Friday, July 3, 2009

The Third Rome, A Heavy Responsibility

The Third Rome, A Heavy Responsibility

У Русского широкие плечи и сильная спина.

The old proverb translates into: A Russian has wide shoulders and a strong back. And frankly we have to, for upon those shoulders and back, was put the weight and responsibility of the Third Rome.

American Fundamentalist nonsense about Russia being the Magog (or Gog, take your choice) of ancient times, a set of beliefs that came to fruition in the 1950s with aid and approval of the CIA and NSA, as it helped radicalize the base against the Soviets, Russia and Moscow in specific do have a very large and important role in the plan of God, though hardly the one that most American fundamentalists care to think about.

But first, before we move into how the Irish saved England or rather the larger replay of how the Russians will save Europe, we must understand what is the Third Rome and how this came about.

Everyone can guess that Rome was obviously the First Rome, but alas great Yurik, it fell into heresy. We knew her well, but off she went, splitting the Christian Church asunder in a bid for total power. Thus, with the first Rome in heresy, Constantinople took up the mantel of Second Rome, which in many aspects she always was, first as the second capital of the Roman Empire and second as the second highest patriarchal throne in a system of equals, where the First Rome's Bishop was first amongst equals. Unfortunately, just like Rome fell to heresy in 1053 AD, so did Constantinople fall to infidels and heretics, the Islamic hordes of the Turks, in 1453 AD, exactly 400 years later.

With this, only one major Orthodox nation remained free of either heretic conquest or that of the Islamic scourge, but even that nation was just now starting to climb out from under the heel of the Mongols and its leading principality, which was rebuilding Kieven Rus, though further to the east, was the Principality of Muscovy and its capital city of Moscow. Muscovy was like the seven thousand Israelites following the prophet Elijah, who refused to bow to Baal, a lone light in the wilderness of sin, corruption, war and murder against the Word of God.

The notion throughout the lone pockets of oppressed Orthodoxy and the growing Russian lands continued to take form and were formally summarized in these words:
"The Church of old Rome fell because of the impiety of the Apollinarian heresy; the Church of the Second Rome, Constantinople, was smitten under the battle-axes of the Agarenes; but this present Church of the Third, New Rome, of Thy sovereign empire: the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church... shines in the whole universe more resplendent than the sun. And let it be known to Thy Lordship, O pious Tsar, that all the empires of the Orthodox Christian Faith have converged into Thine one empire. Thou art the soul Emperor of all the Christians in the whole universe... For two Romes have fallen and the Third stands and a fourth shall never be, for Thy Christian Empire shall never devolve upon others." They were written by the monk Philoteus to the Grand Duke (Tsar) Vasilli III, in 1510.

Thus, the heavy burden fell upon the Rus, attacked by enemies from every corner, by the Mongols and the Turks, by the Swedes and the Teutonics, by the Poles and Lithuanians, to not only survive Orthodoxy in a world of darkness and sin, but to let God's faith prosper and grow. But most importantly, the true responsibility of the Rus, of the Russian peoples, is to save Europe and the West from itself and from the anti-Christian (or as they now prefer to call themselves: post-Christian) and the Islamic scourge that the West is rotting of, like a gangrened alcoholic, dieing a slow withering, rotting death.

To this end, God has given us a great ability to suffer and to bare up under that suffering. He has thrice punished us severely for turning our backs upon Him, as He did to the Israelites of ancient days. First He sent upon us the Mongols, for we did not listen to His Church when it counselled our princes to unify in strength and stand strong in faith and they and our cities fell one by one. Only through great pain and suffering did we again learn love of God first and humility always. To that end, He gave us Dmitry Donski who in 1380 defeated the Mongols on the Donsk River on the fields of Kulikovo, after a long and bloody battle. It took almost another 100 years, to 1452, to fully be rid of the Mongol Yoke and their taxes.

God punished us a second time with the Great Smuta, from 1600 to 1613, for again disobeying His will and for entertaining the notion of putting Catholic Polish princes upon the Russian throne. Thirteen long years of civil war, murder, foreign crusader invasions and anarchy, until two national armies composed of peasants and noblemen rose up and under the leadership of Kuzma Minin (a butcher) and Dmitri Pozharsky ( a minor noble) drove out the Poles, brought order back to Russia and convened a Zemsky Sobor which in turn elected the first Romanov, Michael, to the throne, at the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma. On a side note, the last Tsar was murdered at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.

