In Memory of Moscow University professor A.S. Pavlov: Biographical Essay and Review of Works from the Initial Period of Scientific Activity (1869–1875)

This article, dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Russian canonist Alexey Stepanovich Pavlov, presents a biography and a brief overview of the results of the scholarly and literary activity of the scientist. The archival materials used by the author eliminate some inaccuracies common in previous biographical essays. The reader can see that the life journey of A.S. Pavlov is intertwined with the destinies of many outstanding people of the entire XIX century (primarily representatives of legal science, church science, the scientific and administrative academic environment). A brief overview of individual works is aimed at identifying the methodological features of Pavlov's scientific research. In order to avoid subjective assessments, the author of the article took into account reviews of some of Pavlov's works and used a wide range of memoir publications of XIX and early XX centuries, highlighting the outstanding merits of the scientist to science. Research techniques based on a rare combination of theological, legal and broad philological qualifications of a legal historian and church lawyer allowed Pavlov to develop his own comparative-critical-bibliographical method of research and leave behind phenomenal monographic studies of certain issues in ecclesiastical law. The combination of such research qualities can help in achieving the goal once set by Pavlov to create a system of Russian ecclesiastical law.