The Role of the Church Hierarchy in the Fight against Double Belief in XI–XIII centuty Rus'

Abstract

This article is based on the report delivered by the author at the International Theological Conference at Sretensky Theological Academy in Moscow on November 11, 2021. Historical literary works of the XI–XIII centuries (the pre-Mongol period, as well as the beginning of the Tatar-Mongol Yoke period) were chosen as the object of research. The author examines the question of the activities of the clergy (primarily of the episcopate) of the Russian Orthodox Church at the dawn of its existence in the sphere of the Church’s opposition to the remnants of pagan beliefs and practices. Both historians of the last century and modern scholars have to some extent addressed the topic indicated in the title of the article, suffice it to mention such names as N. M. Galkovsky, E. V. Anichkov, I. Y. Froyanov, A. V. Karpov, V. Y. Petrukhin. However, the relevance of this topic becomes evident considering the stance of modern critics towards the Orthodoxy of the Russian tradition. On the one hand, Western Christians want to see in it a specific fusion of the Gospel truth with the pagan delusions of the Eastern Slavs, and on the other hand, supporters of neo-pagan ideas tend to accuse the Church of bringing Christianity into the people’s life exclusively by force. This article demonstrates the groundlessness of both points of view. Using the materials of key written sources, the author tries to trace the dynamics of the presence of remnants of archaic beliefs in the life of  Russia in the early period of Christianity, to reflect the role of the hierarchy in countering the elements of paganism and assess this process not only from a historical but also from a theological point of view.