The Tale of Bygone Years is one of the most ancient monuments of Russian literature, the creation of which dates back to 1113.
Life of Nestor the Chronicler, creator of The Tale of Bygone Years
Nestor the Chronicler was born in Kiev in 1056. At the age of seventeen, he went as novice to the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. There he became a chronicler.
In 1114, Nestor died and was buried in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. On November 9 and October 11, the Orthodox Church commemorates him.
Nestor the Chronicler is known as the first writer who could tell about the history of Christianity. His first known work was The Life of Saints Boris and Gleb, and soon after it was followed by The Life of the Monk Theodosius of the Caves. But the main work of Nestor, which brought him worldwide fame, is, of course, "The Tale of Bygone Years", a literary monument of ancient Russia.
The authorship of this story does not belong only to Nestor the Chronicler. Rather, Nestor skillfully collected information from a variety of sources and created a chronicle from them. For his work, Nestor needed the annals and ancient legends, he also used the stories of merchants, travelers and soldiers. In his time, many witnesses of the wars and raids of the Polovtsy were still alive, so he could listen to their stories.
Lists "Tale of Bygone Years"
It is known that the "Tale of Bygone Years" has undergone changes. In Vladimir Monomakh transferred the manuscript in 1116, its last chapters were revised by Abbot Sylvester. Hegumen Sylvester went against the will of the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, giving the manuscript to the Vydubitsky monastery.
Substantial parts of The Tale of Bygone Years were later included in such chronicles as Lavrentievskaya, Ipatievskaya, First Novgorodskaya.
Usually any Old Russian chronicle consists of several texts, some of which refer to sources of an earlier time. The Tale of Bygone Years, a copy of which was made in the 14th century, became part of the Laurentian Chronicle, created by the monk Laurentius. Rather, the monk Laurentius used the creation of the monk Nestor as the main source for his chronicle. The name of the Tale of Bygone Years lists was usually created by the name of the monk who made the list, or from the place where the list was made. In the middle of the 15th century, another ancient list of the "Tale of Bygone Years" was created called
The "Tale of Bygone Years" begins with biblical stories. After the flood, Noah resettled his sons - Ham, Shem and Japheth - throughout the earth. The title of the lists "The Tale of Bygone Years" also indicates the biblical beginning of these chronicles. It was believed that the Russian people descended from Japheth.
Then the chronicler tells about the life of the East Slavic tribes and the establishment of the state in Russia. The chronicler points out a legend according to which Kiy, Schek, Khoriv and their sister Lybid came to rule the East Slavic lands. There they founded the city of Kiev. The Slavic tribes living in the northern part of Russia called on the Varangian brothers to rule over them. The brothers were named Rurik, Sineus and Truvor. The title of the lists, "The Tale of Bygone Years," also has the goal of exalting the ruling power in Russia, and for this purpose it points to its foreign origin. From the Varangians who came to Russia, the royal family began in Russia.
Basically, the chronicle describes the wars, and also tells about how temples and monasteries were created. The chronicle sees the events of Russian history in the context of world history and directly connects these events with the Bible. The traitorous prince Svyatopolk killed the brothers Boris and Gleb, and the chronicler makes a comparison with the murder of Abel by Cain. Prince Vladimir, who baptized Russia, is compared with the Roman emperor Constantine, who introduced Christianity as the official religion in Russia. Before baptism, Prince Vladimir was a sinful man, but baptism radically changed his life, he became a saint.
Legends as part of the "Tale of Bygone Years"
The "Tale of Bygone Years" includes not only historical facts, but also legends. Tradition served as an important source of information for the chronicler, since he no longer had the opportunity to learn about what happened several centuries or decades before him.
The legend about the founding of the city of Kiev tells about the origin of the city and about whom it was named after. The legend about Prophetic Oleg, placed in the text of the chronicle, tells about the life and death of Prince Oleg. The legend about Princess Olga, which tells how she strongly and cruelly avenged her death, was also included in the chronicle. "The Tale of Bygone Years" tells the legend about Prince Vladimir. Envoys from different nations came to him and each offered his own faith. But each faith had its flaws. The Jews did not have their own land, the Muslims were forbidden to have fun and the use of intoxicating drinks, the German Christians wanted to seize Russia.
And Prince Vladimir eventually settled on the Greek branch of Christianity.
The Role of Signs in The Tale of Bygone Years
If you carefully read the text of the chronicle, it becomes obvious that the chronicler pays great attention to various natural phenomena, connecting them with divine powers. He considers earthquakes, floods and droughts to be God's punishment, and solar and lunar eclipses, in his opinion, are a warning from heavenly forces. Solar eclipses played a special role in the lives of princes. Researchers note that the symbols of dates and the name "Tale of Bygone Years" are also influenced by natural phenomena and chronology.
The prince sees a solar eclipse in 1185 before the start of his campaign against the Polovtsians. His warriors warn him, saying, not for good. But the prince disobeyed them and went to the enemy. As a result, his army was defeated. Also, a solar eclipse usually foreshadowed the death of the prince. During the period from 1076 to 1176, 12 solar eclipses occurred, and after each of them, one of the princes died. The chronicle was set on the fact that the end of the world, or the Last Judgment, would come in 1492, and prepared its readers for this. Droughts and eclipses foreshadowed wars and the imminent end of the world.
Style features of the "Tale of Bygone Years"
The name of the lists "The Tale of Bygone Years" is determined by the genre features of these chronicles. First of all, the chronicles are typical works of Old Russian literature. That is, they contain features of different genres. These are not works of art and not just historical works, but they combine the features of both. The Tale of Bygone Years, a list of which was found in Novgorod, also has these features.
The chronicle itself was obviously a legal document. Scientist N.I. Danilevsky believes that the chronicles were not intended for people, but for God, who was supposed to read them at the Last Judgment. Therefore, the chronicles described in detail the actions of the princes and their subordinates.
The task of the chronicler is not to interpret events, not to search for their causes, but simply to describe. At the same time, the present is thought in the context of the past. The "Tale of Bygone Years", the lists of which are legendary, has an "open genre" in which features of different genres are mixed. As you know, in ancient Russian literature there was still no clear division of genres, of the written works there were only chronicles, so they combined the features of a novel, a poem, a story and legal documents.
What does the name "Tale of Bygone Years" mean?
The name of the set was given by the first line of the chronicle "Behold the tale of bygone years ...". "The Tale of Bygone Years" means "The Tale of the Past Years", since the word "summer" in the Old Russian language meant "year". Many are trying to find out what the name "Tale of Bygone Years" means. In its broadest sense, this is a story about the existence of this world, which sooner or later awaits the Judgment of God. The Tale of Bygone Years, a copy of which was found in the monastery, is considered the earliest work.
Preceding vaults
The Tale of Bygone Years was subjected to a thorough textual analysis. And it turned out that it was compiled on the basis of earlier chronicles.
The "Tale of Bygone Years" and the preceding vaults constitute a single whole, that is, the "Tale" in many ways repeats what was written before it. Modern history adheres to the opinion of academician A.A. Shakhmatov, who studied all the ancient chronicles using the comparative method. He discovered that the very first chronicle was the oldest Kiev annalistic collection, created in 1037. It talked about when the history of mankind began and when Russia was baptized.
In 1073, the Kiev-Pechersk Chronicle Code was created. In 1095, the second edition of the Kiev-Pechersk vault appeared, it is also called the Primary vault.
Symbols of dates
Calendar dates in the "Tale of Bygone Years" were considered to be of particular importance. If for a modern person calendar dates have no meaning, then for the chronicler every date or day of the week on which events took place were filled with special historical significance. And the chronicler tried to mention more often those days or dates that had more meaning and carried more value. Since Saturday and Sunday were considered special, or sacred, days at that time, these days are mentioned in the "Tale of Bygone Years" 9 and 17 times, respectively, and weekdays are mentioned less often. Wednesday is mentioned only 2 times, Thursday three times, Friday five times. Monday and Tuesday are mentioned only once. It can be argued that the symbolism of the dates and the title of "The Tale of Bygone Years" are closely related to the religious context.
The Tale of Bygone Years was closely related to the religious worldview, so all of its features were based on this. The chronicler sees all events only in the context of the forthcoming Last Judgment, so he looks at what is happening from the point of view of divine forces. They warn people about the coming wars, droughts and crop failures. They also punish the villains who committed murder and robbery, and elevate the innocent to the divine throne. The relics of the saints acquire unusual qualities. This is evidenced by the legends about the lives of Saints Boris and Gleb. Also, temples are sacred places where the wicked and pagans cannot penetrate.
In the year 6454 (946). Olga with her son Svyatoslav gathered many brave soldiers and went to the Derevskaya land. And the Drevlyans went out against her. And when both troops came together for a fight, Svyatoslav threw a spear at the Drevlyans, and the spear flew between the horse's ears and hit the horse in the legs, for Svyatoslav was still a child. And Sveneld and Asmud said: “The prince has already begun; let’s follow, squad, for the prince ”. And the Drevlyans won. The Drevlyans fled and shut themselves up in their cities. Olga rushed with her son to the city of Iskorosten, since they killed her husband, and stood with her son near the city, and the Drevlyans locked themselves in the city and staunchly defended themselves from the city, for they knew that having killed the prince, they had nothing to hope for. And Olga stood all summer and could not take the city, and planned this: she sent to the city with the words: “What do you want to see out for? After all, all your cities have already surrendered to me and agreed to a tribute and are already cultivating their fields and lands; and you, refusing to pay tribute, are going to die of hunger. " The Drevlyans answered: "We would be glad to pay tribute, but you want to avenge your husband." Olga told them that “I already took revenge for my husband’s offense when you came to Kiev, and the second time, and the third time, when I made a feast for my husband. I don't want to take revenge anymore, I just want to take a little tribute from you and, having made peace with you, I will go away. " The Drevlyans asked: “What do you want from us? We are glad to give you honey and furs. " She said: “Now you have neither honey nor furs, so I ask you a little: give me three pigeons and three sparrows from each yard. I don’t want to impose a heavy tribute on you, like my husband, and that’s why I ask you little. But you were exhausted in the siege, that's why I ask you for this little. " The Drevlyans, overjoyed, gathered three pigeons and three sparrows from the court and sent them to Olga with a bow. Olga told them: "So you have already submitted to me and my child - go to the city, and tomorrow I will leave him and go to my city." The Drevlyans gladly entered the city and told the people about everything, and the people in the city were delighted. Olga, having handed out to the soldiers - some a pigeon, some a sparrow, ordered to tie each pigeon and a sparrow a tinder, wrapping it in small handkerchiefs and attaching it with a thread to each. And when it was getting dark, Olga ordered her soldiers to let the pigeons and sparrows go. The pigeons and sparrows flew to their nests: the pigeons in the dovecote, and the sparrows under the eaves, and so they caught fire - where are the dovecotes, where are the cages, where are the sheds and haylings, and there was no yard where it would not burn, and it was all the courtyards immediately caught fire. And the people ran from the city, and Olga ordered her soldiers to seize them. And when she took the city and burned it, she took the city elders into captivity, and killed the rest of the people, and gave some into slavery to her husbands, and left the rest to pay tribute.
And she imposed a heavy tribute on them: two parts of the tribute went to Kiev, and the third to Vyshgorod Olga, for Vyshgorod was the city of Olgin. And Olga went with her son and with her retinue across the Drevlyansky land, establishing tributes and taxes; and the places of her parking and hunting places have been preserved. And she came to her city Kiev with her son Svyatoslav, and stayed here for a year.
In the year 6455 (947). Olga went to Novgorod and established churchyards and tributes along Msta and tributes and tributes along the Luga, and her catches were preserved throughout the land, and there is evidence of her, and her places and churchyards, and her sledges stand in Pskov to this day, and to Dnieper there are places for catching birds, and along the Desna, and her village Olzhychi has been preserved to this day. And so, having established everything, she returned to her son in Kiev, and there she stayed with him in love.
In the year 6456 (948).
In the year 6457 (949).
In the year 6458 (950).
In the year 6459 (951).
In the year 6460 (952).
In the year 6461 (953).
6462 (954) per year.
In the year 6463 (955). Olga went to the Greek land and came to Constantinople. And then there was Tsar Constantine, the son of Leo, and Olga came to him, and seeing that she was very beautiful in face and reasonable, the Tsar marveled at her reason, talking with her, and said to her: "You are worthy to reign with us in our capital." ... She, on reflection, answered the king: “I am a pagan; if you want to baptize me, then baptize me yourself - otherwise I will not be baptized. " And the king baptized her with the patriarch. Enlightened, she rejoiced in body and soul; and the patriarch instructed her in faith, and said to her: “Blessed are you in the wives of the Russians, for you loved the light and left the darkness. The Russian sons will bless you until the last generations of your grandchildren. " And he gave her the commandments about the church charter, and about prayer, and about fasting, and about alms, and about keeping bodily purity. She, with her head bowed, stood listening to the teaching like a sponge to drink; and bowed to the patriarch with the words: "By your prayers, sir, may I be saved from the devil's snares." And in baptism she was named Helen, as well as the ancient queen - the mother of Constantine the Great. And the patriarch blessed her and let her go. After her baptism, the king called her and said to her: "I want to take you as a wife." She answered: “How do you want to take me when you yourself baptized me and called me a daughter? And Christians are not allowed to do this - you yourself know. " And the king said to her: "You outwitted me, Olga." And he gave her many gifts — gold and silver and shavings and various vessels; and sent her away, calling her his daughter. She, having gathered home, came to the patriarch, and asked him to bless the house, and said to him: "My people and my son are pagans - may God keep me from all evil." And the patriarch said: “Faithful child! You were baptized into Christ and put on Christ, and Christ will preserve you, as he kept Enoch in the days of the forefathers, and then Noah in the ark, Abraham from Abimelech, Lot from the Sodomites, Moses from Pharaoh, David from Saul, three youths from the furnace, Daniel from beasts, - so he will deliver you from the wiles of the devil and from his snares. " And the patriarch blessed her, and she went in peace to her land, and came to Kiev. It happened, as under Solomon: the queen of Ethiopia came to Solomon, seeking to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and saw great wisdom and miracles: in the same way, this blessed Olga was looking for real divine wisdom, but that (queen of Ethiopia) was human, and this one was of God. "For those who seek wisdom will find." “Wisdom proclaims in the streets, ways lifts up his voice, he preaches on the city walls, speaks loudly at the city gates: how long will the ignorant love ignorance? " (). This same blessed Olga from an early age sought with wisdom what is the best in this light, and found a precious pearl - Christ. For Solomon said: "The desire of the faithful nice for the soul " (); and: "Incline your heart to meditation" (); "I love those who love me, and those who seek me will find me" (). The Lord said: "I will not cast out the one who comes to me" ().
The same Olga came to Kiev, and the Greek king sent ambassadors to her with the words: “I gave you many gifts. You told me: when I return to Russia, I will send you many gifts: servants, wax, and furs, and soldiers to help. " Olga answered through the ambassadors: "If you stand with me in Pochayna as I do in the Court, then I will give it to you." And she dismissed the ambassadors with these words.
