Religious Controversy in Vasyl Surazhsky’s «Book in Six Chapters»: New Motives and Old Prejudices

Abstract

The study of «The Book in Six Chapters» in the context of texts and phenomena of the Renaissance, Reformation, and Counter-Reformation shows that it was dependent on the atmosphere of changes that prevailed at the time. The Jesuit authors’ historical excursions into the Church’s past and the course of the councils seem to have a broader connotation. The appeal to the grievances and the influence of the Roman pontiffs during the councils testified to the growing importance of public debate and the revival of political life. At the same time, the importance of documents and legal practices, which were also evident in the testimonies of past events, increased. Vasyl Surazhsky tried to respond to such challenges by looking for counter-arguments and sources to counter his Catholic and Protestant opponents. The most significant was his creation of the concept of Jerusalem as the centre of Christendom, the source of faith, and faith. Jerusalem was designated as the symbolic centre of Christianity in the face of the decline of Constantinople. Surazhsky developed the criticisms of the Latins, accusing them of Jewish influences. The influence of the Reformation on the religious controversy by Surazhsky is also researched. The use of iconographic materials to study the treatises of Ukrainian authors, which reflects the peculiarities of the Orthodox doctrine, seems fruitful.