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296 ANDRZEJ POPPEthe Rus' baptism, even though the conversion is its main subject. The theologicaltreatise offers, in a sense, a historiosophical discussion on the introductionof the Rus' into the universal Christian history of salvation. It alsoconstitutes a praise of Volodimer, as a ruler who converted his nation to thetrue faith and brought it into the family of Christian nations. The discourseis a proclamation of victorious Christianity and of the originator of theconversion who "raised us [the Rus'], prostrated by idolatry, from thedeathbed." 20 In his historiosophical and theosophical vision of the salvationof mankind, Ilarion expressed the significance of the turn from paganism toChristianity in the history of Kievan Rus'.Among medieval Christian writings Ilarion's sermon is a rare testimonyto the self-consciousness of a newly converted nation. Several dozen yearsafter its baptism, in a country where large regions did not yet know about orrecognize its own Christianization, a record was produced reflecting Christianhistoriosophy and a sovereign kind of thinking. It presented the baptismof Rus' as an event glowing high above common terrestrial history.This view, as formulated in Rus', came through Byzantine mediation, givingIlarion access to the wide range of Christian tradition.For Ilarion, Rus' history begins with its baptism. Volodimer is not onlythe baptizer of Rus'—he is its apostle. Ilarion does not dramatically contrastpagan Rus' and Christian Rus', or pagan Volodimer and ChristianVolodimer, as the hagiographical writings commonly do (a good examplebeing the text in the Primary Chronicle). While Ilarion qualifies the periodof idolatry as the time when darkness was dominant, he praises Volodimeras the son of glorious Svjatoslav and grandson of old Igor'. Volodimer isalso praised for having ruled his land "justly, boldly, and wisely" evenbefore the conversion; he "did not rule in a meager and unknown land, butin the land of Rus', known well and heard about to all corners of theearth." 21 So, according to Ilarion, Volodimer even as a pagan ruler showedhe was predestined to his role by Divine Providence. And at that time "theSupreme Being came upon him. . . [to show him] how to understand thedelusiveness of idolatry and to discover the one true God." And Volodimer,having thrown aside a panoply of false beliefs ". . .was christened inChrist. . . and announced to his whole land that it was to be baptized. . . andeveryone was to be a Christian." Ilarion expressed public feeling in thosedays: "And no one dared to oppose his [Volodimer's] pious order. Even ifsomeone was baptized not for love, he was baptized for fear of him whoRussia's Epics, Chronicles, andTales (New York, 1974), pp. 85-90.20Muller, Ilarion Lobrede, p. 126; Moldovan, Slovo, p. 98.21Muller, Ilarion Lobrede, pp. 100, 101; Moldovan, Slovo, pp. 91 -92.