Olga lived with her son Svyatoslav and taught him to be baptized, but he did not even think to listen to this; but if someone was going to be baptized, he did not forbid, but only mocked him. "For for unbelievers, faith is Christian foolishness"; "For do not know, do not understand those who walk in darkness ”() and do not know the glory of the Lord; "Hearts hardened them, their ears can hardly hear, but the eyes see ”(). For Solomon said: "The works of the wicked are far from reason" (); “Because he called you and did not obey me, he turned to you and did not listen, but they rejected my advice and did not receive my reproofs”; “They hated wisdom, but the fear of God they did not choose for themselves, they did not want to accept my advice, they despised my reproofs " (). So Olga often said: “I have come to know God, my son, and I rejoice; if you cognize, too, you will rejoice. " But he did not listen to this, saying: “How can I alone accept another faith? And my retinue will scoff. " She told him: "If you are baptized, then everyone will do the same." He did not obey his mother, continuing to live according to pagan customs, not knowing that whoever does not listen to his mother will fall into trouble, as it is said: "If someone does not listen to his father or mother, he will die." Svyatoslav, however, was angry with his mother, while Solomon said: “He who teaches the wicked will make himself troubles, but he who denounces the wicked will be insulted himself; for reproofs are like plagues to the wicked. Do not convict the wicked, so that they do not hate you ”(). However, Olga loved her son Svyatoslav and used to say: “Let the will of God be done; if God wants to have mercy on my clan and the Russian land, then he will put in their hearts the same desire to turn to God that he gave me too. " And, saying this, she prayed for her son and for people every night and day, raising her son to his maturity and until he comes of age.
In the year 6464 (956).
In the year 6465 (957).
In the year 6466 (958).
In the year 6467 (959).
In the year 6468 (960).
In the year 6469 (961).
In the year 6470 (962).
In the year 6471 (963).
In the year 6472 (964). When Svyatoslav grew up and matured, he began to collect many brave warriors, and he was fast, like Pardus, and fought a lot. On the campaigns, he did not carry either carts or cauldrons with him, did not cook meat, but, having thinly sliced \u200b\u200bhorse meat, or animal, or beef and roasted on coals, he ate it; he did not have a tent, but slept, spreading a saddle cloth with a saddle in their heads - the same were all his other soldiers, And he sent them to other lands with the words: "I want to go for you." And he went to the Oka River and the Volga, and met the Vyatichi, and said to the Vyatichi: "To whom are you giving tribute?" They also answered: "To the Khazars, we are giving them a slot from the plow."
In the year 6473 (965). Svyatoslav went to the Khazars. Hearing, the Khazars went out to meet, led by their prince Kagan and agreed to fight, and in the battle Svyatoslav the Khazars defeated, and took their capital and Belaya Vezha. And he defeated the Yases and Kasogs.
In the year 6474 (966). Vyatichi defeated Svyatoslav and imposed tribute on them.
In the year 6475 (967). Svyatoslav went to the Danube to the Bulgarians. And both sides fought, and Svyatoslav defeated the Bulgarians, and took their 80 cities along the Danube, and sat down to reign there in Pereyaslavets, taking tribute from the Greeks.
In the year 6476 (968). The Pechenegs came to the Russian land for the first time, and Svyatoslav was then in Pereyaslavets, and Olga locked herself with her grandchildren - Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir in the city of Kiev. And the Pechenegs besieged the city with great power: there were countless numbers of them around the city, and it was impossible either to leave the city or send a message, and the people were exhausted from hunger and thirst. And the people of the other side of the Dnieper gathered in boats, and stood on the other side, and it was impossible for any of them to get to Kiev, or from the city to them. And people in the city began to grieve, and said: "Is there anyone who could get over to the other side and tell them: if you do not approach the city in the morning, we will surrender to the Pechenegs." And one lad said: "I will make my way," and they answered him: "Go." He left the city, holding the bridle, and ran through the camp of the Pechenegs, asking them: "Has anyone seen the horse?" For he knew Pechenezh, and he was taken for his own, And when he approached the river, throwing off his clothes, he rushed to the Dnieper and swam, Seeing this, the Pechenegs rushed after him, shot at him, but could not do anything to him, On the other side, they noticed this, drove up to him in a boat, took him into the boat and brought him to the squad. And the boy said to them: "If you do not come up to the city tomorrow, then people will surrender to the Pechenegs." Their voivode, named Pretich, said: “We will go tomorrow in boats and, having captured the princess and princes, we will rush to this shore. If we do not do this, then Svyatoslav will destroy us ”. And the next morning, close to dawn, they sat down in the boats and trumpeted loudly, and the people in the city shouted. The Pechenegs decided that the prince had come, and ran scatteringly from the city. And Olga went out with her grandchildren and people to the boats. The Pechenezh prince, seeing this, returned alone to the voivode Pretich and asked: "Who came?", And he answered him: "People of the other side (Dnieper)", the Pechenezh prince asked: "Aren't you a prince?" Pretich replied: "I am his husband, I came with a vanguard, and behind me is an army with the prince himself: there are countless numbers of them." So he said to scare them. The Pechenezh prince said to Pretich: "Be my friend." He replied: "So I will." And they gave each other hands, and the Pechenezh prince gave Pretich a horse, a saber and arrows. The same man gave him chain mail, a shield and a sword. And the Pechenegs retreated from the city, and it was impossible to water the horse: the Pechenegs were standing on Lybid. And the people of Kiev sent to Svyatoslav with the words: “You, prince, are looking for a foreign land and you care about it, but you left yours, and the Pechenegs, and your mother, and your children almost took us. If you don’t come and protect us, they will take us. Don't you feel sorry for your fatherland, your old mother, your children? " Hearing this, Svyatoslav and his squad quickly mounted their horses and returned to Kiev; he greeted his mother and children and lamented about what had been transferred from the Pechenegs. And he gathered soldiers, and drove the Pechenegs into the steppe, and peace came.
In the year 6477 (969). Svyatoslav said to his mother and his boyars: “I don’t like to sit in Kiev, I want to live in Pereyaslavets on the Danube - because there is the middle of my land, all the benefits flow there: from the Greek land - gold, pavolok, wine, various fruits, from the Czech Republic and from Hungary silver and horses, from Russia furs and wax, honey and slaves. " Olga answered him: “You see, I am sick; where do you want to get away from me? " - for she was already ill. And she said: “When you bury me, go wherever you want”. Three days later Olga died, and her son and her grandchildren and all the people cried for her with great lamentation, and they carried and buried her in the chosen place, Olga bequeathed not to perform funeral feasts on it, since she had a priest with her - he buried blessed Olga.
She was a harbinger of the Christian land, like a day before the sun, like dawn before dawn. She shone like the moon in the night; so she shone among the pagans like pearls in the mud; then people were polluted by sins, not washed by holy baptism. This one bathed in the holy font, and threw off the sinful garments of the first man, Adam, and put on the new Adam, that is, in Christ. We appeal to her: "Rejoice, Russian knowledge of God, the beginning of our reconciliation with him." She was the first of the Russians to enter the kingdom of heaven, and the Russian sons praise her - their initiator, for even after death she prays to God for Russia. After all, the souls of the righteous do not die; as Solomon said: “The people rejoice the praised righteous man " (); the memory of the righteous is immortal, since he is recognized by both God and people. Here all people glorify her, seeing that she lies for many years, untouched by corruption; for the prophet said: "I will glorify those who glorify Me" (). About such, after all, David said: “In eternal memory there will be a righteous man who will not be afraid bad rumor; his heart is ready to trust in the Lord; his heart is affirmed and will not flinch "(). Solomon said: “The righteous live forever; their reward from the Lord and the care of them from the Most High. Therefore they will receive the kingdom beauty and the crown of kindness from the hand of the Lord, for he will cover them with his right hand and protect them with an arm " (). He also defended this blessed Olga from the enemy and adversary - the devil.
In the year 6478 (970). Svyatoslav put Yaropolk in Kiev, and Oleg at the Drevlyans. At that time the Novgorodians came, asking themselves a prince: "If you do not come to us, then we ourselves will get ourselves a prince." And Svyatoslav said to them: "Who would go to you?" And Yaropolk and Oleg refused. And Dobrynya said: "Ask Vladimir." Vladimir was from Malusha - Olga's housekeeper. Malusha was Dobrynya's sister; their father was Malk Lyubechanin, and Dobrynya was Vladimir's uncle. And the Novgorodians said to Svyatoslav: "Give us Vladimir," He answered them: "Here he is for you." And the Novgorodians took Vladimir, and Vladimir went with Dobryneya, his uncle, to Novgorod, and Svyatoslav to Pereyaslavets.
In the year 6479 (971). Svyatoslav came to Pereyaslavets, and the Bulgarians closed in the city. And the Bulgarians went out to battle with Svyatoslav, and the slaughter was great, and the Bulgarians began to prevail. And Svyatoslav said to his soldiers: “Here we will die; Let us stand courageously, brothers and squad! " And in the evening Svyatoslav defeated, and took the city by storm, and sent it to the Greeks with the words: "I want to go against you and take your capital, like this city." And the Greeks said: "We cannot resist you, so take tribute from us for all your squad and tell how many you are, and we will give according to the number of your guards." This is what the Greeks said, deceiving the Russians, for the Greeks are deceitful to this day. And Svyatoslav said to them: "There are twenty thousand of us," and added ten thousand: for there were only ten thousand Russians. And the Greeks put up a hundred thousand against Svyatoslav, and did not give tribute. And Svyatoslav went against the Greeks, and they went out against the Russians. When the Russians saw them, they were greatly frightened by such a great multitude of soldiers, but Svyatoslav said: “We have nowhere to go, whether we want it or not, we must fight. So we will not put to shame the Russian land, but we will lie down here with the bones, for the dead know no shame. If we run, we will be a shame. So let us not run, but let us stand firmly, and I will go ahead of you: if my head falls down, then take care of your own. " And the soldiers answered: "Where your head lies, there we will lay down our heads." And the Russians fought, and there was a cruel slaughter, and Svyatoslav defeated, and the Greeks fled. And Svyatoslav went to the capital, fighting and smashing cities that are still empty. And the tsar called his boyars into the ward, and said to them: "What should we do: we can't resist him?" And the boyars said to him: “Send gifts to him; let us test him: does he love gold or shavings? " And he sent to him gold and poultry with a wise man, telling him: "Watch his appearance, and his face, and thoughts." He, having taken the gifts, came to Svyatoslav. And they told Svyatoslav that the Greeks had come with a bow, And he said: "Bring them in here." They went in and bowed to him, and laid before him gold and shavings. And Svyatoslav said to his youths, looking to the side: "Hide." The Greeks returned to the king, and the king called the boyars. The messengers said: "We came to him and brought gifts, but he did not even look at them - he ordered them to be hidden." And one said: "Try him again: send him a weapon." But they listened to him, and sent him a sword and other weapons, and brought him. He took and began to praise the king, expressing his love and gratitude. The messengers returned to the king and told him everything as it was. And the boyars said: “This man will be fierce, for he neglects wealth, but takes weapons. Agree to a tribute. " And the king sent to him, saying: "Do not go to the capital, take the tribute as you want," for he did not reach Constantinople a little. And they gave him a tribute; he also took on the killed, saying: "He will take his kind for the slain." He took a lot of gifts and returned to Pereyaslavets with great glory. Seeing that he had little squad, he said to himself: "No matter how they kill my squad and me by some trick." since many died in the fighting. And he said: "I will go to Russia, I will bring more squads."
And he sent ambassadors to the king in Dorostol, for the king was there, saying: "I want to have lasting peace and love with you." But the king, hearing this, rejoiced and sent more gifts to him than before. Svyatoslav accepted the gifts and began to think with his retinue, saying: “If we do not make peace with the tsar and the tsar finds out that we are few, then they will come and besiege us in the city. And the Russian land is far away, and the Pechenegs are hostile to us, and who will help us? Let us conclude peace with the tsar: after all, they have already undertaken to pay tribute to us - that is enough for us. If they stop paying us tribute, then again from Russia, having gathered many soldiers, we will go to Constantinople. " And this retinue was pleased, and they sent the best men to the king, and came to Dorostol, and told the king about it. The tsar, however, called them to him the next morning and said: "Let the Russian ambassadors speak." They began: "This is what our prince says:" I want to have true love with the Greek king for all future times. " The tsar was delighted and ordered the scribe to write down all the speeches of Svyatoslav on the charter. And the ambassador began to speak all the speeches, and the scribe began to write. He spoke thus:
“The list from the treaty concluded under Svyatoslav, the great Russian prince, and under Sveneld, was written under Theophilus Sinckel to John, called Tzimiskes, the Greek king, in Dorostol, the month of July, 14th indict, in the year 6479. I, Svyatoslav, Russian prince, as I swore, so I confirm my oath by this treaty: I want, together with all my subjects, the Russians, with the boyars and others, to have peace and true love with all the great kings of Greece, with Basil and with Constantine, and with the divinely inspired kings, and with all your people to the end of the world. And I will never plot on your country, and I will not gather soldiers against it, and I will not lead another people to your country, neither the one under Greek rule, nor the Korsun country and all the cities there, nor the Bulgarian country. And if another who plans against your country, then I will be his enemy and will fight with him. As I have already sworn to the Greek tsars, and with me the boyars and all the Russians, may we keep the treaty unchanged. If we do not observe anything from what was said before, may I and those who are with me and under me be cursed by the God in whom we believe - in Perun and Volos, the god of cattle, and may we be yellow as gold and we will be cut with our weapons. Do not doubt the truth of what we have promised you today, and have written in this charter and sealed them with our seals. "
Having made peace with the Greeks, Svyatoslav in boats went to the rapids. And the governor of his father Sveneld told him: "Go around, prince, the rapids on horseback, for they are at the thresholds of the Pechenegs." And he did not listen to him, and went in the boats. And the people of Pereyaslavl sent them to the Pechenegs to say: "Here comes Svyatoslav with a small squad past you to Russia, taking from the Greeks a lot of wealth and captives without number." Hearing about this, the Pechenegs stepped into the rapids. And Svyatoslav came to the thresholds, and it was impossible to pass them. And he stopped to spend the winter in Beloberezhye, and they had no food, and they had a great hunger, so they paid half a ruble for a horse's head, and then Svyatoslav spent the winter.
In the year 6480 (972). When spring came, Svyatoslav went to the rapids. And smoking attacked him, the prince of Pechenezh, and they killed Svyatoslav, and took his head, and made a cup from the skull, bound him, and drank from it. Sveneld came to Kiev to Yaropolk. And all the years of Svyatoslav's reign were 28.
In the year 6481 (973). Yaropolk began to reign.
In the year 6482 (974).
In the year 6483 (975). Once Sveneldich, named Lyut, went out of Kiev to hunt and drove the beast in the forest. And Oleg saw him, and asked his own: "Who is this?" And they answered him: "Sveneldich". And, attacking, Oleg killed him, since he himself hunted in the same place, And because of this hatred arose between Yaropolk and Oleg, and constantly persuaded Sveneld Yaropolk, trying to avenge his son: "Go to your brother and capture his parish."
In the year 6484 (976).
In the year 6485 (977). Yaropolk went to his brother Oleg in Derevskaya land. And Oleg came out against him, and both sides fought. And in the battle that began, Oleg Yaropolk won. Oleg and his soldiers fled to a city called Ovruch, and a bridge was thrown across the moat to the city gates, and people, crowding on it, pushed each other down. And they pushed Oleg off the bridge into the moat. Many people fell, and the horses crushed people, Yaropolk, entering the city of Olegov, seized power and sent to look for his brother, and they looked for him, but did not find him. And one Drevlyanin said: "I saw how yesterday they pushed him off the bridge." And Yaropolk sent to find his brother, and pulled the corpses out of the ditch from morning until midday, and found Oleg under the corpses; carried him out and laid him on the carpet. And Yaropolk came, wept over him and said to Sveneld: "Look, this is what you wanted!" And they buried Oleg in a field near the city of Ovruch, and there is his grave at Ovruch to this day. And Yaropolk inherited his power. Yaropolk had a Greek wife, and before that she was a nun, at one time his father Svyatoslav brought her and gave her to Yaropolk, for the sake of her face. When Vladimir in Novgorod heard that Yaropolk had killed Oleg, he got scared and fled across the sea. And Yaropolk planted his mayors in Novgorod and owned the Russian land alone.
