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The Third Rome: Holy Russia, Tsarism and Orthodoxy

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_The Third Rome: Holy Russia, Tsarism & Orthodoxy_ by Matthew Raphael Johnson, published by The Foundation for Economics Liberty and made available through _The Barnes Review_, is a fascinating account written from the perspective of a pro-Russian nationalist and monarchist of the history of Holy Russia prior to the horrors of the Bolshevik revolution. This book is unique in that the author takes a revisionist perspective of Holy Russia and does not kowtow to the idols of academia and liberalism. The author at once argues in favor of the tsars, as righteous defenders of Holy Russia and the Orthodox tradition against the encroachments of the West. The author also argues in favor of the Russian peasant, smeared by the revolutionist wing of the progressive party as backwards and illiterate. Contrary to this perspective, the author shows how Holy Russia was in fact a land of great learning and culture in which the Orthodox tradition survived through the ages unhampered by Western materialism and Enlightenment progressivism until the revolution overtook Russia.

The author begins by shedding light on the beginnings of the Russian state, constantly besieged by Mongol invaders. The Russian state was originally headed by Riurik, a "legendary" Varangian ruler, who made his capital in Novgorod. The Russian state enjoyed free trade with Byzantium but was made to pay tribute to the quasi-Jewish Khazar empire. Later the capital was moved to Kiev and eventually to Moscow, the "third Rome" enjoying the appeal as the head of the Orthodox state and the Christian center of Russia. The author contrasts early Russian paganism, which may have been an important precursor to Christ, with Orthodox Christianity which subsequently came to overtake it. At Moscow, the Russian state was consolidated under the tsar; however the peasants and serfs continued to enjoy liberties as part of their communal agrarian living arrangements. Eventually crises with the West came to various schismatic branches of Orthodoxy attempting to conserve the original Russian tradition. Among these were the Old Believers who broke off from the central Orthodox body in an attempt to revive a purer form of Orthodoxy. Among the various tsars discussed by the author, are Ivan III who liberated Russia from the Mongol yoke, Ivan IV "The Terrible" (more accurately translated as "The Awesome") believed to be bloodthirsty and insane by modern historians however as the author shows in fact he was a noble ruler, the early Romanovs Michael, Alexis, and Fedor, Peter the Great who may have been influenced by freemasonry and the kabbalah, the "Adorable" Catherine II who brought reform to Russia, Alexander I and the "invisible Napoleon", Nicholas I a defender of royalist tradition against the Decembrists, Alexander II who liberated the serfs, Alexander III who restored Holy Russia, and St. Nicholas II. The author also discusses the role of the uniates who attempted to unite Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism and the relevance of Poland. The author also discusses such issues as serfdom, which he argues was a necessary condition given Russia's economic situation and that was not bad as is made out by modern liberal historians. Indeed, the author suggests that the serfs lived in a form of primitive communal anarchy under the tsar before the arrival of the revolution. In addition, the author discusses the role of the Slavophiles, who defended Holy Russia from Western detractors. The influence of Enlightenment thought came to be a particularly devious one given its desire to supplant the Russian state and its tradition. Also, the influence of freemasonry and the Jewish kabbalah came to play some role among the aristocracy leading to the decline of Orthodoxy. The author ends with a discussion of the Duma monarchy, Russia's role in the First World War, and the subsequent Bolshevik revolution. Interestingly, the author shows the influence of finance capitalists in spurring on the revolution. In particular, echoing the theories of others, the author argues that American investors saw the need to cripple Russia through a centralized banking system and thus supported the rise of the socialist state. Thus, contrary to the beliefs of the na?ve, finance capital and communist tyranny are not polar opposites, but rather different sides of the same coin. By controlling the Russian state through a centralized banking system, the financial elite were able to make themselves enormously wealthy off the backs of the Russian peasant and worker, who were actively enslaved by communism. In contrast to the brutality of communist totalitarianism truly totally alien to the Russian spirit, the author supports the traditional medieval Russian institutions, including the monarchy which frequently looked favorably on the people and allowed the serfs greater liberty. Indeed, traditionally a serf could not be thrown off the land unlike in the modern capitalist and communist systems. Now that Russia has finally sloughed off the evils of godless communism, it is perhaps time to hope for a revival of the Russian nation under its traditional rule.

This book provides a fascinating account of Russian history and the role of Orthodoxy and the monarchy in the formation of that history and tradition. The material presented here is revisionist in nature and certainly not what one has come to expect from modern liberal academia, the American politically correct left, or the neoconservative right. With both feet firmly planted in the Russian tradition, the author is able to show the greatness that once was Holy Russia which withstood the onslaughts of Mongol hordes and Westernization until the revolution.

This is truly one of the most important books that Western readers can encounter in terms of understanding our current world situation. In this wonderful history, Dr. Johnson blows apart many of the misguided myths relative to Holy Russia. Having read a lot of Hilaire Belloc, I have come to a real appreciation of the Catholic social teachings of distributivism and subsidiarity. It is remarkable to realize, in carefully reading Johnson's excellent book, that Holy Russia was the embodiment of these ideals.

The propaganda job that has been done on the truth of Holy Russia is one of the great disgraces of modern history. Matthew Raphael Johnson is to be tremendously commended for finally and effectively inveighing against this untruth. It is truth such as this that will set us free.

