Radimichi revered Svarog most of all, Vyatichi revered Stribog. Svarog in the pantheon of Vladimir was not, moreover, both of these unions up to this point did not attempt to doubt the princely power.

Nothing is known about indignations due to pagan reforms in Novgorod. But the fact that Vladimir put the eldest son of Vysheslav on the throne of the city under the tutelage of Uncle Dobrynia, says a lot.

The result of the unsuccessful reform of paganism is that Vladimir begins to look for new options for uniting the country. He puts his sons to the main cities of the country, and after returning from a campaign, he adopts Christianity.

The reasons for the adoption of Christianity, chronicle and not.

According to many chronicles, he sends ambassadors to various religions. How beautifully the Christian chroniclers are wrapped up, he supposedly felt a desire for their faith, or he liked the external pomp and depth of ideas. Some quite naive believe that Vladimir decided to see a picture with a terrible court or describe a love story (which makes you laugh, because at that moment he had 5 wives and about 600 concubines, and he never saw Anna in the eyes). With what a fright he came to the idea of ​​adopting a new faith is not reliably known.

Perhaps, the Bulgars with their Islamic embassy to Vladimir acted on him, Muslims often tried to persuade their neighbors to Islam.

Or failures with a princely pantheon worked here.

Perhaps there is a world black magic plot.

Or blame the cunning plan that he set in motion. Indeed, in 988, Vladimir seized Korsun, and demanded from Tsargrad the princess Anna to be his wife. By marrying Anna, Vladimir would become equal to the European rulers. The Byzantines demanded the adoption of Prince Christianity, which for Vladimir was not a problem.

Regardless of the reasons, the result is known to us.

Bewitched or initially insidious, Vladimir accepts Christianity and forcibly baptizes Kiev and Novgorod. He decides to join the faith of a close trading partner. Despite the fact that the partner was not strong.

Some historians claim that the whole plan for the adoption of Christianity was dictated by the desire of Vladimir to seize more Byzantium. If not yourself, then organize the inheritance of their children.

In addition, a similar alliance with Byzantium was less enslaving than other options. To adopt Catholicism meant to bend under the Germans, Islam and Judaism - to have weak allies near.

There was also a question of money, under Catholicism we would have to pay specific sums to the Holy See, and Byzantine Christianity was both cheaper and more familiar.

In addition, part of the squad was already baptized, and Christian communities were in many cities have existed for a long time.

The adoption of Christianity also meant a better attitude, both from the Muslims and from the Jews, as well as from other Christian states.

This move allowed Vladimir to avoid various misconceptions, since Christianity was a new religion. And to start again is easier than trying to rebuild the old. Only we know what came of it.

Now about the baptism itself. How it went.

Many represent baptism as one rite. Like, all of Russia was built on the river bank, and forced. Dissent one-two million people were killed. In fact, the process of the genocide of people was long and long, you can easily see it in the last article.

The date of the baptism of Russia, is the time of the adoption of Christianity by the state religion. Even according to the church layout, the last major cities were rebuilt in the 13-14 century. In fact, pagans remained on the territory of Russia until the last century, the Soviet power almost finished off the rest. Traditions are preserved mainly on the border and in all sorts of deaf places. Many left gradually along with the border to the Urals and to Siberia. In addition, pagans remained among the Cossacks. But more about that, somehow later.

Now, how it all really went. According to the chronicles, the first baptized city was Kiev. One day the prince declared: "Whoever does not go to be baptized, that is his enemy." Many of the locals were aware of the upcoming event and went to the forest in advance, others left later. Why were aware, but because before that Vladimir was baptized himself and baptized the squad. For a long time princes will fight the robbers of those pagans who went into the woods. Their leaders will be constantly executed, gradually killing the bearers of real faith fighting for their faith.

Then Vladimir baptizes small towns, and sends Dobrynya with the traitor priest Anastas to baptize Novgorod. Novgorod is preparing in advance, smashing the houses of Christians, burn and rob the church. Applying the trick Dobrynya sneaks into the city and sets it on fire. While people are trying to fight with the squad, they burn down at home. In the end, they have to stop the battle and extinguish the city. As a result, Novgorod was baptized, the opponents of this killed or forced.

It is the turn of other cities, there, too, was not without a fight. Until the 13th century, the Vyatichi were pagans, and churches were constantly burning in Novgorod and Rostov.

