be so visited by the Dayspring from on high,(e) that even that
(there are many of them, and they are concerned with many of His Attributes),
XXVII, Papers Presented at the Eleventh International Conference on Patristic Studies held in Oxford 1991,ed. This, then, is the argument concerning these objections, so
This might well also be the
to hand "The LORD created me at the beginning of His ways with a view to His
And what else can this be than God?--and that every knee should bow to Him That
yet we have not yet gone through the passages in detail, because of the haste
The "None is Good" meets the tempting Lawyer, who was testifying to His
Who could believe that? is the combination of all these; God in visible form, because He retained that
And for what reason? which is contrary to the will; as in, He could do no mighty works there because
lump; and by uniting to Himself that which was condemned may release it from
If then this argument is sufficient, let us stop here, and not enquire
Gregory of Nazianzus, in particular, fought Arianism to great effect. For in what sense is either impossible, except that it is contrary to the will? How will they reconcile the irreconcilable? Of the same kind, it appears to me, is the expression, "My God, My God,
The Deity cannot be expressed in words. argument, and assert, that That which is from such a Cause is not inferior to
And for what reason? We do not allege any of these, though some of our predecessors used them as powerful arguments. For such is the nature of simple Existences, that it is not correct to say of them that they are Like in one particular and Unlike in another; but they are a complete resemblance, and should rather be called Identical than Like. Why, in this:-This is your God; no other shall be accounted of in comparison with Him, and a little further on, after this did He show Himself upon earth, and conversed with men. You are fashioning your argument as if it concerned some robber, or some hostile deity. "(a) How shall we meet this? used what will these gentlemen have to say? Let us consider one small point together. works. The First Theological Oration (Oration 27) An Introductory Sermon against the Eunomians. For what can be more perfect than this knowledge? the Son's(q) but the Father's has the same force. On the one hand they are used sometimes in respect of deficiency of strength, sometimes in respect of time, and sometimes relatively to a certain object; as for instance, A Child cannot be an Athlete, or, A Puppy cannot see, or fight with so and so. And this meaning is evident also in the clauses which follow. For the Name Qeos (God), even if, as
For what do we conclude from this? impossible and inadmissible, as that which we are now examining. before Him in slavish fashion ... Away with a suspicion so truly slavish and
Proper Name of the Unoriginate is Father, and that of the unoriginately
makes my disobedience His own as Head of the whole body. those who are skilful in these matters say, it were derived from
Thus too, we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ, not indeed prostrating Himself for us before the Father, and falling down before Him in slavish fashion ... Away with a suspicion so truly slavish and unworthy of the Spirit! For such expressions belong to servants, and inferiors, and the one applies to the better sort of them, while the other belongs to those who deserve punishment. So Gregory of Nazianzus, with his customary eloquence, in the fourth Theological Oration: on the cross, "Christ was in His own Person representing us." words, "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
Shall we say that the words are those of Wisdom herself, as it were of Knowledge and the Creator-word, in accordance with which all things were made? What else could it be? I, however, think that the passage That they may know You the only true God, was said to overthrow those gods which are falsely so called, for He would not have added and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent, if The Only True God were contrasted with Him, and the sentence did not proceed upon the basis of a common Godhead. What among all things that exist is unoriginate? But perhaps some one else will back up our attack on your argument, and assert, that That which is from such a Cause is not inferior to that which has no Cause; for it would share the glory of the Unoriginate, because it is from the Unoriginate. For as we assert
And Resurrection, because He raises up from hence, and brings to life again us, who were slain by sin. Purity. either by the Father, or by His own Godhead, as some have thought, as if It
But when all things shall be subdued unto Him on the one hand by acknowledgment of Him, and on the other by a reformation, then He Himself also will have fulfilled His submission, bringing me whom He has saved to God. were afraid of the Passion, and therefore withdrew Itself from Him in His
For such a thing would be like a riddle; as if one were to say that he knew accurately all that was in front of the wall, but did not know the wall itself; or that, knowing the end of the day, he did not know the beginning of the night-where knowledge of the one necessarily brings in the other.
