In memory of A.S. Pavlova

The Moscow Society of Lovers of Spiritual Enlightenment has suffered a heavy loss in the person of its recently deceased member, Emeritus Ordinary Professor of the Imperial Moscow University, Alexei Stepanovich Pavlov. A native of distant Siberia (the son of the clerk of the Tomsk diocese), A. S. Pavlov was born in 1832. He received his education first at a famous theological school, then successively at the Tobolsk Theological Seminary and at the Kazan Academy, where he graduated in 1858 as the first master, receiving this academic degree for his course essay on schism - “On the origin, development and significance of the moral life of the schismatics of the doctrine of the Antichrist" (part of it was published in the Orthodox Sobes. for 1858, vol. II, pp. 138 and 263). On August 11 of the same year, he was appointed teacher of general and Russian church history at the Kazan Theological Seminary, but served here only until December 30, when the local academic Board decided to transfer him to the Academy as a bachelor in the department of liturgics and canons. In January 1859, Alexey Stepanovich began his readings at the Academy, which immediately drew attention to the young teacher and made his sciences, which had hitherto not received special attention among academic listeners, one of the most interesting and beloved. The teacher himself paid the greatest attention to the second of the named sciences, and in it mainly to the study of monuments of ancient Russian church law, for the study of which the rich handwritten library of the Solovetsky Monastery, recently transferred to the Kazan Academy, was especially convenient. In 1863, according to the new university charter, the department of church law was opened at Kazan University and A.S., who by that time had already established himself with several published works, was invited to occupy this department. In February 186I the transition of Al took place. He entered the university with the rank of associate professor, and in 1867, upon returning from a trip abroad (where he was sent in 1865 by the university for a year), he was already made an extraordinary professor. In the “Scientific Notes” of Kazan University, during his service here A. S-cha, he published several works on church law, and among them such a valuable contribution to this science as “The Original Slavic-Russian Nomocanon” - a study that shed light on the original history of our Slavic Helmsman. In 1869, A. S. Pavlov moved, with the rank of ordinary professor, to the department of church law at Novorossiysk University, where he served for about six years, at the same time being for some time the dean of the law faculty and editing the university “Notes”, in which he published, among other things, his “Historical Essay on the Secularization of Church Lands in Russia” and the famous “Nomocanon at the Great Trebnik”, which contained contains the Greek text of this monument, hitherto unknown to science and which made the name of prof. Pavlov is famous even among foreign scholars of the law of the Greek-Eastern Church. From Odessa A.S. moved to Moscow, occupying here, from June 1875, the same university department of church law, vacated after the death of Professor N.K. Sokolov. At the university service in Moscow A.S. remained until the end of his life, from 1884, with the rank of emeritus professor, still continuing to work tirelessly for the benefit of his science. The largest part of his scientific works dates back to this time, the most important of which were the extensive collection of “Monuments of Ancient Russian Canon Law of the 11th-15th centuries,” a study on the 50th chapter of the Helmsman and a new, from beginning to end revised, edition of the Nomocanon under B. Trebnik (M. 1897). This edition of the Nomocanon represents the last, dying work of the deceased scientist. In its entirety, the forty-year scientific and literary activity of A. S. Pavlov (which began in 1858) was expressed in a long series of printed works - publications of monuments, studies and articles that brought the name of their author great fame in the academic world and the reputation of “one of the best experts on canon law in modern Europe.” Only a small part of his earliest work relates to other areas of scientific knowledge. These are his articles: “The origin of the schismatic teaching about the Antichrist” (Right. Sob. 1858, vol. II, pp. 138 and 262, - the first printed work of A. S-ch), “Ancient Russian Easter for the eighth thousand years” (ibid., 1860, vol. III, p. 331), “Holy Week” and “The Feast of Pentecost (Spirit. Conversation, 1860, No. 14), “Zemstvo (folk public) direction of Russian spiritual writing in the 16th century.” (Orthodox Sobes., 1863, vol. I, p. 295; vol. II, p. 364) and several ancient Russian church-historical monuments published by him (in Orthodox Sobes. 