In the first section, "General Affairs," the collegium is charged with the duty to monitor "whether everything is done correctly and according to the Christian law, and whether there is anything and where, contrary to this law." Immediately afterwards it is explained what this duty consists of in the first place: the correct performance of divine services and the censorship of books: "If someone writes a theological work about something, it should not be published immediately, but should first be presented to the collegium. The collegium must examine whether there are any errors in the composition that are contrary to Orthodox teaching." Further, one should observe "whether we have a Christian teaching sufficient for correction." Finally, one of the immediate tasks of the collegium is indicated: "To compose three small books. The first is about the most important salvific dogmas of our faith, as well as about the commandments of God, in the Ten Commandments of Prisoners. The second about his own positions of any rank. The third is such, in which clear sermons will be gathered from various holy teachers." It is recommended to read these books in church after the service, so that "all the books here can be read in a quarter of the year."

The second section, on matters "in their own order," discusses three topics. The first is the diocesan administration (episcopal, parish and monastic affairs), the second is theological schools.

Episcopal affairs include the following: diocesan administration, supervision of the parish clergy, the right of excommunication from the Church, tours of the diocese and theological schools. In three canons ("regulas"), namely 13, 14 and 15, it is emphasized that bishops, as well as all the clergy of dioceses, are subordinate to the Ecclesiastical Collegium and are subject to its judgment. Finally, canon 23 deals with preaching.

The third topic is the Spiritual Collegium itself. It had to consist of twelve people, a condition that was almost never met. The manifesto speaks of eleven members: a president, two vice presidents, four councillors and four assessors. The budget of the Synod, submitted to the Senate for approval, also included only eleven members [203]. "Bishops, abbots and archpriests" should be appointed members of the Ecclesiastical Board. Three must have the episcopal rank. And this order was not always fulfilled. Immediately after the founding of the collegium, a simple monk Theophilus Krolik turned out to be a member of the Synod. Later, another tendency became decisive for the composition of the Synod – to increase the number of bishops in it [204].

The following duties of the collegium are enumerated: 1) to supervise the entire church administration and church courts; 2) evaluation of projects of all kinds of improvements; 3) censorship; 4) the study and attestation of miracles; 5) consideration of new sectarian teachings; 6) the study of unclear questions of conscience; 7) testing candidates for the rank of bishop; 8) assuming the functions of the former Patriarchal Court; 9) supervision of the use of church property; 10) the defense of bishops and other clergy before secular courts; 11) verification of the authenticity of wills (together with the Justice Board); 12) the eradication of begging and the renewal of charity; 13) the fight against simony.

And he shall pronounce such an oath on himself under the nominal penalty of anathema and corporal punishment, if after contrary to his oath he has been ambushed and convicted."

At the end, there is a brief mention of "lay persons" who must receive Holy Communion once a year. Among other things, the collegium is obliged to collect information on the number of Old Believers in the dioceses. Private individuals may not invite priests who do not have parishes ("sacral and dragging priests") to house worship or give them shelter (paragraphs 7-8). Newborns should be baptized only in parish churches.

To this text of the "Spiritual Regulations," written by Theophan and corrected by Peter, are appended "points" that were compiled by the Ecclesiastical Collegium itself and approved by the tsar.

Peter's resolution read: "Be it so" [205].

Soon after the first edition of the "Spiritual Regulations" on September 16, 1721, in May 1722 a second one appeared with an addition, the authors of which were apparently Theophan and Theophilus the Rabbit, "An Addition on the Rules of the Church Clergy and the Monastic Order." The legal basis for the "Addition" was the manifesto of January 25, 1721, but the Holy Synod did not ask the tsar for the necessary consent to the publication of the "Addition", as a result of which Peter was reprimanded [206].

In the first part of the "Addition" it is said about the white clergy: "about presbyters, deacons and other clerics." The second part is entitled "On Monks" and deals with monastic life. The content of both of these parts will be considered in detail later in the corresponding paragraphs on the parish clergy and monasticism.

Already on July 7, 1721, Theophan published his work "Historical Search", which is an apology for church reform. According to Theophanes, the monarch's right to reform also extends to the sphere of church organization and administration: "Sovereigns can be called bishops of the people, subject to themselves. For the name bishop means overseer... The sovereign, the supreme power, is a perfect, extreme, supreme, and all-effective overseer, that is, one who has the power of commands, and of extreme judgment, and punishment over all his subjects by ranks and powers, both temporal and spiritual. Which I have sufficiently shown from both the Old and New Testaments in the "Discourse on the Tsar's Honor," preached on the Flower-bearing Sunday of 1718, and for this reason I do not repeat here. And since the sovereign's supervision is established by God over the spiritual rank, for this reason every highest lawful sovereign in his state is truly a bishop of bishops" [207]. In the same year, Theophan wrote a treatise "On the Exaltation of the Name of the Patriarch in Church Prayers, for the Sake of which It Is Now Left in the Churches of Russia" (May 1721). And in the end, Theophan also published "A Treatise Explaining from What Time Patriarchal Dignity in the Church Began, and How the Church Was Governed For 400 Years Without Patriarchy, And To This Day Some Are Not Subject to the Ecumenical Patriarchs" [208].

Theophanes' arguments in defense of church reform, set forth in the "Regulations" and in the above-mentioned treatises, can be summarized as follows: contrary to the doubts of the Old Believers, Peter I is the legitimate sovereign; he is an autocrat and a Christian monarch at that; as a Christian autocrat, he has the right to reform the Church; all subjects, both ecclesiastical and temporal, owe him obedience and recognition of his state and church reforms.

d) Because of attempts to give at least some canonical justification to the Holy Synod, historians have essentially forgotten to ask what were the real ideological sources of its fundamental document, the "Spiritual Regulations." The question of what kind of circumstances influenced Peter I and Theophan when they compiled this document of Russian church law remained unexamined or touched upon only superficially [210]. Later researchers were content with describing the actual functions of the Holy Synod as an organ of state power.