The All-Russian scientific and practical conference on canon law “Justinian Readings” took place at the Moscow Theological Academy

On November 27, 2023, the IV All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference “Justinian Readings” took place at the Moscow Theological Academy. The annual conference was held on the memory day of saint Byzantine emperor Justinian, a patron of canon law and a church hymnographer. This year topic was the «Autocephaly as a canonical norm and historical practice (to the 575th anniversary of the establishment of autocephaly of the Russian Orthodox Church)».

Archpriest Vadim Suvorov, Dr. of Theology, Rector of the Kolomna Theological Seminary, opened the conference with his report on “The right to independently prepare holy myrrh as a sign of autocephaly,” which examined current church issues.

Professor Oleg Germanovich Ulyanov, Dr. of Historical Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts and the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, presented a report on the XI and CXXXI short stories of St. Emperor Justinian on autocephaly pointing out the attention of researchers to their influence on the Canon law.

The report analyzed the novellas of Emperor Justinian I that were fundamental to Canon law such as a novella XI “On the Privileges of Archbishop Justinian Prima,” published on April 13, 535, and a novella CXXXI, “On Church Titles and Privileges,” published on March 18, 545.

Based on the rules of the Second and Fourth Ecumenical Councils, Emperor Justinian I affirms the “political” principle of the primacy opposed to the “apostolic” principle, which was adhered to the Roman pontiffs, especially since the time of St. Leo the Great.

As the report shows, novels XI and CXXXI of Emperor Justinian I had a decisive influence on Canon law during the creation of later legislative codes, such as τὰ Βασιλικά. These short stories in the “Basilik” version were updated after the year 1204, as can be judged from the polemics of the Ohrid Archbishop Demetrius II Chomatian with the Patriarch of Nicaea Germanus II.

Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, PhD in Theology, Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the External Church Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, a doctoral student at the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after. St. Cyril and Methodius, presented a report on “The attitude of the Moscow Patriarchate to the autonomy of the Finnish Orthodox Church and inter-church contacts in the 1960s - early 1970s according to church sources.”

Hegumen Dionysius (Shlenov), Abbot of the Moscow St. Andrew's Monastery, Head of the Graduate School of the Moscow Theological Academy, Professor at the Theology Department, PhD in Theology, in his speech reviewed the interpretations of Theodore Balsamon on the 17th and 19th rules of the Trullo Council and on the 10th rule of the VII Ecumenical Council.

Archpriest Alexander Zadornov, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Theological Work, Head of the Department of Church and Practical Disciplines of the Moscow Theological Academy, gave a report on “Legal Hermeneutics and Canonical Commentary”.

There was a group of canonists, who represented the Kazan Orthodox Theological Seminary at the conference. Andrei Yuryevich Mikhailov, Associate Professor of the Department of General and Church History of the Kazan Orthodox Theological Seminary, PhD in Historical Sciences, gave a report on “The concept of “autocephaly” in the works of the Kazan scientific school of church law”. He noted that the Kazan scientific school of canonists (I.S. Berdnikov, F.A. Kurganov , V.V. Kolokoltsev, M.P. Cheltsov) developed the “autocephaly” concert in terms of the Synodal period using the example of the Balkan states (Serbia, Greece, Romania). 

Priest Nikita Kuznetsov, First Vice-rector, Associate Professor at the Department of Liturgical and Canonical disciplines of the Kazan Orthodox Theological Seminary, gave a report on “Church autocephaly and state sovereignty: statement of the problem and the relationship of concepts.”

Deacon Andrey Zotin, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the Kazan Orthodox Theological Seminary, PhD in Theology, considered the topic of conciliar legitimation of the autocephaly of the Romanian Church in the works of Kazan canonists.

The report examined the process of “conciliar legitimation”. It was studied on the example of the Romanian Church in the XIX century and the works of Kazan canonists. 

Yulia Vladimirovna Erokhina, Head of the Center for Law and Culture Research, Head of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law at the Faculty of Law of the State Academic Humanitarian University, PhD in Law, gave a report on “Cultural adaptation” through the prism of Ukrainian autocephaly: semiotic-legal analysis”. 

Natalia Sergeevna Semenova, Associate Professor at the Department of Church-Practical Disciplines of the Moscow Theological Academy, PhD in Law, gave her report on “Main types of legal status of the Russian Orthodox Church in the states of the post-Soviet environment”. 

Associate Professor Priest Vitaly Kollantay, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at the Tomsk Theological Seminary, PhD in Law, gave a report “On the distinctive features of the legal status of a clergyman as a subject of civil legal relations in modern Russia”. The speaker told about the structure of the legal status of a clergyman mentioning the special legal capacity that the clergyman acquires in the Priesthood and the legal immunity or, so called, the safety of special rights of its bearer.

At the second section of the conference, Protodeacon Vladimir Vasilik, Dr. of Historical Sciences, PhD in Theology, PhD in Philological Sciences, Professor of the St. Petersburg State University, Professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, gave a report on “The Orthodox Emperor through the eyes of a Monophysite: the image of Emperor Justinian in the chronicle of John Nikius”.  

Priest John Kechkin, Associate Professor at the Department of Church History of the Moscow Theological Academy, PhD in Theology, gave a report “On the issue of canonization of the North African saints of the undivided Church”. He analyzed the possibility of including North African saints of the undivided Church in the Orthodox Church Menology.

Dmitry Vladimirovich Voluzhkov, Secretary of the Barsov Society, Director of the Publishing House of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, gave a report on the “Problematic aspects in the activities of the Barsov Society of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. At the end of January 2024, the society will reach its fifth anniversary, which ia the right occasion to sum up results and indicate some problematic areas for further development.

Today, the best published directions are “Church Law and Ancient Rus'” (coordinator – Dr. of Historical Sciences P.I. Gaidenko); “Church Law: Theory and History” (coordinator – Dr. of Legal Sciences Yu.V. Ospennikov); “Church Court: History and Modernity” (coordinator – Dr. of Legal Sciences A.A. Dorskaya).

A gradually emerging direction is the study of Church Law in general and in the Soviet period, including issues of teaching Canon law in the theological schools at that time.

Pavel Ivanovich Gaidenko, Chairman of the editorial board of the "Palaeorosiya" journal, a member of the Barsov Society of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Professor at the Department of Historical sciences and Archival science of the Moscow State Linguistic University, Professor at the History Department of the Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. Bauman, Associate Professor, Dr. of Historical Sciences, gave a report ““Do not kill to death”: on corporal punishment in the Church (experience of the commentary on the 7th recommendation of the Canonical Answers of Metropolitan John II)”.

Gleb Andreevich Zhevlakov, a lawyer of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary, a teacher of the discipline “Fundamentals of Law in the Kazakhstan Republic” gave a report on the “Analysis of changes in the Kazakh legislation regulating the registration procedures of religious organizations”.

Ksenia Olegovna Polezhaeva, a postgraduate student at the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Sts Cyril and Methodius, considered the 72nd and 73rd apostolic rules as special norms for qualifying an act as sacrilege in the terms of Canon Law of the Orthodox Church.

Egine Ashotovna Yasoyan (RSUH, WWU Münster) gave a report on “The issue of the rights and privileges of the Catholicoses of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the politics of the Russian Empire at the beginning of the XIX century based on the “Regulations on the management of the affairs of the Armenian Gregorian Church in Russia”.

Reports presented at the conference will be published in the scientific journal “Praxis” of the Moscow Theological Academy.

MThA Press Office