At present, a fairly extensive historical literature has emerged devoted to the themes of the Brest Council of 1596 and subsequent events, the main characters, the struggle between the Uniates and the Orthodox, etc. At the same time, the perspective of historical research does not include consideration of the very principle of union as a way to achieve the unity of Christians. The study addresses the problem of union as a factor complicating dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. It seems relevant to consider how, in modern conditions, the union affects interfaith contacts. This topic is especially important in the context of understanding the revival of religious life in Belarus and the reflection of Belarusian society on the religious component of national identity. Also, research on this topic is updated in the light of the crisis in the institutional Orthodox­Catholic dialogue. As a result of theological dialogue at the end of the 20th – beginning of the 21st centuries. The churches made a retrospective analysis of the union and concluded that the given formula of the union does not provide the results that the confessions strive for in relation to each other. Despite decades of intensive dialogue and the adoption of common theological conclusions, the problem of union was not completely overcome.

Theoretical foundations for the development of the functional capabilities of a comprehensive assessment of the quality of the natural environment surrounding a person by including aesthetic criteria in its structure are studied. The dilemma of the beautiful and the useful is considered in the context of a retrospective consideration of the approaches to the problem of the philosophers I. Kant, Socrates, a conceptual appeal is made to the opinion of Ch. Darwin regarding the functions of the beautiful in nature. The problem of adapting aesthetic criteria to traditional evaluation systems is analyzed, the applied viability of environmental evaluation is substantiated if it is based on the recognition of the functional significance of beautiful or ugly in the natural environment. Aesthetic criteria in a comprehensive assessment of the quality of the environment act as an indicator of the level of aesthetic comfort of living conditions. They are based both on the emotional and sensory perception of a natural object, and on the rational awareness of its functional and applied viability. Emotionally positive or emotionally negative design of environmental assessment is of a normative nature, can be expressed in points, the system of which can be conditionally reflected in the socio-ecological concept of “aesthetic comfort”. It is concluded that this approach will ensure the functional viability of the criteria, and, therefore, make them practically in demand in the procedure for a comprehensive assessment of the quality of the natural habitat surrounding a person.

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of house-building in the second quarter of the first millennium AD in the Lower Sozh region. Particular attention is paid to the formation of the tradition of constructing semi-dugout buildings with a central support pillar, further development and regional peculiarities of house-building in the third quarter of the first millennium AD.

The article reveals the importance of comparative study of two or more languages at different levels in order to establish similarities and differences in their systems. It is noted that this kind of research today is one of the priority areas of modern linguistics, the most universal way of studying linguistic phenomena, which allows obtaining valuable results regarding the specifics of the compared languages (both related and unrelated) as a whole and each language separately, which may go unnoticed during intralinguistic study. The importance of a systematic comparative study of the modern Russian and Belarusian languages at the morphemic level is explained, and the importance of using contrastive analysis in its implementation is noted. Attention is focused on the need to create a lexicographic manual, in which will represent the morphemic structures Russian and Belarusian correlates belonging to such grammatical categories as noun, adjective, verb and adverb, will show the complete correspondences of the morpheme compositions of Russian and Belarusian correlates of the named parts speech, and also demonstrate the types of interlingual differences in their morpheme structures.

The cognitive construct “homeland”, which is important for self-identification and socialization of a linguistic personality, has been studied. A discourse analysis of microphone folders and video recordings of Belarusian television programs from 1956 to 1995 was conducted. To reconstruct the extralinguistic context, unstructured and in-depth interviews were conducted with the creators of the programs. The process of semantic and syntactic construction of the cognitive metaphor “The Soviet Union (goal) is the Homeland (source)” is shown. A change has been established in the terms “family” and “land” of the source area when they are projected onto the target area.

It is  concluded  that  the  concept  of  “homeland”  explicates  a  pragmatic  component  associated  with  introspection of the immanent interaction of a linguistic personality with the natural environment and critical understanding of experience. The evolution of syntactic macrostructures of discourse from the image of a global nation to a geographical place as a historical landmark is revealed. The weakening of the communicative role of recognition episodes, the presentation of Soviet specialists and public figures as world-famous Soviet songs, the increase in the frequency of using retrospective scenes, newsreels, and live interviews have been determined. The displacement of the leitmotif of the Globe in the discourse by the image of the house and the associated culture-specific images of the Tree of Eternity and the Stork Man is shown.

