Popular Religion in Russia: 'Double Belief' and the Making of an Academic Myth (Routledge studies in the history of Russia and Eastern Europe ; 10)

This book dispels the widely-held view that paganism survived in Russia alongside Orthodox Christianity, demonstrating that 'double belief', dvoeverie, is in fact an academic myth. Scholars, citing the medieval origins of the term, have often portrayed Russian Christianity as uniquely muddied by paganism, with 'double-believing' Christians consciously or unconsciously preserving pagan traditions even into the twentieth century. This volume shows how the concept of dvoeverie arose with nineteenth-century scholars obsessed with the Russian 'folk' and was perpetuated as a propaganda tool in the Soviet period, colouring our perception of both popular faith in Russian and medieval Russian culture for over a century. It surveys the wide variety of uses of the term from the eleventh to the seventeenth century, and contrasts them to its use in modern historiography, concluding that our modern interpretation of dvoeverie would not have been recognized by medieval clerics, and that 'double-belief' is a modern academic construct. Furthermore, it offers a brief foray into medieval Orthodoxy via the mind of the believer, through the language and literature of the period. This book dispels the widely held view that paganism survived in Russia alongside Orthodox Christianity, demonstrating that 'double belief', dvoeverie, is in fact an academic myth. Scholars, citing the medieval origins of the term, have often portrayed Russian Christianity as uniquely muddied by paganism, with 'double-believing' Christians consciously or unconsciously preserving pagan traditions even into the twentieth century. It shows how the concept of dvoeverie arose with nineteenth-century scholars obsessed with the Russian 'folk' and was perpetuated as a propaganda tool in the Soviet period, colouring our perception of both popular faith in Russia and medieval Russian culture for over a century. It surveys the wide variety of uses of the term from the eleventh to the seventeenth century, and contrasts them to its use in modern historiography, concluding that our modern interpretation of dvoeverie would not have been recognized by medieval clerics, and that 'double belief' is a modern academic construct. Furthermore, it offers a brief foray into medieval Orthodoxy via the mind of the believer, through the language and literature of the period. If clerics didn't use the word dvoeverie to identify acts as unorthodox, which words did they use, and what can these words tell us about popular faith? Was the populace of Rus really more resistant to Christianization than its European counterparts? What was it about popular culture that alarmed the clergy of medieval Rus, and were their concerns so very different from those of Western European clergymen, or the clergy of other neophyte peoples? Modernizing Muscovy Reform and social change in seventeenth-century Russia / edited by Jarmo Kotilaine and Marshall Poe The USA in the making of the USSR : the Washington Conference, 1921-1922 and uninvited Russia / Paul Dukes Tiny revolutions in Russia Twentieth century Soviet and Russian history in anecdotes / Bruce Adams The Russian general staff and Asia, 1800-1917 / Alex Marshall Soviet eastern policy and Turkey, 1920-1991 : Soviet foreign policy, Turkey and communism / Blent Gkay The history of Siberia / Igor V. Naumov / edited by David N. Collins Russian military intelligence in the war with Japan, 1904-05 : secret operations on land and at sea / Evgeny Sergeev Cossacks and the Russian empire, 1598-1725 : manipulation, rebellion and expansion into Siberia / Christoph Witzenrath The many deaths of Ttsar Nicholas ii : relics, remains and the Romanovs / Wendy Slater Popular religion in Russia : double belief and the making of an academic myth / Stella Rock. This Book Dispels The Widely Held View That Paganism Survived In Russia Alongside Orthodox Christianity, Demonstrating That 'double Belief', Dvoeverie, Is In Fact An Academic Myth. Scholars, Citing The Medieval Origins Of The Term, Have Often Portrayed Russian Christianity As Uniquely Muddied By Paganism, With 'double-believing' Christians Consciously Or Unconsciously Preserving Pagan Traditions Even Into The Twentieth Century. It Shows How The Concept Of Dvoeverie Arose With Nineteenth-century Scholars Obsessed With The Russian 'folk' And Was Perpetuated As A Propaganda Tool In The Soviet Period, Colouring Our Perception Of Both Popular Faith In Russia And Medieval Russian Culture For Over A Century.--book Jacket. Christian Idol-worshippers And 'pagan Survivals' -- Heretics, Doubters And 'wrong-believing' -- A History Of Historians -- How Russian Is 'double-belief'? Stella Rock. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [199]-226) And Index. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 8 List of abbreviations......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Introduction......Page 16 1 Christian idol-worshippers and ‘pagan survivals’......Page 31 2 Heretics, doubters and ‘wrong-believing’......Page 61 3 A history of historians......Page 102 4 How Russian is ‘double-belief’?......Page 133 Conclusion......Page 173 Notes......Page 176 Bibliography......Page 214 Index......Page 242