Gregory of Nazianzus on the Trinity and the Knowledge of God: In Your Light We Shall See Light (Oxford Studies in Historical Theology)

Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390 CE), "the Theologian," is the premier teacher on the Holy Trinity in Eastern Christian tradition, yet for over a century historians and theologians have largely neglected his work. Christopher Beeley's groundbreaking study -- the first comprehensive study in modern Western scholarship -- examines Gregory's doctrine of the Trinity within the full range of his theological and practical vision. Following an overview of Gregory's life and major works, Beeley traces the central soteriological meaning of Gregory's doctrine in the spiritual dialectic of purification and illumination; the dynamic process of divinization ( theosis ); the singular identity of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God; the divinity and essential presence of the Holy Spirit; and the interpretation of Scripture "according to the Spirit." The book culminates in Gregory's understanding of the Trinity as a whole -- which is "theology" in the fullest sense -- rooted in the monarchy of God the Father and uniquely known in the divine economy of salvation. Finally, Beeley identifies the Trinitarian shape of pastoral ministry, on which Gregory is also the foundational teacher for later Christian tradition. Beeley offers new insights in several key areas, reinterpreting the famous Theological Orations and Christological epistles within the full corpus of Gregory's orations, poems, and letters. Gregory stands out as the leading ecclesiastical figure in the Eastern Roman Empire and the most powerful theologian of his age, who produced the definitive expression of Trinitarian orthodoxy from a characteristically Eastern tradition of Origenist theology, independent of the work of Athanasius and in several respects more insightful than his Cappadocian contemporaries. Long eclipsed in modern scholarship, Gregory Nazianzen is now brought into full view as the major witness to the Trinity among the Greek fathers of the Church. MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 14 Abbreviations 16 Maps 18 Introduction: Gregory's Life and Work 22 329–359: Childhood and Education 24 359–375: Ministry in Cappadocia 29 Excursus: The Fourth-Century Doctrinal Controversies 35 379–381: Ministry in Constantinople 53 381–390: Final Years in Cappadocia 73 1. God and the Theologian 82 The Purification of the Theologian 84 Illumination: The Knowledge of the Incomprehensible God 109 Conclusion 129 2. Jesus Christ, the Son of God 134 Christology and Divinization 135 The Identity of Christ 141 The Unity of Christ 147 Christological Spirituality 162 3. The Holy Spirit 172 The Development of Gregory's Pneumatology: 372—380 175 Τάξις Θεολογίας: The Witness of Scripture and the Order of Theology 188 “A Truly Golden and Saving Chain”: The Direct Proof of the Spirit's Divinity 193 Spiritual Exegesis and the Rhetoric of Piety 199 4. The Trinity 206 Theology of the Divine Economy 213 The Monarchy of God the Father 220 Conceiving of the Trinity 236 Participation in the Trinity 247 5. Pastoral Ministry 254 The Art of Arts and the Science of Sciences 260 Pastoral Experience and Priestly Virtue 266 Excursus: On the Love of the Poor 273 The Training of Holy Scripture 277 The Administration of the Holy Trinity 282 Conclusion: Gregory among the Fathers 290 Origen 290 Gregory Thaumaturgus 293 Athanasius and Didymus 296 Apollinarius 304 Basil of Caesarea 311 Gregory of Nyssa 322 The Homoiousians and Eastern Theological Tradition 328 Damasus and the West 336 Gregory the Theologian 338 Bibliography 344 Index of Theological Topics in Gregory's Works 374 Index of Citations to the Works of Gregory Nazianzen 380 General Index 394 A 394 B 396 C 397 D 400 E 401 F 402 G 402 H 404 I 405 J 406 K 406 L 406 M 406 N 407 O 408 P 409 R 410 S 411 T 412 V 414 W 415 Z 415

Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390 CE), the Theologian, is the premier teacher on the Holy Trinity in Eastern Christian tradition, yet for over a century historians and theologians have largely neglected his work.

Christopher Beeley's groundbreaking study — the first comprehensive treatment in modern scholarship — examines Gregory's doctrine of the Trinity within the full range of his theological and practical vision. Following an overview of Gregory's life and major works, Beeley traces the central soteriological meaning of Gregory's doctrine in the spiritual dialectic of purification and illumination; the dynamic process of divinization (theosis); the singular identity of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God; the divinity and essential presence of the Holy Spirit; and the interpretation of Scripture according to the Spirit. The book culminates in Gregory's understanding of the Trinity as a whole — which is theology in the fullest sense — rooted in the monarchy of God the Father and uniquely known in the divine economy of salvation. Finally, Beeley identifies the Trinitarian shape of pastoral ministry, on which Gregory is also the foundational teacher for later Christian tradition.

Beeley offers new insights in several key areas, reinterpreting the famous Theological Orations and Christological epistles within the full corpus of Gregory's orations, poems, and letters. Gregory stands out as the leading ecclesiastical figure in the Eastern Roman Empire and the most powerful theologian of his age, who produced the definitive expression of Trinitarian orthodoxy from a characteristically Eastern tradition of Origenist theology, independent of the work of Athanasius and in several respects more insightful than his Cappadocian contemporaries.

Long eclipsed in modern scholarship, Gregory Nazianzen is now brought into full view as the major witness to the Trinity among the Greek fathers of the Church.

Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390 C.E.) has had an immeasurable influence on the Eastern and Western Christian traditions. Along with his homiletical, ecclesiastical, and literary achievements, Gregory's doctrine of the Trinity became the definitive expression of the orthodox faith in Greek Christian tradition, which caused him to be the only person other than John the Evangelist to be granted the title of "Theologian" by an ecumenical church council. As a testimony to Gregory's importance, he is the most cited author after the Bible in Byzantine Christian literature. Christopher Beeley's groundbreaking study-the first comprehensive treatment in modern scholarship-examines Gregory's doctrine of the Trinity in the full range of his theological and practical vision. Following an overview of Gregory's life and major theological works, Beeley examines Gregory's teaching on a vast range of subjects: the purification and illumination of the theologian; the human limitations and the divine possibilities of the knowledge of God; the unique identity of Christ; Gregory's dynamic understanding of "divinization"; and the distinctive place of the Holy Spirit in Christian theology. Beeley's expansive discussion culminates in Gregory's understanding of the Trinity as a whole, which proves to be the fundamental principle of all Christian doctrine and practice. Finally, Beeley identifies the Trinitarian shape and purpose of pastoral ministry, of which Gregory is also the seminal theorist in Christian tradition. Beeley offers new insights in several key areas, including the reinterpretation of the famous Theological Orations and Christological epistles within the larger framework of Gregory's corpus. Long eclipsed in twentieth-century scholarship, Gregory's doctrine is now brought into full view as the major Greek witness to the Trinity as the governing principle and the main interpretive framework of the Christian life Gregory of Nazianzus, a 4th-century bishop of Constantinople, receives relatively little attention from modern Western scholars, yet he is one of the most influential theologians in the history of Christian doctrine. As an advocate for the conceptual understanding of the Trinity, Gregory set precedents for the way his fellow and future Christians would perceive and worship God. Christopher A. Beeley presents the first comprehensive study in modern Western scholarship of Gregory's doctrine of the Trinity in the full range of his theological and practical vision of the Christian life. Gregory of Nazianzus receives relatively little attention from modern Western scholars, yet he is one of the most influential theologians in the history of Christian doctrine. Beeley presents a study of Gregory's doctrine of the Trinity in the full range of his theological and practical vision of the Christian life