On church law, divine right and the principle of legality: round table of the Barsov society, September 29, 2023

The article presents some materials of the round table devoted to the 170th anniversary of awarding the degree of Doctor of Theology to Bishop John (Sokolov; 1818-1869) for his research “The Experience of Church Law Making”, which took place on September 29, 2023 at St. Petersburg Theological Academy. The event was held by the Barsov Society for the Study of Church Law of St. Petersburg Theological Academy of the Russian Orthodox Church. The introductory theses of the moderator D. V. Voluzhkov, as well as comments made by the panelists are presented in full. It is shown that of the range of issues presented for discussion, the researchers focused their attention on the two main ones - Divine right and the principle of legality. The conclusion is made that the round table turned out to be a powerful impetus for revitalization of scientific discussion on the issues that had not previously been brought up for discussions of the Barsov Society in such scope and depth.