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Essays in the Russian Autocracy

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Essays in the Russian Autocracy ESSAYS IN THE RUSSIAN AUTOCRACY Vladimir Moss © Vladimir Moss: 2010. All Rights Reserved. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................4 1. THE RISE OF THE RUSSIAN AUTOCRACY ................................................5 The Appeal to Riurik..............................................................................................5 St. Vladimir the Saint............................................................................................7 Church and State in Kievan Rus’..........................................................................9 The Breakup of Kievan Rus’ ................................................................................14 Autocracy restored: St. Andrew of Bogolyubovo.................................................16 2.THE RISE OF MUSCOVY................................................................................22 St. Alexander Nevsky ..........................................................................................22 St. Peter of Moscow .............................................................................................23 St. Alexis of Moscow ...........................................................................................24 St. Sergius of Radonezh .......................................................................................27 3. MOSCOW: THE THIRD ROME .....................................................................30 4.THE HERESY OF THE JUDAIZERS ..............................................................37 5.POSSESSORS AND NON-POSSESSORS ......................................................48 6.IVAN THE TERRIBLE: SAINT OR SINNER?...............................................53 Early Years...........................................................................................................53 The Orthodox Tsar...............................................................................................54 The Bloodthirsty Tyrant ......................................................................................59 St. Philip of Moscow............................................................................................66 Bishop Dionysius’ Thesis.....................................................................................67 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................72 7. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE..............74 8.THE TIME OF TROUBLES ..............................................................................80 9. THE HEREDITARY PRINCIPLE....................................................................92 10. TSAR, PATRIARCH AND PEOPLE IN MUSCOVITE RUSSIA ............100 11.THE SCHISM OF THE OLD RITUALISTS ...............................................104 The Liturgical Reforms ......................................................................................105 Patriarch Nicon of Moscow ...............................................................................112 The False Council of 1666-1667 ........................................................................117 Patriarch Nicon on Church-State Relations......................................................121 The Rebellion of the Streltsy ..............................................................................127 12. THE “STATE HERESY” OF PETER THE GREAT ...................................133 From Holy Rus’ to Great Russia .......................................................................133 Peter and the West .............................................................................................139 Peter’s Leviathan ...............................................................................................142 Peter and His Family.........................................................................................145 Theophan Prokopovich.......................................................................................148 Tsar Peter and the Orthodox East .....................................................................154 Was Peter an Orthodox Tsar? ...........................................................................157 13. THE ORIGINS OF RUSSIAN FREEMASONRY.......................................162 14. TSAR PAUL I OF RUSSIA...........................................................................171 Restorer of Orthodox Autocracy........................................................................171 The Annexation of Georgia................................................................................176 The Yedinoverie .................................................................................................183 2 The Murder of Tsar Paul ...................................................................................186 15. TSAR ALEXANDER THE BLESSED..........................................................193 Until the Peace of Tilsit .....................................................................................193 Michael Mikhailovich Speransky.......................................................................200 Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia...........................................................................204 The Children of 1812 .........................................................................................209 The Peace of Europe ...........................................................................................216 The Polish Question...........................................................................................221 The Jewish Question ..........................................................................................224 The Reaction against Masonry..........................................................................231 16. THE DECEMBRIST REBELLION...............................................................241 17.TSAR NICHOLAS I AND RELIGION .......................................................246 Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationhood ............................................................246 The Russian Church and the Anglicans............................................................251 The Jews under Nicholas....................................................................................254 The Old Ritualists Acquire a Hierarchy............................................................257 The Crimea: The Last Religious War.................................................................260 18. SLAVOPHILES AND WESTERNERS........................................................265 Instinct and Consciousness ...............................................................................265 Russia and Europe: (1) Chaadaev vs. Pushkin..................................................268 Russia and Europe: (2) Belinsky vs. Gogol........................................................277 Russia and Europe: (3) Herzen vs. Khomiakov .................................................284 Russia and Europe: (4) Kireyevsky....................................................................294 Russia and Europe: (5) Dostoyevsky.................................................................303 19.THE SLAVOPHILES ON THE AUTOCRACY .........................................310 20. THE CHURCH ON THE AUTOCRACY...................................................324 Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow......................................................................324 The Ecumenical Patriarch..................................................................................333 Elder Hilarion the Georgian ..............................................................................334 3 INTRODUCTION This book contains twenty essays on the subject of the Russian Orthodox Autocracy. The essays are arranged in roughly chronological order, covering the period from the founding of the Russian Autocracy by St. Vladimir in the tenth century to the reign of Tsar Nicholas I (+1855). It ends there, because in the opinion of the writer, the reigns of the last three Tsars – Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II – are best discussed in a separate volume on the Fall of the Russian Empire. This book was felt to be necessary because at the moment there exists very little literature in the English language on the subject of the Russian Autocracy from an Orthodox Christian point of view. Its aim is, with the help of God, to increase the understanding of a central concept in the Russian people’s understanding of themselves and their history. A secondary purpose of the book is to make a little better known to English-speaking readers the works of some of the best writers on the Autocracy, such as Archpriest Lev Lebedev, Ivan Solonevich, L.A. Tikhomirov, M.V. Zyzykin, St. John Maximovich and Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow. Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us! Vladimir Moss. December 16/29. 2010. East House, Beech Hill, Mayford, Woking, Surrey. GU22 0SB. 4 1. THE RISE OF THE RUSSIAN AUTOCRACY In 860 a new nation which St. Photius called “Ros” ()1 appeared in the waters surrounding Constantinople and ravaged the suburbs. These came from Russia, but were probably Scandinavian Vikings by race (the Finns call the Swedes “Rossi”, and the Estonians “Rootsi”, to this day). Through the grace of the Mother of God the invaders were defeated2, and in the treaty which followed the ceasefire the Russians agreed to accept Christianity.
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