Pentateuchal Exegesis in Ps.-Justin’s Quaestiones et Responsiones ad Orthodoxos (CPG 6285): A Thematic Analysiss
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31802/GB.2026.60.1.007Keywords:
Quaestiones et responsiones ad orthodoxos, Pseudo-Justin, exegesis of the Pentateuch, Antiochene exegetical tradition, literal-historical method, erotapokriseis (question- and-answer literature), theodicy, cosmology, anthropology, Mosaic Law, literal interpretation, late antique theology, rationalism, intertextual analysisAbstract
The article presents a thematic analysis of the exegesis of the Pentateuch in Pseudo‑Justin's work «Quaestiones et responsiones ad orthodoxos» (CPG 6285) — an anonymous Christian literary text (approximately 5th–6th century AD) belonging to the genre of erotapokriseis (questions and answers). The author, most likely a representative of the Antiochene theological tradition, employs methods characteristic of this school: literal‑historical reading, a rationalistic approach, the use of Aristotelian logic, and semantic‑linguistic analysis. The primary focus is on how the author utilizes such techniques as the distinction between concepts (for example, essence and function — κατ᾽ οὐσίαν / κατὰ χρῆσιν), a teleological approach, intertextual analysis, and the reconstruction of historical context. The work examines the following themes: cosmology (creation, the flood, the structure of the heavens), anthropology (the nature of the soul, the fall, eschatology), ethics and Mosaic Law, as well as problems of theodicy (the origin of evil and death). It is demonstrated that the author strives to reconcile the biblical text with the philosophical and scientific ideas of his era, defending the historical reliability and logical consistency of Scripture. This study contributes to the research on the Antiochene exegetical tradition, showing how Christian thought of the 5th–6th centuries AD utilized the legacy of ancient philosophy in the task of interpreting the Old Testament Scriptures.
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