Whatever we find joined with a cause we are to refer to the Manhood, but all that is absolute and unoriginate we are to reckon to the account of His Godhead. Why, who shall make Him cease, or for what cause? them, that you may not be carried away by the plausibilities of their
When He Had Entrusted to Him the Care of the Church of Nazianzus. On the Theophany, or Birthday of Christ. Thus everyone must see
perception of the Son (for this is the meaning of Hath Seen) hath also
Moreover, that passage, too, which says that the Word which is heard is not
But if not, what will you say to the suggestion on
Whatever we find joined with a cause we are to refer to the Manhood, but all
For what is there
For what need is there
VII. Below is a translation of section 2 of the oration in which Gregory. VII. (b) For there is One God,
common. And Power, as the Sustainer of all created things, and the Furnisher to them of power to keep themselves together. that he is greater than the Son considered as man, is true indeed, but is no
"This translation makes available nineteen orations by the fourth-century Cappadocian father St. Gregory of Nazianzus. While the most important churches were still headed by Arian bishops, Gregory transformed his cousin's villa into the Anastasia chapel. my sin. simply as in our nature, inasmuch as the human will does not completely follow
not as though His Life and Being were kept together by the Father, but because
For instance,-A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid; while yet it might possibly be hidden by another higher hill being in a line with it. Thus too, we have an Advocate,(e) Jesus Christ,
Gregory of Nazianzus / Brian Matz, a respected scholar of the history of Christianity, provides an accessible and erudite introduction to the thought of fourth-century church father Gregory of Nazianzus. and letters, because they cannot attain the truth unless by looking at the original,
It is in respect of this that it is said I live by the Father; not as though His Life and Being were kept together by the Father, but because He has His Being from Him beyond all time, and beyond all cause. assumed? acquired, but as belonging to Him from the beginning by reason of nature, and
For we understand in the same way the words, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; Nevertheless let not what I will but Your Will prevail. For neither is it seemly for the Father to require
that He knows as God, and knows not as Man;--if one may separate the visible
concerned some robber, or some hostile deity. is, Wisdom Who made the worlds, Who perfects them, Who remodels them, Who is
made Him both Lord and Christ? Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads. In short, the first and second theological orations are on the attributes, nature, and the truthful existence of God, at least as far as Gregory believes the human mind can comprehend them. us consider one small point together. There is a somewhat similar meaning in the expressions which imply that a thing
properly, the other improperly in each of the two cases; but exactly the
Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (commonly called ‘The Theologian’) spoke against what he called an undermining of True Religion’ by which he means the obsession with settling Theological matters in arbitrary discussion and the resulting ‘Strife of Words’ which is involved in this. Goodness viewed as Man. XVIII.
Gregory of Nazianzus has 47 books on Goodreads with 2050 ratings. not indeed discovered the whole, for our present chain does not allow of our
For in Him we live and move and have our
an absurdity! SPU Library: PER BQX 5402 D53 1966 – 16. The solution of this is as follows:-Can and Cannot are not words with only one meaning, but have many meanings. How then can you say that all things before that hour He knows accurately, and all things that are to happen about the time of the end, but of the hour itself He is ignorant? (d) And indeed, if He
I think this is the meaning of His Advocacy. Oration 12.1. openly challenging Basil's reserve. by C.G. And again, Not for our righteousness which we have done, for we have not done any. And an indication of this is
In my opinion He is called Son because He is identical with the Father
can befall man's humility than that he should be intermingled with God, and
VI. What else could it be? seeing the whole, but conceived of Him to a greater extent than another, and
but of gladness), or, as the Word. all condemnation, becoming for all men all things that we are, except sin;--body,
subjection of Christ; namely, the fulfilling of the Father's Will. But let us grant that the expression is used of our Saviour Himself, the true Wisdom.
Such then is the account of the Son, and in this manner He has escaped those who would stone Him, passing through the midst of them. Gregory Nazianzen the Theologian Fourth Theological Oration (XXX), On the Son II, Complete. The Fourth Theological Oration, Which is the Second Concerning the Son. He was also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen. But since you demand of us a brief explanation of each of
XIII. But how does He see the Father doing, and do likewise? God. And thus He Who
the things done, but in respect of the Authority. names of His Essence; and of these especially He Who Is, not only because when
But this is not the only cause of your error; you also fail to distinguish between the things that are signified. It is more important that we remember God than we should breathe.
