The year 988. Prince Vladimir of Kiev has the Russian people baptized in the icy Dnieper. With this he brings Greek-Byzantine Christianity to the Russian land. Since no clear philosophical traditions have yet established themselves in Russia, the Christian faith can be received with open-minded enthusiasm. This ‘Russian faith’ therefore consists (certainly in the beginning) of an unreasoned imitation of Jesus.
A Jewish heart
According to Nicolas Zernov (1898-1980), a Russian émigré and theologian, the essence of Russian Christianity is Jewish. Religion is not seen as a well-organized institution, not as a system of doctrines, but as a way of life. Something that concerns what you eat, what you wear, how you act. Various, including non-Russian, writers state that Russians exhibit a number of recognizable traits that are reflected in their faith. Professor Pierre Pascal says that he primarily sees zjalost (mercy) in the Russians. The parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus, blessed are the poor, begging songs, occupy an important place. In addition, people are well aware that God’s Kingdom is not of this world. That one should not strive for the things of this world but for pravda (truth). Every nation may have its own sacred ideal, something that is most valued. For the Russians, this is humility. This is reflected in the desire to have clergy who are not great pulpit speakers. But people who are simple in their actions.
Church services
One thing immediately stands out in the church service: the value that people attach to images of saints, for example Mary. The images are called icons. In the church building there is a large wall with icons, which separates the altar space from the rest. These icons are not only found in the church building, but also in the homes of the faithful. On the east side of the house, the so-called beautiful side of the living room and bedroom, there is an icon. The question is whether there is icon worship. In any case, the icons are a very serious matter and not just art. Displaying icons in a museum would be sacrilege for the faithful. The monks prepare their painting with penance and fasting. The brushes, paint and all other supplies for painting are blessed in advance. In Orthodox countries, guests even greet the icon in a house first (by crossing themselves and bowing), then the host.
The Orthodox believers also do not see the singing service as a way to spice up the service. In fact, they don’t even see the chants as songs, but as prayers. In the Orthodox Church the music, the praise, must be done only by the human voice. Instrumental music would only distract from the singing (i.e. the prayer). The believers sing standing up, and it is striking that there are usually no chairs.
Fool for Christ’s sake
In literature about Russian Orthodox Christianity you will find faith types that you will not encounter in this way anywhere in the world. A way of believing that is probably far removed from the experience of faith in the West is that of jurodivy. The fools for Christ’s sake. They are a kind of holy fools. The jurodivy wishes to pass itself off as a poor, imperfect being who deserves ridicule, even brutal treatment. They love repentance and humility and hate religious arrogance. Worldly wisdom is not wisdom to them. The jurodivy, like the medieval jester, has an almost inviolable position among princes. For example, Nicolai of Pskov, a fool in Christ, at one point dared to place a piece of bloody meat in the hands of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Despite the foolishness of this type of belief, it is believed that the jurodivy can often see right away what is in a person’s heart. This way they might also know the future.
Holy seclusion
It is said that the actual center of the Orthodox Church is the monastery. Almost every believer there has a spiritual father or confessor. In the monastery, obedience is at the top of the list. In addition, prayer (and this applies not only to Russia, but to the entire Eastern Church) is the most important means through which monks are formed. It was in previous centuries that people went on pilgrimage by the hundreds, usually from monastery to monastery. People moved to Mount Athos in Greece, Constantinople or Palestine. The strannik is the believer who makes life as a pilgrim a permanent state of life. In literature there are often visions and the like that make someone decide to leave everything behind to become a strannik. An example of a strannik is the main character from the 19th century The Frank Tales of a Russian Pilgrim. A man leaves his country and family because he wants to see if it is possible to pray incessantly always and everywhere.
In the monasteries you will also find the starets (the Old), the Russian ideal of holiness. This is often an older monk who has had a long journey of prayer behind him, someone who is far isolated from civilization. He takes young monks and lay people under his wing. Anyone who chooses him as a guide must renounce his own will. Here the obedience, which is so highly respected in the monasteries, clearly comes to the fore. The starets is someone who lives a holy (angellike) life, who is concerned with discipline and penance. Yet there are also many reports of encounters with the outside world. People want to confess to the starets or pour out their hearts. According to reports, this Ancient One has great intuition, healings are reported in their environment and they have a confidential relationship with animals. During communist times, some starters were fanatically pursued by the KGB without being found. While they traveled through the Soviet Union by public transport to be shepherds of souls.