The purpose is to conduct a critical analysis of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the problem of the Byzantine civilization’s influence on the civilizational development of Russia, which is characteristic for the authors representing conservative discourse in Byzantium studies – historians, political scientists, cultural scientists, and philosophers. Methodology and Approach. The article uses dialectical-materialistic positions and the principle of historicism for the system analysis and comparative studies in order to investigate the content of conservative scientists’ views. Key provisions and conclusions that define the essence of the conservative discourse in Byzantium studies are singled out. To solve this problem a wide range of scientific publications and sources on the history of Byzantium and Russia were involved. Results. The analysis suggests that the authors of this discourse are characterized by: the desire to idealize the state and political structure of the Byzantine Empire, the exaggeration of the degree of the Byzantine civilization’s influence on the civilizational development and historical destiny of Russia, the image of Russia as the immediate historical successor of Byzantium, identification of models of their historical development based on the mythologization of the concept of “Moscow is the Third Rome”. It is concluded that such attempts to draw subjective analogies between Byzantium and Russia (not only in its historical development, but also in modern one), their civilizational identification threatens to make mistakes not only of a scientific nature but also of a political one. Theoretical / practical implications. Comparative analysis of models of civilizational development of Byzantium and Russia significantly expands the discussion field of Russian Byzantine studies. The revealed specifics of the civilizational development of Byzantium and Russia can be taken into account by the state leadership of the Russian Federation in developing strategic priorities, goals and objectives, as well as ways to carry out political activities.

Byzantium, Russia, civilization, culture, “Byzantium”, discourse, ideology, national and state self-identification, ideological and political unity, spiritual and political heritage

1. Abramov A. V. Rossiiskii patriotizm: istoriya i sovremennost’ [Russian patriotism: history and modernity]. Moscow, MRSU Ed. off. Publ., 2016. 183 p.
2. Vasiliev A. A. History of the Byzantine Empire (Russ. ed.: Grushevoi A. G., trans. Istoriya Vizantiiskoi imperii : v 2 t. T. 1: Vremya do krestovykh pokhodov (do 1081 goda). St. Petersburg, Aleteiya Publ., 2000. 510 p.)
3. Vititnev S. F. [Modern Russian conservatism and the political process]. In: Vestnik Moskovskogo oblastnogo universiteta. Seriya: Istoriya i politicheskie nauki [Bulletin of the Moscow Region State University. Series: History and Political Sciences], 2017, no. 5, pp. 227–240.
4. Vititnev S. F., Shmeleva A. V. [Greco-Byzantine influence in the history of national education: from monastery schools to the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy]. In: Rozina O. V., ex. ed.; Bagdasaryan V. E., science ed. Dukhovnoe nasledie Vizantii i Afona v istorii i kul’ture Rossii : sbornik nauchnykh trudov [The spiritual heritage of Byzantium and Athos in the history and culture of Russia: a collection of scientific papers]. 1 CD-ROM (12,5 Мb). Moscow, MRSU Ed. off. Publ., 2019, pp. 34–44.
5. Gzgzyan D. M. Rus’ reshila stat’ preemnitsei Vizantii s chuzhoi podskazki // Ogonek. 2013. no 20. p.32
6. Digilenskii G. G. [“The End of History” or the change of civilizations]. In: Biblioteka Gumer [Humer Library]. Available at: https://www.gumer.info/bibliotek_Buks/History/Article/Dil_KonIst.php (accessed: 19.11.2019).
7. Diehl Ch. Histoire de L’empire byzantin. Paris, 1934 (Russ. ed.: Rogiskaya A. E., transl.; Goryanov B. T. ed. and foreword. Istoriya Vizantiiskoi imperii. Moscow, State Publishing House of Foreign Literature Publ., 1948. 160 p.).
