The author examines the Christian and pagan ideas about the otherworld and their influence on the literature of Ancient Russia. Common understanding of the problem did not exist. Disputes about heaven were based on different interpretation of another world. The Antioch concept and Neoplatonic concept had the greatest influence on Russia. Apocryphal images of heaven and hell were widespread in the Old Russian literature. They had strong influence on the disputes about heaven. Russian ideas the other world were formed on the basis of Orthodox, apocryphal and pagans ideas about post-mortem existence.

Basing his study on proceedings of exegetes, apocryphal books, the ancient Russian writings, and folklore the author investigates two extremities of the Medieval understanding of the paradise: paradise was understood as the phenomenal historical reality and as the noumenal entity. Exegetes-textualists' conception of the earthly paradise negated the conception of the earthly paradise from the Christianized Neo-Platonism positions. Ambiguousness of the situation is interpreted with trends of the problem understanding by the popular consciousness taken in due account. Impact of pre-Christian notions on apocryphal images of the paradise is demonstrated. Images of the other world divided from this world by the water barrier are referred to archetypical images. Such images received their second life in works of Vassily the Wanderer. Vassily’s opinions are estimated in comparison with the strict Orthodox works of the medieval Russian book culture. The author comes to the conclusion that the naïve adherence to the nature confronts with the impeccable in doctrinal terms conception of the ideal heavenly paradise as the supra-sensual world devoid of specific features. Scenic understanding of the heavenly paradise was transferred into the early medieval Russian literature through descriptions of saint visionaries' travels to the Heaven. The author suggests interpreting vivid images of the paradise that were offered in the non-canonical books as the sensual allegories of the future indescribable blessing.

The article introduces the life and creative work of Kirik Novgorodets (1110 — no earlier than 1156/58), the outstanding Russian scientist and thinker of the 12th century. The author demonstrates that Kirik’s creative work represented a glaring and multifaceted phenomenon. The author analyzes facets of Kirik’s talents in mathematics, calendar, theology, philosophy and investigates the scientific and philosophical content of «Study of numbers» and theological and ethical aspects of «Raising the questions». Kirik as the author of these works is considered in the article not just as an outstanding scientist but as a major religious philosopher, a representative of the theological rationalism tradition in Ancient Rus thought as well. The author of article comes to the conclusion that the scientist and thinker from the Great Novgorod belonged to a group of Russians who attained the European level of education. Kirik by far surpassed his times.

The author reproduces and comments a set of little known book and epigraphic sources that are used as the basis for a detailed reconstruction of the most ancient phase of the Russian Church organization history. A set of measures aimed at assertion of the church organization autonomous from Byzantium is analyzed by the example of activities and creative works of Lukas Jidyata. The author appraises Lukas as the ally of Ilarion, the autocephalous Metropolitan. Lukas and Ilarion jointly substantiated the sovereign ideology of independent state power and of the Church independent of Greeks. The author concludes that there were contradictory tendencies in interrelationships of the Body of Priesthood and the Temporal Power that resulted in acute fluctuations of Prince Yaroslav the Wise that ended with the autocephaly winding down.

The article deals with analysis of ideological and religious aspects of Metropolitan Ilarion’s «The Word on the Law and Grace». It is demonstrated that the work’s core meaning were historical philosophical contemplations of the thinker. His attention is focused on the progress of the universal history while the Russian history is considered as an integral part of the world history which is rich in its own achievements. According to Ilarion, the Russian people passes through two phases of development much as all other peoples do: the pre-Christian phase (infantile period of imperfection) and the Christian phase (which is Grace-filled and opens the way to salvation). The Russian Metropolitan expresses his profound patriotic idea of the young Russian people’s predestination for its junction opens prospects for performance of great exploits. From standpoint of equality in faith Ilarion condemns old Christian peoples' claims to superiority. At the same time Ilarion does not deprived of pride for glorious pre-Christian past of Rus. The baptized Rus became the true inheritor of this glory. Against this background Ilarions condemns claims to national and religious uniqueness. Overall Ilarion’s doctrine is appraised as the doctrine of state independence and of historical optimism.

The article reproduces a series of the little known literary and epigraphic sources. On the basis of these the author reconstructs peculiarities of the earliest stage of the Russian Church organization. Taking Lucas Jeedyata’s activities and writings as an example the author analyzes the set of actions aimed at establishment in Ancient Russia of the church organization independent of Byzantine Empire’s church. Lucas is considered to be a fellow-champion of Metropolitan Ilarion. Together they provided the substantiation for the sovereign ideology of independent state authority and the Church independent of Greeks. The author comes to the conclusion that there were certain contradictory tendencies in relations between the Priesthood and the Temporal Power that resulted in abrupt vacillations of Yaroslav the Wise that ended up with the autocephaly closing down.