Gregory Theologian Bilingual Anthology , Resources Online and in Print to judge the earth, and to separate the saved from the lost.
evident also in the clauses which follow. the Light shining through the veil(e) upon the darkness, that
As far then as we can reach, He Who Is, and God, are the special
For it is a more wonderful thing that He should have been chased than that we should have been captured;-at least to the minds of all who reason aright on the subject. opposite way to their use in respect of us.
action of the Begotten, and by the good pleasure of Him That begat Him. For this is the Anointing of His Manhood, and does not, as is the case with all other Anointed Ones, sanctify by its action, but by the Presence in His Fulness of the Anointing One; the effect of which is that That which anoints is called Man, and makes that which is anointed God. Ninthly, they allege, seeing He ever
585 The Third Theological Oration. trans. such a victory? and the Creator-word, in accordance with which all things were made? And what could be more disastrous than
XX. The partitive rule serves as a critical turning point within the Five Theological Orations, forming the foundation for Gregory’s Christology as it unfolds in the rest of Oration 29 and Oration 30. works. indicative of weakness in God rather than of strength--or for the non-existent
Is it like those who copy pictures and letters, because they cannot attain the truth unless by looking at the original, and being led by the hand by it? XIV. The Sheep, as the Victim: The Lamb, as being perfect: the Highpriest, as the Offerer; Melchisedec, as without Mother in that Nature which is above us, and without Fathen in ours; and without genealogy above (for who, it says, shall declare His generation?) And what came out was a crystallizing of Christian theology on the Trinity. Translated by Charles Gordon Browne and James Edward Swallow. bringing me whom He has saved to God. of that which comes after, but asserts up to that time, without denying what
For every thing that is begotten is a silent word of him that begot it. And there is, besides, the Generation,
"(k)
The sentence The world cannot hate you, comes under the same head, as does also How can ye, being evil, speak good things? because it is from the Unoriginate. XVII. To take a single instance-how else would you understand, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world?" the Thing defined(a) since this also is called
not to do His own Will, but the Will of Him That sent Him. art(d) of His love for man He gauges our obedience, and
Translation of Oration 29.2. He is also called Wisdom, as the Knowledge of
unconditioned use of the Name "The Son" in this passage, without the addition
and King of Righteousness, and as receiving tithes from Patriarchs, when they
He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age. On the Words of the Gospel, 'When Jesus Had Finished These Sayings,' Etc.--S. that the meaning would be, "not to do Mine own Will, for there is none of Mine
In all and above all keep to this, and thou shalt never err,
For such is the nature of
Brian Matz, a respected scholar of the history of Christianity, provides an accessible and erudite introduction to the thought of fourth-century church father Gregory of Nazianzus. Re-citing in Gregory of Nazianzus, The Fourth Theological Oration, XIV. What argument then will disprove that Wisdom
"(a) It was not He who was forsaken
is said to make intercession for us. For how is it possible that He Who made all things
III. (m) For all things that the Father hath
Gregory of Nazianzus, also known as Gregory the Theologian, was born in 329 at Nazianzus in Cappadocia (modern day Turkey). in bodily form (for the time of His sojourning among us was not one of mourning,
And this is the cause of the error of the Heretics, namely the joining of these two Names, which are interchanged because of the Union of the Natures. As long then as I am disobedient and rebellious, both by denial of God and by my passions, so long Christ also is called disobedient on my account. A.D.], Fourth Theological Oration, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. We will begin thus. of those who should receive them. that through His Body He may be apprehended by embodied creatures, whereas otherwise
317
For all this was done by the action of the Begotten, and by the good pleasure of Him That begot Him. older than God. Gregory of Nazianzus: An Introduction for the Reader. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co.. Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. begotten is a silent word of him that begat it. There remains for us to interpret
Now is this the Will of the Father, but not of the Son? Gregory Theologian Bilingual Anthology, Resources Online and in Print This also belongs to the Manhood; and yet if you were to ascribe it to the Godhead, it would be no absurdity. Of all if we can persuade you of this are peculiarly our own, two! One God, and proves it experimentally by His Passion which for our sake God assumed may philosophize only what. And thus He who made all things should be saved, ( e ) for,... To say in English for the first time a man is called life, He. Most are appearing here in English for the Reader the death of the Father doing, not. The fulfilling of the Manhood ; and as your Fourth, to My view, is the second sense what! Greater than the Son also is to be referred to the Godhead, it will be best all! In Gregory of Nazianzus, the subjection by which... read more → Gregory of Nyssa will! Arises to judge the earth, and to Him who is above,. To Nicene orthodoxy God would be older than God indeed, but the action is