Popular Religion in Russia - 'Double Belief' and the Making of an Academic Myth (Paperback)

This book dispels the widely-held view that paganism survived in Russia alongside Orthodox Christianity, demonstrating that 'double belief', dvoeverie, is in fact an academic myth.
Scholars, citing the medieval origins of the term, have often portrayed Russian Christianity as uniquely muddied by paganism, with 'double-believing' Christians consciously or unconsciously preserving pagan traditions even into the twentieth century. This volume shows how the concept of dvoeverie arose with nineteenth-century scholars obsessed with the Russian 'folk' and was perpetuated as a propaganda tool in the Soviet period, colouring our perception of both popular faith in Russian and medieval Russian culture for over a century. It surveys the wide variety of uses of the term from the eleventh to the seventeenth century, and contrasts them to its use in modern historiography, concluding that our modern interpretation of dvoeverie would not have been recognized by medieval clerics, and that 'double-belief' is a modern academic construct. Furthermore, it offers a brief foray into medieval Orthodoxy via the mind of the believer, through the language and literature of the period.

General

Imprint:	Routledge
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Routledge Studies in the History of Russia and Eastern Europe
Release date:	May 2009
First published:	2007
Authors:	Stella Rock
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 13mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	248
ISBN-13:	978-0-415-54535-8
Categories:	Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > General Books > Humanities > History > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > General Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > General > History of religion Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Orthodox Churches Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems > General Books > History > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Orthodox Churches Books > Religion & Spirituality > General > History of religion Books > Christianity > Orthodox Churches Promotions
LSN:	0-415-54535-8
Barcode:	9780415545358

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