1861–1864) and schismatic spiritual poems (in the collection of Varentsov, and in the Chronicle of Russian literature, and ancient N. Tikhonravov, 1863, vol. V, pp. 80–84, etc.). Here we also need to add from a later time: “Critical experiments on the history of the ancient Greek-Russian polemics against the Latins” (St. Petersburg, 1878, p. 4 + N210), - an extensive review of the book by A. Popov, compiled on behalf of the Academy of Sciences and expanded into a whole independent study on the named subject, a historical essay “On the beginning of the Galician and Lithuanian Metropolis” (Russian Review, 1894, May) and two or three more small articles. Everything else that came from the pen of A. S. Pavlov belongs to the field of canons and represents either independent, high-quality, scientific works, mainly on the development of monuments of Russian church law, or critical works caused by other people's research, and making precious additions or amendments to their scientific results. Among the works of the first kind, in addition to the above-mentioned studies on the original Slavic-Russian nomocanon (published in the Academic Zap. Kaz. Univ. for 1869, appendix, pp. 1–100) and on the history of the secularization of church lands (in the Western Zap. Novoross. Univ., vol. VII and separately, - Odessa 1871) and in addition to the already known to us editions of the Nomocanon under B. Trebnik (ibid., vol. VIII and separately, - Odessa 1872) and monuments of ancient Russian church law (VI volume. Russian. Ist. Books, St. Petersburg, 1880), the articles belong: “About the Helmsman of the Monk, - Prince Vassiav Patrikeev” (Teaching Zap. Kaz. Union., 1864, vol. I, p. 489), “Personal relations of spouses according to Greco-Roman law” (ibid., 1865, p. 89), “On the participation of the laity in the affairs of the Church from the point of view of Orthodox canon law” (ibid., 1866, p. 481), “Punitive list according to Stoglav" (Zap. Novor. Univ., 1873, vol. IX), "Excerpts of the Greek text of the canonical answers of M. John II (Notes of the Imperial Academic Sciences. 1873, vol. XXII, appendix No. 5), "The most remarkable Greek manuscripts of canonical content in the Moscow Synodal (formerly Patriarchal) library" (Zap. Novor. Univ., vol. XIII, p. 144), “Law books containing, in ancient Russian translation, Byzantine agricultural, criminal, marriage and judicial laws” (Collected department of Russian language and words. Imp. Acad. Sciences, vol. XXXVIII, No. 3), “Unpublished monument of church law of the 12th century.” (J. M. N. Pr. 1890, Oct.), a number of unpublished monuments of Byzantine church law, printed. to Byzantium. Vremennik for 1894–96, etc. The second category, critical works, includes articles: about the publication by the Society of Spirit Lovers. enlightenment of church rules with interpretations (Zap.-Novor. Univ., vol. XVI app., Orthodox Review. 1876, vol. I p. 730; - most of the said rules were published under his editorship), “The Theory of Eastern Papism (Orthodox Review. 1879, vol. III, pp. 476 and 734), “On the issue of chronological relationship between Aristin and Zonara, as writers of interpretations of church rules" (J. M. N. Pr., 1896, Jan., p. 172), "Concerning the polemic against the Senate interpretation of prescription as applied to church lands" (Russian Review. 189I, Dec.), etc. The nature of the critical work, in its original form, was also published in Christ. Readings for 1882–6, articles about the 50th chapter of the Helmsman, later revised into a whole study (published in the 5th issue of Scientific Notes of the Moscow University and separately, Moscow 1887), which has a very great positive value and was crowned with a prize, like some of the other above-mentioned works of A. S. Pavlov. Finally, all the articles published by A.S. should be included in this same department, as opposed to those published by the Society of Spiritual Lovers. enlightenment “Readings”, namely: “Concerning some perplexities in the science of Orthodox church law” (title magazine for 1891, May-June), “Continuing perplexities on the issue of adoption and spiritual kinship as an obstacle to marriage” (ibid., 1893, March-April) and “Imaginary traces of Catholic influence in the most ancient monuments South-Slavic and Russian church law" (ibid., 1891, November-December and 1892 January-April). The first two of these articles are closely related to the aforementioned study on the 50th chapter of the Helmsman, presenting a detailed and thorough answer to objections to one particular question of Prof. Berdnikov, and the last one is a critical analysis of the book by Prof. Suvorov: “Traces of Western Catholic law in the monuments of ancient Russian law” (Yarosl. 