Addendum 06-May-06:

I had occasion this week to reread this very important and excellent book. In the time between readings, I have tried to educate myself relative to European history, philosophy, and economics. With this in mind, it is truly a wonder to rediscover in Dr. Johnson's monumental account of Holy Russia the legacy of a state founded on the very sound ideas of the Christian Faith. It is without question that the existence of this Christian polity was an embarrassment to the liberal masonic oligarchs who sought to rule the world in 1917 and still seek the same goal today. Yet, as Dr. Johnson illustrates, the spirit of Holy Russia lives. Praise God.

Reading widely, I would make the following bold claim relative to this excellent book. I believe it is the most important and insightful book thus far written in the new century. Read it carefully. And be renewed with hope in Christ in the process!

I was assigned this book for a Russian history course I am taking. You will notice from the first page that Matthew R. Johnson is not your run of the mill Phd. He thinks for himself and is able to put the History of Holy Russian into its proper context. This is critical since so many in the West look at the Russian culture as backwards. Find out whom really bank rolled the Communist and was Ivan the terrible really that bad? This history book reads like a fast paced novel and you will find yourself nodding your head in agreement with his statements.

If you are Orthodox or not this book will help you understand why Holy Russia was such a threat to the West and why the West wanted it to be destroyed. Although Johnson feels passionately about this topic, his choice of words could hamper some readers. I think they were honest but I will concede there could have been less name calling.

Having said that, I highly recommend this book to everyone. You will see the motivational differences between East and West in an Honest and sound context.

4. 5 stars. Bold defense of a forbidden subject. The author challenges all of your assumptions about Russian history. The author convincingly makes the case that Holy Russia defended Christianity against the hordes of Islam and Revolution. While he does delve into "conspiracy theory," it must be noted that all European revolutions were started by conspiracies. This doesn't need to be proven. Secondly, until 1914 "conspiracy history" was an acknowledged and somewhat respected discipline.

As to the thesis, i thought it was relatively simple: Russia saw itself as the continuation of the Rome idea (at that was clearly documented in the 1400s). Whether she was correct to see herself thusly is completely beside the point. Johnson's main point, and I suspect this gets him in trouble with SCOBA, is that after Peter the Occultist, Russia split in two: the concept of Holy Russia was largely negated by Peter (and found continuation only in some monasteries and the Old Rite) and the concept of Modern Western Russia.

Ironically, ever since Johnson's book came out, mainstream SCOBA historians have said the exact same thing...well, paralleling Johnson's thesis anyway. See Dmitri Pospielovsky's *The History of the Orthodox Church in Russia.*

Unfortunately, he could have better documented the Masonic connections with the conspiracies. I think he is correct but needs documentation. That is my one flaw in the book.

Fr Johnson does a good job in documenting the Jewish and capitalist connections to the October Revolution. The Schiff and Rockefeller family needed a weak and de-Christianized Russia in order for the Anglo establishment to dominate Europe. Secondly, these capitalists did not actually want everyone to benefit from the free-market. Oligarchs never do. Rather, they wanted a strong central banking establishment which would control how much money enters the country and who gets it. They decided to perform this experiment on Tsarist Russia. The author's rhetoric, while highly entertaining, will put off some readers.

The reader should be aware that Johnson has since modified his thesis and placed it in a more Ukrainian context. Just google The Orthodox Nationalist and Third Rome.

I'm hoping for a positive approach to Russian history that was sympathetic to the ideal of Orthodox autocracy and didn't exaggerate the faults or ignore the benefits, both material and spiritual, of tsarist Russia. Unfortunately, the tone of his book is bitter, adversarial, negative and paranoid. I don't believe you have to be a card-carrying conspiracy theorist to say good things about Holy Russia. I don't like the way he tries to justify the anti-Jewish pogroms, for example. It seems far better to point out how many Orthodox bishops actually condemned them (since the Church is so often accused of abetting the riots). There is nothing Orthodox about pogroms or any other kind of reckless violence. For anyone who wants a sympathetic portrayal of Old Russia, read Solzhenitsyn instead.

From the beginning, the author blasts Western Europe and the Americas and tries to set a tone of an all Holy Russia during the last 1,000 years - although, the author never really defines what he means. There is only a scant record of sources used throughout the book. As someone who has studied Russian history, I view this book as full of false assumptions and even propaganda. Of course, the book does contain a few true facts about Russian history, there are too many errors and misrepresentations to count. The book might appeal to one who is discontent with the U.S. form of government or to one who has no knowledge of Russian history. As a practicing Russian Orthodox, I would not recommend this book to anyone!

Russia has had some great leaders and defenders, BUT if Tzarist Russia was so wonderful, why did some peasants, aka "liberated" former serfs, want a revolution? Russia called itself communist, but it was totalitarian, in truth. The peasants did not get what they hoped for. Being a capitalist, and a proponent of true free trade, based in kindness and fairness (true Christian values), I don't support communist ideology, or monarchistic, I support democratic. Read "Unfree Labor: American Slavery and Russian Serfdom." I do not support the perspective of this book, but it is well written. Having been to Russia in 2001, I see hundred's of years of oppression still trying to play it's self out. I pray for healing in Russia every day.

Guys... You still haven't figured out that all religions are fake. Don't let small groups of people control you by religion.
I'm sure this book is interesting but also sure that it is pointless.