Book chapter
Андрей Боголюбский: "первый великоросс"
In book
It is known that Old Rusian chronicles were not only extended, but also inetnsively edited by the newcoming generations of bookmen. Usually the reasons for editing of text are searched amongst the political circumstances of the time. However, changing approaches to actual theological questions could also be the cause of text evolution. One of such was the question of the nature of suffering, on which there existed at least two views — the one of the author of so-called Načalnyj Svod of the 1090ies, and the outher of the author of Pověst Vremennykh Lět.
Reconstruction of the 11th century Rusian chronicles is a classic problem of russian history soucre studies. It can't be solved with traditional methods of source analysis such as manuscript comparison, palaeographic or codicological studies as no chronicle manuscripts of 11th century remain nowadays. There are some alternative approaches proposed in special literature, eg. analysis of contradictions in chronicle texts and chronological systems analysis, but these also aren't effective enough. However, lexicological and stylistic studies of the chronicle text allow us to make some non-trivial conclusions. Apparently our knowledge of Primary Chronicle textual history may be extended only if we use the interdisciplinary approach combining methods of history with methods of philology and liguistics.
During the lecture, Donoso analyses the political philosophy of Plato and L. G. A. de Bonald, proving that both philosophers, with all their differences, created in general the similar “theory of despotism”. Criticising Plato and Bonald from a liberal position, Donoso opposes Enlightenment concept of freedom to their understanding of power as being despotic, and the liberal-bourgeois notion of the individual as reasonable man — to their knowledge of the state as the absolute one. The lecture is analysed in the broad context of the political struggle between the liberal-conservative wing of the moderados party and its opponents on the left (progressists) and on the right (the Carlists). The author proves that some of the opinions expressed by Donoso, who in the second half of the 1830s was at the liberal-conservative stage of his ideological evolution, later will change. In particular, his attitude towards Plato and L. G. A de Bonald will become positive, and a shift in emphasis will be made in the interpretation of G. Vico’s works. Meanwhile, the others (his driven by geopolitical reasons hostility to Russia, his desire to put up the “Anglo-Saxon race” against it, etc.), on the contrary, will only get further development. As a result, the Donoso’s lecture acquires the unique conceptual and theoretical sounding, thereby demonstrating that the political philosophy of Spanish liberal conservatism is an integral part of the all-European one.
Article deals with the Povest' Vremennykh Let article for the year 6615 (A.D. 1107). A possible interpolation in the primary chronilce text is found.
Primary Rusian Chronicle's notices on what is now called Western Europe and Catholic church can be divided into three groups. The first one (which can be traced back to the first half — middle of the 11th century) shows the awareness of the differences between two existing christian confessions, the second one (which most likely belongs to the so-called Načalnyj svod) is fiiled with hatred to the western neighbours, whlie the third one (corresponding to the Povest' Vremennykh Lět) shows that a kind of reconciliation was achieved and the christianity was understood by the chroniclers of the epoch as if it hadn´t ever divided.
The book is a publication of a full text of M.Kh. Aleshkovskiy’s candidate of sciences (PhD) thesis defended in 1967 and previously available only in a shortened popular edition.