{"id":10361,"date":"2023-11-17T06:00:27","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T05:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.believerspray.com\/?p=10361"},"modified":"2023-11-17T06:00:27","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T05:00:27","slug":"who-brought-christianity-to-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.believerspray.com\/who-brought-christianity-to-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Brought Christianity To Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the 10th century, many people in the territories that today comprise Russia were pagan, with the predominant faith being Slavic Pantheistic Paganism. Christianity came to what is now Russia through the agency of two different populations from different generational strata. <\/p>\n

The first to bring Christianity to Russian lands were missionaries from the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire. These missionaries’ job was to convert the natives to Easter Orthodox Christianity. Their primary focus was on converting the nobles and other rulers of the Rus states. <\/p>\n

The second agents that brought Christianity to Russia were Vikings, who were frequently known as the Rus peoples. They were the ones responsible for establishing Kievan Rus’, the earliest and most enduring form of Russian territorial organization. In 988 AD, Vladimir the Great, who was the Kievan ruler, converted to Christianity and ordered the conversion of his subjects to the same faith. <\/p>\n

The adoption of Christianity brought about major changes and a convergence of beliefs and cultures. The conversion of Russians to Christianity mixed with the Orthodox tradition, a blending that evolved into what would become the Russian Orthodox Church. Additionally, the spread of Christianity helped shape a unified Russian identity and a narrative of shared history. <\/p>\n