Category Archives: Gregory of Nyssa

If Father, Son, and Spirit are each divine, then why are they not three gods? We are finally prepared to look more closely at St Gregory of Nyssa’s provocative answer in his Ad Ablabium. As we have seen, Gregory has … Continue reading →

The title is intentionally provocative, and I’m afraid the article will disappoint if you are hoping for a definitive answer to the question. While I have read a fair amount of the secondary literature about St Gregory Palamas’s famous distinction … Continue reading →

What does St Gregory of Nyssa mean when he so emphatically claims that human beings are incapable of comprehending the divine nature? As we have seen, it does not mean that we must remain silent before the unspeakable Deity. Christians … Continue reading →

It seems an odd thing to say: theotes (Godhead, divinity, deity) does not refer to the divine nature (physis) but to the divine activity (energeia). It’s odd, because that’s not how we use language for most things that we know. … Continue reading →

Feeling ill-equipped to answer the dilemma posed by his anti-Nicene opponents, Bishop Ablabius reaches out to the older bishop of Nyssa and invites him to craft a response. St Gregory formulates the dilemma in these words: “Either we must say … Continue reading →

I’m sure it did not come as a surprise to either St Basil of Caesarea or St Gregory of Nyssa. Once they began to elucidate the mystery of the Trinity by means of the analogy between three human beings and … Continue reading →

How do we know God as Holy Trinity? The answer given by St Gregory of Nyssa: through the contemplation of Holy Scripture. During the height of the fourth century trinitarian debates, neither Orthodox nor Arians thought they were expositing a … Continue reading →