The last time God punished us was the worst of all, it was 70 years of Marxism and its sponsors were again in the West, driving to destroy Russia and her Orthodox faith. Never had so many suffered and died in Russia or destruction seemed so real. But not only did we survive and break free but in His punishment, the Lord protected us from the rot of the modern West's nihilism and humanism and the enforced (rather than the solicited) atheism in Russia has had the opposite effect to bring Christ and His Church again into the very forefront of Russian life and culture.

But the forces of evil have not changed and continue to assail us upon all of our borders, even as we now begin to assail them upon their borders, which brings us to the ultimate discharge of the duty that the Lord has bestowed upon the Russians.

Russia's inner meaning and calling, the very purpose of her existence, her God-given destiny, is to gather the peoples of the world together, each with its own personality and particularity and culture, into the Church of Christ...From 'The Saints of Russia and the Universality of Orthodoxy', November 1993, Pp. 267
It is the role of Russia to stand high in her faith and as the Irish did to England, after the Anglo-Saxon invasions destroyed the Britain's Christian faith and turned the land to paganism, so shall Russia to Europe as Ireland to England, return the Christian faith.

For the prophesies of St. Feofan wrote:
Oh, Russia, Russia! How terribly has she sinned before the loving kindness of the Lord.

The Lord God favoured Russia, and He gave her that which He had not given to a single other nation on earth. And this nation turned out to be so ungrateful.
She left Him; she rejected Him; and it is therefore that the Lord has given her over to be tormented by devils. The devils took up their residence in the souls of men, and the nation of Russia became possessed; literally, devil-ridden. And all the terrible things that we hear about what went on -- and what continues to go on -- in Russia: all the sacrilege, all the militant atheism and theomachy, -- all of this stems from her being possessed by devils.

But, through the inexpressible mercy of God, this possession will pass and the nation will be healed. The nation will turn to repentance; to faith.
That will occur, which none expects. Russia will be resurrected from the dead, and the entire world will be astonished. Orthodoxy in her will be reborn and triumph. But that Orthodoxy which had existed formerly will be no more.

The great startsy have said that Russia will be reborn; that the people themselves will restore the Orthodox Monarchy. A mighty Tsar' will be placed upon the Throne by God Himself. He will be a great reformer, and he will be strong in the Orthodox faith. He will cast down the unfaithful hierarchs of the Church. He himself will be an outstanding personality, with a pure and holy soul. He will possess a strong will. He will be of the Romanov Dynasty, through the maternal line.

He will be God's Chosen One, obedient to the Lord in all things. He will transform Siberia.

"But this Russia will exist only for a very short time. Soon thereafter will come to pass that of which the Apostle John speaks in his 'Apocalypse'."

18 comments:

akarlin said...

Do not forget also that in its last years Byzantium fell into error by pursuing union with the Latins. Falling to the infidels is not a cardinal failing, for the flesh is weak; but heresy pursued for the sake of physical self-preservation is a terminal failing, for spirit ought to be strong. As such Byzantium morally forfeited leadership of the one true Church to Moscow unto the end of Ages of this World; for as Filofei prophesied, a fourth Rome there will not be. Russia will lead all humanity to the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

abigaildavid said...

“will exist only for a very short time… Soon thereafter …the Apocalypse “ --- Then what is spoken of here is a false peace (‘peace, peace when there is no peace…..) and the one who is ruling during this time is the false king and NOT one placed there by the True & Living God. (It will only seem to be so.) Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. (Psalm 60:11-12)
All nations have turned out to be ‘ungrateful’ to the Creator God . And in the Holy Scriptures only one nation is spoken of as favored and beloved of God and that is the nation and people of Israel. Not Russia and not even America. America was never perfect because it is made up of sinful fallen men just like every other nation on earth. Blaming our failures on demon possession is to deny responsibility. Demons and devils are real but man sins because of his sinful nature and Jesus Christ who cleanses from all sin is the only cure for that. ---
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him. Revelation 1:7a --- At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
The question for all the nations will be: How did you treat my people…Israel? ‘I will bless them that bless thee.’ (Genesis 12:3a)
The question for us as individuals will be: Is Jesus Christ your Lord? Иисус Христос Господь.
If so then our real responsibility is to tell all people about the Savior.

Gregor said...

'American Fundamentalist nonsense about Russia being the Magog (or Gog, take your choice) of ancient times, a set of beliefs that came to fruition in the 1950s with aid and approval of the CIA and NSA,'

Has anyone else ever noticed that the guy who did most to spread this dispensationalist dogshit, Hal Lindsay, is a dead ringer for Big Gay Al in Southpark?

