Gregory of Nazianzus

by BRIAN DALEY; University of Not

• ISBN13: 9780415121811
• ISBN10: 0415121817
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781134807277
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-19
• Publisher: Routledge
• More Book Details

Summary

Gregory of Nazianzus, a complex and colorful figure living during a crucial age in which it was permissible for the first time to be a public Christian intellectual (4th Century AD), was well placed to become one of the outstanding defenders and formulators of Trinitarian orthodoxy. A gifted and skilled rhetorician, poet, and orator, as well as a profound theologian, Gregory was ordained a bishop and served as head of the orthodox Christian community in Constantinople, where he played an important role in formulating the classical doctrines of the Trinity and the person of Christ. Under fire from opponents in the Church, the enigmatic Gregory soon retreated into a quiet life of study and simple asceticism, concentrating on quiet meditation and strengthening his canon of literature. Gregory's body of works, comprising poetry, letters, sermons and lectures on religious themes and written with the terseness and elegance of classical Greek literature, was canonized in the Byzantine age as equal to thegreatest Greek writers before him. A collection of new translations of a selection of these achievements in literature and theology, with an extensive introduction to Gregory's life, thought, and writings, Gregory Nazianzus portrays a vivid picture of a fascinating character of vital importance; who deserves to be regarded as the first true Christian humanist.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Gregory the Man

Gregory the Humanist

Gregory the Philosopher

Gregory the Theologian

Gregory the Priest

These Translations

Orations

Oration 8, On his Sister Gorgonia

Oration 14, On Loving the Poor

Oration 20, On Theology, and the Appointment of Bishops

Oration 26, About Himself, on his Return from the Country

Oration 38, On the Theophany

Oration 39, On the Holy Lights

Oration 42, Farewell Address

Oration 44, For "New Sunday"

Poems

On his Own Verses

A Hym

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