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Pričujoča doktorska disertacija spada v okvir kulturno-idejne zgodovine in historične teologije. Njen namen je slovenskemu znanstvenemu prostoru prvič sistematično predstaviti oblikovanje krščanske kulture Kijevske Rusije, najstarejše vzhodnoslovanske državne tvorbe, ki je obstajala med 10. in 13. stoletjem. Časovni okvir disertacije sega od začetka 10. do sredine 12. stoletja. Pri predstavitvi kulture Kijevske Rusije je posebna pozornost namenjena proučitvi zgodovinske zavesti takratne staroruske posvetne in cerkvene elite. Poglavitni del disertacije se posveča štirim izbranim reprezentativnim zgodovinsko-religijskim narativnim tekstom/virom, sestavljenim med sredino 11. in sredino 12. stoletja: pridigi Beseda o postavi in milosti, letopisu Pripoved o minulih letih, hagiografiji Branje o Borisu in Glebu in potopisu Življenje in romanje Danijela, igumana z Ruske zemlje. Navedeni teksti/viri služijo kot temelj za sistematizacijo predstav posvetne in cerkvene elite Kijevske Rusije o vlogi domovine v svetovni zgodovini. Slednja je po splošno sprejetih srednjeveških biblijsko-krščanskih nazorih pomenila zgodovino »srečevanja« grešnega človeka z odrešenjsko »božjo previdnostjo«, tj. zgodovino odrešenja. V ta kontekst spada tudi predstavitev podobnosti in razlik med splošnimi značilnostmi takratne bizantinske kulture (»pošiljatelja« krščanstva) na eni strani in vzhodnoslovanskim dojemanjem zgodovine do sredine 12. stoletja na drugi (»prejemnikom« krščanstva). Krščanska vera kot izhodišče visoke (pretežno pisne) kulture Kijevske Rusije je bila ob koncu 10. stoletja sprejeta zlasti po zaslugi predhodno razvejanih stikov med vzhodnoslovanskim ozemljem in Bizantinskim cesarstvom. S tem je Kijevska Rusija postala prostor dolgoročnega bizantinskega kulturnega vpliva, ki je odločilno sooblikoval ne le kijevsko obdobje, temveč celotno nadaljnjo zgodovino ljudstev na območju današnje evropske Rusije, Ukrajine in Belorusije. Kljub temu je krščanska (pisna) kultura Kijevske Rusije razvila svoje lastne značilnosti in izkazovala vpetost v skupni kulturni krog srednjeveških pravoslavnih Slovanov. Visoka kultura je bila v Kijevski Rusiji pogojena s tremi temeljnimi dejavniki: krščansko vero, cerkvenoslovanskim literarno-liturgičnim jezikom ter njenimi nosilci iz vrst izobražene družbene elite (knezov, škofov, menihov). Krščansko kulturo kijevskega obdobja je mogoče šteti za po večini izvirno, saj je bizantinske vzorce prevzemala selektivno in jih prilagajala svojim družbenim okoliščinam. Po eni strani je Bizantinsko cesarstvo v očeh staroruske elite uživalo ugled, saj je nudilo zgled za uveljavljanje nove vere na vzhodnoslovanskih tleh, po drugi pa zgledovanje po Bizancu ni pomenilo sprejemanja vseh razsežnosti njegove kulture, temveč predvsem tistih didaktično-konfesionalnih prvin, ki so koristile usvajanju novih etično-duhovnih idealov in patriotskemu samopotrjevanju staroruske elite. Starorusko selektivno sprejemanje bizantinske kulture je izpuščalo filozofska in pesniška dela v Bizancu cenjene poganske antike, ob tem pa tudi zahtevnejše (zgodnje)bizantinske teološke razprave. Misijonarsko-didaktična »uporabnost« je tako izpodrinila intelektualno »poglobljenost«, a je istočasno omogočila kvantitativno bogato prevajanje in pisanje pridig, liturgičnih tekstov in hagiografij ter sestavljanje letopisov. Starorusko selektivno sprejemanje bizantinske kulture je narekovalo umeščanje Kijevske Rusije v kontekst zgodovine odrešenja. Kot ključna prvina zgodovinske zavesti družbene elite kijevskega obdobja se kaže ideja o enakovrednosti vseh ljudstev znotraj krščanske ekumene – ne glede na starost ali mednarodni ugled partikularnega (etnično ali geografsko zamejenega) krščanskega kulturnega izročila. Elita Kijevske Rusije je preko najstarejših izvirnih literarnih del, sestavljenih med sredino 11. in sredino 12. stoletja, poskušala ustvariti zgodbo o lastni »junaški« preteklosti, pa tudi hitri duhovni »zrelosti« novopokristjanjenega ozemlja, ki se je odlikovalo po zgodnjem pojavu domačih svetnikov (Boris in Gleb, Teodozij Pečerski), krepostnih krščanskih vladarjih (Vladimir Svjatoslavič, Jaroslav Modri, Vladimir Monomah), gradnji veličastnih cerkva in literarno-prevajalski dejavnosti. Tako se kot ena od najvidnejših značilnosti umeščanja Kijevske Rusije v kontekst zgodovine odrešenja kaže zmanjševanje pomena »učiteljske« vloge Bizanca oz. njegove duhovne nadvlade. Tako zunanje izražanje samozavesti v resnici izhaja iz občutja strahu pred pomanjkanjem lastnega kulturnega izročila oz. »manjvrednostnega kompleksa« zaradi precej poznega pokristjanjenja. Ozemlje Kijevske Rusije je bilo v primerjavi s takratnimi evropskimi središči, zlasti Bizantinskim cesarstvom, kljub svojemu obsegu vendarle geografsko in kulturno obrobje. Občutek manjvrednosti, skrit za kuliso patriotske samozavesti, pa ne predstavlja posebnosti kulture kijevskega obdobja, temveč tvori del splošne apologetske drže kulturnega izročila pravoslavnih Slovanov v srednjem veku. This doctoral thesis covers the field of cultural-ideational history and historical theology. The thesis – for the first time in Slovene science – aims at systematically presenting the formation of the Christian culture of the Kievan Rus', the earliest East Slavic state which existed between 10th and 13th century. The time