In his well-known work The Saints of Ancient Rus’, Georgy Fedotov, recounting the martyrdom of Saints Boris and Gleb († July 24, 1015), observes that only Saint Wenceslas of Bohemia († September 28, 935), who was slain by his elder brother, could recall the tragedy of their passion-bearing death.1 However, according to Fedotov, “the mention of Saint Wenceslas is warranted only to emphasize the essential difference… His death cannot be called voluntary in any way. When his brother attacks him with a sword, he, like a knight, disarms him and throws him to the ground, and only the conspirators who rush in finish him off at the threshold of the church. The feat (podvig) of non-resistance is a national Russian feat, a true religious discovery of the newly baptized Russian people.”2
St. Wenceslas of Bohemia
Here it is fitting to recall the feats of meekness and non-resistance to enemies, which impart a distinct character to the passion-bearing of other holy rulers of antiquity.
For example, in 651, Saint Oswin the Passion-Bearer (commemorated on August 20), King of Deira (a region in England), having learned that his cousin sought to subjugate Deira and had declared war on him, chose not to shed the blood of his subjects and withdrew from power, but was treacherously slain.3
Or in 1015, Saint John Vladimir the Passion-Bearer (commemorated on May 22), King of Serbia, already forewarned by a vision of his martyr’s death, came to meet the Bulgarian Tsar—his wife’s cousin4—and was killed by him out of a desire for sole dominion.5
The examples presented show that the Christian feat of non-resistance among holy rulers of antiquity bears no national distinction. More than two decades after the publication of The Saints of Ancient Rus’ (published in 1931), Saint John (Maximovich), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, observed that “as extensive as the knowledge of saints who shone outside of Russia was in Russia, when the great exodus of Russians from their homeland occurred, it became evident that beyond Russia there were still a multitude of saints in other countries, unknown even to the most diligent researchers of lives of the saints using the available hagiographies and menologia.”6
Holy Passion-Bearers Princes Boris and Gleb The aforementioned work by G. Fedotov was written in emigration with the aim of studying Russian sanctity within its historical and religious-phenomenological context—something which, in the author’s view, was “one of the pressing tasks of Christian and national revival.”7 From a pastoral perspective, it is quite appropriate to address missionary tasks with due regard for patriotic sentiment. However, from a theological standpoint, recalling the words of the Apostle Paul that in Christ “there is neither Greek nor Jew” (Col. 3:11), any pejorative subtext must be excluded from all hagiographical studies of the feat of a given saint.
When considering the feat of meekness and non-resistance to enemies by Saint Wenceslas of Bohemia, one must bear in mind not only that he ultimately rejected, despite his youthful inexperience, the malicious slanders of nobles who accused his mother of conspiring against him, but also the report from his servants shortly before his younger brother’s planned murder: he “did not believe it, placing all his trust in God.”8
Likewise, Saint Boris knew that wicked men were inciting his elder brother to kill him. And although his retinue urged Boris to seize the grand princely throne, he, unwilling to provoke civil strife, dismissed his troops: “I will not raise my hand against my brother, especially against my elder brother, whom I ought to regard as my father!”9
An important detail—especially in light of the traditions of that time—is the matter of seniority in the fraternal relationships of the holy passion-bearers. The Venerable Nestor the Chronicler emphasizes the deep submission of Saints Boris and Gleb to their elder brother, noting that had they resisted, they would hardly have been granted the gift from God.10 At the same time, Saint Wenceslas himself was the elder brother, and it would have been improper for him to show the same submissive behavior toward his younger brother. On the contrary, it would have been just for him to expect from his younger brother “obedience, upon which the spiritual life of man and indeed all life in society is founded.”11
Thus, both Saint Wenceslas and Saint Boris willingly accepted death, not wishing to raise their hands against their brothers, even though by virtue of their positions they had every opportunity to do so. A true Christian, even a warrior, will not kill out of personal self-defense or vengeance.
Martyr Wenceslas, Prince of Bohemia. Icon. Central Archive of the Church. Moscow Theological Academy Speaking specifically of the circumstances preceding the martyrdom of Saints Wenceslas and Boris and Gleb, Georgy Fedotov emphasizes the behavior of the Czech saint, who offered resistance at the moment of his murder. But it must be taken into account that the attack on Saint Wenceslas occurred unexpectedly on his way to the church, and from a psychological perspective, his reaction is entirely understandable.
In the Middle Ages, ensuring military security was one of the chief duties of a ruler, who was often raised and trained to act as a warrior when necessary. Thus, in the prayer to Saint Wenceslas, it is said that he “drove the enemy forces from his homeland by the strength of arms and the prudence of wise governance.”
