Content's rethinking and meaning of the M. I. Kostomarov's first thesis work "About causes and nature of the Church Union in Western Russia"

Abstract

Kostomarov's scientific activity has begun from the theme of the Church Union of Berestia proclaimed in 1596. Since then began the history of scientific searches of the talented historian, publicist, ethnographer, poet, polemicist and publicman who got a rightfull place in the cultural and scientific expanse of Ukraine only recently. Potential of his work is so inexhaustible that inspite of amount materials devoted to his personalia a lot of problems that were posed by him remained inelaborate. His first thesis work is as an example. We are of the opinion that it is a unique work where an author expounded his views to the meaning of the folk history for the first time, being influenced by the prominent persons of the scientific world thought. The thesis work was forgotten by the scientists undeservedly because of the setted stereotypes in a historiography that refered it to the only one unsuccessful Kostomarov's work.

The object of an article is a content's rethinking and meaning of M.Kostomarov's master thesis work "About reasons and character of the Church Union in Western Russia". It is an important task for us to revise records about de minimis of the master's thesis as a scientific work and to prove originality of the text's subject matter that is entitled to be alongside of the other author's accepted works. It is also necessary to determinate actual reasons of the master's thesis work liquidation, its content's analysing and concern of the thesis work.

While analysing the content's thesis work we have found how the historian's scientific opinion became and disclosed his views' novelty. Also his retirement from the scientific standards of the problem's vision were closely associated with the official Russian historical doctrine. Political-ideological reasons gave rise for liquidation of the first author's scientific work.

The Church Union of Berestia was the event werethrought an author disclosed the importance of religious aspect for historical science as the event of religious trend that caused radical changes in society's life. It is of interest that not only historical, political and social factors were examined by an author in union's history but he also added psychological and binded them with a mental unicity of the Ukrainian ethnos where nationality and religiousness are identical concepts. Only through a random coincidence the first Kostomarov's thesis work has been ignored by modernity scientists and it orientation on union has denied. In this research we were trying not only to prove work's historical value of the prominent historian but also value and unicity of the content-related filling for theological opinion of Ukraine.