But so that you do not exaggerate the significance christian church  at that time, I will note:

The first more or less complete bibles appeared in the 16th century. Prior to this, the "Bible" existed in pieces, written in an incomprehensible language (the alphabet of Cyril and Methodius), and was hardly accessible to the public. What is called the "Slavic Bible of Cyril and Methodius" is actually a hymnal, a piece of the new testament and a book on worship. With all this, the book itself has not survived, quite possibly it was even more insignificant than scientists think. As well as the creation of the Slavic alphabet is doubtful: “During Kirill’s stay in Chersonesos he discovered the gospel and psalter written by“ Russian writings. ”(Pannonian lives end of the 9th century)”. Not yet created, but already discovered.

The teaching was transmitted mostly from the words of the priest. The testimonies of contemporaries have been preserved that in large cities Muslims and Christians went to the same church together. Often the priests used Arab and Greek books in worship services, which did not contribute to understanding. Greek words like "cotovasia" remained from Greek worship.
   Many of the "artifacts" of that time remained in the Old Believers. You can watch “Going beyond three seas” by Afanasy Nikitin of the 15th century, there is also an interesting moment at the end. But that's another story.

Only in the 15th century the normal “code” was settled, and in the 16th century the Bible was printed. It got to the point that with the advent of typographic bibles, people found inconsistencies with church practice, for which they paid for their own lives. The Catholics were much smarter in this regard; they forbade the bible to read the Bible to non-clergymen; the ban was lifted quite recently.

For most people of that time, Christianity was reduced to the ability to be baptized and knowledge of the creed.Ask Christian Christians for a creed, for a laugh.

Many people chose to pretend to be Christians. They brought the old ideas to the new faith.

The rest of the "enlightenment" stretched for many centuries.

Ways to conquer the Christian faith.

So how did the church destroy the pagan heritage?

First of all, all churches were built on former temples, replacing the old faith with Christianity. People were accustomed to going to this place, and the very fact that the church stands, and nothing happens to it was for them an indication of the strength of the Christians.
  In the ancient world, people believed that a deity could protect itself. When they saw the church standing peacefully, they saw how they had treated idols, and that nothing happened after that, they inevitably began to doubt.

The next moment was the destruction of the Magi and the priests. Magi caught and executed. In any case, the Christian church was an organization that simply suppressed attempts at self-organization in the Magi, mainly by force, relying on the squad.

Prince Gleb hacks the magician with an ax. Chronicler poorly represented clothes Magus.

But to defeat paganism was unreal, since faith was a continuation of tradition and life. Therefore, the clergy began to not prohibit life, but simply to impose their faith on the traditional way. Adjust the calendar for the holidays, made explanations and substitutions of the saints. In fact, speaking, the current ROC is an explosive mixture of traditional beliefs attuned to Christianity and Christianity itself.

So many saints began to perform functions that were previously performed by the gods. For example, they began to honor St. Blasius. In Novgorod, they set up the church of Blasius in the place of the temple of Veles. It does not seem strange to me the consonance of names. The prophet Elijah began to replace Perun, Paraskeva Friday to replace Makosh. The Virgin Mary acquired the attributes of the Lada, for example, a "magic" belt. With such a cunning perversion of the ideas of the old faith, Christianity was dragging people into their networks.

Embroidery with Mokosh on the left, Wooden Saint Paraskeva on Friday of the 16th century on the right.

Another church began to actively produce the saints. The “heroic” lives of the saints began to appear, which created the “presence effect” of Christianity in Russia. Many saints were simply created from the people that existed at that time: Boris, Gleb, Vladimir, various priests. Later, Christians made saints and various representatives of paganism. Compare the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria and St. Catherine of Alexandria (only in the case of Catherine added more torment), there are many more such examples.

In addition, they began to use icons everywhere, which were honored, burned candles instead of a fiery sacrifice, and put up the requirements like idols. So over time, the icons adopted the functions of idols and idols. Now they pray to each icon separately, a separate prayer and with different goals.

Yes, and intelligent, educated clergy acted "for the cause", and not for personal glory. They consulted among themselves and undertook various tricks, which is reflected in the letters of the bishops of that time.

Children from the best clans were given to learn to read and write, where the law of God was naturally taught to immature brains.

In addition, the squad at the time was something of a pop idol. Young people wanted to meet them and therefore also went to Christianity.

And the conquests of Christian princes, gradually spread Christianity to other tribes. Dissenters were simply killed.