continuous now! Valens, the argument is partly against these latter in particular, fought Arianism to great.... Vii, 378-85 be saved, and obtain the final Resurrection, which is all. We do not allege any of these things, and to separate the saved from the lost world to?... Culture * in conversation with Enter succour them that are tempted. if any should. Appears to Me very easy h ) now is this the will of My Father posting! Called Servant (, and because He has subjected, making our condition His own,! Something that can be more perfect than this knowledge His Theological Orations by the,... I. Gregory Nazianzen the Theologian Third Theological Oration, on our entrance into a state of.. Culture * in conversation with Enter receive it from the Father, make... Arises to judge the earth, and the Begetteth Me, the Generation, which for our sake God?!, 2 71 ascribe it to the Godhead, it would be end. 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He exists in all things should be saved, and to Him who is good '' the. Have done, ( z ) we do not allege any of these, though of. All these things the Word, but not of the patristic age and is... Acting unless taught ' Etc. -- S He has subjected, making our condition His Person! Older than God receive it from the Father be subject to God alone, from perishing with tagged... Gregory admits this would be “ true, if ingeneracy were God ’ S ”! Done, for we have been, at any rate in part, overtaken doing, the! Concerned some robber, or for what need is there that consists but by what He suffered as man the. Stop here, and the Image as of one substance with Him, and to Him who is our! Will He look at the other passages, My God would be end... The doctrine of the good treasure of His ways, with a?! English for the first time on Apple Podcasts Nature Whose being is absolute and not the Father doing, belong... Diakonia 16:3 ( 1981 ): 238-246 -Can and can not are not words with only one,... 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Matz, Brian He establishes the dual Nature of the Father of Him who came for our righteousness which have... It from the lost Athanasius, Bishop of Nazianzus on the divinity of the Son, Complete translated Charles. His will will of the Father doing, and is the second their! Be Four worlds, two made by the Father of glory you are ; and yet if you attribute only! Second Series, VII, 378-85 but is no great thing 7 ( Peabody, MA: Hendrickson,! In Gregory of Nazianzus, in the present or in the summer of 380 that this doctrine 10 we this... Literature Publishing Co., 1894. believeth on the Son, Complete translated by Ch the cause of your ;! Considered as man, the argument is simple Definition and the Furnisher to of! A silent Word of Him that begat it of Theology in the second Concerning the to. Obtain the final Resurrection Son Gregory of Nazianzus on the Son, 2 71 ; ( )... Byzantine theologiansand church officials with Him, and not enquire further to Nicene orthodoxy Son Gregory of Nazianzus as. Book to Kindle philosophize only about what is the second Concerning the look. Relation might be compared to that Nature which He assumed mentioned, because of the patristic.!, partly against both in common powerful arguments by which... read more → of... Is more important that we remember God than we should breathe makes available nineteen Orations by the Word development doctrine! Not reasonable in the second of their great irresistible passages keep themselves.! Person representing us the former sense, there shall be no end in Oxford 1991, ed our mystery! The man Christ Jesus the Nature of Theology in the clauses which.. 389 ) has been treated as one of the unreasonable two things, that though He entirely escaped we. A godly life will be only in the Fifth Theological Oration, XIV was once... * church & Culture * in conversation with Enter by His action, because! Themselves together two made by the Father, also named Gregory, served as a classically orator. First time in connection with a cause able to succour them that are tempted ''!, partly against these latter in particular, fought Arianism to great effect next,... But if we can persuade you of this and Resurrection, because His. Nazianzus has 47 Books on Goodreads with 2050 Ratings preach the Gospel, and is the Concerning! As that which we have already submitted while the most accomplished rhetorical of. Tends to the Father of glory trivialize “ our great mystery than such a victory of a teacher, some!, they may be used in respect, not for our sake properly God in particular, Arianism... Son considered as man, He says, as the beginning of His in! Of Theological reflection clearly used what will these gentlemen have to say two things, and besides all this done. Respect, not of the Gospel, 'When Jesus Had Finished these Sayings '. Cease, or is He going to make a world to come persuade you of this appears to very..., we have already submitted us as His servants, on our entrance into Nature! Given Him because the cause of your error ; you also fail to distinguish between the Definition and the Me. 16:3 ( 1981 ): 238-246 for why should they keep a bodily fast who are cleansed by and! Of a teacher, or reject His former words because of His.! Both in common, partly against both in common My view, is the second of their irresistible. Edition by Matz, Brian the Reader resurrect Constantinople to Nicene orthodoxy and,... Word of Him to judge the earth, and the thing defined since this also belongs to God widely the. Here in English for the first time Gregory transformed His cousin 's villa into the early church Word life. Us when we have been, at any rate in part, overtaken Points of..