In the year 6486 (978).
In the year 6487 (979).
In the year 6488 (980). Vladimir returned to Novgorod with the Varangians and said to the mayor of Yaropolk: “Go to my brother and tell him:“ Vladimir is coming to you, get ready to fight with him. ” And he sat down in Novgorod.
And he sent to Rogvolod in Polotsk to say: "I want to take your daughter as my wife." The same one asked his daughter: "Do you want for Vladimir?" She replied: “I don’t want to shoe the son of a slave, but I want for Yaropolk. This Rogvolod came from across the sea and held his power in Polotsk, and Tury held power in Turov, after him the Turovites were nicknamed. And the youths of Vladimir came and told him the whole speech of Rogneda - the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogvolod. Vladimir gathered many soldiers - Varangians, Slovenians, Chudi and Krivichs - and went to Rogvolod. And at this time they were going to lead Rogneda behind Yaropolk. And Vladimir attacked Polotsk, and killed Rogvolod and his two sons, and took his daughter to wife.
And he went to Yaropolk. And Vladimir came to Kiev with a large army, and Yaropolk could not come out to meet him and shut himself up in Kiev with his people and with Fornication, and Vladimir stood, entrenched, on Dorogozhich - between Dorogozhich and Kapich, and that moat still exists. Vladimir sent to Fornication, the governor of Yaropolk, cunningly saying: “Be my friend! If I kill my brother, I will honor you as a father, and you will receive great honor from me; I didn’t start killing brothers, but he. I, being afraid of this, opposed him. " And fornication said to ambassadors Vladimirov: "I will be with you in love and friendship." O evil human cunning! As David says: "The man who ate my bread has slandered me." This same deception conceived treason to his prince. And again: “They flattered with their tongue. Judge them, O God, that they abandon their designs; reject them because of the multitude of their wickedness, for they have angered you, O Lord. " And the same David also said: "A man quick to bloodshed and treacherous will not live even half his days." Evil is the advice of those who push for bloodshed; fools are those who, having received honors or gifts from a prince or lord, plot to destroy the life of their prince; they are worse than demons, So fornication also betrayed his prince, having received much honor from him: therefore, he is guilty of that blood. Fornication (in the city) closed with Yaropolk, and himself, deceiving him, often sent to Vladimir with calls to attack the city, plotting to kill Yaropolk at this time, but because of the townspeople it was impossible to kill him. Fornication could not destroy him in any way and came up with a trick, persuading Yaropolk not to leave the city for battle. Fornication said to Yaropolk: "The people of Kiev are sent to Vladimir, telling him:" Come to the city, we will give you Yaropolk. " Run away from the city. " And Yaropolk obeyed him, ran out of Kiev and shut up in the city of Rodna at the mouth of the Rosya River, and Vladimir entered Kiev and laid siege to Yaropolk in Rodna, And there was a severe famine, so that the saying remains to this day: "The trouble is like in the Rodna" ... And Fornication said to Yaropolk: “Do you see how many soldiers your brother has? We cannot defeat them. Make peace with your brother, ”he said, deceiving him. And Yaropolk said: "So be it!" And he sent fornication to Vladimir with the words: "Your thought has come true, and as I bring Yaropolk to you, be ready to kill him." Vladimir, having heard this, entered the ancestral courtyard of the terem, which we have already mentioned, and sat down there with the soldiers and with his retinue. And Fornication said to Yaropolk: "Go to your brother and tell him:" Whatever you give me, I will accept. " Yaropolk went, and Varyazhko said to him: “Don't go, prince, they will kill you; run to the Pechenegs and bring the soldiers, ”and Yaropolk did not listen to him. And Yaropolk came to Vladimir; when he entered the door, two Varangians raised him with swords under the grooves. Fornication shut the doors and did not allow his own people to follow him. And so Yaropolk was killed. Varyazhko, seeing that Yaropolk was killed, fled from the courtyard of that mansion to the Pechenegs and fought for a long time with the Pechenegs against Vladimir, with difficulty he attracted Vladimir to his side, giving him an oath promise, Vladimir began to live with his brother's wife, a Greek woman, and she was pregnant, and Svyatopolk was born from her. From the sinful root of evil, the fruit happens: firstly, his mother was a nun, and secondly, Vladimir lived with her not in marriage, but as an adulterer. That is why his father did not like Svyatopolk, because he was from two fathers: from Yaropolk and from Vladimir.
After all this, the Varangians told Vladimir: "This is our city, we captured it, - we want to take a ransom from the townspeople for two hryvnia per person." And Vladimir said to them: "Wait a month until they collect your coons." And they waited for a month, and Vladimir did not give them a ransom, and the Varangians said: "He deceived us, so let us go to the Greek land." He answered them: "Go." And he chose from among them men good, clever, and brave, and gave them cities; the rest went to Constantinople to the Greeks. Vladimir, even before them, sent ambassadors to the tsar with the following words: “Here are the Varangians coming to you, don’t try to keep them in the capital, otherwise they will do you the same evil as here, but settle them in different places, but don’t let one ".
And Vladimir began to reign in Kiev alone, and put idols on the hill behind the terem courtyard: the wooden Perun with a silver head and golden mustache, and Khors, Dazhbog, and Stribog, and Simargla, and Mokosh. And they sacrificed to them, calling them gods, and brought their sons and daughters, and sacrificed to demons, and defiled the land with their sacrifices. And the Russian land and that hill were defiled with blood. But the most good God did not want the death of sinners, and on that hill is now the Church of St. Basil, as we will tell about it later. Now let's return to the old one.
Vladimir planted his uncle Dobrynya in Novgorod. And, having come to Novgorod, Dobrynya put an idol over the Volkhov River, and the Novgorodians brought him sacrifices as to God.
Vladimir was conquered by lust, and he had wives: Rogneda, whom he settled on Lybed, where the village of Predslavino is now located, from her he had four sons: Izyaslav, Mstislav, Yaroslav, Vsevolod, and two daughters; from a Greek woman he had Svyatopolk, from Chekhin - Vysheslav, and from another wife - Svyatoslav and Mstislav, and from a Bulgarian - Boris and Gleb, and he had 300 concubines in Vyshgorod, 300 in Belgorod and 200 in Berestovo, in the village, which now called Berestovoye. And he was insatiable in fornication, bringing married women to him and corrupting girls. He was as much a woman-lover as Solomon, for they say that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He was wise, but in the end he died, This was an ignoramus, and in the end he found himself eternal salvation. “Great is the Lord .., and great is His strength, and mindhe has no end! " (). Feminine seduction is evil; this is how Solomon repented about wives: “Don't listen to the wicked wife; for honey drips from her lips, her wife adulterers; for a moment only delights in your larynx, after the bitter bile will become ... Those who are close to her will go to hell after death. She does not follow the path of life, her dissolute life unreasonable " (). This is what Solomon said about adulteresses; and about good wives he said: “She is dearer than a precious stone. Her husband rejoices at her. After all, she makes his life happy. Taking out wool and linen, he creates everything needed with his own hands. She, like a merchant ship engaged in trade, collects wealth for herself from afar, and gets up at night, and distributes food in her house and business to her slaves. Seeing the field - he buys: from the fruits of his hands he will plant arable land. Having firmly girded his camp, he will strengthen his hands for work. And she tasted that it is good to work, and her lamp does not go out all night. He stretches out his hands to what is useful, and directs his elbows to the spindle. He stretches out his hands to the poor, and gives the fruit to the poor. Her husband does not care about his house, because wherever he is, all her household will be dressed. She will make double garments for her husband, and scarlet and crimson garments for herself. Her husband is visible to everyone at the gate when he sits down in council with the elders and inhabitants of the earth. She will make the bedspreads and put them on sale. But he opens his mouth with wisdom, speaks with dignity with his tongue. She put on strength and beauty. Her children exalt her graces and delight her; the husband praises her. Blessed is the wise woman, for she will praise the fear of God. Give her of the fruit of her mouth, and let her husband be glorified at the gate ”().
In the year 6489 (981). Vladimir went to the Poles and captured their cities, Przemysl, Cherven and other cities, which are still under Russia. In the same year, Vladimir and Vyatichi defeated and imposed tribute on them - from each plow, just like his father took it.
In the year 6490 (982). The Vyatichi rose up in war, and Vladimir went against them, and defeated them a second time.
In the year 6491 (983). Vladimir went against the Yatvingians, and defeated the Yatvingians, and conquered their land. And he went to Kiev, offering sacrifices to his idols with his people. And the elders and boyars said: "Let us cast lots on the youth and the maiden, on whom he falls, we will slaughter him as a sacrifice to the gods." There was only one Varangian then, and his courtyard stood where now the Church of the Holy Mother of God, which was built by Vladimir. That Varangian came from the Greek land and professed the Christian faith. And he had a son, beautiful in face and soul, and the lot fell on him, out of the envy of the devil. For he could not stand him, having power over all, but this one was like a thorn in his heart, and the accursed tried to destroy him and set people down. And those sent to him, having come, said: "A lot has fallen on your son, the gods have chosen him for themselves, so let us offer sacrifice to the gods." And the Varangian said: “These are not gods, but a tree: today it is, and tomorrow it will rot; they do not eat, do not drink, do not speak, but are made by hand of wood. God is one, the Greeks serve and worship him; he created the heavens, and the earth, and the stars, and the moon, and the sun, and man, and destined him to live on earth. And what did these gods do? They themselves are made. I will not give my son to demons. " The messengers left and told the people about everything. Those, taking weapons, went to him and smashed his yard. The Varyag stood in the entryway with his son. They said to him: "Give your son, and bring him to the gods." He answered: “If they are gods, then let them send one of the gods and take my son. And why do you perform services for them? " And they clicked and hooked the canopy under them, and so they were killed. And no one knows where they were laid. After all, there were then people of ignorance and infidelity. The devil rejoiced at that, not knowing that his death was already near. So he tried to destroy the entire Christian race, but he was driven out by an honest cross from other countries. “Here,” thought the accursed one, “I will find myself a home, for the apostles did not teach here, for the prophets did not predict here,” not knowing that the prophet said: “And I will call people not mine by my people”; about the apostles it is said: "Their words were spread throughout all the earth, and their words to the end of the universe." Even if the apostles themselves were not here, however, their teaching, like trumpets, is heard in churches throughout the universe: with their teaching we defeat the enemy - the devil, trampling him under our feet, as these two our fathers trampled on, accepting the crown of heaven on a par with the holy martyrs and the righteous.
In the year 6492 (984). Vladimir went to the Radimichi. He had a Voivode Wolf Tail; and Vladimir sent Wolf Tail ahead of him, and he met the Radimichs on the Pishchana River, and defeated the Radimichs Wolf Tail. That is why the Russian Radimichs tease, saying: "Pischants run from the wolf's tail." There were Radimichs from the Poles clan, they came and settled here and pay tribute to Russia, and they carry them to this day.
In the year 6493 (985). Vladimir went to the Bulgarians in boats with his uncle Dobrynya, and brought the Torks along the shore on horses; and defeated the Bulgarians. Dobrynya said to Vladimir: “I examined the prisoners of war: they were all in boots. Don't give us tribute to this - let's go and look for bast shoes. " And Vladimir made peace with the Bulgarians, and they swore an oath to each other, and the Bulgarians said: "Then there will be no peace between us when the stone begins to float, and the hop begins to sink." And Vladimir returned to Kiev.
