Axiological foundations of Russian statehood: freedom and truth in the ideological and political discourse of the 11-17th centuries

The concepts of truth and freedom, being important value categories for modern Russian citizens, have deep historical roots. Therefore, it is important to consider their historical content and evolution. In this regard, the purpose of the article is to reconstruct the meaning of truth and freedom as value categories. The main conclusions of the article were made during the study of the works of Russian authors of the 11-17th centuries on the basis of the search database of the National Corpus of the Russian language. As a result of the content analysis and comparative analysis, the following conclusions were drawn. Both of these concepts, having, at first glance, a large number of different meanings, are determined primarily by the Orthodox Christian content, which makes it possible to reconstruct their unified commonly used definition. The concept of freedom in the texts of the 11-17th centuries in many ways resembled its modern usage and was associated with the political independence of the state or people, however, in a fair part of the documents there was an understanding of freedom as a Christian gift, in many ways resembling the understanding of grace and salvation. The concept of freedom was filled with the Christian understanding of freedom from death, from sin and God’s wrath, thus defining the necessary practice of exercising freedom itself. The concept of truth, which in modern science is either reduced to a narrow understanding as law or justice, or breaks up into a significant number of autonomous concepts, was also determined precisely by the Christian content. Undoubtedly being an attribute of power relations, truth is deduced from the human dimension, and its bearer is not an abstract or specific prince, not a specific secular or spiritual ruler, but the Lord God. Both private life and public administration, obeying the demands of truth, lead to the establishment of Divine institutions on earth and the salvation of both an individual and an entire nation.