Gregory of Nyssa
c. 335 – c. 395 · Bishop of Nyssa
Feast: 10 January
Younger brother of Basil and the third Cappadocian Father. Author of the Life of Moses, Catechetical Oration, and Life of Macrina.
Highlights
- Main contribution
- Gregory of Nyssa carried Cappadocian theology into the life of prayer.
- Event connection
- First Council of Constantinople (381)
- Best first read
- The Life of Moses
- Primary source
- Gregory of Nyssa, Vita Macrinae
Gregory of Nyssa carried Cappadocian theology into the life of prayer. In works such as Life of Moses, he described the soul's ascent to God as an endless movement into divine mystery: the more truly God is known, the more inexhaustible God becomes. That idea gave later Christian mysticism one of its deepest patterns. He also defended Nicene theology after Basil's death, so his contemplative depth was joined to real doctrinal work.
Notable works
- ·The Life of Moses · 390
- ·Catechetical Oration · 385
- ·Against Eunomius · 380
- ·On the Soul and Resurrection · 380
Primary sources
- ·Gregory of Nyssa, Vita Macrinae
- ·Gregory of Nyssa, Contra Eunomium
- ·Jerome, De Viris Illustribus 128
Book of the day
On the Incarnation
Athanasius of AlexandriaA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. Short, readable, and central: why God became man, written from inside the Nicene fight.
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