Four Issues of "Praxis" Journal for 2024 Have Been Published
The Moscow Theological Academy Publishing House has completed its work on the 2024 issues of "Praxis", the academic journal of the MThA Department of Church-Practical Disciplines. The materials from four issues (No. 1 (14) – 4 (17)) are now available to readers. The journals cover a wide range of topics related to practical theology and jurisprudence, including canon law, liturgics, pastoral theology, Church history, and related disciplines.
In the first issue of the journal (No. 1 (14)) for 2024, the editor-in-chief, Archpriest Alexander Zadornov, who also heads the MThA Department of Church-Practical Disciplines, emphasizes in his foreword the importance of revitalizing legal culture and overcoming the extremes of legal nihilism and legalism. The issue includes studies on the history of teaching canon law at the Kazan Theological Academy, the legal status of religious organizations of the Russian Orthodox Church, a methodology for teaching the basics of Russian law as a propaedeutic course for church law, and the first part of a study on the practice of episcopal transfers in the Church of Greece. The issue also features materials from the IV Justinian Readings on legal hermeneutics and student papers.
The second issue (No. 2 (15)) continues the series of articles on the practice of episcopal transfers in the Church of Greece and the history of canon law in the Kazan Theological Academy. In the foreword, the editor-in-chief, drawing on the ideas of Carl Schmitt, reflects on the fate of the Christian world and its missionary calling. The issue also contains materials from the IV Justinian Readings, which examine the legal status of the Russian Orthodox Church in post-Soviet states, and student research on topics such as the concept of oikonomia, the status of clergy in labor relations, the ROC's relationship with heterodox confessions, and the role of episcopal assemblies.
The third issue (No. 3 (16)) opens with a foreword by the editor-in-chief, noting the increased interest in canon law and the need to continue research even in seemingly well-studied areas. The issue presents articles on the legal regulation of missionary activity and cultural policy in Russia, and a continuation of the study on episcopal transfers in the Church of Greece and the academic research of canon law students at the Kazan Theological Academy. The publications section features works by Bishop Nicodim (Milash) on marriage and Archpriest Vladislav Tsypin on celibacy. Student papers cover the powers of the episcopate in the Early Church and the legal status of military clergy.
The fourth issue (No. 4 (17)), which concludes the annual cycle, focuses on the importance of the volitional aspect in establishing law and legal consciousness, as noted by Archpriest Alexander Zadornov in the foreword. The issue includes articles on the work of composer A.A. Arkhangelsky and the problem of episcopal transfers in the works of Russian canonists of the Synodal period. The publications section features an article on the problems of sources of canon law, based on materials from the V Justinian Readings. Master's and postgraduate studies touch upon canons regulating the relationship between Church and state, the ROC's position on abortion restrictions, the legal status of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, and the issue of the canonization of Western saints.
The editorial board of "Praxis" invites readers to explore these new studies and expresses hope that they will be beneficial for the development of church scholarship.
The full texts of all articles from the 2024 issues of "Praxis" are available for review on the official website of the Moscow Theological Academy in the "Publishing" section at the following link: https://publishing.mpda.ru/index.php/praxis/issue/archive.
MThA Press Office