In our view, created by textbooks and school lessons on the past (history), there is a deep misconception that Christianity on our earth is already 1000 years old. Moreover, they even talk about a thousand-year-old Christian Rus, and the date of the baptism of the Kievites was made a public holiday in Russia and Ukraine. But what was and is actually in the share of our Slavic people?
But in reality, apart from The Tale of Bygone Years, no source at all knows anything about the baptism of Rus in 988. Neither Greek, nor Bulgarian, nor Arab, nor Western European contemporaries mention that pompous event described in the "Tale" and named, specifically named, later "the baptism of Russia."
In fact, if baptism did take place, it was, of course, only the baptism of Kiev. Russia, even the land around Kiev, remained unbaptized for many centuries. If we talk about Kiev, its Christianization even in the 11th century raises some doubts among researchers.
Let's turn to the Russian Chronicle, part of which is the "Tale of Bygone Years", only we will turn to the events that describe the times after the baptism of Kiev. For example, under the year 6504 (995) the chronicle notes that “Vladimir lived according to the behests of his father and grandfather” in the matter of the court case. Recall that the father and grandfather of Prince Vladimir were Slavs by religion. Vladimir abolished the death penalty introduced at the request of the bishops and returned the ancient Aryan virus (compensation for damage caused, including murder, with benefits). This is also an answer to all of us whether there was blood feud in Russia, that is, the prince-baptist himself canceled the church Christian rules and introduced new Slavic customs.
Dear relatives, please note that the description of the very act of the baptism of Kiev includes some strange and illogical actions of Vladimir. For example, Perun from the mountain was plunged into the river, into the water. Whereas the Bible calls upon idols to destroy and burn. And indeed, it would be natural to burn the wooden idol of God Perun, but, no - they let him on the water. And this is the wedding ceremony of fire and water. The fiery essence of Perun is recognized by scientists almost unanimously. A similar rite is carried out by the Slavs to this day on Kupala, lowering the fiery wheel from the mountain into the river. That is, dear reader, we see that the “desecration” of Perun had the character of a Vedic ritual action, which could only be interpreted as the overthrow of idols. And the researcher of the past L. Prozorov remarked very correctly that the whole description of the act of baptism is very much reminiscent of the usual census of biblical subjects.
It is also necessary to mention how the burial ceremony of Vladimir was carried out. The chronicler says that the prince was buried in the Tithe Church, which, of course, cannot be verified, since this church was destroyed in the 13th century. But it is interesting how the burial ceremony is described: the body was wrapped in a carpet, the floor was broken, lowered on ropes, and so was carried out of the house. And this, my dear reader, is one of the Vedic, non-Christian burial rites among the Slavs. Here is the baptist prince for you.
Thus, we see that Slavism did not disappear, and moreover, it was even practiced in the days after the baptism of Kiev. Prince Vladimir himself did not shy away from the Old Faith and was even buried according to its customs.
It must also be said that under Prince Vladimir, in fact, no church structure was created, there was simply no one to form it from. Therefore, Christianity covered only a small part of the princely entourage. To create a certain semblance of a Christian presence, Prince Yaroslav Krivoy (called the Wise in the chronicles) turned to such desecration as the baptism of the bones of princes Yaropolk and Oleg Svyatoslavich. Christianity made its way on the Rus land with great difficulties.
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The already mentioned researcher L. Prozorov cites a vivid quote from the church magazine "Bell Ringer" characterizing the state of Christianity in Russia in the 11th century: “Paganism was still strong, it had not outlived its time in Russia, it resisted the introduction of Christianity, therefore takes violent measures in the spread of Christianity, resorts to fire and sword with the aim of introducing the gospel teaching into the hearts of the pagans."
It was during the reign of Yaroslav Krivoy that massive forcible baptisms of cities and villages, the murder of the Magi and priests took place.
The reign of Yaroslav Krivoy
We all know from school that the dawn of Russia fell on the reign of the son of Vladimir the Great, Yaroslav, called the Wise. Let us continue our study of the past by debunking the myth created by the Kiev monks: the name of Yaroslav Vladimirovich among the people was not Wise, as we would like to think, but Krivy. The Kiev prince received his nickname due to the lameness that arose in childhood. But we see a deeper reason for such a nickname and this reason should be sought in the eternal Slavic concepts of Pravda and Krivda, which were the measure of human moral behavior. In support of our assumption, we will cite a series of events from the past, which will help the reader independently draw a conclusion about the personality of Yaroslav Krivoy, a pupil of the governor Blud (a characteristic set of names, isn't it?).
To begin with, a year before the death of his father, Vladimir, Yaroslav Krivoy fled from his inheritance in Novgorod, fearing that his father would go to war against him for non-payment of tribute to Kiev. Yaroslav decided to return to his homeland only after his father's death. And then he got involved in a long fratricidal war, which ended only in 1023, 8 years after the death of Prince Vladimir. 1015 to 1023 alternately ruled a supporter of the Slavs Svyatopolk (nicknamed for this by the Church of the Damned) and a supporter of Christianity Yaropolk, then seizing, then fleeing from Kiev. Svyatopolk "ticked" to Poland, and Yaroslav to Scandinavia. And this civil war, in which princes Boris, Gleb and Svyatoslav were killed, would have continued if it had not been for the death of Svyatopolk.
