Jordanville Professor participated in two important international scholarly gatherings

HTOS Professor Participates in International Congresses in Vienna and Budapest

At the end of August, Protodeacon Andrei Psarev, Ph.D., Professor of Russian Church History and Canon Law at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, participated in two important international scholarly gatherings: the 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies in Vienna and the 27th Congress of the Society for the Law of the Eastern Churches in Budapest.

The International Congress of Byzantine Studies is one of the largest gatherings in the field. This year’s congress brought together more than one thousand scholars from fifty-seven countries. Protodeacon Andrei presented a paper entitled “Commemoration and Dissent: Canon 15 in Byzantine History,” based on his continuing research into the limits of ecclesiastical communion in Byzantium.

The congress also enabled him to establish contacts that may directly benefit the Seminary. Among other outcomes, he met two scholars who could become guest lecturers at HTOS, renewed connections with longstanding colleagues, and established new professional relationships.

Immediately afterward, Protodeacon Andrei traveled to Budapest to participate in the Congress of the Society for the Law of the Eastern Churches. He has taken part in the Society’s work since 2011. Founded in Fribourg more than fifty years ago, the Society provides a rare international forum in which Orthodox and Eastern Catholic canonists can meet, present research, and discuss questions affecting the life and canonical order of the Church.

The principal theme of this year’s congress was the status of the Bishop of Rome. Although Protodeacon Andrei had not originally been scheduled to deliver a paper, he gave a presentation on St. Theodore the Studite’s understanding of magisterial authority. This subject is especially relevant to his research into Canon 15 of the First–Second Council of Constantinople and the historical relationship among episcopal authority, monastic witness, and resistance undertaken for the sake of the Church’s tradition.

Among the valuable contacts he made in Budapest was Evgeny A. Pilipenko, Vice-Rector for Research at the Saints Cyril and Methodius Institute for Postgraduate Studies in Moscow. This new connection may benefit both institutions and open possibilities for future academic cooperation.

Participation in the two congresses enabled Protodeacon Andrei to contribute to international scholarship and to bring the academic work of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary into the broader international scholarly conversation. The presentations, discussions, and new professional contacts will also enrich his teaching of Byzantine and Russian Church history and canon law at the Seminary.

Protodeacon Andrei expressed his gratitude to Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary for making his participation possible and for supporting scholarly work through which the Seminary can contribute to the wider study of Orthodox history and canonical tradition.