MISSIONARY ACTIVITY OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN SIBERIA (XVII - EARLY XX CENTURIES): HISTORICAL AND ANALYTICAL REVIEW
The article contains a brief historical and analytical review of the missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church in Siberia during the XVII - early XX centuries. The research was based on an analytical method that provided opportunities to determine the patterns, methods and ways to solve the problems of missionary work in the Eastern territories of the Empire. The dualism of historiography in both secular and ecclesiastical scientific literature is noted. The study shows that the missionary activity of the ROC was dependent on the state policy, correlating its direction, due to the balance between the need for Christianization and ethno-confessional liberal principles. The Church, as the bearer of the Imperial ideology, used both violent and non-violent methods of baptism, and the latter included benefits and gifts for neophytes that helped attract them to Christian civilization. The formalism of baptism and the presence of religious syncretism are noted. It is established that the permanent Christianization was due to the significance of the territory, the mentality of Siberian ethnic groups, as well as the presence of Buddhism, which has a strong position among the Buryat population. The success of the Orthodox Church's educational work in schools and the dissemination of book culture is highlighted. Shortcomings in the activities of missions and missionaries were identified, including the lack of a coordinating center, insufficient material support and a shortage of qualified missionary personnel. Russian Church's missionary activity was an integral part and participant in the incorporation of Siberia into the Russian Empire, since the unified state language and religion, and the spread of Russian agricultural colonization helped to strengthen the ties between the suburbs and the center.