In the year 6494 (986). The Bulgarians of the Mohammedan faith came, saying: "You, prince, are wise and meaningful, but you do not know the law, believe in our law and bow to Mohammed." And Vladimir asked: "What is your faith?" They answered: “We believe God, and Mohammed teaches us this: to circumcise, not eat pork, not drink wine, but after death, he says, you can commit fornication with your wives. Mohammed will give each of seventy beautiful wives, and will choose one of them the most beautiful, and entrust to her the beauty of all; she will be his wife. Here, he says, one should indulge in all fornication. If anyone is poor in this world, then in that one ”, and they talked about all other lies, about which it is a shame to write. Vladimir listened to them, as he himself loved wives and all fornication; that's why I listened to them to my heart's content. But this was what he disliked: circumcision and abstinence from pork meat, but about drinking, on the contrary, he said: "Russia is joy to drink: we cannot be without it." Then foreigners came from Rome and said: “We have come, sent by the Pope,” and turned to Vladimir: “This is what the Pope says to you:“ Your land is the same as ours, but your faith is not like our faith, since our faith - light; we bow to God, who created heaven and earth, the stars and the moon and everything that breathes, and your gods are just a tree. " Vladimir asked them: "What is your commandment?" And they answered: "Fasting according to power:" if anyone drinks or eats, then all this is for the glory of God, "as our teacher Paul said." Vladimir said to the Germans: "Go where you came from, for our fathers did not accept this." Hearing about this, the Khazar Jews came and said: “We heard that Bulgarians and Christians came, each teaching you his faith. Christians believe in the one whom we crucified, and we believe in one God Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. " And Vladimir asked: "What is your law?" They answered: "Cut off, don't eat pork and hare, keep the Sabbath." He asked: "Where is your land?" They said, "In Jerusalem." And he asked: "Is she exactly there?" And they answered: "God was angry with our fathers and scattered us in different countries for our sins, and gave our land to Christians." Vladimir said to this: “How do you teach others, while you yourself are rejected by God and scattered? If God loved you and your law, then you would not have been scattered in foreign lands. Or do you want the same for us? "
Then the Greeks sent a philosopher to Vladimir, who said: “We heard that the Bulgarians came and taught you to accept your faith; their faith defiles heaven and earth, and they are cursed beyond all people, they have become like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, on whom the Lord let a burning stone and flooded them, and they were drowned, so these too are awaiting the day of their destruction, when God comes to judge the nations and destroy all that do iniquity and do evil. For, having washed, they pour this water into their mouth, smear it on the beard and commemorate Mohammed. In the same way, their wives do the same filth, and even more ... ”. Hearing about this, Vladimir spat on the ground and said: "This business is unclean." The philosopher said: “We also heard that they came to you from Rome to teach you their faith. Their faith is a little different from ours: they serve on unleavened bread, that is, on wafers, which God did not command about, having commanded to serve on bread, and taught the apostles, taking bread: "This is my body, which is broken for you ...". Likewise, he took the cup and said: "This is my blood of the new testament." Those who do not do this, believe wrongly. " Vladimir said: "The Jews came to me and said that the Germans and Greeks believe in the one whom they crucified." The philosopher replied: “We truly believe in that; their prophets predicted that he would be born, and others that he would be crucified and buried, but on the third day he would rise and ascend to heaven. They beat some prophets and tortured others. When their prophecies came true, when he came down to earth, he was crucified and, having resurrected, ascended into heaven, God expected repentance from them for 46 years, but did not repent, and then he sent the Romans against them; and they shattered their cities, and scattered them themselves in other lands, where they remain in bondage. " Vladimir asked: "Why did God come down to earth and accept such suffering?" The philosopher answered: "If you want to listen, I will tell you in order from the very beginning why God came down to earth." Vladimir said: "Glad to hear." And the philosopher began to speak like this:
“In the beginning, on the first day, God created the heavens and the earth. On the second day he made a firmament in the midst of the water. On the same day, the waters were divided - half of them ascended to the firmament, and half descended under the firmament, On the third day he created the sea, rivers, springs and seeds. On the fourth day - the sun, moon, stars, and God decorated the sky. The first of the angels, the elder of the order of the angels, saw all this, and thought: "I will go down to earth and take possession of it, and I will be like God, and I will set my throne on the clouds of the north." And immediately he was overthrown from heaven, and after him fell those who were under his command - the tenth angelic order. There was a name for the enemy - Sataniel, and in his place God put Elder Michael. Satan, having been deceived in his plan and having lost his original glory, called himself an enemy of God. Then, on the fifth day, God created whales, fish, reptiles and birds. On the sixth day God created animals, cattle, and reptiles of the earth; created man too. On the seventh day, that is, on Saturday, God rested from his works. And God planted paradise in the east in Eden, and brought into it the man whom he created, and commanded him to eat the fruits of each tree, but the fruits of one tree - the knowledge of good and evil - are not. And Adam was in paradise, saw God and glorified him when the angels glorified, And God brought a dream to Adam, and Adam fell asleep, and God took one rib from Adam, and created a wife for him, and brought her into paradise to Adam, and said Adam: “This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she will be called wife. " And Adam gave names to cattle and birds, beasts and creeping things, and even gave names to the angels themselves. And God subdued beasts and cattle to Adam, and he possessed all, and all listened to him. The devil, seeing how God honored a man, began to envy him, was transformed into a serpent, came to Eve and said to her: "Why don't you eat from a tree growing in the middle of paradise?" And the wife said to the serpent: "God said:" Do not eat, but if you eat, you will die by death. " And the serpent said to his wife: “You will not die of death; for God knows that on the day that you eat of this tree, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. " And the woman saw that the tree was edible, and taking it, ate the fruit, and gave it to her husband, and they both ate, and the eyes of both were opened, and they realized that they were naked, and they sewed themselves a girdle of fig leaves. And God said: "Cursed is the land for your deeds; in sorrow you will be satisfied all the days of your life." And the Lord God said: "When you stretch out your hands and take from the tree of life, you will live forever." And the Lord God drove Adam out of paradise. And he settled in front of Paradise, weeping and tilling the land, and Satan rejoiced over the curse of the earth. This is our first fall and bitter reckoning, falling away from the angelic life. Adam gave birth to Cain and Abel, Cain was a plowman, and Abel was a shepherd. And Cain offered the fruits of the earth as a sacrifice to God, and God did not accept his gifts. Abel brought the first-born lamb, and God accepted Abel's gifts. Satan entered into Cain and began to incite him to kill Abel. And Cain said to Abel: "Let's go into the field." And Abel listened to him, and when they came out, Cain rebelled against Abel and wanted to kill him, but did not know how to do it. And Satan said to him: "Take a stone and strike it." He took the stone and killed Abel. And God said to Cain: "Where is your brother?" He answered: "Am I my brother's keeper?" And God said: "Your brother's blood cries out to me, you will groan and shake until the end of your life." Adam and Eve wept, and the devil rejoiced, saying: "Whom God honored, that I made to fall away from God, and now I have brought grief on him." And they mourned for Abel for 30 years, and his body did not decay, and did not know how to bury him. And by the command of God, two chicks flew in, one of them died, the other dug a hole and put the dead in it and buried him. Seeing this, Adam and Eve dug a hole, put Abel in it and buried him with weeping. When Adam was 230 years old, he gave birth to Seth and two daughters, and took one Cain and the other Seth, and therefore people went to be fruitful and multiply on the earth. And they did not know him who had done them, they were filled with fornication, and all uncleanness, and murder, and envy, and the people lived like cattle. Noah alone was righteous among men. And he bore three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And God said: "My spirit will not dwell among people"; and again: "I will destroy that which I have created, from man to cattle." And the Lord God said to Noah: "Build an ark 300 cubits long, 80 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high"; The Egyptians call a fathom elbow. For 100 years Noah made his ark, and when Noah told people that there would be a flood, they laughed at him. When he made the ark, the Lord said to Noah: "Enter you, and your wife, and your sons, and your daughters-in-law, and bring in a pair from all the beasts, and from all birds, and from all creeping things." And Noah brought in whom God had commanded him. God brought a flood to the earth, all living things drowned, and the ark floated on water. When the water slept, Noah went out, his sons and his wife. From them the land was inhabited. And there were many people, and they spoke the same language, and they said to each other: "Let's build a pillar up to heaven." They began to build, and their elder Neurod was; and God said: "Behold, people and their vain designs have multiplied." And God came down and divided their speech into 72 languages. Only the tongue of Adam was not taken from Eber; this one of all remained uninvolved in their crazy business and said: "If God had ordered people to create a pillar to heaven, then God himself would have commanded with his word, just as he created heaven, earth, sea, everything visible and invisible." That is why his language did not change; Jews came from him. So, people were divided into 71 languages \u200b\u200band dispersed to all countries, and each nation took its own character. By teaching, they brought sacrifices to groves, wells and rivers and did not know God. 2242 years passed from Adam to the flood, and 529 years from the flood to the division of nations. Then the devil misled people even more, and they began to create idols: some - wooden, others - copper, still others - marble, and some - gold and silver. And they bowed down to them, and brought their sons and daughters to them, and slaughtered them before them, and the whole earth was defiled. Serug was the first to make idols, he created them in honor of the dead people: some former kings, or brave people and magicians, and wives of adulteresses. Serug begat Terah, but Terah begat three sons: Abraham, Nahor, and Aaron. Farrah made idols by learning from his father. Abraham, having begun to understand the truth, looked at the sky, and saw the stars and the sky, and said: "Truly is the God who created the heavens and the earth, and my father deceives people." And Abraham said: “I will test the gods of my father,” and he turned to his father: “Father! Why are you fooling people by making wooden idols? The one God who created the heavens and the earth. " Abraham took fire and lit the idols in the temple. Aaron, Abraham's brother, seeing this and honoring the idols, wanted to carry them out, but he himself immediately burned up and died before his father. Before this, the son did not die before the father, but the father before the son; and from that time on, sons began to die before their fathers. But God loved Abraham and said to him: "Depart from your father's house and go to the land that I will show you, and I will make a great nation from you, and the generations of men will bless you." And Abraham did as God commanded him. And Abraham took his nephew Lot; this Lot was his brother-in-law and nephew, since Abraham took over the daughter of Aaron's brother, Sarah. And Abraham came to the land of Canaan to a tall oak tree, and God said to Abraham: "I will give this land to your seed." And Abraham bowed down to God.
Abraham was 75 years old when he left Harran. Sarah, however, was barren and suffered from childlessness. And Sarah said to Abraham: "Come to my servant." And Sarah took Hagar, and gave her to her husband, and Abraham went in to Hagar, but Hagar conceived and bore a son, and named him Abraham Ishmael; Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. Then Sarah conceived, and bore a son, and called his name Isaac. And God commanded Abraham to circumcise the boy, and they circumcised him on the eighth day. God loved Abraham and his family, and called him his people, and calling him his people, he separated him from others. And Isaac matured, but Abraham lived 175 years, and died and was buried. When Isaac was 60 years old, he gave birth to two sons: Esau and Jacob. Esau was a liar, but Jacob was righteous. This Jacob worked for his uncle for seven years, seeking his youngest daughter, and Laban, his uncle, did not give her to him, saying: "Take the older one." And he gave him Leah, the eldest, and for the sake of another told him: "Work another seven years." He worked for another seven years for Rachel. And so he took two sisters for himself and bore eight sons from them: Reuben, Simeon, Leghia, Judah, Isahar, Zaulon, Joseph and Benjamin, and from two slave girls: Dan, Nephtalim, Gad and Asher. And the Jews went from them, but Jacob, when he was 130 years old, went to Egypt, together with all his family, the number of 65 souls. He lived in Egypt for 17 years and died, and his offspring were in slavery for 400 years. After these years, the Jews grew stronger and multiplied, and the Egyptians oppressed them as slaves. At that time, Moses was born to the Jews, and the wise men said to the Egyptian king: "A child was born to the Jews, who will destroy Egypt." And immediately the king ordered all the Jewish children born to be thrown into the river. But the mother of Moses, frightened of this destruction, took the baby, put it in a basket and, carrying it, put it by the river. At this time, the daughter of Pharaoh Fermufi came to bathe and saw the crying child, took him, spared him, and gave him the name Moses, and nursed him. The boy was handsome, and when he was four years old, Pharaoh's daughter brought him to her father. Pharaoh, seeing Moses, fell in love with the boy. Moses, clutching at the king's neck somehow, dropped the crown from the king's head and stepped on it. The sorcerer, seeing this, said to the king: “O king! Destroy this youth, but if you do not destroy, then he will destroy all Egypt himself. " The tsar not only did not listen to him, but, moreover, ordered not to destroy the Jewish children. Moses matured and became a great man in the house of Pharaoh. When a different king became in Egypt, the boyars began to envy Moses. Moses, after killing an Egyptian who had offended a Jew, fled from Egypt and came to the land of Midian, and when he was walking through the desert, he learned from the angel Gabriel about the existence of the whole world, about the first man and about what happened after him and after the flood. and about the confusion of tongues, and who how many years lived, and about the movement of the stars, and about their number, and about the measure of the earth, and all wisdom. Then God appeared to Moses with fire in thorns and said to him: “I have seen the calamities of my people in Egypt and came down to free them from the power of the Egyptian, to bring them out of this land. Go to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and tell him: "Let Israel out, so that they will demand God for three days." If the king of Egypt does not listen to you, then I will beat him with all my miracles. " When Moses came, Pharaoh did not listen to him, and God sent 10 plagues on him: first, bloody rivers; secondly, toads; thirdly, midges; fourthly, the flies; fifth, cattle pestilence; sixth, abscesses; seventh, hail; eighth, locusts; ninth, three-day darkness; tenth, pestilence on people. Therefore, God sent ten plagues on them, because they drowned Jewish children for 10 months. When the pestilence began in Egypt, Pharaoh said to Moses and his brother Aaron: "Quickly leave!" Moses, having gathered the Jews, departed from Egypt. And the Lord led them through the deserts to the Red Sea, and a pillar of fire walked ahead of them at night, and a cloudy one by day. And Pharaoh heard that men were running, and he chased after them, and pressed them to the sea. When the Jews saw this, they cried out to Moses: "Why did you lead us to death?" And Moses called to God, and the Lord said: “Why are you calling out to me? Strike the sea with the rod. " And Moses did so, and the water parted in two, and the children of Israel went into the sea. Seeing this, Pharaoh pursued them, but the sons of Israel crossed the sea on dry land. And when they came ashore, the sea closed over Pharaoh and his soldiers. And God loved Israel, and they walked from the sea three days in the wilderness, and came to Marah. The water was bitter here, and the people murmured against God, and the Lord showed them the tree, and Moses put it in the water, and the water was delighted. Then again the people murmured against Moses and Aaron: "It was better for us in Egypt, where we ate meat, onions and bread to our fill." And the Lord said to Moses: “I heard the murmur of the children of Israel,” and gave them manna to eat. Then he gave them the law on Mount Sinai. When Moses ascended the mountain to God, the people cast the head of a calf and worshiped it like God. And Moses excised three thousand of these people. And then again the people grumbled against Moses and Aaron, since there was no water. And the Lord said to Moses: "Hit the stone with the rod." And Moses answered: "What if he does not drain the water?" And the Lord was angry with Moses, that he did not exalt the Lord, and he did not enter the promised land because of the murmur of the people, but led him to Mount Vamsk and showed the promised land. And Moses died here on the mountain. And Joshua took over the authority. This one entered the promised land, beat up the Canaanite tribe, and made the sons of Israel replace them. When Jesus died, Judas the judge took his place; and other judges were 14. With them, the Jews forgot the God who brought them out of Egypt, and began to serve demons. And he was angry, and gave them to the strangers to be plundered. When they began to repent, God had mercy on them; and when he delivered them, they again deviated to the service of demons. Then there was the judge Elijah the priest, and then the prophet Samuel. And the people said to Samuel: "Give us a king." And the Lord was angry with Israel, and made them king Saul. However, Saul did not want to obey the law of the Lord, and the Lord chose David, and made him king of Israel, and David pleased God. God promised this to David that God would be born of his tribe. He was the first to prophesy about the incarnation of God, saying: "From the womb before the morning star he gave birth to you." So he prophesied for 40 years and died. And after him prophesied his son Solomon, who created a temple to God and named it the Holy of Holies. And he was wise, but in the end he sinned; reigned 40 years and died. After Solomon, his son Rehoboam reigned. Under him, the Jewish kingdom was divided in two: one in Jerusalem, and another in Samaria. Jeroboam reigned in Samaria. serf of Solomon; he created two golden calves and set one up in Bethel on the hill and the other in Dan, saying, "These are your gods, Israel." And people worshiped, but they forgot God. So in Jerusalem, they began to forget God and worship Baal, that is, the god of war, in other words, Ares; and have forgotten the God of their fathers. And God began to send prophets to them. The prophets began to denounce them for their iniquity and serving idols. They, being exposed, began to beat the prophets. God was angry with Israel and said: “I will cast them aside, I will call on other people who will obey me. Even if they sin, I will not remember their iniquity. " And he began to send prophets, telling them: "Prophesy about the rejection of the Jews and the calling of new nations."
Hosea was the first to prophesy: \u200b\u200b"I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel ... I will break the bow of Israel ... I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, but, sweeping aside, I will reject them," says the Lord. "And they will be wanderers among the nations." Jeremiah said: "Even if Samuel and Moses rebelled ... I will not have mercy on them." And the same Jeremiah also said: “Thus says the Lord:“ Behold, I have sworn by my great name that my name will not be pronounced by the lips of the Jews. ” Ezekiel said: “Thus says the Lord Adonai:“ I will scatter you, and all your remnant I will scatter to all the winds ... Because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your abominations; I will reject you ... and I will not have mercy on you. " Malachi said: “This is what the Lord says:“ My favor to you is no longer ... For from east to west my name will be glorified among the nations, and in every place they offer incense to my name and a clean sacrifice, for my name is great among the nations. ... For this I will give you to reproach and to be scattered among all nations. " Isaiah the Great said: “Thus says the Lord:“ I will stretch out my hand on you, and I will rot and scatter you, and I will not gather you again. ” And the same prophet also said: "I hated the feasts and the beginning of your months, and I do not accept your Sabbaths." Amos the prophet said: "Hear the word of the Lord:" I will lift up a lamentation for you, the house of Israel has fallen and will not rise again. " Malachi said: "This is what the Lord says:" I will send a curse on you and curse your blessing ... I will destroy it and will not be with you. " And the prophets prophesied a great deal about their rejection.
The same prophets were commanded by God to prophesy about the calling of other nations to take their place. And Isaiah began to cry, saying: “From me will come the law and my judgment - the light for the nations. Soon my truth will draw near and ascend ... and the people rely on my muscle. " Jeremiah said: "This is what the Lord says:" I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Judah. \u200b\u200bI will give them laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. " Isaiah said: “The former has passed away, but the new I will proclaim; before it was proclaimed, it was revealed to you. Sing a new song to God. " "A new name will be given to my servants, which will be blessed throughout the earth." "My house will be called the house of prayer of all nations." The same prophet Isaiah says: "The Lord will bare his holy arm before the eyes of all nations, and all the ends of the earth will see salvation from our God." David says: "Praise the Lord, all nations, glorify him all people."
