The Exegesis of Contradictions in the Pentateuch According to the «Quaestiones et Responsiones ad Orthodoxos» (CPG6285)

Abstract

The article analyzes the exegetical method of the anonymous author of the late antique work «Quaestiones et responsiones ad orthodoxos» (CPG 6285), previously attributed to St. Justin the Philosopher. It examines the techniques for resolving aporiae (logical and factual contradictions) in the text of the Pentateuch of Moses. The author's main approaches are identified and systematized: the principle of «distinction within unity», the teleological approach, semantic‑linguistic and contextual analysis, as well as philosophical‑theological techniques, such as the distinction between essence and function (κατ᾽ οὐσίαν / κατὰ χρῆσιν). It is shown that the author of the treatise demonstrates characteristics typical of the Antiochene exegetical school: rationalism, historicism, an orientation toward the literal sense of Scripture, and a synthesis of the grammatical‑critical approach with typological interpretation. The results of the study contribute to a deeper understanding of the hermeneutical practice of the era and serve as an additional argument for the attribution and dating of the text.