The Hexaemeron’ of St. Anastasius of Sinai in Light of Modern Research

Abstract

In this article, the author attempts to describe the current state of research of significant and poorly studied work such as the «Hexaemeron» attributed to St. Anastasius of Sinai. In modern Russian theological science there exist a commonly held opinion that this work is most likely spurious, that it does not really belong to the author of such works as «The Guide», «Three sermons on the creation of man in the image of God», «Questions and Answers» et al. Is this opinion substantiated by current data? What are the arguments for and against the authenticity of the «Hexaemeron»? The purpose of the article is to answer these questions and introduce new arguments to the discussion. For this, the author assesses the new arguments for and against authenticity, analyzes the theological and lexical features of various works of St. Anastasius, cites important fragments of the Hexaemeron, translated for the first time into Russian and compared with other works of the Anastasius Corpus. As a result, the author comes to the conclusion that the arguments for authenticity somewhat outweigh the arguments against, although it is premature to make a final judgment regarding the authorship of «Six Days».