God so loved the new people and revealed to them that he would come down to them himself, appear as a man in the flesh and redeem Adam by suffering. And they began to prophesy about the incarnation of God, before the others David: "The Lord said to my Lord:" Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies at your footstool. " And again: “The Lord said to me:“ You are my son; I have given birth to you today. " Isaiah said: "Neither an ambassador, nor a messenger, but God himself, having come, will save us." And again: "A baby will be born to us, dominion on his shoulders, and an angel will call his name of the great light ... His power is great, and there is no limit to his world." And again: "Behold, the virgin in the womb will conceive, and they will call his name Immanuel." Micah said: “You, Bethlehem, are the house of Ephrants, are you not great among thousands of Jews? Out of you will come the one who is to be the ruler in Israel and whose exodus is from everlasting days. Therefore, he sets them up until the time when he gives birth to those who give birth, and then their remaining brothers will return to the children of Israel. " Jeremiah said: “This is our God, and no one else can compare with him. He found all the ways of wisdom and gave it to his youth Jacob ... After that he appeared on earth and lived among people. " And again: “He is a man; who will know what he is? for he dies like a man. " Zechariah said: "They did not listen to my son, but I will not hear them, says the Lord." And Hosea said, "Thus says the Lord: my flesh is of them."
And they pronounced his sufferings, saying, as Isaiah said: “Woe to their soul! For the council of evils was created, saying: "We will bind the righteous." And the same prophet also said: "Thus says the Lord:" ... I do not resist, I will not say in spite of. I gave my spine to inflict wounds, and my cheeks to be choked, and my face did not turn away from abuse and spitting. " Jeremiah said: "Come, let us put the tree as his food, and let us tear away his life from the earth." Moses said about his crucifixion: "See your life hanging before your eyes." And David said, "Why the nations are in trouble." Isaiah said: "Like a sheep, he was led to the slaughter." Ezra said, "Blessed is he who stretched out his hands and saved Jerusalem."
And David said about the resurrection: "Rise, God, judge the earth, for you will inherit among all nations." And again: "As if from a dream the Lord rose up." And again: "May God rise, and may his enemies be scattered." And again: "Resurrect, my Lord my God, that your hand be lifted up." Isaiah said: "Those who have descended into the land of the shadows of death, the light will shine on you." Zechariah said: "And for the sake of the blood of your covenant you have freed your prisoners from a pit in which there is no water."
And they prophesied a lot about him, that everything had come true. "
Vladimir asked: “When did it come true? And did it all come true? Or will it come true just now? " The philosopher answered him: “All this had already come true when he was embodied. As I have already said, when the Jews beat the prophets, and their kings transgressed the laws, he (God) gave them up to be plundered, and they were taken into captivity to Assyria for their sins, and were in slavery there for 70 years. And then they returned to their land, and they did not have a king, but the bishops ruled over them until the foreigner Herod, who began to rule over them.
During the reign of this latter, in the year 5500, Gabriel was sent to Nazareth to the Virgin Mary, who was born in the tribe of David, to tell her: “Rejoice, delighted. The Lord is with you! " And from these words she conceived in the womb the Word of God, and bore a son, and named him Jesus. And so the wise men came from the east, saying: “Where is the Hebrew king who has been born? For they saw his star in the east and came to worship him. " Hearing about this, Herod the king was in confusion, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling the scribes and elders, he asked them: "Where is Christ being born?" They also answered him: "In Bethlehem the Jewish." Herod, hearing this, sent with the order: "Beat all the babies up to two years old." They went and destroyed the babies, and Mary, frightened, hid the baby. Then Joseph and Mary, taking the baby, fled to Egypt, where they stayed until Herod's death. In Egypt, an angel appeared to Joseph and said: "Get up, take the baby and his mother, and go to the land of Israel." And when he returned, he settled in Nazareth. When Jesus grew up and was 30 years old, he began to work miracles and preach the kingdom of heaven. And he chose 12, and called them his disciples, and began to perform great miracles - to raise the dead, to cleanse the lepers, to heal the lame, to give insight to the blind - and many other great miracles that the former prophets predicted about him, saying: “He healed our ailments and he took over our illnesses. " And he was baptized in Jordan by John, showing renewal to new people. When he was baptized, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and a voice said: "Here is my beloved son, he has pleased him." And he sent his disciples to preach the kingdom of heaven and repentance for the remission of sins. And he was going to fulfill the prophecy, and began to preach about how it should be for a son of man to suffer, to be crucified and to rise again on the third day. When he taught in the church, the bishops and scribes were filled with envy, and wanted to kill him, and, seizing him, they took him to the governor Pilate. But Pilate, having found out that they had brought him without guilt, wanted to let him go. They told him: "If you let this go, you will not be a friend of Caesar." Then Pilate ordered to be crucified. They, taking Jesus, led him to the place of execution, and then crucified him. Darkness fell throughout the earth from the sixth hour to the ninth, and at the ninth hour Jesus gave up his ghost, the Church curtain was torn in two, many dead rose up, whom he commanded to enter paradise. They took him down from the cross, put him in a coffin, and the Jews sealed the coffin with seals, put a guard, saying: "No matter how his disciples stole." He rose again on the third day. Having risen from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and said to them: "Go to all nations and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." He stayed with them for 40 days, coming to them after his resurrection. When 40 days had passed, he ordered them to go to the Mount of Olives. And then he appeared to them, and blessed them, and said: "Be in the city of Jerusalem until I send you the promise of my father." And, having said this, he ascended to heaven, They bowed to him. And they returned to Jerusalem, and were always in the church. After fifty days, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles. And when they received the promise of the Holy Spirit, they dispersed throughout the world, teaching and baptizing with water. "
Vladimir asked: "Why was he born of a wife, was he crucified on a tree and baptized with water?" The philosopher answered him: “That's what for. In the beginning, the human race sinned by his wife: the devil deceived Adam with Eve, and lost that paradise, so God took revenge: through the wife was the initial victory of the devil, because of the wife, Adam was originally expelled from paradise; in the same way, God became incarnate through his wife and commanded the faithful to enter paradise. And on the tree he was crucified because Adam had tasted of the tree and because of him he was expelled from paradise; But God accepted suffering on the tree, so that the devil could be defeated by the tree, and the righteous would be saved by the tree of life. And the renewal by water was accomplished because under Noah, when people's sins multiplied, God brought a flood to the earth and drowned people with water; that is why God said: "As I destroyed people by water for their sins, so now I will again cleanse people from their sins with water - the water of renewal"; for the Jews in the sea were also cleansed of the Egyptian evil disposition, for water was created first, it is said: the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters, therefore they are now baptized with water and the Spirit. The first transfiguration was also water, to which Gideon gave a prototype in the following way: when an angel came to him, commanding him to go to Madimyan, he, testing, turned to God, putting the fleece on the threshing floor, said: “If there will be dew all over the earth, and the fleece is dry ... ". And so it was. This was also a prototype that all other countries were before without dew, and the Jews were fleece, after that dew fell on other countries, which is holy baptism, and the Jews were left without dew. And the prophets predicted that the renewal will be through water. When the apostles taught in the universe to believe God, their teaching and we, the Greeks, accepted, the universe believes in their teaching. But God has also established a single day, in which, having descended from heaven, he will judge the living and the dead and will reward each according to his deeds: the righteous - the kingdom of heaven, unspeakable beauty, joy without end and eternal immortality; for sinners there is a fiery torment, an unceasing worm and an endless torment. Such will be the torment for those who do not believe our God Jesus Christ: those who are not baptized will be tormented in fire. "
And, having said this, the philosopher showed Vladimir the veil on which the judgment seat of the Lord was depicted, showed him the righteous on the right, going to paradise in joy, and the sinners on the left, going to torment. Vladimir, sighing, said: "It is good for those who are on the right, woe for those who are on the left." The philosopher said: "If you want to stand with the righteous on the right, then be baptized." It sank into Vladimir's heart, and he said: “I will wait a little longer,” wishing to find out about all the faiths. And Vladimir gave him many gifts and sent him away with great honor.
In the year 6495 (987). Vladimir summoned his boyars and elders of the city and told them: “So the Bulgarians came to me, saying:“ Accept our law ”. Then the Germans came and praised their law. The Jews came for them. After all, the Greeks came, scolding all the laws, and praising their own, and spoke a lot, telling from the beginning of the world, about the existence of the whole world. They speak wisely, and it is wonderful to hear them, and everyone loves to listen to them, they also tell about another light: if someone, they say, passes into our faith, then, having died, he will rise again, and he will not die forever; if it is in another law, then in the next world it will burn in fire. What do you recommend? what will you answer? " And the boyars and elders said: “Know, prince, that no one scolds his own, but praises him. If you really want to find out everything, then you have husbands with you: send them, find out who has what service and who serves God how. " And the prince and all the people liked their speech; they chose 10 men of glory and intelligence, and said to them: "Go first to the Bulgarians and test their faith." They set off, and when they came to them, they saw their bad deeds and worship in the mosque, and returned to their land. And Vladimir said to them: "Go back to the Germans, look out for everything, and from there go to the Greek land." They came to the Germans, saw their church service, and then came to Constantinople and appeared to the king. The king asked them: "Why did they come?" They told him everything. Hearing this, the king rejoiced, and on the same day did them great honors. The next day he sent to the patriarch, saying to him: "The Russians came to inquire about our faith, prepare the clergy and put on the holy vestments himself, so that they may see the glory of our God." Hearing about this, the patriarch ordered to convene the clergy, organized a festive service according to custom, and they burned the censer, and arranged singing and choirs. And he went with the Russians to the church, and put them in the best place, showing them the beauty of the church, singing and the bishop's service, the presence of deacons and telling them about serving their God. They were delighted, marveled and praised their service. And the kings Vasily and Constantine called them, and said to them: "Go to your land," and they sent them away with great gifts and with honor. They returned to their land. And the prince summoned his boyars and elders, and Vladimir said: "Here are the men sent by us, let us listen to everything that happened to them," and turned to the ambassadors: "Speak before the squad." They also said: “We went to Bulgaria, watched them pray in the temple, that is, in the mosque, stand there without a belt; making a bow, sits down and looks here and there like a madman, and there is no fun in them, only sadness and a great stench. Their law is not good. And we came to the Germans, and saw their various services in the temples, but we did not see any beauty. And we came to the Greek land, and led us where they serve their God, and did not know whether we were in heaven or on earth: for there is no such spectacle and such beauty on earth, and we do not know how to tell about it, - we only know that God is there with people, and their service is better than in all other countries. We cannot forget that beauty, for every person, if he tastes sweet, will not take bitter afterwards; so we cannot stay here already. " The boyars said: "If the Greek law was bad, then your grandmother Olga would not accept it, but she was the wisest of all people." And Vladimir asked: "Where will we be baptized?" They said: "Where do you like it."
And when a year had passed, in 6496 (988), Vladimir went with an army to Korsun, a Greek city, and the Korsunians closed in the city. And Vladimir stood on the other side of the city at the pier, within an arrow's flight from the city, and fought hard from the city. Vladimir laid siege to the city. People in the city began to faint, and Vladimir said to the townspeople: "If you don't give up, then there will be three years of downtime." They did not obey him, but Vladimir, having made his army, ordered to sprinkle the embankment to the city walls. And when they poured, they, the Korsunians, digging up the city wall, stole the poured earth, and carried it into the city, and dumped it in the middle of the city. The soldiers sprinkled even more, and Vladimir stood. And now a certain Korsunian husband, by the name of Anastas, shot an arrow, writing on it: "Dig up and take water, it goes through the pipes from the wells that follow you from the east." Vladimir, having heard about this, looked at the sky and said: "If this comes true, I myself am baptized!" And immediately ordered to dig across the pipes and took the water. The people were thirsty and gave up. Vladimir entered the city with his retinue and sent to the tsars Vasily and Constantine to say: “Behold, your glorious city has already taken; I heard that you have a virgin sister; if you don’t give it up for me, then I will do the same to your capital as to this city ”. And when they heard this, the kings were saddened, and sent him the following message: “It is not proper for Christians to give their wives to pagans. If you are baptized, you will receive it, and you will receive the kingdom of heaven, and you will be one in faith with us. If you don’t do this, then we will not be able to marry our sister off to you. ” Hearing this, Vladimir said to those sent to him from the tsars: "Tell your kings this way: I am baptized, for even before I tested your law and love your faith and worship, which the men sent by us told me about." And the tsars were glad when they heard this, and begged their sister, named Anna, and sent to Vladimir, saying: "Be baptized, and then we will send our sister to you." Vladimir answered: "Let those who have come with your sister baptize me." And the kings obeyed, and sent their sister, dignitaries and elders. She didn’t want to go, saying: “I’m walking as if full, it would be better for me to die here”. And the brothers said to her: “Maybe God will turn the Russian land to repentance by you, and you will save the Greek land from a terrible war. Do you see how much evil Russia did to the Greeks? Now, if you don’t go, they will do the same to us ”. And they barely forced her. She got into the ship, said goodbye to her neighbors, weeping, and set off across the sea. And she came to Korsun, and the Korsun men came out to meet her with a bow, and they brought her into the city, and made her sit in the chamber. Due to divine providence, Vladimir ached with his eyes at that time, and did not see anything, and grieved greatly, and did not know what to do. And the queen sent to him to say: “If you want to get rid of this disease, then be baptized quickly; if you are not baptized, you cannot get rid of your illness. " Hearing this, Vladimir said: "If this is truly fulfilled, then the Christian God is truly great." And he commanded to baptize himself. The bishop of Korsun with the tsarina's priests, having announced, baptized Vladimir. And when he laid his hand on him, he immediately received his sight. Vladimir, sensing his sudden healing, glorified God: "Now I know the true God." Many of the warriors saw this and were baptized. He was baptized in the church of St. Basil, and there is a church in the city of Korsun in the middle of the city, where the Korsunites gather for bargaining; the chamber of Vladimir stands from the edge of the church to the present day, and the Tsarina's chamber is behind the altar. After baptism, the queen was brought in for the marriage. Those who do not know the truth say that Vladimir was baptized in Kiev, while others say - in Vasilev, while others will say in a different way. When they baptized Vladimir and taught him the Christian faith, they said to him: “Let no heretics deceive you, but believe, saying:“ I believe in one God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth ”- and to the end this symbol of faith. And again: “I believe in one God, the Father unborn and in one Son born, in one Holy Spirit, issuing: three perfect natures, mental, divided according to number and nature, but not in divine essence: for God is inseparably divided and united without confusion, The Father, God the Father, eternally existing, dwells in fatherhood, unborn, without beginning, the beginning and the primary cause of everything, only by his non-birth is older than the Son and the Spirit; from him the Son is born before all times. The Holy Spirit proceeds outside of time and outside the body; together there is the Father, together the Son, together the Holy Spirit. The Son is similar to the Father, differing only by birth from the Father and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is similar to the Father and the Son and eternally coexists with them. For fatherhood to the Father, sonship to the Son, procession to the Holy Spirit. Neither the Father passes into the Son or Spirit, nor the Son into the Father or Spirit, nor the Spirit into the Son or into the Father: for their properties are invariable ... Not three Gods, but one God, since the deity is one in three persons. With the desire of the Father and the Spirit to save his creation, without changing the human seed, it descended and entered, like a divine seed, into the purest maiden bed and took on animate, verbal and intelligent flesh that had not previously existed, and God incarnate appeared, was born in an inexpressible way, preserving unbreakable the virginity of the mother, without undergoing any confusion, nor confusion, nor change, but remaining as it was, and becoming what it was not, taking on the appearance of a slave - in fact, and not in imagination, to everyone except sin, appearing like us (people). .. I was born of my own free will, I felt hunger of my own free will, I felt thirst of my own free will, I felt sorrow of my own accord, I was afraid of my own free will, I died of my own accord - I died in reality, not in my imagination; all inherent in human nature, genuine torment survived. When the sinless one was crucified and tasted death, he rose again in his own body, not knowing corruption, ascended into heaven, and sat down to the right of the Father, and will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; as he ascended with his flesh, he will come down ... I confess and one baptism with water and spirit, I approach the most pure mysteries, I truly believe in the body and blood ... I accept church traditions and worship the most honorable icons, I worship the most honorable tree and every cross, holy relics and sacred vessels. I also believe in seven cathedrals of the holy fathers, of which the first was in Nicaea, 318 fathers who cursed Arius and preached an immaculate and right faith. The second council in Constantinople is 150 holy fathers who cursed the Dukhobor Macedon, who preached the consubstantial Trinity. The third council in Ephesus, 200 holy fathers against Nestorius, cursing which, preached the holy Mother of God. The fourth council in Chalcedon, 630 holy fathers against Eutuchus and Dioscorus, whom the holy fathers cursed, proclaiming our Lord Jesus Christ the perfect God and perfect man, the Fifth Council in Constantinople, 165 holy fathers against the teachings of Origen and against Evagrius, whom the holy fathers cursed. The sixth council in Constantinople is 170 holy fathers against Sergius and Kur, cursed by the holy fathers. The Seventh Council in Nicaea 350 holy fathers who cursed those who do not worship holy icons. "
