Byzantine Identity as a Factor in the Formation of Russian Identity

The article examines the components of the complex concept of “Byzantine identity”. The relevance is based on the request of the modern Russian person in gaining a stable historical identity, establishing the boundaries of national identity. Understanding Byzantium as a civilization and its identity can help modern Russians understand the historical roots of their culture, see the connection between the past and the present, and find new ways to express their values. The article examines the view of philosophers and thinkers on Byzantium as a great civilization that firmly laid the foundations of Russian identity. K.N. Leontiev in his work points to the enormous role of Orthodoxy as a system-forming link of the Byzantine state, which defined the key concept of Byzantine identity. F.I. Uspensky provably asserts the leading role of Byzantium for the formation of Russian identity, discovering “Byzantinism” as a concept and describing the Byzantine “spiritual element” as a synthesis of Hellenism, Roman consciousness and Orthodoxy. N.Ya. Danilevsky proved the importance and regularity of the formation of Slavic culture as a special type of historical identity of the individual, asserted the advantages of the Slavic type, Slavic culture and spirituality over Catholicism. The Roman Empire and Roman citizenship, elements of Hellenic culture, and Orthodox Christianity served as the basis of Byzantine identity. The author comes to the conclusion that the Russian civilization borrowed from Byzantium a number of fundamental foundations of civilizational identity.