As in many parts of the ancient world, the people living in the Rus lands worshiped Pagan gods for thousands of years. Christianity became an influence on the Rus via the Byzantine Empire and the Kievan Rus state around 800 CE. The Byzantine Empire was the largest empire in the world in the 800s and 900s and the official religion of the Byzantines was Orthodox Christianity. The Byzantines' global influence was extraordinary but Kiev's (the Rus capital) close proximity to the Byzantine capital Constantinople added even more influence and pressure to the Rus than most places. Olga, who was ruling the Kievan Rus state as regent, officially converted to Christianity in 945 CE. Olga's gender and status as regent did not allow for Christianity to spread in the Rus state but for the first time churches and missionaries from Constantinople were allowed to stay in Kiev. (Notes from Kovalev class, 9/24/13) Olga's grandson Vladimir became the Grand Prince of the Rus from 980 to 1015. Vladimir felt there was a need to unite all of the diverse Rus tribes under one cultural and religious orientation. Vladimir invited representatives from several religions such as Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity to try and convert him and the Rus to their respective religions. The obvious choice for Vladimir was Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Constantine was a close neighbor to Kiev. Converting to Orthodox Christianity opened up trade and political options for the Rus that they never had before. The Rus and the Byzantines became trading partners and uneasy allies which helped the Rus kingdom stabilize and grow in the years to come. (Zenkovsky, 66)
The transition from Russian paganism to Orthodox Christianity was a com...
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...orite horse died unexpectedly which frightened Ivan terribly and he fled Pskov. (Haney, 76) Using the horse as a form of superstition allowed the horse to be revered as a sacred animal while still giving room for the saints and Jesus.
The Pagan Rus did not have a difficult time identifying and worshiping Orthodox Christianity because Orthodoxy fit their general ethical boundaries. The Rus, however, still had to find ways to make the opposing views of polytheism and monotheism culturally fit. They did this via a practice called double faith. Certain pagan rituals and stories were saved and some pagan rituals and stories were tweaked by locals to fit Christian saints and God. In this way, Russian Orthodoxy arguably adapted more to paganism and traditional folklore than vice-versa. This helped create one of the most unique cultures that permeates Russia to this day.
The adoption of Eastern Orthodoxy by the Slavs marked a new era for the culture of Russia. In the Primary Chronicle, we come across many tales that illustrate the transformation from staunch paganism to strict Orthodox Christianity that was adopted by the state. The tale “Vladimir Christianizes Russia” is one such story that glorifies Vladimir’s great triumph in choosing Eastern Orthodoxy and delivering the Slavs to salvation. By justifying the adoption of Christianity, emphasizing the importance of aestheticism in ceremony, and illustrating the overwhelming Slavic transition from paganism to Christianity, we are able to glean the importance of Vladimir’s success in transitioning the Slavs to Eastern Orthodoxy. The story “Vladimir Christianizes Russia” seeks to justify the Slavic adoption of Christianity by portraying it as God’s will.
In 2010, the Eastern Orthodox population consisted of 250,000,000 people. Doc. of the. C) A lot of people are still Orthodox Christians, showing that the religion has carried on from the Byzantine Empire. Also, “Had the [Arabs] captured Constantinople in the seventh century.all Europe and America might be Muslim today.
Grigory Rasputin was born into a Russian Orthodox family and grew up in a mainly Russian Orthodox town named Pokrovskoye, Siberia. In the late 1890’s Rasputin went on a religious journey to the Verkhoturye Monastery in Siberia. At Verkhoturye Monastery, Rasputin was introduced to a fellow Russian monk who greatly influenced Rasputin’s ways and convinced Rasputin to stop drinking, smoking, and stop his carnivorous habits. After his visit to the monastery, Rasputin was officially considered a strannik, which is a Russian religious pilgrim. After returning home from Verkhoturye, Rasputin was noticed by his fellow peers and family as a changed man with holy and or mystical powers. Around 1898, Rasputin claimed to see Our Lady of Kazan (also called the Theotokos of Kazan) who is the Russian Orthodox version of the Virgin Mary whom is supposed to protect the city of Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia. Rasputin had supposedly witnessed a theophany of the Virgin Mary as the Russian Orthodox Church views the Virgin Mary as a holy being. After seeing Our Lady of Kazan, Rasputin then began his journey of religious mysticism.
Because of Kiev's location and the surrounding cultures, cultural diffusion affected Kiev in political, religious, and educational matters. Russia was centered between many trade routes; the river trading from Western Europe and Scandinavia, the Silk Road from the Far East, and Byzantine ports and aquatic trade. Traditions and customs were brought to and from Russia by traders from far-off lands. When Russia needed a set of laws and a code to live by, Yaroslav's code was created. This code followed many of the main ideas in Justinian's Code, in Byzantium. Vladimir wanted to have complete political and religious power over his people, which he took from Byzantium when he was looking for an official religion to unify his people. Vladimir sent
According to the Oxford Dictionary, neo- means “new” and pagan means “a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions,” but what exactly are these people and what do they do? “Neo-Paganism is a group of contemporary religious movements influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various historical pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe” (Lewis 13). “Paganism is a polytheistic nature religion. It is re-creating ways of relating to the earth and all its inhabitants which express human relationships with all that exists. It is a sense of being “at home” on earth” (Harvey 1). One of the most important aspects, if not the most important aspect of these modern movements is the use, according to Dennis Carpenter, of “a universe that is interconnected… and the material and/or spiritual universe are one” (quoted in Lewis 50). Some of the concepts of neo-paganism are “the idealization of nature, the perception that primitive people and peasants live lives that are in harmony with natural forces, and the imagining of an early polytheistic religion where nature itself is sacred” (Magliocco 39). Combining the importance of nature and the lives people live is “the earth and the body,” which, “ is central and celebrated” (Harvey 126). Displaying within the religion, “at their seasonal festivals pagans regularly renew their relationships and deepen their intimacy with the environment, nature,” and “the festivals teach ecology” (Harvey 126). Neo-Paganism is more rooted in environmentalistic behaviors through rituals and mythology rather than non-religion or science.