Not a great fan of southpark, but find it interesting that a so-called Christian leader is a dead ringer for a comedy homosexual. Given the record of these fundamentalists (Ted Haggard anyone?) he probably is one.

vonbach said...

God had nothing to do with the marxists coming to Russia. You did nothing to earn what they did to you.
I have heard that Russia will be the salvation of the world and I believe it. You have been where the USA is going.

Anonymous said...

I think you are confused on this gog and Magog thing.

Leos Tomicek said...

The American contemplations about Gog and Magog are nothing but crude searches for American messianic identity. America is young, let it have its own search.

Michael Averko said...

Sublime Oblivion

IMO, Nevsky turned down closer ties with "the Latins" for several reasons.

One of them had to do with the notion that the OC would become compromised in such a relationship. The other was likely on the belief that such an arrangement was probably not enough to overcome the Mongols. Nevsky possibly felt that there was enough of a valid reason to be suspicious about the mentioned Western based entity.

Nevsky has been criticized for being "soft" on the Mongols. In actuality, by not ticking them off like some others, his area became stronger than some other areas of occupied Rus - which engaged in defeatist tactics (taking on a stronger Mongol foe), which weakened them.

I can see why "Uncle Joe" seemed to have a certain appreciation for AN (an observation which isn't meant to completely liken the two).

Rudy said...

As a Roman Catholic I can not help but to disagree with you’re evaluation as Rome going "heretic". I can agree though, that there are heretic trends in both Orthodoxy and Catholicism that are trying to make the Church conform to the world and bring it into submission to the New World Order dominion.

In Catholicism Vatican II was the watershed event that brought the heretics into the foreground and I can agree that these have brought many bishops, priests and lay people into the jaws of the Devil's trap.

But reading some Orthodox leaders like the Patriarch of Constantinople, one can detect the humanist, environmental heretical thought too. I think that the heretics are inside the Church both Western and Eastern trying to destroy it.

Russia will not be the third Rome until it reestablishes the rule of the Czars, who by marriage are in line to the Paleologos dynasty of Eastern Roman Emperors (known commonly as you know as Byzantines). Putin, Medvedev are "parvenu" democrats that rule just as the other rulers in Western nations, as a result of a revolution that toppled the God appointed rulers both on West and East.

In the West the French Revolution toppled the last Holy Sacred Roman Emperor when Napoleon dissolved the Empire in 1808. In the East the communists toppled the dynasty of the Romanovs in 1917 ending the line in existence from the time of the Eastern Roman Emperors.

In my view the main issues with the Eastern Orthodox Church are:

1. Its dependence upon Caesar (the State). The Patriarchs have always been under the influence of the secular rulers.

2. Its lack of unity, divided into Autocephalous bodies that at many times have bickered and fought each other.

3. The lack of development of the Orthodox theology.

In the other hand, as a Catholic I recognize the validity and the true nature of the Orthodox orders, sacraments, Tradition, Theology. You are indeed our brethrens in the faith. It is unfortunate that many times our differences, which are minor, compared to those with the Protestants, separate us with such hatred and dislike.

Yet I believe that in time the two lungs of the Church will unite to breathe together again. The Eastern Roman Eagle of two heads represents both Rome and Constantinople, and therefore the two geographical sides of the Church.

Stanislav said...

@Rudy

Actually, the Orthodox Theology is very very well developed, accounted to by endless listings of theological works.

As for the Romanovs, they do not date back to the Bzyntines. Rurik's direct line died with Feador, son of Ivan Grozy (feared, you translate to terrible). A Romanov was the wife of Ivan Grozny.

We may bicker, but we unite quite quickly when enemies come and have fought most often for each other, especially Russia who has come at different times to save Georgians, Armenians, Greeks, Bulgars, Romanians, Serbs and others.

Gregor said...

‘But reading some Orthodox leaders like the Patriarch of Constantinople, one can detect the humanist, environmental heretical thought too. I think that the heretics are inside the Church both Western and Eastern trying to destroy it.’

Yes, it is completely heretical to want to protect the environment. The Gospels are very specific about that. You’re just lucky that your Vatican protects paedophiles instead.