The article examines the creative activity of the undeservedly forgotten poets of Western Belarus Piotr Sakol, Аnna Novik and Anatoly Biarozka, who have a prominent place in the history of national literature of the XXth century. Based on an in-depth analysis of the problematic and thematic content and poetic and stylistic features of collections of poems and specific works, the author notes the embodiment of the idea of continuity of national historical experience and traditions in the artistic discourse of P. Sakol, which developed in line with the national-revival romantic style movement of Western Belarusian literature, folk and patriotic didactics of the poet, glorification of the heroism of social and patriotic activity, national liberation struggle, romantic energy of insubordination and protest. The author emphasizes the objective nature of phenomena and processes, usually associated with a specific chronotope, the lyrical-dramatized nature of the imagery, the tension of the poetic-style structure, thick syntax of poems by А. Novik. The artistic heritage of A. Biarozka emphasizes the fertilization of the creative act by religious and Christian principles and values, the aestheticization of phenomena and processes, the affirmation of the spiritual fullness of life, the lyrical hero’s focus on the sphere of metaphysical, ideal essences, etc.

The article is devoted to understanding how Russian writers, who defend the freedom and intrinsic value of art in their literary criticism (А. Fet, A. Druzhinin, N. Minsky, D. Merezhkovsky, V. Bryusov, A. Blok, Ellis, D. Burliuk, Tsvetaeva, Zamyatin, A. Voronsky, L. Lunts, V. Nabokov, N. Ulyanov, E. Kropivnitsky, A. Sinyavsky, S. Dovlatov), interpret the reasons for the utilitarian approach to literature. It is shown that the designated artists in words reveal a wide range of motives for a pragmatic view of artistic creativity. The heterogeneity of these motives is noted from the point of view of the utilitarian writer’s goal, external circumstances, object of influence, and the degree of independence in choosing the pragmatic path in literature. Specific national arguments in favor of utilitarianism considered by apologists for the idea of self­sufficiency and independence of art are highlighted. The motives of the activity of the utilitarian writers which evoke sympathy and respect among a number of representatives of Russian literature who defend the autonomy of art are outlined. The existence of such situations in public life is indicated, which supporters of freedom and the intrinsic value of art consider as conditions justifying and even making necessary the choice of a utilitarian approach to literature and literary criticism.

. The article reveals the concept of financial activity in the context of the neoclassical theory of finance. The author proposes his vision of this activity on the basis of the economic concept of finance. According to this concept, financial activity refers to economic (business) activity, in connection with which the author identifies the signs of the latter. In conclusion it is argued that it is the activity for management of property condition of its subject. Continuing the thought from the general to the particular, the author comes to the conclusion that financial activity is the activity of managing the monetary (financial) condition of its subject, including the management of financial property (conducting financial transactions) and financial risk management. At the same time, the author compares the obtained scientific results with the known conceptual provisions on financial activity. An explanation of financial transactions is given, by which it is proposed to understand the actions of an economic entity leading to the desired change in its financial assets and (or) financial debts. It is noted that financial activity is inseparably connected with financial services. It is divided into types like economy; therefore, it can be public and private. The justification of private financial activities outside fiscal relations is given.

The relevance of the development of a new direction of Belarusian-Russian economic cooperation in the field of using natural gas as a motor fuel has been determined. The state of the gas motor fuel (GMF) market in Belarus is considered; based on the results of the survey, problems and main limitations in this area are identified. The feasibility of developing state strategic documents (concepts, programs) in order to stimulate the use of gas fuel in Belarus and in the future to form a unified gas fuel market of the Union State is shown. The main provisions of the promising Belarusian model for the formation of the gas motor fuel market are substantiated, including: the principle of stages, starting with the implementation of the competitive advantages of Belarus in this area and ensuring the interconnection of all structural elements of the market; sectoral approach to the use of gas turbine engines in individual vehicle segments; creating conditions for positioning Belarus as an incubator and technical and economic testing ground in the region for the development and implementation of new technologies in the use of hydrocarbons; implementation of various pilot projects, demonstration zones, feasibility testing sites as growth points in this area; launching mechanisms for market self-development of the gas transportation sector at the level of owners of personal vehicles; measures to form a unified market for gas motor fuel of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. A conclusion is drawn about the potential environmental and economic effects of the use of natural gas as a motor fuel in Belarus in certain transport segments where the use of electric transport is technologically impossible or economically ineffective.