This is what Constantine's Christianity was all about. St. Constantine was not only interested in the religion in Christianity, but also in politics. For example, if the god of the Christians were going to support St. Constantine win his battles, then he was going to worship the Christian god. Also, St. Constantine managed to successfully gather a lot of Christian advisors at his court to tell him what the Christian God wanted, so he could be sure to keep God on his side. One last subject of the matter is that St. Constantine did not receive a Baptism until his dying days. Constantine was a lifelong pagan who was baptized against his will on his deathbed. All in all, the Christianity faith is a hybrid religion, because of the result of St.
During the time when the Vikings were invading France and England, another group of Vikings, known as the Rus, traveled east to invade the territory north of the Mongolian Empire. Rurik, the leader of the Rus, settled in what is known today as Russia. Over the years, they became a powerful people. They thought that because they were so powerful, they should be able to invade Constantinople and takeover the Byzantine Empire. No matter how hard they tried, the Rus could not destroy the sturdy walls of the city of Constantinople. Finally, one of the wise Rus princes named Vladimir, decided that instead of fighting, he would provide six thousand of his best warriors as a peace offering to the emperor of the Byzantine empire. In return, the
Folktales are a vital oral tradition in Russian culture. They are a powerful form of imaginative expression of some of the oldest beliefs and ideas of the nation. It is exceptionally common for Russian folklore to have a mythological aspects, as it strongly voices Russia’s pre Christianization beliefs such as pagan spirits. By understanding the pagan beings in the folklore, one can have a better understanding of the Russian spirit; Russian folklore is tightly intertwined with its culture. The most infamous and reoccurring mythological character in Russian folklore is Baba Yaga. She is generally a complex female antagonist with an incredibly interesting duality. Koschei the Immortal, Baba Yaga’s male counterpart, hides his mortality in a needle making him
Paganism is a loose word for the large variety of polytheistic, shamanistic, and mystical non-monotheistic religions. Paganism exists in all cultures, from paleolithic to technological, but has historically waxed and waned. The ancient Egyptians are an example of a highly pagan society; so are the ancient Romans; and all paleolithic cultures from the Old Stone Age to the present have strong pagan elements. An example of a less pagan culture would be the West for the last thousand years or so, since the centuries following the Fall of Rome. The domination of the Middle East by Christians and Moslems has also largely shut out paganism.
This is how Clovis I, a Germanic King converted his Kingdom of Merovingian to Christianity, due to the positive factors outweighing the negative factors that would overall strengthen his kingdom influence and power. The gifts from the Bishops and the wealth that ensued lead to the Merovingian Kingdom being full of extremely influential and wealthy citizens. With the conversion to Christianity, Clovis I’s battles became a part of holy wars against people that were non-believers of the Christian faith. This in many ways allowed him to have allies that were already allied with the Holy Roman Empire, giving Clovis a large amount of power.
There was the Russian Orthodox religion, but Priests only made a short visit approximately every six months to a year, that is if the weather and the Priest's schedule permitted. Whenever a Russian Orthodox Priest would visit, he would give all of his sermons in either Russian, or Slavonic. Very few if any of the villagers understood Russian or the Slavonic language. A few years before I left the village the Baptists moved in to cleanse our heathen souls. The Baptist presence in the village lasted for about 10 years after I left. There is a Russian Orthodox religious presence in the village today. The Russian Orthodox religion moved into the village, built a Church and this time give their sermons in English or at least through an interpreter.
Although the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church ultimately had more differences which ended up causing their split, they once had quite a few a similarities. The churches shared “many of the same prayers and liturgies” (“Eastern Orthodox”, 2001 para.1). Both the Eastern and Western churches had a difference in opinion in defining and numbering sacraments but they did agree on what the seven major sacraments for their churches should be. They also agreed upon that the male clergy should consist of bishops, priests, and deacons.
Vikings were a Norse-speaking, seafaring people who lived from the 8th to 11th centuries, mainly in Scandinavia. They were expert sailors who, starting in late 700s, looted and burned civilizations along rivers and coasts of Europe and Asia. They traded, sailed and explored across the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, opening trade routes that connected Europe to the Mediterranean lands. During this time, some of the population settled in the kingdoms that they were exploring; namely England, Ireland, northern France and Russia. One of the main influences that the surrounding cultures had on them was through religion. As the Vikings came in contact with Christianity through their raids, it began to form a unique fusion of Christian influence, while still holding on to many aspects of their pagan lifestyle. Not many primary sources remain from pre-Christian Viking society as much of their culture was destroyed during the Christianization process. The extremely strong oral tradition and the artifacts that remain are what the knowledge of the culture is based on. The pagan culture interests me, as I can still examine influences of it on my Scandinavian family today.
Years later after Jesus died; Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire and the faith spread from Palestine to Europe, and other countries through teaching and preaching. Ever since, the great religion of Christianity keeps on spreading still all over the world. Followers of this religion today belong to three main groups which are: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant and even though they share basic Christian beliefs, they all differ on some points of doctrine and ritual.
The Orthodox Christian Church holds true to the teachings of Christ as given by Him to His apostles. The Orthodox Christian Church is universal and Orthodox Christians have a faith and doctrine of Jesus Christ Our Lord as Head of the Church.