Guide

The work “Guide” combines individual treatises written by St. Anastasius Sinaite at different times and brought together around 686–689. This extensive work consists of 24 chapters. The main goal of the Guide is to refute the heresy of Monophysitism, although it also contains elements of anti-Monothelitian polemics. St. Anastasius analyzes the arguments of opponents, identifies contradictions and shows their inconsistency with Holy Scripture and Church Scripture. This publication presents a translation into Russian of the first 3 chapters of the Guide, made by prof. A.I. Sidorov. Chapters 1-3 provide a general methodological introduction to the entire book. Chapter 1 (“A Brief Statement of Faith”) formulates the Orthodox doctrine of two natures, two natural wills and two natural actions as two natural properties in Christ. Chapter 2 (“Book of Definitions”) is an important part of the work and contains definitions of basic theological concepts (nature, person, will, action, property, connection, corruption, etc.). The essay addresses key topics such as: - the doctrine of the Trinity: evidence of the trinity of God is given, the relationship between the Persons of the Trinity is explained; - Christology: St. Anastasius develops the doctrine of two natures (Divine and human) in Christ, emphasizing their non-fusion, inseparability and inseparability. Particular attention is given to the doctrine of two wills and two energies in Christ; - The God-manhood of Christ: explains how the Divine and human natures were united in the Person of Christ without change, confusion or division; - redemptive economy: a theological understanding of the suffering, death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ is given, as well as the significance of these events for the salvation of mankind; - the doctrine of the Virgin Mary: Her name as the Mother of God is emphasized as evidence of the completeness of the incarnation of God the Word. Work of St. Anastasia Sinaita played a decisive role in the development and establishment of Orthodox Christological teaching, especially before the VII Ecumenical Council. His argumentation became one of the most important sources for defining the Orthodox doctrine of two wills and two energies in Christ. See also: St. Anastasius Sinaite and his creations prof. A.I. Sidorov See also: Guide (translated by Abbot Adrian [Pashina]) This volume of the “Library of the Fathers and Teachers of the Church” includes translations of several works by Anastasius of Sinai, the holy father of the 7th century, “Three Words on the creation of man in the image and likeness of God,” the first three chapters of the “Guide” (the most important for understanding the main points of the theology of St. Anastasius), “The Homily on the sixth Psalm” and “The Homily on the Holy Assembly.” “All these creations of the ancient church thinker, little known in Russia, are striking monuments of patristic theology and precious evidence of the enduring value of Holy Tradition. The volume contains three appendices: the work “Saint Ephraim, Patriarch of Antioch His life, literary activity and his defense of the Council of Chalcedon”, a translation of the treatise by Presbyter Theodore of Raifa “Preparatory” and a short essay “Christianity as philosophy or philosophy according to Christ according to the testimony of the Greek fathers of the Church and church writers of the 2nd–7th centuries.” This volume of the “Library of Fathers and Teachers of the Church” aims to introduce the Orthodox reader to the work of a little-known holy father in today’s Russia, who, by the way, was well known in Ancient Rus' (the translation of his work “Questions and Answers” ​​forms the basis of the “Svyatoslav Collection of 1073”). The volume included “Three Words about the creation of man in the image and likeness of God,” which, despite their relatively small volume, represent the most significant facets of the worldview of St. Anastasia Sinaita. His solid polemical work, “The Guide,” is represented only by the first three chapters; such a choice is not accidental, for it is these chapters that have global ideological significance - the other chapters are of interest mainly to specialists: patrolologists and historians of the Church. Finally, “The Sermon on the Sixth Psalm” and “The Sermon on the Holy Assembly” (both translated by M.V. Nikiforov), reflecting mainly aspects of the spiritual and moral teaching of St. Anastasia, complete this small collection of his selected creations. It seemed to me expedient to add to this collection three appendices, thematically related to the work of Rev. Anastasia. The first is a work on Saint Ephraim of Antioch, which is based on a report I prepared for reading at a conference dedicated to the 1550th anniversary of the Council of Chalcedon, held at the Minsk Theological Academy. Unfortunately, a number of circumstances did not allow me to participate in this conference, but the personality and theological views of the Antiochian saint seemed so significant to me that I decided to make an independent work out of a short report. The main thing I would like to note is that St. Ephraim of Antioch, like other Orthodox theologians of the 6th century, was the undoubted predecessor of St. Anastasia, who developed a number of his ideas. The same predecessor of Sinaite was Presbyter Theodore of Raifa. More than ten years ago I was working on his treatise “Preparatory Work” (this treatise was also included in the “Svyatoslav Collection of 1073”), and the draft translation of this work lay on my desk for a long time until I processed it. The treatise of Theodore of Raifa also anticipates many significant points in the theology of St. Anastasia and is especially close to the Guide. Finally, the third appendix is ​​a report I read at the conference “Man – Culture – Society. Current problems of philosophical, political science and religious studies”, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Faculty of Philosophy within the structure of Moscow State University. M V. Lomonosov. It is also connected (albeit in a more indirect way) with the work of Rev. Anastasia, for whom the topic of the relationship between Orthodox theology and the heritage of ancient philosophy has always been very pressing. You might be interested in: