A History of Russian Christianity, Vol. I: From the Earliest Years through Tsar Ivan IV

This four-volume work draws on early records including medieval chronicles and Church documents to outline the main events, figures and eras of Russian Christianity. This first volume of the history of Russian Christianity deals with the period from Apostle Andrew to the death of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, just prior to the election of the first Russian Patriarch, a period of almost 1600 years. This intensive history of the Christianity of Russia follows the tradition of other detailed histories that have become a permanent fixture in the literary world, such as the three-volume History of the Crusades by Steven Runciman, the five-volume Christian Tradition of Jaroslav Pelikan; the six-volume Penguin History of the Christian Church; and the three-volume History of the Byzantine State by George Ostrogorski. This set will become a staple for students and scholars of Russian history and Russian Orthodoxy. The information provided is intensive and objective, dealing with the events, people and politics of the development and expansion of Christianity in Russia. The book covers the earliest of traditions, the rise and dominance of the Russian Orthodox Church, the many dissenters and sectarians that evolved over the centuries and their persecution, and the influx of Catholicism and Judaism and other minority religions into Russia. The history covers the higher levels of ecclesiastical activity including the involvement of tsars and princes, as well as saints and serfs, and monks and mystics.