HILARION, METROPOLITAN

(Eleventh century; exact dates unknown), first native of Rus to be metropolitan of Kiev, author of the Sermon on Law and Grace.

Very little biographical information is known about Hilarion. In the Russian Primary Chronicle under 1051 it is reported that Prince Yaroslav of Kiev assembled the bishops in St. Sophia Cathedral and appointed Hilarion, a Carpatho-Rusyn (native of Rus), as metropolitan bishop. He is described as a devout man, learned in the Scriptures, and an ascetic, who served as one of Yaroslav's priests in the church of the Holy Apostles at Berestovo, a favorite princely residence located just south of Kiev.

While a priest, Hilarion selected a spot on a hill above the Dnieper not far from Berestovo where he dug a small cave in which to chant the hours and pray to God in solitude. This cave was later occupied by Anthony of the Caves and served as the foundation for the Caves Monastery of Kiev. Hilarion was the first native of Rus to be metropolitan. The only other Carpatho-Rusyn to serve as metropolitan in Kievan Rus was Klim Smolyatich in the twelfth century. Scholars have long debated Yaroslav's motives for appointing Hilarion, and many maintain that the decision reflects an anti-Byzantine bias. There is no condemnation of the appointment in Byzantine sources, however, and Yaroslav's purpose remains unclear. There is much speculation but no concrete information for Hilarion's biography after his appointment. All that is known is that the First Novgorod Chronicle mentions a new metropolitan by 1055. Whether Hilarion's tenure survived his patron Yaroslav (d. 1054) is not known.

Hilarion's most significant contribution to Kievan culture is his Sermon on Law and Grace. A master of rhetoric and the oratorical tradition, Hilarion expressed the pride of his newly converted nation as it joined the Christian community, and celebrated its past achievements. Utilizing the familiar Biblical contrast between law and grace, Hilarion began by emphasizing the gift of grace through Christ, which ended humankind's subservience to the law and through which Rus was converted. In the second part of the sermon, Hilarion turned his attention to the apostle of Rus, Vladimir I, as well as to the works of his son, Yaroslav.

Scholars have often seen an anti-Jewish bias or evidence of a struggle with Byzantium in the sermon. There is little evidence of either, however, and it is best read as a sophisticated and effective attempt to establish the place of Rus in sacred history by moving from theological doctrine to the specific pious actions of the Kievan princes.

Although a number of works have been attributed to Hilarion, only the sermon and a confession of faith followed by a postscript can with any certainty be ascribed to his pen.

See also: caves monastery; yaroslav vladimirovich

bibliography

Franklin, Simon. (1991). Sermons and Rhetoric of Kievan us'. Cambridge, MA: Ukrainian Research Institute of Harvard University.

The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text. (1953). Edited and translated by Samuel Hazzard Cross and Olgerd. P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor. Cambridge, MA: The Mediaeval Academy of America.

David K. Prestel