De Intrede van Rusland in de Christelijke Wereld Volgens de Oudste Bronnen

Abstract

The Entrance of Kievan Russia into the Christian World according to the Oldest Sources Although the conversion of Kievan Russia was a major step in the rise of a 'Christian Europe’, general European histories of the Church tend to overlook this fact. The article analyses the way Kievan Russia came to Christianity according to the Nestor Chronicle. It discusses the meaning of the story of the 'examination of the faiths’ by Vladimir of Kiev. Although this story is largely legendary, it demonstrates a unique religious consciousness which is not to be found in other European christanization stories dating back to the Middle Ages. The Russian Chronicle is compared to other sources which mention the conversion of Kievan Russia: Latin, Arabic and Byzantine chronicles. The lack of information on the conversion of the Russians in Byzantine sources is remarquable and shows the ambivalent attitude of the Byzantines towards their northern Christian neighbours. Finally, the place of the Cyrillo-Methodian tradition in the conversion of Kievan Russia is briefly sketched.