This week we are joined by KC Hunt and talk about the origins and early history of the Russian Orthodox Church, cults, thanking God for floods, anti-vax because of the Bible, burning Harry Potter, and more!Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voice message at (541) 203-0666 or htotw.com/speakpipeSupport the show at htotw.com/donateSubscribe at htotw.com/subscribeDustin’ off the Degree - Vladimir’s Church Part 1: Vikings to MongolsFor this week’s Dustin’ off the Degree we’re going to talk about the Russian Orthodox Church’s history and origin. This organization is not to be confused with the Orthodox Church in America or the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, both of which have headquarters in New York. It is also worth noting that the Russian Orthodox Church has not been in communion with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since October 15, 2018. We’ll talk about all of this modern stuff next week.By the 750s CE Vikings began to settle in the Volga river region of Eastern Europe. They were known as the Varangian, a term of Greek origin, and also as the Rus’. Over the next century they helped facilitate access to trade with the Byzantine Empire, served as mercenaries for the Empire, and began to rule more and more territory around their settlements. According to legend the native Slavs and Finns rebelled against them in 862 forcing them to return to Scandinavia, but the Slavic and Finnish tribes then began to fight against each other so they invited the Rus’ to return and rule over them establishing the Novgorod Rus’.Once they were back in control the Rus’ continued to expand their power and control across Eastern Europe. After conquering the Khazar Empire they moved their capital to Kiev, giving them the name they are best known for the Kievan Rus’.At the same time as all of this was happening the Orthodox Church was sending missionaries north and in the 860s two Byzantine monks translated the Bible into what would become Old Church Slavonic and that same decade a bishop was sent to Novgorod. Christianity spread quickly enough through the Rus’ that Princess Olga, who was regent for her son from 945 to 960 was the first Christian ruler of the Rus’.Olga’s grandson, Vladimir the Great had to fight his way to the throne with the help of some Norwegian relatives, he then tried to undo some of the Christianiatization of the Rus’ that had been going on, but his reforms turned out not to be popular so he decided he needed a new religion. There are three stories of how he chose which one:The first is that he invited the surrounding religions to make their cases for why he should pick them. He rejected Islam because of circumcision and the prohibition of alcohol and pork, saying “Drinking is the Joy of the Rus”. He then rejected Judaism because the loss of Jerusalem was evidence that they had lost God’s favor.The second story is that he sent envoys out to study the religions and report back. The first went to the Muslim Bulgarians and found them to be joyless. The second went to Germany and found no beauty. The third went to Constantinople and during a religious festival and couldn’t tell if he was in heaven or on earth.The third is that in 988 the Byzantine Emperor was losing a Civil War and needed help, so he reached out to his enemy to the north, the Rus’. Vladimir offered to help and convert to Christianity in exchange for being able to marry the Emperor’s sister, Anna. After they secured victory he was baptized and then married Anna. Upon his return he invited all the people to come down to the river to be baptized and warned them that failing to do so might make them his enemies.The first two stories are almost definitely apocryphal and the third makes perfect sense. He had to get help from Norway to secure the throne because he couldn’t get any support locally since his was the weakest claim. His first big act was to turn the peop

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