Testament, Mission and the Kingdom of Heaven: On the Three Dimensions of the Idea of Holy Rus'

Abstract

The article explores the concept of “Holy Rus'” in the context of religious thought. Based on sources such as The Tale of Bygone Years, The Galician-Voly-nian Chronicle, The Novgorod First Chronicle, and literary works, like The Sermon on Law and Grace, The Tale of the Destruction of the Russian Land, Zadonshchina, and Kazan Story, as well as religious and philosophical writings from the 19^th century to the mid-20^th century, the author of the article concludes that the idea of Holy Rus' is constantly interpreted and enriched with new concepts in different historical periods, such as “Russian land,” “Moscow — the Third Rome,” “Russian idea,” “Orthodox civilizational space.” The idea of Holy Rus' generally develops in three dimensions, which embody “Messianism of the Testament,” “Messianism of the Mission,” and “Kingdom of Heaven.” 1) The centripetal dimension refers to self-identity confirmation through the making and keeping of a covenant. In this sense, the idea of Holy Rus', on the one hand, coincides with the concept of “Russian land” in historical documents of the 10^th-15^th centuries, and on the other hand, echoes the Orthodox civilizational space in modern times. 2) In the religious context, the dimension of mission emphasizes the creation of an ideal Christian / Orthodox world. The concept of “Moscow — the Third Rome” of the 16^th century initially expressed the ideal of Holy Rus', and religious philosophers of the 19^th century and the first half of the 20^th century, from the point of view of theology and philosophy, deepened the Christian and universal component in the concept of the “Third Rome”. 3) The transcendent dimension refers to the ultimate aspiration beyond time and history — the Kingdom of Heaven. In this dimension, the idea of Holy Rus' and the Russian idea come together.