Byzantinism

In the Middle Ages, the subjects of the Byzantine emperor themselves called themselves Romans - in Greek, "Romans", and the empire officially bore the name "Rome" ("Roman"). Consequently, in historical terms, the term "Byzantine" also has a conditional meaning as "East Roman". Even less historical grounds can be found for the term “Greek Empire” or “Bas-Empire”. Just as the historical fiction lies in the name of the Roman empire of the Carolingian and Ottonian times , because in reality this empire has nothing to do with the empire of Augustus or Antoninos , uniting only in the ideal representation of the correspondence of the earthly empire with the heavenly one, so the Eastern Roman Empire (see Eastern Roman empire ), which in reality represents the continuing succession of emperors from Augustus to Constantine XII of the Paleologue , only in the conditional sense, as a historical term, can claim the name of the Roman Empire.

In the East, the culture of Ancient Rome met with old cultures: Judean , Persian and Hellenic , which not only had a significant opposition to it, but, in turn, had various influences on it. Evidence of this is the administrative and bureaucratic system of Byzantium, the emergence of codes that have expressed local customary law ^[3] ; finally, philosophical and theological performance, which found its food and received tension in the fight against Jewish and Hellenic views. The diverse changes in the system of the Roman Empire were to be caused by extensive Slavic immigration , which carried out an ethnographic revolution, which gave a new population to the Balkan Peninsula and parts of Asia Minor and caused radical reforms in the social and economic system, in the administrative and military system.

Josephites are referred to Russian followers of Byzantism ^[4] .

As an expression of the political, cultural and demographic characteristics of the Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantinism manifests itself:

1. In politics, Byzantism is characterized by autocracy ^[5] ( autocracy ) and submission to the authorities (“Byzantine bearing”): “Byzantism in the state means autocracy” ( K. N. Leontyev ). Also in the field of politics, Byzantism is characterized by the " principle of symphony " or " Caesarapapism ", which implied the sacralization of power ^{[4] [6]} ;
2. In religion, Byzantism is “Orthodox forms, rules, and customs” (K. Leontyev). To a specific “church Byzantism” V. S. Soloviev attributed the sacrament with leavened bread and the beards of the priests, as well as “ traditionalism and literalism ”; Pavel Florensky noted that Byzantism implies "deep respect for the rite", its conservation and priority over "the fulfillment of moral covenants" ^[7]
3. In art, Byzantism is characterized by icon-painting ("Byzantine image of the Savior") and mosaics ;
4. in the gradual replacement of the dominant Latin language by Greek ; this process begins in the VI century. and ends in the VII - VIII centuries .;
5. in the struggle of the ethnic groups inhabiting the empire for political dominance; on the throne, in the highest military and civil administration, figures of non-Greco-Roman origin appear;
6. in the monuments of fine art; so, on Byzantine coins from the VII century. heads with non-Roman features begin to be minted;
7. in literary monuments: many new authors, the development of an original worldview under the influence of Hellenic and Eastern philosophical ideas, the predominance of mysticism and narrow conservatism ;
8. in oblivion of the traditions of the ancient classical period, giving way to eastern, mainly Iranian .

The concept of the human person in its unconditional meaning was completely alien to the Byzantine worldview.

- V.S. Solovyov , Byzantism and Slavism

The formation of Byzantinism ends at the end of the VII - beginning of the VIII century. By this time, a variety of principles appeared in cash, from which Byzantinism was composed. More well-known features characterize the period of the influence of Byzantinism on those peoples with which the Eastern Roman Empire came in close contact and which covers the 8th - 15th centuries.

The historical mission of Byzantinism has been primarily expressed in cultural influences on the peoples of southeastern Europe; to Bulgarians , Serbs , Romanians , Russians, Armenians and Georgians . All these peoples not only accepted Christian enlightenment from her, the fruits of mental productivity, but also took samples from her in their internal structure. In addition, Byzantine influences in the West, expressed in the development of Christian dogma, the arrangement of the forms and contents of worship , philosophical constructions, etc., are still not fully appreciated.

• Hellenism
• Hellenistic Greece

• Byzantism and Slavism ( 1875 )
• Soloviev V.S. Byzantism and Russia ( 1896 )
• The truth of Byzantism
• Byzantium // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.