8. Dugin A. G. [The absolute of Byzantism]. In: Dugin A. G. Russkaya veshch’. Ocherki natsional’noi filosofii: v 2 t. T. 1 : v 3 ch. Ch. 1. [Russian thing. Essays on national philosophy: in 2 vols. T. 1: in 3 parts. Part 1]. Мoscow, Arktogeya Publ., 2001. Available at: http://arcto.ru/article/48 (accessed: 10.12.2019).
9. Ivanov A. B. Tretii Rim: Rus’ XIV–XVII vv. [Third Rome: Rus’ XIV–XVII centuries]. Moscow, JSC Book and business Publ., 1996. 126 p.
10. Ivanov S. A. [Second Rome through the eyes of the Third: The evolution of the image of Byzantium in Russian public consciousness: a lecture]. In: Polit.ru. Available at: https://polit.ru/article/2009/04/14/vizant/ (accessed: 08.11.2019).
11. Kantor V. K. [“Moscow – Third Rome”: realities and life of myth]. In: Vestnik Evropy [Bulletine of Europe], 2013, no. 36, pp. 144–152.
12. Kachalova A. [Moscow is the third Rome. 500 years later]. In: Nakanune.ru. Available at: https://www.nakanune.ru/articles/moskva_tretijj_rim (accessed: 08.11.2019).
13. Kiseleva M. S. Uchenie knizhnoe: tekst i kontekst drevnerusskoi knizhnosti [Book doctrine: text and context of Old Russian bookishness]. Moscow, Indrik Publ., 2000. 254 p.
14. Kozhinov V. V. Ot Vizantii do Ordy: istoriya Rusi i russkogo Slova [From Byzantium to the Horde: the history of Russia and the Russian word]. Moscow, Eksmo, Algoritm, 2011. 556 p.
15. Kozlovskaya N. V. [On the problem of the meaning of lexemes Byzantism and Byzantivism]. In: Politicheskaya lingvistika [Political linguistics], 2013, no. 3 (45), pp. 91–98.
16. Leonov S. V. [On the question of the influence of Byzantium on Russian history]. In: Istoricheskii zhurnal: nauchnye issledovaniya [Historical journal: scientific research], 2012, no. 6 (12), pp. 67–76.
17. Lidov A. M. [Emerging Byzantium]. In: Expert Online. Available at: https://expert.ru/expert/2014/23/vsplyivayuschaya-vizantiya/ (accessed: 19.11.2019).
18. Likhacheva V. D. Iskusstvo Vizantii IV–XV vekov [The art of Byzantium of the IV–XV centuries]. Leningrad, Art, Leningrad branch, 1986. 308 p.
19. Meyendorff J. Vizantiya i Moskovskaya Rus’: Ocherk po istorii tserkovnykh i kul’turnykh svyazei v XIV v. [Byzantium and Moscow Rus: An Essay on the History of Church and Cultural Relations in the 14th century]. Paris, YMCA-press Publ., 1990. 442 p.
20. [“Moscow – the Third Rome”: the history of speculation]. In: Arzamas.academy. Available at: https://arzamas.academy/materials/324 (accessed: 10.12.2019).
21. Nefedov S. A. [Reforms of Ivan III and Ivan IV: Ottoman Influence]. In: Voprosy istorii [History issues], 2002, no. 11, pp. 30–53.
22. Norwich J. J. A Short History of Byzantium. A History of Venice (Russ. ed.: Zabilotskii N., et al., transl. Istoriya Vizantii; Istoriya Venetsianskoi respubliki. Moscow, AST, Astrel’ Publ., 2011. 958 p.)
23. Obolensky D. D. The Byzantine Commonwealth. Eastern Europe 500–1453. Six Byzantine Portraits (Russ. ed.: Grizontova A. V., et al., transl. Vizantiiskoe sodruzhestvo natsii. Shest’ vizantiiskikh portretov. Moscow, VRS Publ., 2012. 654 p.)
24. Palamarchuk P. G. Moskva ili Tretii Rim? : Vosemnadtsat’ ocherkov o russkoi istorii i slovesnosti [Moscow or the Third Rome? : Eighteen Essays on Russian History and Literature]. Moscow, Sovremennik Publ., 1991. 363 p.