Do not accept the teachings of the Latins - their teachings are distorted: when they enter the church, they do not worship icons, but, standing, bow and, having bowed, write a cross on the ground, and kiss, and stand up, stand on it, so that, lying down , kiss him, and stand up - trample, This was not taught by the apostles; the apostles taught to kiss the placed cross and honor icons. For Luke the Evangelist first wrote the icon and sent it to Rome. As Vasily says: “The honoring of the icon passes to its prototype. Moreover, they call the earth mother. If the earth is their mother, then their father is heaven, - from the beginning God created the heavens, so also the earth. So they say: "Our Father, who art in heaven." If, in their opinion, the earth is a mother, then why do you spit on your mother? Do you kiss and desecrate her right there? The Romans did not do this before, but they decreed correctly at all councils, converging from Rome and from all dioceses. To the first council in Nicea against Arius (Pope), Roman Sylvester sent bishops and presbyters, from Alexandria Athanasius, and from Constantinople Mitrophanes sent bishops from themselves and so corrected the faith. At the second council - from Rome Damasus, and from Alexandria Timothy, from Antioch Meletius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory the Theologian. At the third cathedral - Roman Celestin, Cyril of Alexandria, Juvenal of Jerusalem. At the fourth cathedral - Leo of Rome, Anatoly of Constantinople, Juvenal of Jerusalem. At the fifth council - the Roman Vigilius, Eutychius of Constantinople, Apollinaris of Alexandria, Domnin of Antioch. At the sixth cathedral - from Rome Agathon, George from Constantinople, Theophanes of Antioch, from Alexandria the monk Peter. At the seventh council - from Rome Hadrian, Tarasius of Constantinople, Alexandrian Politian, Theodorite of Antioch, Elijah of Jerusalem. They all converged with their bishops, strengthening the faith. After this, the last, cathedral, Peter the Gugnivy entered Rome with others, seized the throne and corrupted the faith, rejecting the throne of Jerusalem, Alexandria, Constantinople and Antioch. They revolted all of Italy, sowing their teachings everywhere. Some priests serve, being married to only one wife, while others, having married up to seven times, serve; and one should beware of their teachings. They also forgive sins during the offering of gifts, which is the worst. God save you from this. "
After all this, Vladimir took the queen, and Anastas, and the priests of Korsun with the relics of St. Clement, and Thebes, his disciple, took the church vessels and icons for his blessing. He also erected a church in Korsun on a mountain, which they poured in the middle of the city, stealing earth from the embankment: that church still stands today. Departing, he captured two copper idols and four copper horses, which now stand behind the church of the Holy Mother of God and about which the ignorant think that they are marble. Korsun was given to the Greeks as a vein for the queen, and he himself returned to Kiev. And when he came, he commanded to overturn the idols - to chop some to pieces, and burn others. Perun, however, ordered to tie the horse to the tail and drag it down the Borichev vzvoz to the Brook and instructed 12 husbands to beat him with sticks. This was done not because the tree senses something, but to mock the demon who deceived people in this image - so that he would take retribution from people. "Great are you, O Lord, and wonderful are your deeds!" Yesterday I was still honored by people, and today we will scold. When they dragged Perun along the Brook to the Dnieper, the infidels mourned him, since they had not yet received holy baptism. And, having dragged, they threw him into the Dnieper. And Vladimir put people on him, telling them: “If he sticks to the shore somewhere, push him away. And when the rapids pass, then just leave him. " They did what they were ordered to. And when they let Perun and he passed the rapids, he was thrown by the wind onto a sandbank, and that is why the place was known as Perunya Shallows, as it is called to this day. Then Vladimir sent all over the city to say: "If someone does not come to the river tomorrow - be it the rich, or the poor, or the beggar, or the slave - he will be my enemy." Hearing this, people went with joy, rejoicing and saying: "If it were not for this good, our prince and boyars would not have accepted this." The next day, Vladimir went out with the Tsaritsyn and Korsun priests to the Dnieper, and there were many people there. They entered the water and stood there alone up to their necks, others up to their breasts, the young ones near the shore up to their breasts, some held babies, and already the adults wandered, the priests, standing, made prayers. And joy was seen in heaven and on earth over so many souls being saved; but he said, groaning: “Alas for me! I'm driven out of here! Here I thought to find a home for myself, for there was no apostolic teaching, they did not know God here, but I rejoiced at the service of those who served me. And now I have been defeated by an ignoramus, not by apostles or martyrs; I can no longer reign in these countries ”. The people were baptized and dispersed to their homes. Vladimir was glad that he knew God himself and his people, looked up to heaven and said: “Christ God, who created heaven and earth! Look at these new people and let them, Lord, know you, the true God, as the Christian countries have known you. Confirm in them the correct and unswerving faith, and help me, Lord, against the devil, may I overcome his intrigues, relying on you and on your strength. " And having said this, he ordered to cut down churches and put them in the places where idols had previously stood. And he set up a church in the name of St. Basil on the hill where the idol of Perun and others stood, and where the prince and the people performed for them. And in other cities they began to erect churches and appoint priests in them and bring people to baptism in all cities and villages. He sent to collect children from the best people and send them to book training. The mothers of these children wept for them; for they were not yet established in the faith, and wept over them as dead.
When they were given over to the bookish doctrine, thus the prophecy came true in Russia, which read: "In those days they will hear the deaf words of the book, and the language of the tongue-tied will be clear." They had not heard before the teaching of the book, but according to God's arrangement and by his mercy God had mercy on them; as the prophet said: "I will have mercy on whom I want." For he had mercy on us with holy baptism and renewal of the spirit, according to God's will, and not according to our works. Blessed is the Lord who loved the Russian land and enlightened it with the baptism of saints. That is why we worship him, saying: “Lord Jesus Christ! How can I repay you for all that I have given us sinners? We do not know what reward to give you for your gifts. “For you are great and your works are wonderful: there is no limit to your greatness. Generation after generation will praise your deeds. " I will say with David: “Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us exclaim to God and our Savior. Let us present ourselves to his face with praise "; "Praise Him, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever "because "Delivered us from our enemies" (), that is, from pagan idols. And let's also say with David: “Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth; Sing to the Lord, bless His name, proclaim His salvation from day to day. Proclaim His glory among the nations, His miracles in all people, for the Lord is great and praiseworthy. " (), "And there is no end to his greatness" (). What joy! Not one or two are saved. The Lord said: "There is joy in heaven and about one repentant sinner" (). Here, not one or two, but countless numbers came to God, enlightened by holy baptism. As the prophet said: "I will sprinkle you with clean water, and be cleansed both from your idolatry and from your sins." Also another prophet said: "Who is God like you, forgiving sins and not imputing a crime ..? for he who wants it is merciful. He will convert and will have compassion on us ... and plunge our sins into the depths of the sea " (). For the apostle Paul says: “Brothers! All of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death; so we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too should walk in a renewed life. " (). And further: "The old has passed, now everything is new" (). "Now salvation has drawn near to us ... the night has passed, and the day has drawn near." (). We will cry out to the Lord our God: "Blessed be the Lord, who did not give us a prey to their teeth! .. The network broke, and we got rid of" from deception devilish (). “And their memory disappeared with a noise, but the Lord abides forever " (), glorified by the Russian sons, glorified in the Trinity, and the demons are cursed by the faithful men and faithful wives, who have received baptism and repentance for the remission of sins, are new people Christians, chosen by God. "
Vladimir was enlightened himself, and his sons, and his land. He had 12 sons: Vysheslav, Izyaslav, Yaroslav, Svyatopolk, Vsevolod, Svyatoslav, Mstislav, Boris, Gleb, Stanislav, Pozvizd, Sudislav. And he put Vysheslav in Novgorod, Izyaslav in Polotsk, and Svyatopolk in Turov, and Yaroslav in Rostov, and when the elder Vysheslav died in Novgorod, he put Yaroslav in him, and Boris in Rostov, and Gleb in Murom, Svyatoslav in the Drevlyansk land, Vsevolod in Vladimir, Mstislav in Tmutarakan. And Vladimir said: "It is not good that there are few cities near Kiev." And he began to build cities along the Desna, and along the Ostr, and along the Trubezh, and along the Sule, and along the Stugna. And he began to recruit the best husbands from the Slavs, and from the Krivichi, and from the Chud, and from the Vyatichi, and he populated the cities with them, since there was a war with the Pechenegs. And he fought with them, and conquered them.
In the year 6497 (989). After that, Vladimir lived in the Christian law, and planned to create a church for the Most Holy Theotokos, and sent to bring the masters from the Greek land. And he began to build it, and when he finished building, he decorated it with icons, and entrusted it to Anastas Korsunyanin, and appointed the Korsun priests to serve in it, giving her everything that he had taken in Korsun before: icons, vessels and crosses.
In the year 6499 (991). Vladimir founded the city of Belgorod, and recruited people from other cities for him, and brought many people into it, for he loved that city.
6500 (992) per year. Vladimir went to the Croats. When he returned from the Croatian war, the Pechenegs came on the other side of the Dnieper from Sula; Vladimir, however, opposed them and met them on Trubezh near the ford, where Pereyaslavl is now. And Vladimir stood on this side, and the Pechenegs on that side, and ours did not dare to go to the other side, nor those to this. And the prince of Pechenezh drove up to the river, summoned Vladimir and said to him: “Let go of your husband, and I, let them fight. If your husband throws mine on the ground, then we will not fight for three years; if our husband throws yours to the ground, we will ruin you for three years. " And they parted. Vladimir, returning to his camp, sent heralds around the camp with the words: "Isn't there such a man who would grapple with the Pecheneg?" And I was not found anywhere. The next morning, the Pechenegs arrived and brought their husband, but ours did not. And Vladimir began to grieve, sending his entire army, and one old man came to the prince, and said to him: “Prince! I have one son, the youngest at home; I went out with four, and he stayed at home. Since childhood, no one has thrown him to the ground. Once I scolded him, and he crumpled the skin, so he got angry with me and tore the skin with his hands. " Hearing about this, the prince was delighted, and they sent for him, and brought him to the prince, and the prince told him everything. He answered: “Prince! I don't know if I can grapple with him, but try me: is there a big and strong bull? " And they found a bull, large and strong, and he ordered to enrage the bull; they laid a red-hot iron on him and let the bull go. And the bull ran past him, and grabbed the bull by the side with his hand and tore out the skin and meat, as much as his hand had grabbed. And Vladimir said to him: "You can fight him." The next morning, the Pechenegs came and began to call: “Where is my husband? Ours is ready! " Vladimir ordered to put on armor that same night, and both sides met. The Pechenegs released their husband: he was very great and terrible. And Vladimir's husband came out, and saw his Pecheneg and laughed, for he was of average height. And they measured the space between the two troops, and let them go against each other. And they grabbed, and began to squeeze each other tightly, and strangled the Pechenezhin's husband with his hands to death. And threw him to the ground. And our people called, and the Pechenegs ran, and the Russians chased them, beating them, and drove them away. Vladimir was delighted and laid the city near that ford and named it Pereyaslavl, for that youth took over the glory. And Vladimir made him a great husband, and his father too. And Vladimir returned to Kiev with victory and great glory.
In the year 6502 (994).
In the year 6503 (995).
In the year 6504 (996). Vladimir saw that the church was built, entered it and prayed to God, saying this: “Lord God! Look from the sky and behold. And visit your garden. And do what your right hand has planted - these new people, whose heart you turned to the truth to know you, the true God. Look at your church, which I have created, your unworthy servant, in the name of the ever-virgin Mother of God who gave birth to you. If anyone will pray in this church, then hear his prayer, for the sake of the prayer of the Most Pure Mother of God. " And, having prayed to God, he said: "I give the church of this holy Mother of God a tenth of the riches of my and my cities." And he set it down, writing a spell in this church, saying: "If anyone cancels this, he will be damned." And he gave the tenth part to Anastas Korsunyanin. And on that day he arranged a great holiday for the boyars and elders of the city, and distributed a lot of wealth to the poor.
After that, the Pechenegs came to Vasilev, and Vladimir went out against them with a small squad. And they came together, and Vladimir could not resist them, ran and stood under the bridge, barely hiding from the enemies. And then Vladimir made a promise to build a church in Vasilev in the name of the Holy Transfiguration, for it was on the day when that slaughter took place, the Transfiguration of the Lord. Avoiding danger, Vladimir built a church and made a great celebration by brewing 300 measures of honey. And he summoned his boyars, mayors and elders from all cities and all kinds of people, and distributed to the poor 300 hryvnias. The prince celebrated for eight days, and returned to Kiev on the day of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, and here again he arranged a great celebration, summoning countless multitudes of people. Seeing that his people were Christians, he rejoiced in body and soul. And he did it all the time. And since he loved reading books, he once heard the Gospel: “Blessed are the merciful, for those (); he heard the words of Solomon: "He who gives to the beggar lends to God" (). Hearing all this, he ordered every beggar and poor man to come to the prince's court and take everything that was needed, food and drink, and money from the treasury. He also arranged this: having said that “the weak and sick cannot get to my yard,” he ordered to equip the carts and, putting on them bread, meat, fish, various fruits, honey in barrels, and in others kvass, carry it around the city, asking: "Where is the sick, beggar or who cannot walk?" And they distributed everything they needed. And he did something even more for his people: every Sunday he decided in his courtyard in a gridnitsa to arrange a feast so that the boyars, and grids, and sotsky, and tenths, and the best men - both with the prince and without the prince, could come there. There was a lot of meat - beef and game - there was everything in abundance. When, it happened, they get drunk, they will begin to grumble at the prince, saying: "Woe to our heads: he gave us to eat with wooden spoons, not silver ones." Hearing this, Vladimir ordered to look for silver spoons, saying this: "I will not find a squad with silver and gold, but I will get silver and gold with the squad, just as my grandfather and father with the squad searched for gold and silver." For Vladimir loved the squad and consulted with it about the structure of the country, and about the war, and about the laws of the country, and lived in peace with the neighboring princes - with Boleslav of Poland, and with Stephen of Hungary, and with Andrikh of Bohemia. And there was peace and love between them. Vladimir lived in the fear of God. And robberies greatly increased, and the bishops said to Vladimir: “Behold, robbers have multiplied; why don't you execute them? " He answered: "I'm afraid of sin." They said to him: “You have been appointed by God to punish the wicked, but to the good for mercy. You should execute the robbers, but investigate. " Vladimir rejected the viras and began to execute the robbers, and the bishops and elders said: “We have many wars; if we had vira, she would have gone to arms and horses. " And Vladimir said: "So be it." And Vladimir lived according to the behests of his father and grandfather.
