Gregory of Nazianzus on the Trinity and the knowledge of God

Oxford University Press

2008

xvi, 396 pages

Oxford studies in historical theology

9780195313970

Introduction: Gregory's life and work God and the theologian Jesus Christ, the Son of God The Holy Spirit The Trinity Pastoral ministry Conclusion: Gregory among the fathers

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

Английский