The Baptism of Rus and its meaning
The Baptism of Rus and its significance for the futurethe fate of the state will be discussed and studied by modern historians for a long time. This is especially true today, at the time of new discoveries and various interpretations of those old events.
For what it was necessary to destroy the holy idols andfaith, which for many centuries the ancestors worshiped, to destroy the established order for centuries? There are many answers to these questions, but sometimes it seems that only a small part of the truth has been revealed to us, and the spread of Christianity in Russia is still not fully understood by the mystery. The ancient Slavs sincerely believed in mystical natural forces and worshiped their stone and wooden idols. For them, they were powerful forces of nature that directly influenced their lives, and life was completely subordinated to the interpretation of the will of the gods. The role of the first spiritual mentors in those days was performed by the wise men and magicians.
Eastern Slavs before the adoption of the Christian faithlived numerous tribes or clans that were scattered over a vast territory. On the way of life and the course of events, they were pointed first of all by the surrounding nature. Paganism, which was confessed everywhere, was not a religion, it was a chaotic observance of various religious rites.
Important and fateful for Russia 988 wascomplex and very dramatic, since it was the year of the baptism of the prince Vladimir of Kiev and his faithful companions-combatants. Prince Vladimir married the Byzantine princess Anna and received the expected help from Constantinople, which was the center of Christianity. The prince was primarily governed by state interests, since he saw in them the favorable consequences of the adoption of Christianity. It was an introduction to the highest at that time culture of Christian peoples, and hence, to the prospect of the successful development of their culture and statehood.
The baptism of Rus and its meaning is,that it eliminated the contradiction of polytheism, affirmed a single ideology and promoted the strengthening of central power and, as a result, helped the formation of a strong state. The power of the Kiev prince was transformed and acquired a new character.
According to historians, Vladimir shookChristian faith, its clarity and consistency of confession, magnificent decoration of churches, many-voiced chants and meaningful prayers. The advantage of the new faith was that it carried in itself a different ritual and a more consistent and refined idea of the origin of the divinity of power, and also taught obedience and meekness.
The positive consequences of the adoption of Christianity wereare evident, since the consolidation of the Grand Duke's power took place, the first attempt was made to protect human rights and private property, and the Orthodox Church and spirituality in society were established. For example, with the help of Christian morality, family relationships were strengthened, and in addition, litigations were considered in a new light. It was the church court that considered anti-religious crimes, as well as moral and family norms of society. Life was ordered and became more cultured, more civilized. This period is associated with the beginning of the development of ancient Russian culture, urban planning, as well as the development of new crafts, for example, jewelry. The coming of Christianity contributed to the construction of monumental stone churches, such as the Church of the Tithes in Kiev and many others.
Dissemination of Christianity in Russiacontributed to the formation of self-consciousness of Old Russian society. The adoption of a written set of laws ("Russian Pravda") was an example of the first legal institution in the new society. In Russia monasteries are organized, for example, Kiev-Pechersky, which became a center of culture and education for many decades. It was here that the chronicles were written, according to which we can judge about that distant time.
The baptism of Rus and its meaning is also inthat monasteries began to send books published by them to a secular society, fulfilling the functions of the first printing houses. People began to study the Bible, thus not only new spiritual values spread, but also literacy of the population. The consequences of the adoption of Christianity - this is the fact that to Kievan Rus in a different way to treat the world community. This contributed to the strengthening of international relations. The baptism of Rus and its significance modern historians interpret as an important step in the removal of Rus from Mohammedanism and the paganism of Asia, and its rapprochement with the advanced, Christian Europe.