If we turn to the life of another passion-bearer—Right-Believing Prince Andrew Bogolubsky (†1174, commemoration July 4)—we find a similar psychological reaction of a brave and skilled warrior to an unexpected night assault by a drunken mob of murderers. Unarmed, the prince leapt up and tried to seize his sword, but on the eve of the attack, the key-keeper had treacherously stolen the sword of Saint Boris, which customarily hung above the prince’s bed. In that situation, Saint Andrew—still physically strong in his old age—managed to knock the first assailant to the floor with a blow.12
As Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) noted, all nervous-psychological activity is inextricably and most closely linked with the life of the spirit: “In the spirit are imprinted all our thoughts, feelings, acts of will—all that takes place in our phenomenal consciousness… A multitude of old images is preserved almost unchanged, though they may have vanished from consciousness.”13
In the cases under discussion, the defensive actions of the passion-bearers can be described as movements in accord with nature, not contrary to it—that is, they were not manifestations of the soul’s passions, such as anger.14 The act of will aims at a desired goal, which is approached through deliberation for the purpose of making a voluntary decision.15 At the moment of the attack, the motor responses of Saint Wenceslas were not voluntary, in contrast to his behavior on the eve of the plot when he received word of it. Yet, given the psychological nature of man, they were appropriate: to ward off the attacker. At the same time, as the intensity of the danger subsided, he began to reflect on his situation and actions: “And having seized him and cast him to the ground, he asked: ‘My brother, what evil have I done to thee?’”16
It is precisely in this question—posed in the face of mortal danger, when a warrior would be expected to strike first to defeat his opponent—that Saint Wenceslas displays the meekness befitting a passion-bearer. Like Christ, who revealed to the apostles that the events at His arrest were the work of the highest Providence, the prince, though aware of the betrayal, not only did not flee but even went to meet the betrayer. Just as Christ, at the hour of His arrest, sought to bring Judas to his senses, saying, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss? (Luke 22:48), so too did Wenceslas, by addressing his brother-murderer with a question, attempt to awaken his conscience: “Art thou not ashamed to betray in such a manner?” And just as Christ, who did not prevent Judas from betraying Him, allowed the kiss and voluntarily delivered Himself into the hands of His enemies,17 so Saint Wenceslas offers an example of non-resistance: he shared a meal with the betrayer the night before and made no move of his own will to harm his murderers.
Holy Right-Believing Prince Wenceslas of Bohemia (Icon, contemporary Russian source) Overall, the reaction of Saint Wenceslas during the attack can be seen as something between voluntary and involuntary action—though unpleasant and grievous, it was accepted “for the sake of avoiding a greater evil.”18 In this regard, when comparing the sufferings of Saints Wenceslas and Boris, as well as of Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, it is especially important to note that Boris had not yet attained the title of Grand Prince, though he was in line to receive it, whereas Wenceslas and Andrew were already reigning sovereigns and bore responsibility for their lives as rulers in their respective realms. For, as it is said: “When the helmsman becomes the prey of the waves, when the lamp is extinguished, when the leader is taken captive—what hope remains for those under his care?”19
Indeed, after the murder of Saint Wenceslas, the villains began to attack his retinue, to rob and drive out all those whom the prince had taken into his household.20 And after the murder of Saint Andrew, the citizens of Bogolyubovo plundered the prince’s house, and many misfortunes followed: The homes of governors and officials were ransacked, and the officials themselves, along with their servants and guards, were killed; looters came from nearby villages; and even the city of Vladimir experienced outbreaks of looting.21
In the Church’s liturgical texts, the passion-bearing, meekness, and gentleness of Saints Boris, Gleb, and Wenceslas of Bohemia are equally honored, with reference to the crowns of holiness they received. In prayers to these passion-bearers, the appeals are uniform: to Saint Wenceslas, to teach brotherly love and meekness; and to Saints Boris and Gleb, to calm “all hostility and malice stirred up by the action of the devil from both near and far.”
The commemoration of the Right-Believing Prince Wenceslas is spiritually linked to the martyric deaths of the Russian passion-bearers—Princes Igor, Boris, Gleb, and Andrew Bogoliubsky—and he deeply venerated in the Russian Orthodox Church.22 The Church equally honors Saints Boris and Gleb and Saint Wenceslas, whose struggles may appear different, yet a discerning perspective only highlights the unity of sanctity in each struggle. They are united by their sacrifice for Christ, which is in no way limited by nationality. When the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), we are called to resist him steadfastly in faith—not by singling out one saint’s struggle above another, but by focusing on the true unity of a life in Christ shown forth in these examples of holiness.