frame of the thesis stretches from the beginning of the 10th to the mid-12th century. The presentation of the aforementioned culture pays special attention to the study of the historical consciousness of the Rus' secular and ecclesiastical elite of the time. The main part of the thesis discusses the four representative historical-religious narrative texts/sources written between the mid-11th and mid-12th century. These are: Sermon on Law and Grace, the chronicle Tale of Bygone Years, the hagiography Lesson on Boris and Gleb, and the travel account Life and Pilgrimage of Daniel, Hegumen of Rus'. The aforementioned texts/sources serve as a basis for the systematization of the notions of the secular and ecclesiastical elite of the Kievan Rus' about the role of their homeland in the world history. The later is, according to the generally accepted medieval Biblical-Christian beliefs, interpreted as the history of »meeting« of the sinful humanity with the salvational »Divine Providence«, i.e. salvation history. In this context, the presentation of the similarities and differences between the general features of the Byzantine culture of that time (»the sender« of Christianity) and the East Slavic perception of history up to the mid-12th century (»the receptor« of Christianity) is also provided. The Christian faith as the starting point of the high (predominantly literary) culture of the Kievan Rus' was adopted at the end of the 10th century. That was primarily a consequence of the already extensive connections between the East Slavic territory and the Byzantine Empire. It also meant that Kievan Rus' became a region of a long-lasting Byzantine cultural influence – which proved to be crucial not only for the Kievan Rus' period, but also the entire subsequent history of the peoples on the territory of the present-day European Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Nevertheless, the Christian (literary) culture of the Kievan Rus' developed its own features and was thus able to achieve its integration into the common cultural circle of the medieval Orthodox Slavs. The Kievan Rus' high culture was determined by the following three factors: Christian faith, Church Slavic literary-liturgical language and finally its carriers belonging to the educated social elite (princes, bishops, monks). The Christian culture of the Kievan Rus' should be regarded as mostly original – it adopted Byzantine patterns selectively and adjusted them according to the local social circumstances. On the one hand, the Byzantine Empire held prestige in the eyes of the Rus' elite, because it offered an example of how to spread the new faith on the East Slavic soil – on the other, the imitation of Byzantium was limited to several aspects of its culture only, primarily those providing didactical-confessional elements which seemed to be useful in the assimilation of the new ethical-spiritual ideals and forming of patriotic self-affirmation of the Rus' elite. The Rus' selective adoption of the Byzantine culture omitted the philosophical and poetical works from the pagan antiquity, cherished in Byzantium, and also the more complex (early) Byzantine theological tractats. Missionary-didactical »usefulness« thus ousted intellectual »in-depthness«, while at the same time enabled the quantitatively rich translations as well as writing of sermons, liturgical texts and hagiographies, and composing of chronicles. The selective reception of the Byzantine culture defined the integration of the Kievan Rus' into the context of salvation history. The crucial element of the historical consciousness of the Kievan period elite appears to be the idea about the equal value of all peoples within the Christian ecumene – despite the different age or international reputation of a particular (ethnically or geographically bounded) Christian cultural tradition. Through the earliest original literary works, written between the mid-11th and mid-12th century, the members of the Kievan Rus' elite tried to compose a narrative about their own »heroic« past and the rapidity of the newly-Christianized territory's achievement of the spiritual »maturity« – which was made prominent in the appearence of native saints (Boris and Gleb, Theodosius of the Caves Monastery), virtous Christian rulers (Vladimir Sviatoslavich, Yaroslav the Wise, Vladimir Monomakh), building of magnificent churches, and literary-translation activity. Therefore it comes as no surprise that one of the most notable characteristic of the integration of the Kievan Rus' in the context of salvation history appears to be the lessening of the importance of the »teaching« role of Byzantium and its spiritual superiority. What gave rise to this kind of external expression of one's self-confidence, however, was the fear of lack of own cultural tradition, the »inferiority complex« caused by the fact of late Christianization – as in comparison to the European centers of that time, particulary the Byzantine Empire, despite its large size the territory of the Kievan Rus' was a geographical and cultural periphery. Furthermore, the feeling of inferiority – hidden behind the surface of patriotical self-confidence – does not represent a peculiar feature of the Kievan period only, but rather a common apologetical attitude of the cultural tradition of the Orthodox Slavs in the the Middle ages. |