In truth, the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ began to baptize the Slavs. According to legend, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called arrived on a ship in the Danube Delta. In honor of this event, a monument was erected in Vilkovo (Odessa region). From the Danube floodplains and to the northeast, Andrey began his pastoral ministry. He baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, forgiving sins. So among the overwhelming pagan population Christian communities began to emerge. They were so few in number that the chronicles simply did not mention them. Baptism of Russia, meaning which is difficult to overestimate, happened almost a thousand years after the Apostle Andrew.
As it was legend
Historic Written Source The Tale of Bygone Years mentions that the Prince of Kiev, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, hesitated for a long time which faith to accept. Volga Bulgars proposed Islam, the Khazars - Judaism, and the legate of the Pope - Catholicism. All these religions were rejected by the prince. Vladyka gave preference to the Greek model of Christianity. Therefore, the baptism of Rus meaning had primarily for the patriarch of Constantinople, whose power from this act extended far north.
As it was in reality
Having driven his people into the waters of the Dnieper without much discussion,
Prince of Kiev of Kiev offered this prayer: “Great God, Creator of heaven and earth! Look at these new faithful and establish the right faith in them. And help me, Lord, against the enemy adversary. Hoping for You, let me run all his machinations! ” By adversary, the prince meant Wardu Fok. It was to suppress the rebellion of the latter that the Byzantine rulers Constantine VIII and Vasily II the Scarlet looked for military allies. Vladimir, however, put forward the condition for his participation in an armed adventure: the hand of Princess Anne. This was a terrible humiliation for the Caesars, but they had nowhere to go. Their counterclaim was the
adoption of Christianity by Vladimir himself and the baptism of Russia. Value
this act at that time was purely political.
When did it happen
In the "Tale of Bygone Years" the exact date is indicated - 6496 the summer of the Lord from the creation of the world. Translated into modern calculus, this is the 988th year. This event is also reflected in the Byzantine chronicles. A year earlier, the Patriarch of Constantinople Nicholas II Chryserg sent to Kiev a detachment of clergy, on which he entrusted the mission - the baptism of Russia. Meaning - the adoption of Christianity - at that time was pushed into the background. On the agenda was the question of Kiev joining the war against the “adversary” of Foki. Therefore, the prince, and the visiting clergy did not spend too much effort for educational work. Christianity for the Russian people was lowered, like a government decree, "from above."
The historical significance of the baptism of Rus
Such haste in an act of faith and, most importantly, the imposition of a foreign cult could not be perceived by people positively. Pagan gods, the cult of ancestors, the spirits of nature - all this lived in the minds of the people. The deposition of idols and the ruin of the temples was perceived as a tragedy. By order of the Greek clergy, the wooden statue of Perun was thrown into the Dnieper, and people ran along the shore, shouting: “Blow it out!” (Swim out). Where the idol washed ashore, the area of Vydubychi rises. Pagan beliefs were almost ineradicable. And soon the Orthodox priests resigned themselves to this, and even led this semi-Christianity. Baptism of Rus meaning had at the occurrence of an amazing phenomenon - dual belief. Accepting the dogmas and theology of Christianity, the Slavic people wove pagan rites in all religious holidays.