The future of animals in an eschatological perspective according to the Hexaemeron of Saint Basil the Great

This article examines the question of the eschatological destiny of animals in light of the Hexaemeron of Saint Basil the Great, a fourth-century patristic treatise devoted to the six days of Creation. The study is based on an in-depth textual and theological analysis of this major work of the Cappadocian tradition. The central idea is that Basilian thought offers a coherent and articulated vision of the status of animals in the divine plan, integrating their own nature and their possible participation in the eschatological finality of creation. On the theological and historical level, the article highlights the contemporary relevance of Basil of Caesarea's reflection, showing that his patristic insights on the origin and specificity of animal life resonate with the findings of modern natural sciences, thus opening a fruitful dialogue between Orthodox tradition and current scientific thought.