In the year 6505 (997). Vladimir went to Novgorod for the northern soldiers against the Pechenegs, since there was an uninterrupted great war at that time. The Pechenegs learned that there was no prince, they came and stood near Belgorod. And they did not allow to leave the city, and there was a strong famine in the city, and Vladimir could not help, since he did not have soldiers, and there were many Pechenegs. And the siege of the city dragged on, and there was a severe famine. And they gathered a veche in the city, and said: “We will soon die of hunger, but there is no help from the prince. Is it better for us to die like this? Let us surrender to the Pechenegs - who will be left alive and who will be killed; we are still dying of hunger. " And so it was decided at the veche. There was one elder who was not at that veche, and he asked: "What was the veche about?" And people told him that tomorrow they want to surrender to the Pechenegs. Hearing about this, he sent for the city elders and said to them: "I heard that you want to surrender to the Pechenegs." They answered: "People will not endure hunger." And he said to them: "Listen to me, do not give up another three days and do what I tell you." They gladly promised to obey. And he said to them: "Gather at least a handful of oats, wheat or bran." They happily went and collected. And he ordered the women to make a chatterbox, on which they boil jelly, and ordered them to dig a well and insert a kadi into it, and pour it with a chatterbox. And he ordered to dig another well and insert a kadi into it, and ordered to look for honey. They went and took a basket of honey, which was hidden in the prince's medusa. And he ordered to make of it sweet food and pour it into a caddy in another well. The next day he ordered to send for the Pechenegs. And the townspeople said, having come to the Pechenegs: "Take hostages from us, and you yourself enter about ten people into the city to see what is happening in our city." The Pechenegs were delighted, thinking that they wanted to surrender to them, took hostages, and themselves chose the best husbands in their families and sent them to the city to see what was happening in the city. And they came to the city, and the people said to them: “Why destroy yourself? How can you stand up to us? If you stand for 10 years, what will you do to us? For we have food from the earth. If you don’t believe, then see with your own eyes. ” And they brought them to the well, where there was a chatterbox for the jelly, and they took them with a bucket and poured them into patches. And when they boiled jelly, they took it, and came with them to another well, and drew their fill from the well, and began to eat first themselves, and then the Pechenegs. And those were surprised and said: "Our princes will not believe us if they do not taste it themselves." People poured them a pot of jelly solution and fed them from the well and gave them to the Pechenegs. They returned and told everything that happened. And, having cooked, the Pechenezh princes ate and marveled. And taking their hostages, and letting the Belgorod hostages, they got up and went home from the city.
In the year 6506 (998).
In the year 6507 (999).
In the year 6508 (1000). Malfrid passed away. In the same summer, Rogneda, Yaroslav's mother, died.
In the year 6509 (1001). Izyaslav, father of Bryachislav, son of Vladimir, died.
In the year 6510 (1002).
In the year 6511 (1003). Vseslav, the son of Izyaslav, the grandson of Vladimir, died.
In the year 6512 (1004).
In the year 6513 (1005).
In the year 6514 (1006).
In the year 6515 (1007). The saints were transferred to the Church of the Holy Mother of God.
In the year 6516 (1008).
In the year 6517 (1009).
In the year 6518 (1010).
In the year 6519 (1011). Tsarina Anna of Vladimirov passed away.
In the year 6520 (1012).
In the year 6521 (1013).
In the year 6522 (1014). When Yaroslav was in Novgorod, he gave two thousand hryvnias to Kiev on condition from one year to a year, and distributed a thousand hryvnias in Novgorod to the squad. And so did all the Novgorod mayors, and Yaroslav did not give this to his father in Kiev. And Vladimir said: "Clear the paths and bridge the bridges," for he wanted to go to war against Yaroslav, against his son, but got sick.
In the year 6523 (1015). When Vladimir was about to go against Yaroslav, Yaroslav, having sent across the sea, brought the Varangians, as he was afraid of his father; but God did not give joy. When Vladimir fell ill, Boris was with him at that time. Meanwhile, the Pechenegs went on a campaign against Russia, Vladimir sent Boris against them, and he himself became very ill; in this illness and died July on the fifteenth day. He died at Berestovo, and his death was concealed, since Svyatopolk was in Kiev. At night they dismantled the platform between the two cages, wrapped it in a carpet and lowered it to the ground with ropes; then, putting him on a sled, they took him and put him in the church of the Holy Mother of God, which he himself had once built. Upon learning of this, people without number came together and cried for him - the boyars as the patron of the country, the poor as their patron and breadwinner. And they laid him in a marble coffin, buried his body, the blessed prince, with weeping.
That is the new Constantine of great Rome; as he baptized himself and baptized his people, so this one did the same. Even if he had previously been in nasty lustful desires, but later he was zealous in repentance, according to the word of the apostle: “Where will multiply, grace abounds there " (). It is worth wondering how much he did good to the Russian land by baptizing it. We Christians do not give him honors equal to his deed. For if he had not baptized us, then they would still be in the devilish delusion in which our ancestors perished. If we had zeal and prayed to God for him on the day of his death, then God, seeing how we honor him, would glorify him: after all, we should pray to God for him, because through him we have come to know God. May the Lord reward you according to your desire and fulfill all your requests - for the kingdom of heaven, which you wanted. May the Lord crown you along with the righteous, reward you with food from heaven and exultation with Abraham and other patriarchs, according to the words of Solomon: “Hope will not perish from the righteous” ().
Russian people honor his memory, remembering holy baptism, and glorify God with prayers, songs and psalms, singing them to the Lord, new people, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, waiting for our hope, our great God and Savior Jesus Christ; he will come to reward each according to his labors his unspeakable joy, which is to be received by all Christians.
The Tale of Bygone Years is an ancient Russian chronicle created at the beginning of the 12th century. The story is an essay that tells about the events that took place and are taking place in Russia during that period.
The Tale of Bygone Years was compiled in Kiev, later rewritten several times, however, it was not much changed. The chronicle covers the period from biblical times up to 1137, dated articles start from 852.
All dated articles are essays beginning with the words "In summer such and such ...", which means that entries were added to the chronicle every year and told about the events that happened. One article for one year. This distinguishes the Tale of Bygone Years from all the chronicles that were kept before. The text of the chronicle also contains legends, folklore stories, copies of documents (for example, the teachings of Vladimir Monomakh) and extracts from other chronicles.
The story got its name thanks to its first phrase opening the story - "The Tale of Time Years ..."
The history of the creation of the Tale of Bygone Years
The author of the idea of \u200b\u200bthe Tale of Bygone Years is considered to be the monk Nestor, who lived and worked at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries in the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery. Despite the fact that the author's name appears only in later copies of the chronicle, it is the monk Nestor who is considered the first chronicler in Russia, and the Tale of Bygone Years - the first Russian chronicle.
The oldest version of the annalistic collection, which has survived to the present day, dates back to the 14th century and is a copy made by the monk Laurentius (Laurentian Chronicle). The original edition of the creator of the Tale of Bygone Years, Nestor, has been lost, today there are only revised versions from various scribes and later compilers.
Today there are several theories regarding the history of the creation of the "Tale of Bygone Years". According to one of them, the chronicle was written by Nestor in Kiev in 1037. It is based on ancient legends, folk songs, documents, oral stories and documents preserved in monasteries. After writing, this first edition was rewritten and revised several times by various monks, including Nestor himself, who added elements of Christian ideology to it. According to other sources, the chronicle was written much later, in 1110.
Question 41. Content and structure of the "Tale of Bygone Years"
Genre and features of the Tale of Bygone Years
The genre of the Tale of Bygone Years is defined by experts as historical, but scholars argue that the chronicle is neither a work of art, nor historical in the full sense of the word.
A distinctive feature of the chronicle is that it does not interpret events, but only tells about them. The attitude of the author or scribe to everything that is told in the chronicle was determined only by the presence of God's Will, which determines everything. Causal relationships and interpretation from the point of view of other positions were not interesting and were not included in the chronicle.
The Tale of Bygone Years had an open genre, that is, it could consist of completely different parts - from folk tales and ending with notes about the weather.
The chronicle in ancient times also had legal significance, as a set of documents and laws.
The original purpose of writing the Tale of Bygone Years is to study and explain the origin of the Russian people, the origin of princely power and a description of the spread of Christianity in Russia.
The beginning of the tale of bygone years is a story about the appearance of the Slavs. The Russians are presented by the chronicler as the descendants of Japheth, one of the sons of Noah. At the very beginning of the narrative, there are stories that tell about the life of the East Slavic tribes: about the princes, about the vocation of Rurik, Truvor and Sineus for the reign and about the formation of the Rurik dynasty in Russia.
The main part of the content of the chronicle consists of descriptions of wars, legends about the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, the exploits of Nikita Kozhemyaka and other heroes.
The final part consists of descriptions of battles and princely obituaries.
The significance of the Tale of Bygone Years is difficult to overestimate - it was she who became the first documents in which the history of Kievan Rus was recorded from its very formation. The chronicle later served as the main source of knowledge for subsequent historical descriptions and research. In addition, due to its open genre, the Tale of Bygone Years is of high importance as a cultural and literary monument.
Known from several editions and lists with minor deviations in the texts introduced by scribes. Was compiled in Kiev.
The covered period of history begins with biblical times in the introductory part and ends in 1117 (in the 3rd edition). The dated part of the history of the Old Russian state begins with the summer of 6360 of the emperor Michael (852).
The name of the collection gave rise to the first phrase "The Tale of Bygone Years ..." or in part of the lists "Behold the Tale of Bygone Years ..."
The history of the creation of the chronicle
The author of the chronicle is listed in the Khlebnikovsky list as the monk Nestor, a famous hagiographer at the turn of the 11th-12th centuries, a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. Although this name was omitted in earlier lists, researchers of the 18th-19th centuries considered Nestor the first Russian chronicler, and the Tale of Bygone Years - the first Russian chronicle. The study of the annals by the Russian linguist A. A. Shakhmatov and his followers showed that there were chronicles that preceded the Tale of Bygone Years. At present, it is recognized that the first original edition of the Tale of Bygone Years of Monk Nestor has been lost, and revised versions have survived to our time. At the same time, there is no indication in any of the chronicles where exactly the Tale of Bygone Years ends.
The most detailed problems of sources and structure of PVL were developed at the beginning of the XX century in the works of Academician A. A. Shakhmatov. The concept presented by him still plays the role of a "standard model" on which subsequent researchers rely or with which they argue. Although many of its provisions were often subjected to well-founded criticism, it has not yet been possible to develop a concept comparable in importance.
The second edition is read as part of the Laurentian Chronicle (1377) and other copies. The third edition is contained in the Ipatiev Chronicle (the oldest copies: Ipatievsky (15th century) and Khlebnikovsky (16th century)). In one of the chronicles of the second edition, under the year 1096, an independent literary work, "The Teaching of Vladimir Monomakh", dated 1117 was added.
Nikon, Nestor, others not known, Public DomainAccording to Shakhmatov's hypothesis (supported by D.S.Likhachev and J.S. Lurie), the first compilation of chronicles, called The oldest, was compiled at the Metropolitan See in Kiev, founded in 1037. The source for the chronicler was legends, folk songs, oral stories of contemporaries, and some written hagiographic documents. The oldest vault was continued and supplemented in 1073 by the monk Nikon, one of the founders of the Kiev Pechersk Monastery. Then in 1093 John was created by the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery Initial vault, who used Novgorod records and Greek sources: "Chronograph according to the great exposition", "Life of Anthony" and others. The initial vault is fragmentary preserved in the initial part of the Novgorod first chronicle of the younger edition. Nestor revised the Primary Code, broadened the historiographic basis, and brought Russian history into the framework of traditional Christian historiography. He supplemented the chronicle with the texts of the treaties between Russia and Byzantium and introduced additional historical traditions preserved in the oral tradition.
According to Shakhmatov, Nestor wrote the first edition of the Tale of Bygone Years in the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery in 1110-1112. The second edition was created by Abbot Sylvester in the Kiev Vydubitsky Mikhailovsky monastery in 1116. Compared to Nestor's version, the final part was revised. In 1118, the third edition of the Tale of Bygone Years was drawn up on behalf of the Novgorod prince Mstislav Vladimirovich.
The history of the Russian land dates back to the time of Noah. His three sons divided the Earth:
- Sim got the east: Bactria, Arabia, India, Mesopotamia, Persia, Media, Syria and Phenicia.
- Ham got the south: Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Numidia, Ethiopia, but also Bithynia, Cilicia, Troada, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Cyprus, Crete, Sardinia.
- Japheth (st. Slav. Afet) got the north-west: Armenia, Britain, Illyria, Dalmatia, Ionia, Macedonia, Media, Paphlagonia, Cappadocia, Scythia and Thessaly.
The Varangians, Germans, Rus, Swedes are named as descendants of Japheth. In the beginning, mankind was a single people, but after the Babylonian pandemonium, the "Noriks, who are Slavs", emerged from the tribe of Japheth. The banks of the Danube River in the region of Hungary, Illyria and Bulgaria are called the original ancestral home of the Slavs. Due to the aggression of the Vlachs, part of the Slavs went to the Vistula (Poles), and the other to the Dnieper (Drevlyans and Polyana), to the Dvina (Dregovichi) and Lake Ilmen (Slovenia). The settlement of the Slavs dates back to the time of the Apostle Andrew, who was visiting the Slavs on Ilmen. Polyana founded Kiev and named it after their prince Kyi. Slovenian Novgorod and Krivichsky Smolensk are named other ancient Slavic cities. Then, under King Heraclius, the Danube Slavs experienced the invasion of the Bulgarians, Ugrians, Obrov and Pechenegs. However, the Dnieper Slavs fell into dependence on the Khazars.
The first mentioned date in the chronicle is 852 (6360), when the Russian land began to be called, and the Rus first sailed to Constantinople. In 859, Eastern Europe was divided between the Varangians and the Khazars. The former took tribute from the Slovenians, Krivichi, Vesi, Meri and Chudi, and the latter from the Glades, Severians and Vyatichi.
An attempt by the northern Slavs to get rid of the power of the overseas Varangians in 862 led to civil strife and ended with the vocation of the Varangians. The Russian land was founded by three brothers Rurik (Ladoga), Truvor (Izborsk) and Sineus (Beloozero). Soon Rurik became the sole ruler of the country. He founded Novgorod and appointed his governors in Murom, Polotsk and Rostov. In Kiev, a special Varangian state was formed, headed by Askold and Dir, which disturbed Byzantium with raids.
In 882, Rurik's successor, Prince Oleg, captured Smolensk, Lyubech and Kiev, uniting the two Russian-Varangian states. In 883, Oleg conquered the Drevlyans, and in 884-885 he conquered the Khazar tributaries of the Radimichs and northerners. In 907, Oleg undertook a major sea voyage to Byzantium, which resulted in a treaty with the Greeks.
After Oleg's death from a snakebite, Igor began to reign, who fought with the Drevlyans, Pechenegs and Greeks. The Rus were originally overseas Varangians, but gradually merged with the glades, so that the chronicler could say that the glades are now called Rus. The money of the Rus was hryvnia, and they worshiped Perun.
Igor was killed by the rebellious Drevlyans, and his wife Olga inherited his throne, who with the help of the Varangian governors Sveneld and Asmud brutally avenged, killing over 5 thousand Drevlyans. Olga ruled as regent under her son Svyatoslav. Having matured, Svyatoslav conquered the Vyatichi, Yases, Kasogs and Khazars, and then fought on the Danube against the Greeks. Returning after one of the campaigns against the Greeks, Svyatoslav was ambushed by the Pechenegs and died.