Many Westerners are so busy looking at the ‘political’ flaws of their brethren that they do not notice the plank in their own eye. They see the infanticidal views of their brethren and justly condemn them. But then they’ll follow the humanist globalist Republicans in their hate filled and un-Christian violence and love of poking their noses into other countries. The perfect example of a heretic in Orthodoxy is the convert Fr Hans Jacobse who lied that the Gospel of St Matthew says ‘be true’ not ‘love’ your enemies. This is a lie, in Greek I it is ‘Agapie’ or ‘love’. But Fr Hans wanted to put his trust in the sons of men and lied to support bloodshed in Iraq. But as Stanislav put is so perfectly before:

‘Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another.’

Incidentally, Stan, you've been a bit quieter about the Republicans recently. Do yo still think that John McCain is a Marxist totalitarian?

‘The lack of development of the Orthodox theology.’

Typical Western comment. Orthodox theology is perfect. It does not need development.

‘It is unfortunate that many times our differences, which are minor, compared to those with the Protestants, separate us with such hatred and dislike.’

This is deeply incorrect. Protestantism arose from Augustinians.

I acknowledge I’m a very bad and sinful Orthodox Christian; most of us are appalling sinners, I more than most, but our faith is perfect.

Stanislav said...

@Gregor

It's Stas, please, not Stan.

As for McInsanity, as far as I can see, he is a washed out non-issue waiting to retire or more than likely knock off in office. Why waste energy on him when there are such better targets?

Rudy said...

@ Gregor

Well said as a good heretical, schematic, arrogant Russian. Your Church is a puppet of the Russian government, was, is and will be.

Of course you are a sinner, we did not need your 'humble' confession.

Cobra said...

Nobody appointed the Russians to be the "Third Rome".
Europe may be in danger of becoming post-Christian, but they remember very well the Russian tanks and the disaster coming from the East.
As for the the Orthodox Church, to which I belong, it is much closer to the state, whichever that state may be, than the Catholic church.
They are sister churches from a theological standpoint, the differences being overemphasized by personalities.
So, please, drop the rubbish "Third Rome" stuff...

Stanislav said...

@Cobra

--Nobody appointed the Russians to be the "Third Rome".
Europe may be in danger of becoming post-Christian, but they remember very well the Russian tanks and the disaster coming from the East.--

No, it has very deep historic roots going back to Bzyentine. As for the tanks, what you remember is the Soviet tanks, created and backed by Wall Street, even through the 80s.

You might remember Russian armies fighting the Turks to defend Orthodox Christianity in Armenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Makedonia and Greece, if your cultural memory goes further back than 50 years, which in most societies, it does.

Cobra said...

@Stanislav

Yep. We remember very well the Russian armies that never went away, or when they went away, they took large territories with them.
And other East Europeans around Russia were (Orthdox) Christians a thousand years before the Russians converted to Christianity....

Stanislav said...

@Cobra

--Yep. We remember very well the Russian armies that never went away, or when they went away, they took large territories with them.
And other East Europeans around Russia were (Orthdox) Christians a thousand years before the Russians converted to Christianity....--

Ahh, would that mean you're a Pole? Well, those "territories" that were "taken" were western Ukriane and western Belarus that Poland was busy Catholicising during its Fascist period from 1926 to 1939 (also it's period of alliance with Hitler 1937 to 1938).

As for other nations being Orthodox for a 1,000 years before Russia, wow, so you were Orthodox before Christ was even born? That is very impressive...care to share how you did it? Russia was fully Orthodox converted by Vladimir the Christianizer in 988, so a thousand years you say? Hardly. Before him there had already been two Russian rulers who were Christians, his great great grandfather and his grandmother St. Olga.

It's exaggerations like that that show you speak from angered emotions rather than logic or historic truth.

Bulgaria converted in 865. Romania, earlier in and around 270 or 280AD, hardly your thousand years.

From your speech you are definitly not a Greek, Assyrian, Armenian or a Serb. Bulgar, I also doubt. As well as I doubt a Slovak. Maybe Romanian, so more than likely a Pole or maybe a Finn, not sure which. But if a Pole, much room you have to speak, when half of Poland is built upon the stolen lands of Kieven Rus.

Anonymous said...

Dear Stas,
I very much enjoy your site and learning so many details of Russian history. Since childhood I have been fascinated with your nation. As a parent, I fear my nation's rapid descent into Third World status for the deep uncertainty, but I am hopeful we will learn many concrete lessons to motivate us to change our future eventually. I pray that God will guide my nation's leadership to accomplish His will. A tall order, I know, but with God all things are possible. Keep writing! :-)

Adolfo Giurfa said...

The america psychic said in one of his "readings": "From Russia comes the hope of the world"...