The book by S. Was built in the frames of the conventional historical and theological approach. It was opened with a vast text on the biography of Bessarion (1403-1472), a learnt Greek, and one of the architects of the Union of 1439, and the description of his activity at the Council of Florence. The second chapter was on the dogmatic and polemic compositions by Bessarion. In the third one, the author considered great works by that humanist and philologist. Finally, the fourth chapter was a survey of the activity of Bessarion as cardinal.

The book manifests the best features of the academic school of the nineteenth century: the abundance of gathered and studied sources, the attention to details, and the fundamental approach.