Fantastic Beginnings
Prince Vladimir of Kiev summoned his envoys: "It's time to give up our paganism. Our neighbours have adopted monotheism of one kind or another. We too must have a religion that will help us unify the States and help us build a better civilisation. I want you to go to the countries that have the great religions of the world and study them carefully. Look at Christianity, look at Islam, and look at Judaism. Come back and bring me a report on each of them!"
When the envoys returned the Prince listened to their descriptions of each. "No, Islam won't do," he said. "We have enough evil in this land without importing it into our religion as well. And, as for their rule on 'no wine'… we would never survive without it!"
"Judaism? I'm impressed with its high moral and ethical standards, but it's the religion of a dispersed people. That can't help us build a successful nation."
"What about Christianity, my lord?" asked one of his counsellors. "Which one?" asked the Prince. "I don't want Catholicism. That's too closely tied to Rome. Once we are under their control we'll never be our own!"
"And what of Byzantine Orthodoxy?" questioned the Prince. "Oh, my lord," replied one of them, "we have never seen anything like it! We did not know whether we were in heaven or on earth. The churches were magnificent° and wealthy. The robes of the clerics were wonderful. The processions, the incense, the choir singing all lifted us to another world. What's more, the Church and State work very closely together. The Christian emperor is seen as the representative of God, and the Patriarch works closely with him to ensure a Christian commonwealth."
"Ah, this is exactly what we need. This religion will be a good tool to build a great nation and to civilise the people. Byzantine Christianity it will be! I and all Kiev will be baptised in the Dnieper."
So, in 988AD, the Kieven Russian State became officially Christian. While the seeds of a nominally Christian Rus, had been sown, it would take centuries more to develop into the modern Russia we know today. As the State was seen to be headed by God's representative, the Church claimed the structure as a theocracy. It was a view that suited both Prince and future Patriarch. The Tsar could depend on the Church to back his claim to the divine right of kings, while the Church looked to the State to keep her members in order.
Dissent begins
By the time of Tsar Ivan III ("the Great"), 1462, the Church had acquired about 25% of all cultivated land in Russia. Its churches and monasteries had become incredibly wealthy, and they worked in close cooperation with the State most of the time. Not all sections of the church, however, approved of this situation, i.e. the influence of the Church in political affairs, the Tsar's interference in spiritual matters, the inordinate wealth of the Church, and the harsh treatment of those who disagreed with the rulers.
These less than Christian practices aroused protest and debate by monks in the more contemplative orders. The protests, however, never succeeded. All who deviated from official views in any way were labelled heretics. This internal dissent was always dealt with cruelly by the combined power of Church and State...