Alexander Schmemann

6. Russian Orthodoxy (41 pages)

From Schmemann's A History of the Orthodox Church

Page 4

Even during the first century in Kiev a spiritual community was created which left a deep impression not only on the Kievan period but on all subsequent eras of Russian religious development. This was the Kiev Crypt Monastery, begun by St. Antony in 1051 but really organized by St. Theodosius, the true founder of all Russian monasticism. The Crypt Monastery immediately became the example of pure, unadulterated Christianity, and the conscience of the young Christian society.
The life of Theodosius shows us his constant participation in the life of the state — by preaching, exposure, and reminder — at a time when civil strife between the princes was already beginning to infect it. This famous laura gave the Church as many as fifty bishops, who disseminated its spirit, traditions, and regulations everywhere. It was a great center of charitable social action as well. The monastery was the standard of perfection, and a throng of saints gave witness to the heavenly kingdom throughout the land, winning for it the title of “Holy Russia.”

Another proof of the success of Christianity must be seen in the genuine beginnings of Christian statehood, whose incarnation was St. Vladimir, the baptizer of Russia. The chronicler draws a clear distinction between his attitude toward his own authority before accepting Christianity and afterward, and depicts him as an affectionate prince, protector of the weak and poor, concerned over the construction of hospitals and almshouses, struggling for justice, enlightenment, and the ordering of the state. Another amazing example of a Christian prince is pictured by Vladimir Monomakh in his Testament. Although it is bookish and follows Byzantine models, this work is permeated with genuine conviction and expresses a personal experience, not merely a literary one. “Vladimir’s religious ethic lies between the Old and New Testaments,” Fedotov writes. “Yet it is always illuminated by a few rays falling from the Gospel, and in rare, exalted moments it dares to reflect Christ, the meek Lord, face to face.”[47] We must keep in mind this inspiration of conscience, reconciliation, mercy, and justice just at the dawn of the Russian state.

 

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