Three sons of Vladimir survived: Yaroslav Krivoy, Mstislav the Brave, Sudislav and their nephew Bryacheslav (son of Izyaslav Vladimirovich, who died back in 1001).
The civil war continued. In 1020-21. Yaroslav fought a war with his nephew, and, according to the Nikon Chronicle, defeated him. But the Sophia Chronicle gives a rather strange message: despite the victory, Yaroslav concluded an agreement with Bryacheslav, according to which the cities of Vitebsk and Usvyat retreated to the last along the river. Western Dvina. Quite a strange "victory", after which the defeated prince not only does not lose his reign, but also expands his possessions.
Mstislav in 1024 defeated Yaroslav's army near Listven (Chernigov region), but did not proclaim himself a Kiev prince, giving Yaroslav to rule the right bank of the Dnieper, and he himself began to rule on the left, having moved from Tmutarakan to Chernigov. In 1029, Mstislav made a victorious campaign against the Caucasian yasov, which Nikonov's collection of the Russian Chronicle forgery ascribes to Yaroslav Krivoy. Whereas the murder of Boris, stabbed to death in his own tent, is just as cynically attributed to his elder brother Svyatopolk. This lie was clarified thanks to the Scandinavian source "Eymund Saga", which tells about the adventures of two Vikings who were hired by Prince Yarisleif (Yaroslav), who gives them the order to "remove" his brother Burisleif (Boris) (for more details see the book by L. Prozorov “Pagans of Baptized Rus”).
Even after the death of Mstislav the Brave in 1036, Yaroslav Krivoy did not become the sole ruler of the Rus Land, since his nephew Bryacheslav was still in Polotsk. But in order to be calm about his power, Yaroslav Krivoy took the Pskov principality from his younger brother Sudislav. Sudislav himself was imprisoned in a monastery, where he died in 1063, having outlived his merciless brother and endured humiliation from his sons.
Having become the ruler of the south of Russia, Yaroslav made a choice in favor of Christianity and in every possible way implanted a new religion in cities and villages. Under Yaroslav, the Chronicle of Rus was edited by him in the most serious way, warmed by the Kiev-Pechersk monks (the monastery was founded in 1051). It was Yaroslav who created the first written code of laws "Russkaya Pravda", where, among other things, the rules of blood feud and which of the enemies could be killed with impunity were determined. The basis of these instructions was not the ordinary law of the Slavs, as some researchers mistakenly believe, but the laws of Moses.
It was during the reign of Yaroslav Krivoy that the times of religious tolerance in Russia ended. The Church of the Tithes, built under his father Vladimir, was consecrated anew, apparently due to its non-canonical nature. Let us remind the reader that Prince Vladimir is put into the mouth of the chronicle not by the faithful, but by the Arian Symbol of Faith: "The Son is subservient and congenial to the Father …". Subesubstantial, not consubstantial, as it is stated in the orthodox, adopted at the Nicene Council Symbol.
Even during the reign of Vladimir, Yaroslav personally hacked the sacred animal of Veles, and put the city of Yaroslavl on the site of the temple, as reported by the source "The Legend of the Construction of the City of Yaroslavl." In 1024 Yaroslav Kryvoy suppressed the Suzdal uprising of the Magi, who raised the people because of the famine that broke out in this region. Having executed the captive Magi, Yaroslav Krivoy said: "God will lead to sin on every earth with a glory …". "Wonderful" explanation of the inability to rule the country and resolve social contradictions, isn't it, relatives?
Yaroslav died in 1054, dividing the country between his children. The Slavs of baptized Russia continued to defend their rights as best they could. In particular, in the 70s of the 11th century, the Magi appeared in three large cities, preaching about the Slavic Faith: in Novgorod, Kiev and Yaroslavl. The performance in Novgorod was suppressed by Prince Gleb, in Yaroslavl by the Kiev governor Yan Vyshatich, and in Kiev the sorcerer was removed quietly and without publicity: "disappeared in one night."
All these facts clearly indicate that the Slavism, even 100 years after the baptism of Kiev, did not lose its significance and continued to be a significant part of the life, culture and everyday life of the Eastern Slavs. The already mentioned researcher of the past, L. Prozorov, very intelligibly and extremely laconically, on the basis of the works of Soviet archaeologists, draws a conclusion about the baptism of Rus: “the price of“enlightenment with the good news”of the East Slavic lands is 28.9% of Russian settlements. Almost a third … It is difficult to imagine … well, imagine, reader, the streets of your hometown, where every third once residential building is empty and dead. " As a result of civil confrontation, suppression of uprisings and "pacification of the pagans", a third of the settlements of Russia were destroyed ["Ancient Russia. City, castle, village "- M., 1985, - P. 50].
Bohumir MYKOLAEV