Caution (polemical work)

“Caution” ( Ukrainian Perestoroga ) is an anonymous anti-Uni’at treatise of 1605 , whose authorship is attributed to the Western Russian church leader Job Boretsky or the leader of Lviv’s Assumption fraternity Yury Rogatinets . "Caution", which arose under the influence of the writings of John Vyshensky , is a vivid example of polemical literature and Western Russian literature of the early 17th century .

At the beginning of the work, the author defines the purpose of his work in detail: caution the co-religionists so that they do not betray their faith. Having cited the arguments of the Uniates, by which they justify their act, the author proceeds to the actual historical presentation. The author sees the main reasons for the political and church crisis in Western Russia in the lack of education of the masses, without which the treasures of the Byzantine-Russian book wisdom lie a dead weight in libraries. The author tells about the history of the conclusion of the Brest Union , about the treacherous activities of the bishops, who retreated from Orthodoxy and submitted to the Pope for the sake of their interests, vanity and greed. The work reveals the details of the struggle against the offensive of Uniatism and Catholicism, as well as the policies of Polish gentry. Among other things, the charge is being filed against the Uniate bishops of Terletsky and Potia for the murder of an Orthodox priest.

Metropolitan Michael Rogoza is also satirically depicted as a two-faced and cunning secret agent of Rome and loyal subject to the Polish king. The main light figure of the “Cautions” is Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky , the founder of Orthodox printing houses and educational institutions. The author has a negative attitude both to Catholicism in general and to the Pope in particular. Pope is denied the status of the High Shepherd, he is described as a torturer, tyrant, antichrist, and Satan. Showing the results of the union, the author presents several colorful paintings of mass repression and persecution. Turning to the past, internecine strife was condemned, leading to the decline of South Russia.