Gregory of Nyssa and the Concept of Divine Persons (American Academy of Religion Academy Series)

the Concept Of Personhood Is Central To A Wide Range Of Contemporary Issues, Ranging From Reproductive Rights To The Death Penalty And Euthanasia. We May Think That The Concept Of Person Is A Modern Development. In Fact, However, This Idea Does Not Originate With Our Discovery Of Human Rights, Consciousness, And Individuality. in This Study Lucian Turcescu Shows That The Fourth-century Theologian Gregory Of Nyssa Developed A Very Sophisticated Concept Of The Person In The Context Of His Attempts To Clarify The Paradox Of The Trinity-a Single God Comprising Three Distinct Persons. Turcescu Offers The First In-depth Analysis Of Gregory's Writings About The Divine Persons. He Shows That Gregory Understood Personhood As Characterized By Uniqueness, Relationality, And Freedom. He Reasoned That The Three Persons Of The Trinity Have Distinctive Properties That Make Them Individuals, That Is, Capable Of Being Enumerated And Circumscribed. But This Idea Of Individuation, Inherited From The Neo-platonists, Falls Short Of Expressing A Clear Notion Of Personal Uniqueness. By Itself It Would Suggest That A Person Is Merely A Collection Of Properties. Gregory's Great Contribution Was To Perceive The Importance Of Relationality To Personhood. The Three Divine Persons Know And Love Each Other, Are In Communion With Each Other, And Freely Act Together In Their Common Will. This Understanding, Argues Turcescu, Adds Up To A Concept Of Personal Uniqueness Much Like Our Modern One. turcescu's Work Not Only Contributes To Our Knowledge Of The History Of Trinitarian Theology But Can Be Helpful To Theologians Who Are Dealing With Issues In Contemporary Ethics. Contents......Page 14 Foreword......Page 10 Introduction......Page 18 1. The Notion of Person in Antiquity......Page 22 2. Philosophical Concepts That Shaped Gregory of Nyssa’s View of the Individual......Page 40 3. The Lesser Trinitarian Treatises I: To His Brother Peter: On the Difference between Ousia and Hypostasis......Page 62 4. The Lesser Trinitarian Treatises II: To Eustathius: On the Holy Trinity, To Ablabius: On Not Three Gods, and To the Greeks: Based on the Common Notions......Page 76 5. Against Eunomius and the Refutation of the Confession of Faith of Eunomius......Page 94 6. On the Holy Spirit: Against the Macedonians......Page 124 Conclusions......Page 130 Abbreviations......Page 134 Notes......Page 138 Bibliography......Page 168 F......Page 184 S......Page 185 W......Page 186 "The concept of personhood is central to a wide range of contemporary issues, ranging from reproductive rights to the death penalty and euthanasia. We may think that the concept of person is a modern development. However, this idea does not originate with our discovery of human rights, consciousness, and individuality." "In this study Lucian Turcescu shows that the fourth-century theologian Gregory of Nyssa developed a very sophisticated concept of the person in the context of Gregory's attempts to clarify the paradox of the Trinity: a single God comprising three distinct persons. Turcescu offers the first in-depth analysis of Gregory's writings about the divine persons."--BOOK JACKET Stan and Turcescu examine the complex relationship between church and state in the new Romania, providing analysis in key areas: church collaboration with communist authorities, post-communist electoral politics, nationalism and ethno-politics, and religious education, among other areas. We, the people living in the Western world of the twenty-first century, take it for granted that we know eminently what a person is.