Perhaps because we were reading this text after reading lives of saints, but I was surprised at the distinct lack of Christian imagery, which I was expecting because of the nation’s recent (or at least Kiev’s) baptism. Going through I could only count a few times where “God” was mentioned, and even so there was no reference to Jesus or the Holy spirit. Instead the text seemed rooted in naturalistic spiritual forces, those which would reflect the old pagan Gods. This is pure speculation, but perhaps due to this being an oral story originally, one which is unclear of whether it originates from the capital center, this could reflect a different religious sentiment of those who told it than the official government Christian decree.
Regardless, at the end “God shows the way to Igor, the way from Kuman land, to the Russian land,” but instead of calling upon God earlier in the epic for guidance or strength it seems instead the text is obsessed with underlying, unchristian, natural forces. This text under any examination is not Christian.
Good points about the surprising lack of Christian imagery in this epic, about 2 centuries after the baptism of Rus! We’ll discuss this in class. However, what do you mean by the “capital center” or the “official government”? Please refer to the history textbook in order to understand the fractured and fragmented nature of the various Kievan principalities, who warred among each other–this is exactly what the Igor Tale is lamenting. We cannot speak of “government” or “capital” in any meaningful way in this period.