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Alexander Schmemann
6. Russian Orthodoxy (41 pages)
From Schmemann's A History of the Orthodox ChurchPage 5
In the relations between Church and state we also see a harmony almost unprecedented in the history of Orthodoxy; at the beginning of the Kievan period the Byzantine “harmony” operated almost openly through the influence of the Church, not the state. Although Vladimir had been responsible for the choice of a religion, the Church in Kiev was not, in fact, dominated by the state. His Ecclesiastical Regulations significantly broadened the sphere of the ecclesiastical court by comparison to the Byzantine ones: all family matters, for example, were transferred to it, so that the Church might carry out the regeneration of society more successfully. Still more important, the rulers constantly accepted advice, guidance, and instruction from the Church, and recognized it as the authority of conscience.
“In the dramatic and even tragic history of relations between the Christian Church and the Christian state,” Fedotov continues, “the Kievan experience, in spite of its brevity and fragility, may be regarded as one of the best Christian achievements.”[48] The history of Orthodoxy in Russia began with Christian perfectionism, a real “trans-valuation of values” in the light of evangelical truth.
Cf. Books for getting closer to Orthodox Christianity ||| Orthodox Images of the Christ ||| Byzantium : The Alternative History of Europe ||| Greek Orthodoxy - From Apostolic Times to the Present Day ||| A History of the Byzantine Empire ||| Videos about Byzantium and Orthodoxy ||| Aspects of Byzantium in Modern Popular Music ||| 3 Posts on the Fall of Byzantium ||| Greek Literature / The New Testament
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Reference address : https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/schmemann-orthodoxy-6-russian-orthodoxy.asp?pg=5