25. Posadskii S. V. [Russia as the successor of Byzantium: Report of the Center for Humanist Ecology and Culture at a meeting of the Expert Center of the World Russian People’s Cathedral]. In: Vsemirnyi Russkii Narodnyi Sobor [World Russian People’s Cathedral]. Available at: https://vrns.ru/expert-center/4781 (accessed: 19.11.2019).
26. Podskalsky G. Christentum und theologische Literatur in der Kiever Rus’ (988–1237) (Russ. ed.: Nazarenko A. V., transl.; Akent’ev K. K., ed. Khristianstvo i bogoslovskaya literatura v Kievskoi Rusi (988–1237). St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Society of Byzantine-Slavic Studies Publ., 1996. 572 p.)
27. Postol V. I. [To the question of the peculiarities of Russian power: religious ideals and political practices]. In: Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Istoriya [Bulletin of Tomsk State University. History], 2016, no. 2 (40), pp. 68–73.
28. Pochekaev R. Yu. [And again on the question of the action of the Golden Horde legal institutions in Russia]. In: Drevnyaya Rus’: vo vremeni, v lichnostyakh, v ideyakh [Ancient Russia: in time, in personalities, in ideas], 2016, no. 6, pp. 415–457.
29. Pushchaev Yu. [Russia is closely connected with Byzantium, but knows very little about it: Conversation with historian Pavel Kuzenkov]. In: Pravoslavie.ru. Available at: https://pravoslavie.ru/113387.html (accessed: 08.11.2019).
30. Sinitsyna N. V. «Tretii Rim»: istoki i evolyutsiya russkoi srednevekovoi kontseptsii (XV–XVI) [“Third Rome”: the origins and evolution of the Russian medieval concept (XV–XVI)]. Moscow, Indrik Publ., 1998. 410 p.
31. Smirnova I. [Byzantine heritage of Russia]. In: Pemptusiya : sait o Svyatoi Gore, mudrosti i svyatosti [Pemptusiya : site about Holy Mountain, wisdom and holiness]. Available at: https://www.pemptousia.ru/ (accessed: 08.11.2019).
32. Solyanichenko A. N., Sheimerden G. I. [On the question of the influence of the Golden Horde]. In: Istoriya i arkheologiya [History and Archeology], 2014, no. 2 (10). Available at: http://history.snauka.ru/2014/02/864 (accessed: 07.11.2019).
33. Ustyan A. R. Neovizantizm kak evraziiskaya geopoliticheskaya strategiya razvitiya Rossii v XXI veke [Neo-Byzantism as a Eurasian Geopolitical Strategy for the Development of Russia in the XXI Century]. Moscow, International Institute of Social Sciences Publ., 2002. 215 p.
34. Harris J. Byzantium (Russ. ed.: Nartsissova N., transl. Vizantiya: istoriya ischeznuvshei imperii. Moscow, Al’pina non-fiction, 2017. 384 p.).
35. Herrin J. Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire (Russ. ed.: Igorevskii L. A., transl. Vizantiya. Udivitel’naya zhizn’ srednevekovoi imperii. Moscow, Tsentrpoligraf, 2017. 414 p. (Memorialis)).
36. Kholmogorov E. S. [Byzantism as an idea]. In: Viperson.ru. Available at: http://viperson.ru/articles/egor-holmogorov-vizantizm-kak-ideya (accessed: 14.11.2019).
37. Chichurov I. S. Politicheskaya ideologiya srednevekov’ya: Vizantiya i Rus’: k XVIII Mezhdunarodnomu kongressu vizantinistov [The political ideology of the Middle Ages: Byzantium and Russia: to the XVIII International Congress of Byzantinists]. Moscow, Science Publ., 1991. 173 p.
38. Shvaya A. Yu. [The phenomenon of Byzantinism in the political culture of modern Russia]. In: Vlast’ i elity [Power and Elites], 2017, vol. 4, pp. 204–255.