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 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. Contents......Page 14 Abbreviations......Page 16 Maps......Page 18 Introduction: Gregory’s Life and Work......Page 22 329–359: Childhood and Education......Page 24 359–375: Ministry in Cappadocia......Page 29 Excursus: The Fourth-Century Doctrinal Controversies......Page 35 379–381: Ministry in Constantinople......Page 53 381–390: Final Years in Cappadocia......Page 73 1. God and the Theologian......Page 82 The Purification of the Theologian......Page 84 Illumination: The Knowledge of the Incomprehensible God......Page 109 Conclusion......Page 129 2. Jesus Christ, the Son of God......Page 134 Christology and Divinization......Page 135 The Identity of Christ......Page 141 The Unity of Christ......Page 147 Christological Spirituality......Page 162 3. The Holy Spirit......Page 172 The Development of Gregory’s Pneumatology: 372–380......Page 175 Τάξις Θεολογίας: The Witness of Scripture and the Order of Theology ......Page 188 “A Truly Golden and Saving Chain”: The Direct Proof of the Spirit’s Divinity......Page 193 Spiritual Exegesis and the Rhetoric of Piety......Page 199 4. The Trinity......Page 206 Theology of the Divine Economy......Page 213 The Monarchy of God the Father......Page 220 Conceiving of the Trinity......Page 236 Participation in the Trinity......Page 247 5. Pastoral Ministry......Page 254 The Art of Arts and the Science of Sciences......Page 260 Pastoral Experience and Priestly Virtue......Page 266 Excursus: On the Love of the Poor......Page 273 The Training of Holy Scripture......Page 277 The Administration of the Holy Trinity......Page 282 Origen......Page 290 Gregory Thaumaturgus......Page 293 Athanasius and Didymus......Page 296 Apollinarius......Page 304 Basil of Caesarea......Page 311 Gregory of Nyssa......Page 322 The Homoiousians and Eastern Theological Tradition......Page 328 Damasus and the West......Page 336 Gregory the Theologian......Page 338 Bibliography......Page 344 Index of Theological Topics in Gregory’s Works......Page 374 Index of Citations to the Works of Gregory Nazianzen......Page 380 A......Page 394 B......Page 396 C......Page 397 D......Page 400 E......Page 401 G......Page 402 H......Page 404 I......Page 405 M......Page 406 N......Page 407 O......Page 408 P......Page 409 R......Page 410 S......Page 411 T......Page 412 V......Page 414 Z......Page 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 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. 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