Gregory of nazianzus poetry has recently begun to appear in english translations, this is the first book to provide an affordable translation of his major doctrinal poems. In much of western christianity, today is the feast of st. Right from the outset of his fifth theological oration,7 st gregory. This work demonstrates a patristic approach to reading the bible and promotes a vision for the christian life that is theological, pastoral, and philosophical. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age. The fourth theological oration, which is the second concerning the son. Today gregory of nazianzus died 389 the scriptorium daily. Gregory of nazianzus foundations of theological exegesis. After the death of the arian emperor valens, the synod of antioch in 379 asked gregory to help resurrect constantinople to nicene orthodoxy. Christian mysticism homepage of the centre for the study of gregory of nazianzus at the catholic university of louvain. Here is one of my favorite quotes in thinking about the mystery of the trinity, from one of the greatest theologians of the early church. Paul, and especially to the holy spirit, the three voices merging into one. Gregory of nazianzus is the fourth book in the foundations of theological exegesis and christian spirituality series on the church fathers edited by hans boersma and matthew levering.
From nicene and postnicene fathers, second series, vol. Librivox recording of theological orations, by gregory of nazianzus. Gregory of nazianzus foundations of theological exegesis and. It was at the end of 378 or early in 379 that gregory entered constantinople, and he quitted it during the general council of 381. A preliminary discourse against the eunomians oration xxvii the first theological second theological oration xxviii third theological oration xxix, on the son fourth theological oration xxx, on the son ii fifth theological oration, on the holy spirit. On god and christ, the five theological orations and two letters to cledonius. Gregory of nazianzusgregory of nazianzus, a complex and colorful figure in a crucial age fourth century ad when it. Excerpt from the five theological orations of gregory of nazianzus accordingly the date must be in one of the three years 379 381. This i prayed over, and foresaw, but even so my feet still stumbled, and so darkness fell around me, that hater of. The oration, as all critics are agreed, is one of great power and beauty. Jan 02, 2014 in much of western christianity, today is the feast of st. In response to these heretical movements, gregory wrote the five theological orations. This translation makes available 19 orations by the 4thcentury cappadocian father gregory of nazianzus.
In the former discourse we laid down clearly with respect to the theologian, both what sort of character he ought to bear, and on what kind of subject he may philosophize, and when, and to what extent. This volume contains the work of two impressive theologiansst. Pdf trinitology of gregory nazianzus in the second and third. As a classically trained orator and philosopher he. Ad 330390 was one of the most learned men of his time and is one of the most important theologians of the early christian church. Gregory nazianzen, called by the ecumenical council of ephesus the great, and. Gregory of nazianzus, are written as a response to arian claims about christ. But nazianzus establishes the main, plain lines and the mandatory starting point of trinitarian theology when he says the three names over and over, and summarizes them in the admittedly unscriptural word triad. One of the cappadocian fathers, known in the orthodox church as the theologian. Christopher beeleys groundbreaking study the first comprehensive treatment in modern scholarship examines gregorys doctrine of the trinity within the full range of his theological. Saint gregory was saint patron of medieval bosnia before the catholic conquest when he was replaced by. This i give you to share, and to defend all your life, the one godhead and power, found in. On god and christ, the five theological orations and two.
Books by gregory of nazianzus author of on god and christ. A study in the theological anthropology of gregory of nazianzus stockholm. This sunday is recognized by the christian church as trinity sunday. Orations of gregory of nazianzus wikisource, the free. Home fathers of the church orations gregory nazianzen second theological oration oration 28 second theological oration oration 28.