1888). We do not mention a number of other articles by A., scattered across various periodicals, less significant in volume. S-cha, compiling a complete list of which could confuse even their author. The characteristic features of all the scientific works of the deceased that we have indicated are a deep and comprehensive acquaintance with the subject taken for research in its primary sources, the subtlety and insight of scientific analysis, which does not overlook a single feature and is able to give everything its proper meaning, the firmness and thoroughness of scientific constructions, clarity and - so to speak - crystalline transparency of thought, never hiding in foggy uncertainties - always breathing with the power of a strong and living conviction. Studying these works, you feel that their author never began his literary work before his thought developed into an indisputable scientific truth for himself, and then, having taken up the pen, he knew how to make it an obedient instrument of thought. In the latter respect, his works are remarkable no less than for their internal, strictly scientific qualities; they display a mastery of words that one cannot help but envy in our age, when disheveled and careless phrases are becoming commonplace phenomena not only in the small press of flying newspaper sheets. To all that has been said, it must be added that always, in all the scientific studies of A. S. Pavlov, in his learned reasoning, one can hear an Orthodox canonist who is deeply familiar with the pure foundations of church law, who sets them for himself as the highest and unchangeable criterion of canonical truth and is always ready to defend these foundations. The high dignity of the scientific works of Prof. Pavlov was recognized both by representatives of church and government authorities, who repeatedly turned to his knowledge to resolve difficult issues of church legal practice, and by a number of scientific institutions and societies (Moscow and Kazan Theological Academies, Moscow Archaeological and Legal Societies, Society of Historical and Ancient Russian, Constantinople Ελληνικὸς φιλολογικὸς Σύλλογος, etc.), who elected him as an honorary or full member. Among them is the Moscow Society of Lovers of Spiritual Enlightenment, which now shares with the entire scientific world the grief of the loss of its most worthy member, who always followed with sincere sympathy and attention the activities of this spiritual and educational brotherhood that he found attractive. The deceased was brought closer to the latter by his very devotion to his science, for which the Society of Lovers of Spiritual Enlightenment provided unforgettable services with its publication of the “Rules of St. apostle, St. Ecumenical and local councils, and St. father with interpretations" and a number of scientific studies in the field of church law (Prof. N.A. Zaozersky, Priest N. Ilyinsky, etc.), printed on the pages published by the Society, "Readings". In this journal, as we have seen, A. S. Pavlov himself took part in his scientific works; He did not remain indifferent to other aspects of the life of the said Society, attending its scientific meetings, as far as was possible with his numerous and complex activities. Members of the Society and visitors to its mentioned meetings will probably long remember those meetings in which the late A.S. appeared, attracted by an interesting abstract or report, and in which, under such circumstances, his passionate, authoritative and convinced word was often heard. Hand in hand with the scholarly activity of the deceased, for forty years, went his professorial activity, which reflected all the features of his scholarly character already known to us. At the university department, he was the same as the wider audience of readers and admirers of his scientific and literary works knows him and will long know him. The scientific thought he revealed to his listeners, always harmonious and broadly substantiated, freely and easily found in his presentation its external form, which could not be more consistent with its content. His ability to be clear and precise, with graceful harmony and some kind of artistic simplicity of words, was truly amazing. He was the same in private, learned and friendly conversation; he never mumbled his sentences or spoke haphazardly, but there was not the slightest pretense about it; according to the fair remark of one of the people who knew him well, “he was simply strict with his words and could not and did not want to speak worse, but it was difficult to speak more simply than the deceased spoke” (Moscow Vedom. for August 21 of this year, No. 229). It remains for us, in conclusion, to say a few words to characterize the deceased outside the scope of his scientific and professorial activities. For all the depth and abundance of his specialized knowledge, A.S. was not, however, that one-sided specialist for whom there were no other mental interests outside of his narrow specialty. He retained to the end a lively responsiveness to the diverse interests of scientific thought, and this breadth of mental horizons left some special stamp of high culture on the entire spiritual appearance of the deceased. Equally, this was not a dry pedant who did not want to know anything except his books and became stale in the constant company of his dead friends, covered with centuries-old dust. Having devoted his entire life to the energetic work of his mind, he did not stutter only in this aspect of his spiritual life, and those who had the fortune to get to know A.S. Pavlov better will never forget the heartfelt readiness with which he went to meet everyone who needed his help, advice and instructions. In their memory, the noble image of the deceased great figure of our native science will forever be preserved as one of the best impressions of life, as one of the brightest and dearest memories.