Századok – 2012
KÖZLEMÉNYEK - Fazekas Csaba: Katolikus egyháztörténet-írók plágiumvitája 1841-ben VI/1377
KATOLIKUS EGYHÁZTÖRTÉNETÍRÓK PLÁGIUMVITÁJA 1841-BEN 1399 ben emlékezett meg, eljárása indoklásaként pedig, hogy miért mellőzte tanulmányában tudatosan A magyar egyház története méltatását, így írt: „ámbár nagy anyagot ad következetes szerkezeti keretben, már megjelenésekor nem felelt meg a tudományos igényeknek, és nyelve csikorgóan nehézkes".5 0 Összességében Cherrier egyszerűen nem tudott olyan színvonalú egyháztörténetet művelni, amely méltó lett volna az utókor emlékezetére. A latin nyelvű monográfiájával kapcsolatos plágiumvita azonban aligha rontott ezen a helyzeten, túlzottan hamar feledésbe merült. DEBATE OF PLAGIARISM AMONG CATHOLIC HISTORIANS IN 1841 by Csaba Fazekas (Summary) The present study summarises the events and lessons of the first public debate of plagiarism in Hungarian historiography. Miklós János Cherrier, Catholic priest and historian, published in 1840-1841 his universal ecclesiastical histoiy in Latin, which was then accused by another priestly historian, Ignác Udvardy, of having been compiled from two other monographies and published under the name of Cherrier. The latter not simply copied, but rather changed the words in the sentences transcribed for synonyms, in a way that the original sentences remained clearly recognisable. Udvardy thought that the case was detrimental not only to the authors concerned, but also to Hungarian scientific research and the Catholic Church in general. Cherrier tried in a leaflet to clear himself of the accusations, but with limited success. He chose the solution of discrediting his critic, arguing that no case of plagiarism can be maintained unless „all the words are identical". The case was reflected upon by others in independent leaflets, which, besides condemning the plagiarism in moral terms, demonstrated in two-column texts the borrowings of Cherrier. The passionate debate had been appeased by early in 1842, mainly because of the death of László Vass. The debate illustrates perfectly the shift of paradigm which then took place with regard to copyrights. Whereas the medieval chroniclers used the works of their predecessors without legal and moral scruples, the modern concept and regulation of copyright had barely emerged by the first half of the 19th centuiy. The reception of Cherrier's procedure seems to prove that the basic professional and moral requirements of scientific research and publication, which are generaly acknowledged today, had already emerged by the 1840s. 50 Vanyó Tihamér: Nemzeti egyháztörténet-írásunk. Teljesítmények és föladatok. Századok, 1986. 3. sz. 678-705., 685.
