The article is dedicated to highlighting the life path, scientific activity and bibliographic heritage of the outstanding Dutch lawyer, legal theorist, researcher of international law problems Cornelius van Bijnkershoek (a.k.a. Bynkershoek). It is noted that biographical and legal studies are of considerable value among the wide variety of scientific publications of an international legal direction, given that the study of the details of biographies of scientists provides an opportunity to clearly see the factors and the very process of forming their views, to reveal previously hidden facets of scientific creativity and path, which prompts them to pose a new problem, to choose a set of methods for solving it and, as a result, to new knowledge. The article highlights different, sometimes contradictory assessments of the scientific position of C. van Bijnkershoek. One group of researchers considers him a leading representative of the positivist school of international law, which is considered to be quite well-argued. It is shared by foreign researchers, who note that Bijnkershoek not only emphasizes the positive element, but makes it the almost exclusive basis of his work. Other specialists do not agree with this statement, since in his teaching the concept of “reason” acts as a variation of the theory of natural law. It is emphasized that, with certain remarks, C. van Bijnkershoek, among other things, can be considered one of the founders of international legal source studies, because, as can be seen from his works, of all international lawyers of that time, he is probably the first who was probably familiar with the basics of diplomacy, and also widely used the hermeneutic approach not only to court decisions, but also to articles of treaties, as well as written norms of customary law. His works subsequently had a significant impact on the evolution of European and American international legal thought, and future researchers will also repeatedly refer to the scientific heritage of this outstanding jurist. ; У ...