Russia Between China and Byzantia (In Regard to the Article by S.N. Baburin “Russia Between Rome and Qin: On the Spiritual and Moral Transformation of the States”)
The article is devoted to understanding the work of S.N. Baburin "Russia between Rome and Qin: on the spiritual and moral transformation of states," Proceedings of the Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 2022. V. 17. No. 1. Paying attention to the relevance of this work and the complex nature of the study, the article concludes that a number of key provisions defended by S.N. Baburin is debatable or based on historical theories that correlate very weakly with facts. First of all, we are talking about the cultural and civilizational proximity of Russia and China, and the significant influence of Chinese civilization on Russian law in the "pre-Byzantine" period. Practically all prominent researchers of the Russian law noted its European roots, as well as the influence of Byzantine nomocanons and syntagmas. The conclusion about the peaceful formation of the Chinese empire, gathered not by the power of power, but by the unity of cultures, beliefs and way of life, is also highly controversial. However, this thesis conflicts with the fact that the territory of modern China was inhabited not only by the Chinese, but by many Turkic and Mongol tribes, who were confronted both by the usual intertribal disagreements and religious cults. So, in particular, for a long time the Mongols professed paganism, Christianity, belonging to the Nestorian Church, and then for the most part converted to Islam or Buddhism. The Turkic tribes largely adopted Islam, while the Chinese remained faithful to Confucianism, a social and ethical doctrine. The hypothesis shared by the author of the analyzed article, according to which the Russian state was created through the direct mediation of the Mongols, does not stand the test of historical facts. To a much greater extent, the traditional view of the decisive influence of the Russian Church and the Byzantine Empire on the formation of a centralized Muscovite Rus can be considered justified. The conclusion that Russia, which has become a stronghold of Orthodox orthodoxy, and the West have become from the 16th century antipodal civilizations, is highly controversial. On the contrary, numerous traces of Western influence on Russian culture and science are given, which do not allow us to agree with such a statement., however, it is concluded that the lack of civilizational ties between Russia and China in previous centuries does not prevent the modern rapprochement of the spirit of great cultures, especially in a situation where the West is increasingly renouncing us.