Brian matz, a respected scholar of the history of christianity, provides an accessible and erudite introduction to the thought of fourthcentury church father gregory of nazianzus. Not to everyone, my friends, does it belong to philosophize about god first theological oration, pt. Since i have by the power of the spirit sufficiently overthrown the subtleties and intricacies of the arguments, and. Focuswhat gregory of nazianzus can teach us about christian citizenship by. Brought up on the family estate near the town in cappadocia where his father, also named gregory, was bishop and whence he derived his title, he was educated at caesarea where he met basil and eventually the two friends, about 350, went on to the university of athens. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
In the first and second he treats of the existence, nature, being, and attributes of god, so far as mans finite intellect can comprehend them. Gregorys celebrated speeches defending the orthodox teaching on the trinity against the heretical eunomians and macedonians are collected as the orationae 362381. Gregory of nazianzus theological orations pdf the second concerning the son. Translated by charles gordon browne and james edward swallow. Gregorys theosis theology and investigates the extent to which he engaged with islamic thought. Gregory of nazianzus 329390 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. Tspace is a free and secure research repository established by university of toronto libraries to disseminate and preserve the scholarly record of university of toronto. Gregory was a major political and intellectual figure during the pneumatological controversies of the late fourth century. Introduction to the theological orations of gregory. Gregory of nazianzus on the love of the poor oration 14. He shrank from the active life of a bishop, but in 379 he was summoned to constantinople, where his preaching helped to restore the nicene faith at the council of 381. Taken from what is known as his five theological orations, these two discourses on the son of god, by st. These homilies span all the phases of gregorys ecclesiastical career, beginning with his service as a parish priest assisting his father, the elder gregory, in his hometown of nazianzus in the early 360s, to his stormy tenure as bishop of constantinople from 379 to 381, his subsequent. Introduction to the theological orations of gregory nazianzen.
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. Discourses on the son of god by gregory of nazianzus. The holy spirit in the life and writings of gregory of nazianzus. Gregory the theologian bilingual anthology ellopos net. The writings of st gregory the theologian on the holy. Introduction to the theological orations of st gregory nazianzen, complete gregory theologian bilingual anthology, resources online and in print. I was in her sunday school class back when she was writing it, until i was kicked out for asking too many. Ithas been said with truth, says the writer of the article on gregory of nazianzus in the dictionary of christian biography, that these discourses would lose their chief charm in a translation. The bestknown recent biography of him is gregory of nazianzus, rhetor and philosopher oxford u press, 1969, by rosemary radford reuther. Gregory of nazianzus on the trinity and the knowledge of. I cant overestimate how important gregory is to me, though in truth i have read only a. A brilliant orator and accomplished poet, he placed before the church his interpretation of the sublime mystery of the god revealed as. Gregorys five theological orations were the high water mark of trinitarian theology up to that date.
Swallow after the death of the arian emperor valens, the synod of antioch in 379 asked gregory to help resurrect constantinople to nicene orthodoxy. Gregory of nazianzus, also known as gregory the theologian or gregory nazianzen, was a 4thcentury archbishop of constantinople, and theologian. Gregory of nazianzus on the trinity with christ on the. Gregory of nazianzus, the theologian, was recognized among the cappadocian fathers as a peculiarly vivid and quotable exponent of the doctrine of god in trinity. In the former discourse we laid down clearly with respect to the theologian, both what sort of character he ought to. Select orations gregory, novatianus, saint gregory of. This page was last edited on 30 january 2012, at 09. His orations, letters and poetry were widely studied and greatly copied in the middle ages. Gregory theologian, third theological oration xxix, on. The five theological orations of gregory of nazionzus by gregory of nazianzus, saint. At this council he was recognized as bishop of constantinople, but resigned the see almost at once.
As a classically trained orator and philosopher he infused hellenism into the early church, establishing the paradigm of byzantine theologians and church officials. Gregory of nazianzus the early church fathers pdf free. This thesis comprises the first fulllength study of gregory of nazianzuss theology of the holy spirit. Scripture in the works of st gregory the theologian applications makes a reconsideration of his work timely. Gregory of nazianzus portrays a vivid picture of a fascinating character of vital importance who deserves to be regarded as the first true christian humanist. This pdf file is from the christian classics ethereal library. Matz explores gregorys homilies, especially those that reveal gregorys affirmation of the full deity of the holy spirit, revealing the importance of gregorys work for contemporary theology and spirituality.
Gregory of nazianzus the theologian gary neal hansen. Apr 19, 2018 excerpt from the five theological orations of gregory of nazianzus accordingly the date must be in one of the three years 379 381. Aug 26, 2019 open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. The five theological orations of gregory of nazianzus. Orations of gregory of nazianzus by gregory of nazianzus translated by charles e. Source for information on gregory of nazianzus, st new catholic encyclopedia dictionary. Critics have rivalled each other in the praises they have heaped upon. It is the aim of the present paper to contribute to that conversation. Gregory of nazianzus five theological orations tspace.
