Monthly Archives: January 2013

“Each one saw him in a different way”

Posted on 31 January 2013 by

Let me show you that neither the principalities nor the powers know God’s essence. Who is it, then, who says this? It is no longer Paul, nor Isaiah, nor Ezekiel. But it is another holy vessel and instrument. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Citations | 1 Comment

“God reveals himself by accommodating what he reveals to the weakness of vision of those who behold him”

Posted on 29 January 2013 by

Let us call upon him, then, as the ineffable God who is beyond our intelligence, invisible, incomprehensible, who transcends the power of mortal words. Let us call on him as the God who is inscrutable to the angels, unseen by … Continue reading →

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“Do you think that the angels in heaven talk over and ask each other questions about the divine essence?”

Posted on 28 January 2013 by

Let us now mount up to the heavens and see if there are those on high who know what God is in his essence. But even if there are in heaven beings possessed of this knowledge, we must realize that … Continue reading →

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St Gregory Nazianzen as Confessional Theologian

Posted on 26 January 2013 by

As one reads the Theological Orations, and especially Orations 29 & 30, one realizes that St Gregory’s theological method differs considerably from that of Eunomius and his fellow Heterousians. Gregory sees Eunomius as subjecting the apostolic faith to a philosophical … Continue reading →

Posted in Gregory Nazianzen, Holy Trinity | 4 Comments

Dreaming the Essence of God

Posted on 22 January 2013 by

I did not sleep well on Sunday night and in exasperation I found myself getting up at 5:00 Monday morning and going downstairs. I played a little on the computer and then laid down on the sofa to read Aristotle … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Creed of St Gregory Thaumaturgos

Posted on 20 January 2013 by

There is one God, the Father of the living Word, who is His subsistent Wisdom and Power and Eternal Image: perfect Begetter of the perfect Begotten, Father of the only-begotten Son. There is one Lord, Only of the Only, God … Continue reading →

Posted in Citations, Theology | 2 Comments

Not Knowing–yet Knowing–the Incomprehensible God (part 3)

Posted on 17 January 2013 by

If for Eunomius God is unbegotten essence, perhaps one might say that for St Gregory of Nazianzus God is incomprehensible essence. This does not mean that Gregory is simply substituting one exclusive name for another, nor does it mean that … Continue reading →

Posted in Gregory Nazianzen | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Not Knowing–yet Knowing–the Incomprehensible God (part 2)

Posted on 16 January 2013 by

St Gregory enters the holy cloud and meets the ineffable Deity. He does not find a God whose essence can be clearly defined. He finds rather the God beyond human comprehension, the absolute mystery who transcends our philosophical categories and … Continue reading →

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