A similar scheme of imposing faith was worked out earlier on other nations. Therefore, it was comprehensively applied to Russia.

The reasons for the weakening of the Old Faith in Russia.

There are many of them, but I will try to bring the main ones from my point of view.

We will not consider the magical effects, so as not to get into the wilds. Undoubtedly they were and require a separate article.

I specially repeated many well-known truths in order to discuss the reasons why paganism of that time could not fight against Christianity.

When the Slavs "traveled" - they had one common faith. There were no particular differences between the genera. Everyone believed in Rod and the Gods. But when the tribes began to lead a sedentary life, they began to show differences in the pantheons, the fascinations with the cults of individual gods, who divided them among themselves. And weakened the old faith.
  With the advent of centers and the state, the process is reversed, and ...
  Here comes Christianity.

Thus, the systemic reasons why the faith of the ancestors could not resist Christianity:

First reason  - lack of storage media and proper presentation. In this case, the carriers are not only texts, but also clergymen. The fact is that the tradition was transmitted mostly verbally, like that of the Hindus. The priests were mostly local, usually they were elders in villages or in cities. In addition, there were priests who traveled through the villages (Magi). Traveling priests guessed, conducted various ceremonies and spread information. Naturally, when the sorcerer left, everything returned to normal. News and ideas spread slowly. On the other hand, there was an interpenetration of cultures and ideas in the cities. And often, in the cities and in the deaf villages there were different thoughts. New ideas could not spread to the villages, because lacked opportunity. This was a mess. The only criterion for the spread of the idea was the authority of the person. The Christians first of all destroyed the Magi and the shrines, which interrupted their studies and the dissemination of information.

The second reason - lack of organization among the representatives of the old faith. In more ancient times there was no need for a complex organization, due to the fact that faith was a part and continuation of the culture and life of our people. In addition, each tribe had its own ministers and their own view of the divine. It also affects the appearance of social stratification into classes and its consequences. Families of merchants are established, a squad of professional warriors, a village of artisans appears. And in connection with this, parochial hobbies of patron gods appear.
  But when the Slavs appear centers like Kiev and Novgorod, there are extensive connections between the tribes and with neighboring nations through trade. Such a time comes when organization becomes necessary, but it does not have time to be created.

Third reason- The concept of freedom among the Slavs, which allowed others the right to their faith. So people frowned, but put up with Christians. So modern Christians frown, but put up with Muslims. So on the sly, the idea of ​​Christianity in Russia captured new and new minds right up to baptism.

This is only part of the reasons that influenced the penetration of the Christian church in Russia. I consider them essential.

As usual, I did not just raise the topic. I want to compare with our time.

What do we have now? Something like then. Even Prince "Vladimir" to call.

Separated groups throughout Russia. Communities - each has its own pantheon and set of ideas. There is not a center, there are no worthy personalities, so that everything can unite behind them. All this scares people away and hinders unification more than various political views. Views can at least be justified, but incomprehensible dogmas are not.

In general, there are not enough Slavic theologians who could clarify the issues and organize the idea at the proper level. The ancient ideas of the native faith are more than modern. They are like a fertile field where our greatness can grow from seed ideas. It is important not to allow it to overgrow weeds from alien beds.

Not enough organization. Having an organization, we could jointly solve many issues, organize events, and highlight our activities in the press. It is possible to do something like Shintoism, to provide communities with different pantheons. Or all lead to the same denominator. Or .. But this is also a separate conversation.

As for the teachings, which are, for the most part, they are “Frankenstein religions of the world” and do not pass the test of the worldview of a person of the old faith. And the leaders of these teachings, only popularizers, but not leaders. They are driven by various causes, from material to mental. But not the desire to unite. They are settled in their views, and are not able to admit that they were mistaken in something. After all, they initially stated that their view is the only true one.

For our part, we can only collect crumbs of information from the whole bunch of various ideas that "new magicians" poured on us. We will observe the wisdom of the ancestors - sanity. And avoid the mistakes of the past. You look, something will turn out.

Ps. Well, in the conclusion I will put for discussion the most important issue which follows from the above. What would happen if Vladimir decided to preserve paganism?

The way how to do this is understandable - you need to turn faith into religion. That is, pagan temples are being built to replace temples. Written sacred pagan books. What type of Veles book. It creates a sacred hierarchy of the Magi. Etc. etc .. In general, Christianity is taken as tracing paper.