Anti-Apollinarian Writings (Fathers of the Church Patristic Series)

St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote two works during the 380s attacking the Christological teaching of Apolinarius of Laodicea and his followers. These are the substantial treatise __Refutation of the Views of Apolinarius__ (the __Antirrheticus__) and the short letter to the Bishop of Alexandria, __To Theophilus, Against the Apollinarians__. The __Antirrheticus__ is a hostile commentary on Apolinarius's work entitled __The Demonstration (Apodeixis) of the Divine Enfleshment according to the Likeness of a Human Being__. The __Apodeixis__ has not survived independently, and our knowledge of it depends almost completely on Gregory. The __Antirrheticus__ is a neglected work, and this is the first English translation to be published. It has had a poor reputation among many modern scholars. Gregory is accused of being prolix and repetitive and of having misrepresented or misunderstood many of Apolinarius's Christological ideas. It is argued here that the work is nevertheless of considerable theological interest. It is able in fact successfully to identify the principal problems raised by Apolinarius's central concept of Christ as an "enfleshed mind," and also provides an essential insight into Gregory's own Christology and soteriology. The translation is interweaved with a commentary to provide the reader with some guidance through the complexities of Gregory's arguments. The introduction includes an overview of the history of Apollinarianism and discusses the extent to which it is possible to reconstruct, from the fragments quoted by Gregory, the arguments of Apolinarius's __Apodeixis__ to which he is responding. It also examines the background to and the chronology of both of Gregory's anti-Apollinarian works, and looks critically at the arguments that they deploy. Contents Abbreviations Note to the Reader Select Bibliography Preface Introduction 1. Apolinarius of Laodicea and his Christological teachings: A Historical Sketch 2. Gregory of Nyssa and Apollinarianism 3. The Date and Circumstances of the Composition of antirrh and Theo 4. The Method of Composition and Structure of antirrh 5. The Adequacy of Gregory’s Reporting of the Text and Argumentation of the Apodeixis 6. Reconstructing the Structure and Argument of the Apodeixis 7. Gregory’s Argumentative Techniques in antirrh 8. Gregory’s Use of Scripture in antirrh 9. Gregory’s Critique of Apolinarius in antirrh 10. Gregory’s own Christology as set out in antirrh 11. Gregory’s Soteriology as set out in antirrh 12. An Overall Assessment of antirrh 13. The Christological Arguments in Theo Anti-Apollinarian Writings Refutation of the Views of Apolinarius: Translation and Commentary 1. Introduction 2. The title of Apolinarius’s work 3. Apolinarius’s critique of the notion of Christas a “God-filled man”: Introduction 4. First excursus: Gregory attacks Apolinarius’s alleged theory that the divine Logos died on the cross 5. Apolinarius’s critique of the notion of Christas a “God-filled man”: Its origin and its condemnation by orthodox synods 6. Apolinarius’s critique of the notion of Christas a “God-filled man”: The “man from earth” and the “man from heaven” 7. Apolinarius’s trichotomous anthropology and the implication for Christology 8. Apolinarius’s critique of the notion of Christas a “God-filled man”: Implications of the Nicene definitions 9. The first Adam and the second Adam 10. Apolinarius’s teaching on the pre-existent Christ and the identity of Jesus with him 11. Second excursus: Gregory’s teaching on how we are saved through Christ’s humanity 12. Apolinarius’s teaching on the pre-existent Christ and the identity of Jesus with him (continued): Zechariah 13.7 and Hebrews 1.1–3 13. Third excursus: Gregory’s reflections on Philippians 2.5–11 14. Apolinarius’s teaching on the pre-existent Christ and the identity of Jesus with him (continued): Philippians 2.5–11 15. The divinity of Jesus: The divine mind, eternally enfleshed 16. The divinity of Jesus: “Enfleshed mind” and “God-filled man” 17. The divinity of Jesus: The divine mind,eternally enfleshed (continued) 18. The divinity of Jesus: Arguments from Scripture 19. The relationship between Christ’s divinity and his humanity: Arguments from Scripture 20. The enfleshment as the assumption of a man by God 21. More on Apolinarius’s trichotomous anthropology and the “enfleshed mind” 22. Christ as wisdom: The “God-filled man” again. Apolinarius’s first and second syllogisms 23. Soteriological arguments for the concept of Christ as “enfleshed mind.” Apolinarius’s third, fourth, and fifth syllogisms 24. The unity of Christ. Apolinarius’s sixth, seventh, and eighth syllogisms 25. More on Apolinarius’s trichotomous anthropology and the implication for Christology 26. Christ’s death and resurrection 27. The eternal Christ 28. Fourth excursus: Gregory defends his Christology 29. The eternal Christ (continued) 30. Christ’s ascension and glorification 31. Final arguments 32. Conclusion To Theophilus, Against the Apollinarians: Translation and Commentary Appendix and Indices Appendix: A Reconstruction of the Possible Structure of the Apodeixis General Index Index of Holy Scripture "The translation is interweaved with a commentary to provide the reader with some guidance through the complexities of Gregory's arguments. The introduction includes an overview of the history of Apollinarianism and discusses the extent to which it is possible to reconstruct, from the fragments quoted by Gregory, the arguments of Apolinarius's Apodeixis to which he is responding. It also examines the background to and the chronology of both of Gregory's anti-Apollinarian works and looks critically at the arguments that they deploy."--Back cover Maximos the Confessor's penetrating theological vision found expression in an unparalleled synthesis of biblical exegesis, ascetic spirituality, patristic theology, and Greek philosophy. On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture, presented here in a complete English translation, contains Maximos's theological interpretations of sixty-five difficult passages from the Old and New Testaments. These sermons by Ambrose of Milan (340-397 AD) provide a window into the preaching and scriptural exegesis of the legendary bishop, whose exposition of the Old Testament was instrumental in the conversion of Augustine of Hippo and in the development of Latin theology.