But this explanation falls far short of gregory s meaning, which certainly is that the movement of selfconsciousness in god from all eternity made the generation of the son, and the procession of the holy ghost, a necessity. His five theological orations are available in several series of works of the ancient fathers. As when he was appointed as presbyter in nazianzus, gregory fled from his duties at sasima into quiet. But this explanation falls far short of gregorys meaning, which certainly is that the movement of selfconsciousness in god from all eternity made the generation of the son, and the procession of the holy ghost, a necessity. To gregory, the doctrine of the holy trinity is the fundamental dogma of the christian faith. Gregory of nazianzus speaks to his congregation at the forefront of a series of orations that he gave regarding true theology. Ii word of god, and truth itself, i consecrated this day to you.
Theological orations by gregory of nazianzus read by. The cappadocian fathers strategic adaptation of a tradition. The connection between thought and language is, indeed, a central issue in gregorys orations. Gregory of nazianzus presents us with a systematic, pastoral, and devotional answer to the arian heresy that denies the consubstantiality of the father and the son as members of the holy trinity.
The theological orations of gregory of nazianzus mike bone, 1998 the theological orations of gregory of nazianzus. Gregory of nazianzus on the trinity and the knowledge of god. Scripture in saint gregorys poems perhaps more than any other of the early church fathers, gregory. In the east he is celebrated on other days and regarded much more highly. Saint gregory of nazianzus byzantine theologian britannica.
To his father, when he had entrusted to him the care of the church of nazianzus. A brilliant orator and accomplished poet, he placed before the church his interpretation of the sublime mystery of the god revealed as father, son, and holy spirit. Gregory theologian, third theological oration xxix, on the. The second series focuses on a variety of important church fathers, ranging from the fourth century to the eighth century. The holy spirit in the life and writings of gregory of.
Michaels college of the university of toronto 2012 abstract this thesis examines the relationship between gregory of nazianzus pneumatology and his understanding of scripture in light of his concept of gods revelation. The first of these two orations provide not only precise terminology but also exact definitions for the nature of god and the relationship of the son to the father. Gregory of nazianzus five theological orations translated. Christopher beeleys groundbreaking study the first comprehensive treatment in modern scholarship examines gregory s doctrine of the trinity within the full range of his theological.
Included are poems on the trinity, creation and providence, angels and the soul, the person of christ, human nature and poems debating the christian understanding. Trinitology of gregory nazianus in the second and third theological orations by benjamin rusch truncated biography the. Catholic church revised its calendar in 1969, gregory was joined with basil the great in a single memorial on. Discussions of gregory of nazianzus theology of the holy spirit most often appear as. It would not go amiss, perhaps, to begin our conference 1 with a preliminary attempt to define and contextualize our key term.
Night now falls upon me and finds my own lamp barely bright. Introduction to the theological orations of gregory nazianzen the theologian. Gregory is the first author whose works are extant to declare that the holy spirit is god in so many words. Gregorys most significant theological contributions arose from his defense of the doctrine of the trinity.
Gregory of nazianzus uwspace university of waterloo. Gregory received his early education at caesarea, the capital and metropolitan city of the province of cappadocia. The bible and the revelation of the triune god yoriko tanaka master of theology university of st. Theological orations gregory of nazianzus 329 389 or 390, translated by c. The entire work is divided into two series, each with fourteen volumes. Nazianzens orations is only slightly less than a full quotation. Bishop of constantinople 381, father and doctor of the church, called the theologian in the eastern church. They were delivered in constantinople, in defence of the churchs faith in the trinity, against eunomians and macedonians. The eight orations, each representing a different aspect of his writing, are examined alongside a selection of his shorter poems in verse translation, letters, and a translation of. On his fathers silence, because of the plague of hail. Deification in the greek christian understanding of that concept 2 is the process of sanctification of christians whereby they. The 5 theological orations of gregory of nazianzus. Benoit thinks that it was probably delivered on the anniversary of s.
It is known that nicephorus phocas 963969 tried to merge. Seventh epistle a personal letter to gregory the theologian in which basil asserts that he is less suited than gregory to the task of defending. Western feast day january 2, 4thcentury church father whose defense of the doctrine of the trinity god as father, son, and holy spirit made him one of the greatest champions of orthodoxy against arianism. He is especially noted for his contributions to the field of pneumatologythat is, theology concerning the nature of the holy spirit.
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