On the Baptism of Princes of Ukraine-Rus: the Case of Sviatoslavovychs

Ukraine belongs to the countries of “late Christianization," in which the transition to the new faith took place “from the top to the bottom." That is why the chronology of the baptising of the Kievan-Rus elite, in particular the princes, attracts the attention of historians and religious scholars. Despite the widespread version about the baptising of Ukraine-Rus by Volodymyr the Great, there is information that Askold was already a Christian, and there is no doubt about the baptising of Princess Olha. During the time of Yaroslav the Wise, there was a rather strange act of baptising the relics of Volodymyr's brothers, Oleh Sviatoslavovych and Yaropolk Sviatoslavovych, followed by their reburial in the Church of the Tithes in 1044. The aim of the article is to evaluate the practice of posthumous baptism in Ukraine-Rus from theological, political, and ethical perspectives. From an ethical perspective, the act of Yaroslav the Wise was regarded as a concern for the souls of ancestors who died as pagans and therefore did not claim salvation. The soteriological optimism that prevailed in the 11th century in the Kyivan Rus inspired the hope that living people are able to influence the fate of the souls of the dead. But from a theological perspective, posthumous baptism is perceived as absurd and a direct violation of church rules. As a result of the comparison of modern evaluations of theologians with the mental instructions of a mediaeval person, it is concluded that Yaroslav's act did not contradict popular religious ideas. Political motives must supplement a stereoscopic view of the practice of posthumous baptising. In particular, the baptising of the relics of the prince's ancestors was aimed at expanding the circle of heavenly patrons and patrons of the princely dynasty, expanding the period of the Christian history of Kyivan Rus, and, as a result, legitimising the power of Yaroslav the Wise.