From Svyatoslav, the princely throne passed to Yaropolk, whose reign was complicated by civil strife. Yaropolk defeated his brother and the ruler of the Drevlyansky Oleg, but died from the Varangians of another brother, Vladimir. Vladimir first sent away the Varangians, unified the pagan pantheon, but then adopted Christianity. During the years of his reign there were wars with the Poles, Yatvians, Vyatichs, Radimichs and Volga Bulgars.
After the death of Vladimir, Svyatopolk began to reign in Kiev. For the cruel reprisal against his brothers, he was nicknamed the Cursed. He was overthrown by his brother Yaroslav. The opposition to the new prince was made by the ruler of Tmutarakan Mstislav. After the end of the strife, Yaroslav built stone walls in Kiev and the Cathedral of St. Sofia. After the death of Yaroslav, the Russian land fell apart again. Izyaslav ruled in Kiev, Svyatoslav in Chernigov, Igor in Vladimir, Vsevolod in Pereyaslavl, Rostislav in Tmutarakan. In the strife, Vsevolod prevailed. After Vsevolod Kiev was ruled by Svyatopolk, who was replaced by Vladimir Monomakh.
Christianity in the "Tale of Bygone Years"
Tale of Bygone Years is saturated with Christian motives and allusions to the Bible, which is quite natural, considering that its author was a monk. One of the central places of the work is occupied by the choice of faith made by Prince Vladimir. He chose the Christianity of the Greek model, which was distinguished by the communion of wine and bread, and not wafers, like among the Germans. The basics of the Christian faith (in the form of a retelling of the book of Genesis and the Old Testament history before the division of the Kingdom of Israel) to Vladimir is set forth by a certain philosopher, who, among other things, mentions the fall of the senior angel Sataniel on the 4th day of creation. God replaced Sataniel with Michael. The Old Testament prophets (Mal. 2: 2, Jer. 15: 1, Ez. 5:11) are mentioned to prove the end of the Israelite mission (v. Gl. rejection of Jews). In 5500 from the creation of the world, Gabriel appeared to Mary in Nazareth and announced the incarnation of God, who was born as Jesus during the years of King Herod (v. caesar Jewesque), reaching 30 years of age and was baptized on the Jordan River by John. Then he gathered 12 disciples and healed the sick. Out of envy, he was betrayed to be crucified, but was resurrected and ascended. The meaning of incarnation was the atonement from Adam's sin.
God is "three things": Father, Son and Holy Spirit ( one deity in three litsikh). It is curious that with regard to the persons of the Trinity, which dividing fear is not separate, and copulating is indiscernible, the term is used subservient... Historians since the 18th century have been wondering why, according to The Tale of Bygone Years, Kagan Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, who baptized Russia, at his own baptism allegedly read out a rather strange Symbol of Faith, and why this symbol of faith was reproduced by the monk Nestor. According to him, Vladimir said: "The Son is likewise and congenial to the Father ..." He is similar and not consubstantial, as is stated in the Orthodox Nicene and Nicene-Constantinople creeds. This could be a reflection of the fact that the Arians of Russia, unlike neighboring Khazaria, did not convert to Nestorianism, Judaism and Orthodoxy until 988 and continued to be an influential force that Vladimir wanted to rely on in the fight against paganism. But it could have been just a slander against Vladimir in order to prevent his canonization. God possesses hot to rescue creature... For this, God accepts flesh and zrak and dies truly ( not dreaming) and also truly resurrects and ascends to heaven.
Also, the Christianity of the Tale prescribes the veneration of icons, a cross, relics and sacred vessels, support for church tradition and the adoption of seven councils: the 1st Nicene (against Arius), Constantinople (for the consubstantial Trinity), Ephesus (against Nestorius), Chalcedon, the Second Constantinople (against Origen, but for the God-manhood of Christ), 2nd Nicene (for veneration of icons).
God is in heaven, sitting in the ineffable Light on the throne, surrounded by angels, whose nature is invisible. He is opposed by demons ( rabble, krilati, have a tail), whose abode is the abyss.
The meaning of the baptism of Russia in the annals is revealed as deliverance from idolatry, ignorance and the delusion of the devil. After death, the righteous instantly go to heaven, becoming the intercessors of their people.
After baptism in Korsun, Vladimir ordered to baptize people in the Dnieper and build wooden churches. One of the first was the church of St. Basil, erected on the site of the temple of Perun. There were also churches of the Mother of God, St. Sophia, St. apostles, St. Peter, St. Andrew, St. Nicholas, St. Fedor, St. Dmitry and St. Michael. In churches decorated with icons, vessels and crosses, liturgies, prayers were performed and euangel... The baptized were supposed to wear body crosses. The Annunciation, Ascension, Dormition of the Mother of God and the day of the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb were especially celebrated. The 40-day fast on the eve of the Lord's Resurrection played an important role. The head of the single church was the priests clothed in vestments, the bishops stood over the priests, and the metropolitan was the spiritual head of the Russian Christians. The first monastery on Russian soil was the Pechersk Monastery, which consisted of the monastic monks, led by the abbot, who lived in their cells.
Sources and insert stories
Abbreviations: N1L - Novgorod First Chronicle. N4L - Novgorod Fourth Chronicle. S1L - Sophia First Chronicle, VoskrL - Resurrection Chronicle. PSRL - Complete collection of Russian chronicles. PVL 1999 - The Tale of Bygone Years. / prep. text, trans., art. and comments. D. S. Likhacheva; ed. V.P. Adrianova-Peretz. - SPb .: Nauka, 1999.
Folklore texts
- The story of Oleg's death by a horse (under 912). Not in N1L.
- The story of Olga's revenge against the Drevlyans (under 945-946). Only a few words in the Nikon Chronicle.
- A story about a young man and a Pecheneg, under 992. Not in N1L.
- Siege of Belgorod by the Pechenegs, under 997. Not in N1L.
- Treaty of 912. Not in N1L.
- Treaty of 945. Not in N1L and in the Nikon Chronicle.
- Treaty of 971. Not in N1L.
- 852 - Year 6360, indicta 15. "Michael began to reign ...".
- 858 - Mikhail's campaign against the Bulgarians. Baptism of the prince and the Bulgarian boyars. From the "Continuation of Amartolus", but he has no date.
- 866 - The campaign of Askold and Dir against the Greeks, in the 14th year of Michael.
- 868 - "Basil began to reign."
- 869 - “The whole Bulgarian land was baptized”.
All information below is from the "Continuation of Amartol". In Н1Л they are all absent, in Н4Л they are all available.
- 887 - "Leon, the son of Basil, who was called Leo, and his brother Alexander reigned, and reigned for 26 years." Skipped in С1Л.
- 902 - War of the Hungarians with the Bulgarians. In fact, the campaign was in 893.
- 907 - Oleg's campaign to Byzantium.
- 911 - Appearance of a star in the west (Halley's comet).
- 913 - "Konstantin, son of Leon began to reign."
- 914 - Campaign of Simeon of Bulgaria to Constantinople. Not in Н4Л, С1Л.
- 915 - The capture of Adrianople by Simeon.
- 920 - “Tsar Roman was installed among the Greeks” (in N4L and S1L it is more complete).
- 929 - Simeon's campaign to Constantinople. Peace with Roman.
- 934 - Hike of the Hungarians to Constantinople. Peace.
- 942 - Simeon is defeated by the Croats and died. Peter became the prince. News of the "Successor of Amartol", under the year 927.
- 943 - Hike of the Hungarians to Constantinople. Under the year 928 (1 indict).
- "Chronicle of George Amartol". Extracts: a list of peoples and a story about the customs of peoples. Not in N1L.
- A story about the visit of Andrew the First-Called to Russia. Not in N1L.
- A story about the origin of the Slavic literacy (under the year 898). Not in N1L.
- The story of Apollonius of Tyana from Amartolus (under 912). Not in N1L.
- A story about Olga's trip to Constantinople (under 955).
- Praise to Olga (under 969).
- A story about a Varangian and his son (without names, under 983).
- Dispute about faith: the arrival of Muslims, Jews and Catholics (under 986).
- Philosopher's speech.
- A story about the campaign to Korsun.
- Creed, seven councils and corruption of the Latins.
- A story about the return from Korsun and the baptism of the Kievites.
- Stories about the murder of Boris, the murder of Gleb, praise for Boris and Gleb.
- Praise for the books under the year 1037. Not in N1L, N4L, S1L, VoskrL.
- A story about the beginning of the Pechersk Monastery, near the year 1051. Not in N1L, N4L, S1L, VoskrL.
- The story of the signs in the present and the past, with borrowings from the Chronograph according to the great exposition, under the year 1065.
- A teaching about the executions of God, under the year 1068. Not in N4L, S1L, VoskrL.
- Discourse on the cross that helped Vseslav, under the year 1068.
- The story of the Magi and Jan, under 1071, and the continuation of the story of the Magi.
- The story of the death of Theodosius of the Caves and the monks of the monastery, under 1074. Not in N4L.
- Discourse on the death of Izyaslav and brotherly love, under the year 1078. Not in N1L, N4L, S1L, VoskrL.
- The story of the death of Yaropolk Izyaslavich, under 1086. Not in N1L, N4L.
- A story about the transfer of the relics of Theodosius of the Caves, his predictions and praise to him, under the year 1091. Not in Н1Л, Н4Л, С1Л.
- A teaching about the executions of God, under the year 1093. Not in N1L, N4L, S1L, VoskrL.
- The story of the Polovtsian raid on Kiev and the monastery, under 1096. Not in Н1Л, Н4Л, С1Л.
- Extract about the tribes from Methodius of Patarsky and the story of Gyuryaty Rogovich. Not in Н1Л, Н4Л, С1Л.
- A story about the blindness of Vasilko and subsequent events, under the year 1097. Not in N1L, N4L.
- The story of the campaign against the Polovtsy in 1103. Not in Н1Л, Н4Л, С1Л.
- Discourse on angels with quotes from David, Epiphanius and Hippolytus. Not in other annals.
- March 1111 on the Polovtsians.
- A story about a trip to Ladoga, Slavic and ancient gods. Not in other annals.
- A story about the transfer of the relics of Boris and Gleb. Not in other annals.
Quotes
Quotes from the Ipatiev list of the Tale of Bygone Years.
- About the resettlement of the Slavs in Russia after their departure from the Danube in ancient undated times:
... in the same way and the same Word · who came along the Dnieper · and narkoshasѧ Polѧne · and friends Derevlѧne · didn’t sit in lѣsѣh · and friends came between Priptya and Dvinoyu · and narkoshasѧ Dregovichdosh and Polѧne ... It also flows into the Dvina · in the name of Polota · this is called Polochan. In a word dȏsha ѡkolo ѡzera Ilmer · and nicknamedѧ his name · and made the city · and narekosha Novgorod · and friends came to the Desnѣ and along the Seven and along the Sulѣ and narkoshasѧ Sѣvero · and tako razidesꙗ Slovenian. darkness and nickname Slovenian letter ...
- About the vocation of the Varangians led by Rurik in 862:
In lѣⷮ҇. ҂ѕ҃. t҃. o҃ ⁘ and banished Varѧgy across the sea. and do not give im tribute. and drink it yourself. and there is no truth in them. and go to the ro. and there were "fights" in the bottom. and grab it yourself for now. and we'll look for ourselves in sob knѧzѧ. like volodѣl us and rѧdil. by right by right. going across the sea to Varѧgoⷨ҇. to Russia. sіce bo zvahut. you are Varⷽ҇gy Rus. All friends are called Sveѧ. friends of the same Ormani. Anglѧne. inѣi and Gothe. taco and si rkosha. Russia. Chyud. Slovenianѣ. Krivichi. and all our earth is great. and ѡbilna. and nara v nei nѣt. yes go knzhi and volod вt us. and chosen. threeє brothers. with their birth. and walked on the whole of Russia. and came to the Word pѣrvѣє. and cut down the city of Ladoga. and with the elders in Ladoz Rurik. and other Sineѹs to Bѣlѣzerѣ. and the third Truvor in Izborsk. and ѿ тѣхъ Varѧгъ. nickname Ruska land.
Criticism
Criticism of the beginning of this chronicle is present in Karamzin's “History of the Russian State”. In particular, he questions the fact that in 862, according to the chronicle, the Slavs first expelled the Varangians from their lands, and then a few months later invite their princes to rule Novgorod. Karamzin claims that the Slavs, due to their warlike nature, could not do this. He also doubts the brevity of the story about the times of Prince Rurik - Karamzin concludes that Nestor bases the beginning of the chronicle exclusively on dubious oral legends.
The story of time years (also called "Primary Chronicle" or "Nestorov Chronicle") - the earliest of the extant Old Russian chronicle vaults of the beginning XII century... Known from several editions and lists with minor deviations in the texts introduced by scribes. Was compiled in Kiev.
The span of history covered begins with biblical times in the introductory part and ends 1117 (in the 3rd edition). A dated piece of history Kievan Rus starts from summer 6360 ( 852 years according to modern chronology), the beginning of independent rule byzantine emperor Michael.
The name of the code was given by one of his introductory phrases in Ipatiev list:
The history of the creation of the chronicle
The author of the chronicle is listed in Khlebnikov list like a monk Nestor, famous hagiographer on the edge XI-XII centuries, monk Kiev-Pechersky Monastery... Although this name has been omitted from earlier lists, the researchers XVIII-XIX centuries Nestor was considered the first Russian chronicler, and The Tale of Bygone Years was considered the first Russian chronicle. Study of the annals by a Russian linguist A. A. Shakhmatov and his followers showed that there were chronicle vaults that preceded the "Tale of Bygone Years." It is now recognized that the first original version of the PVL of the monk Nestor has been lost, and revised versions have come down to our time. At the same time, there is no indication in any of the chronicles as to where the PVL ends.
The most detailed problems of sources and structure of PVL were developed at the beginning XX century in the works of the academician A. A. Shakhmatova... The concept presented by him still plays the role of a "standard model" on which subsequent researchers rely or with which they argue. Although many of its provisions were often subjected to well-founded criticism, it has not yet been possible to develop a concept comparable in importance.
The second edition is read as part of Laurentian Chronicle (1377 year) and other lists ... The third edition is contained in Ipatievskaya chronicles (oldest lists: Ipatievsky ( XV century) and Khlebnikovsky ( XVI century)) ... In one of the annals of the second edition under the year 1096 an independent literary work has been added, " The teachings of Vladimir Monomakh"Dated 1117.
By hypothesis Shakhmatova (supported by D. S. Likhachev and Ya.S. Lurie), the first annalistic collection, called The oldest, was compiled at the Metropolitan See in Kiev, founded in 1037 year... The source for the chronicler was legends, folk songs, oral stories of contemporaries, and some written hagiographic documents. The oldest vault continued and supplemented in 1073 monk Nikon, one of the creators Kiev Pechersk Monastery... Then in 1093 abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery John was created Initial vault, who used Novgorod records and Greek sources: "Chronograph according to the great exposition", "Life of Anthony" and others. The initial vault is fragmentary preserved in the initial part of the Novgorod first chronicle of the younger edition. Nestor revised the Primary Code, expanded the historiographic basis and brought Russian history into the framework of traditional Christian historiography. He supplemented the chronicle with the texts of the treaties between Russia and Byzantium and introduced additional historical traditions preserved in the oral tradition.
According to Shakhmatova, Nestor wrote the first edition of PVL in the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery in 1110 -1112 years... The second edition was created hegumen Sylvester in Kiev Vydubitsky Mikhailovsky Monastery at 1116 ... Compared to Nestor's version, the final part has been redesigned. AT 1118 the third edition of the PVL is being compiled on behalf of the Novgorod prince Mstislav I Vladimirovich.
