Church law: in search of methods and perspectives. Response to the article by Y. V. Ospennikov “Relevant problems of studying church law (intermediate results of the work of the Barsov society)”

The article is a response to the publication by Y. V. Ospennikov in No. 1 for 2023 of the journal “Khristianskoye Chteniye” (“Christian Reading”), devoted to the results of the work of the T. V. Barsov Society for the Study of Church Law of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy of the Russian Orthodox Church (Barsov Society). Y. V. Ospennikov’s view of the projects and discussions within the framework of the activities of the Barsov Society allows us to get a quite clear picture not only of the work of this scientific group, but also of the state of the science of church law in general. In this connection a number of observations and judgments are offered both about the activities of the Barsov Society and Y. V. Ospennikov’s article, and about contemporary problems in the study of church (canonical) law.