Gregory of Nazianz (330-389 A.D.)
The Fathers of the Church spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, defended the Church in apologetic writing and fought the many heresies of the first six centuries of Christianity. These men, also called Apostolic Fathers, gave special witness to the faith, some dying the death of a martyr. Like Jesus who referred to Abraham as a spiritual father (Luke 16: 24) and St. Paul, who referred to himself in the same terms (1 Corinthians 4: 15), the Fathers were zealous for the word of God. Their writings are a testimony to the faith of the early Church, yet many Christians are unfamiliar with the work of Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Justin the Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian of Carthage, Athanasius, Ephraim, Cyril of Jerusalem, Hilary of Poitiers or Gregory the Great to name of few of the early Fathers. Periodically we will provide biographical information and examples of the writing of these great men of faith. This page will focus on the St. Gregory of Nazianz.
St. Gregory of Nazianz (330-389 A.D.) Born at Arianz, near Nazianz, a market town in southwestern Cappadocia. His father served as Bishop of Nazianz and his friend, Gregory of Nyssa were among the few bishops who chose marriage over celibacy. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa and Basil of Caesarea, along with Gregory of Nazianz are known as the "Three Cappadocians," great defenders of the faith and most especially the doctrine of the Trinity. Gregory is best known for his profound theological insights that led to his being given the same title of St. John the Apostle, namely, 'the Divine.' His work is assembled under three titles, namely, Orations, Letters and Poems. Gregory of Nazianz was as mild and gentle as his good friend, Basil of Caesarea was volatile and arrogant. They went to school together in Caesarea, Alexandria and Athens and remained lifelong friends, struggling against the heresies of their day. Gregory was ordained a priest about 362 A.D., under pressure from his father, the Bishop. Although given a bishopric of his own in the backwater town of Sasima in a controversy that he wanted no part of, he never moved there and assisted his father in Nazianz until the latter's death in 374 A.D. He once explained his dilemma: "for I am almost torn asunder by my inward longing and by the Spirit. The longing urges me to flight, to solitude in the mountains, to quietude of soul and body, to withdrawal of spirit from all sensuous things, and to retirement into myself, that I may commune undisturbed with God, and be wholly penetrated by the rays of His Spirit .... But the other, the Spirit, would lead me into the midst of life, to serve the common weal, and by furthering others to further myself, to spread light and to present to God a people for His possession a holy people, a royal priesthood . . ." He was invited to become Bishop of Constantinople by the Nicenes, who were plagued by Arian oppression and he accepted in 379 A.D. His struggle against the Arian Bishop Demophilus was crowned with success in 380, when the emperor deposed the latter and told Gregory, "This temple God by our hand entrusts to thee as a reward for thy pains." He was recognized as the Bishop there by the Second Ecumenical Council, meeting at Constantinople in 381, but protests against his uncanonical transfer between sees, led to his resignation with the following words, "Whatever this assembly may hereafter determine concerning me, I would fain raise your mind before hand to something far higher: I pray you now, be one, and join yourselves in love! Must we always be only derided as infallible, and be animated only by one thing, the spirit of strife? Give each other the hand fraternally. But I will be a second Jonah. I will give myself for the salvation of our ship (the church), though I am innocent of the storm. Let the lot fall upon me, and cast me into the sea. A hospitable fish of the deep will receive me. This shall be the beginning of your harmony. I reluctantly ascended the episcopal chair, and gladly I now come down. Even my weak body advises me this. One debt only have I to pay: death; this I owe to God. But, O my Trinity! for Thy sake only am I sad. Shalt Thou have an able man, bold and zealous to vindicate Thee? Farewell, and remember my labors and my pains." He returned to Nazianz, where he remained as bishop until a new one was appointed in 383. He died in 389 or 390 A.D. on the family estate at Arianz.
In Praise of Hero the Philosopher [379 A.D.]
983
[25, 16] "Common to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit is their having no coming into being, and their divinity. Proper to the Father alone is His unbegotteness; to the Son alone, His begotteness; to the Holy Spirit alone, His being sent forth."
On the Words of the Gospel in Matthew 19:1 [ 380 A.D.]
1003
[37, 13] "It is a question not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God showing mercy [Rom 9:16] . . . . There are some people who are so proud of their successes that they attribute everything to themselves and nothing to Him who made them and gave them wisdom and supplied them with good things. Let them learn of this saying that even to wish someone well requires God's help; or rather, even to choose what is right is something divine and a gift of God's benovolence to man. That we may be saved requires something from us and from God. That is why it says, 'Not of him who wills'; that is, not only of him who wills; and not only of him who runs, but also of God's showing mercy. Since to will is also from God, it is reasonable that Paul attributed the whole to God. However well may you run, however well you may wrestle, you will need Him who gives the crown."
On The Theophany or Birthday of Christ [380 A.D.]
1007
[38,16] "You shall see. . . Jesus . . . crucified and crucifying my sin, as a Lamb offered and as a Priest offering, as a man buried and as God rising again, and afterwards ascending, whence He will come again in His own glory. How many festivals there are in each of the mysteries of Christ! And all of them have one main point: my perfection and reformation, and return to the [original condition of the] first Adam.
Oration on the Holy Baptism [381 A.D.]
1011 [40, 3-4] "Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift . . . We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightment, garment of immortality , bath of rebirth, seal and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bringing nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship."
1011 [40, 9] "Let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with Him; let us go down with Him to be raised with Him; and let us rise with Him to be glorified with Him."
1011a [40, 17] "Do you have an infant child? Allow sin no opportunity; rather, let the infant be sanctified; from childhood. From his most tender age let him be consecrated by the Spirit. Do you fear the seal [of Baptism] because of the weakness of nature? O, what a pusillanimous mother, and of little faith! . . . Give your child the Trinity, that great and noble Protector."
Letter of Gregory to Cledonius the Priest, Against Apollinaris [A.D. 382]
1017 [101] "If anyone does not agree that Holy Mary is the Mother of God, he is at odds with the Godhead. If anyone asserts that Christ passed through the Virgin as though a channel, and was not shaped in her both divinely and humanly, divinely because without man [thorough the action of the Holy Spirit] and humanly because in accord with the law of gestation, he is likewise godless. If anyone asserts that His manhood was formed to be clothed over afterwards with divinity, he too is condemned; for this were not a generation of God, but a flight from
generation . . . "
Oration [on the Priesthood]
[2, 71, 74, 73: PG 35, 480-481.]
" We must begin by purifying ourselves before purifying others; we must be instructed to be able to instruct, become light to illuminate, draw close to God to bring him close to others, be sanctified to sanctify, lead by the hand and counsel prudently. I know whose ministers we are, where we find ourselves and to where we strive. I know God's greatness and man's weakness, but also his potential. (Who then is the priest? He is) the defender of truth, who stands with angels, gives glory with archangels, causes sacrifices to rise to the altar on high, shares Christ's priesthood, refashions creation, restores it in God's image, recreates it for the world on high and, even greater, is divinized and divinizes."
The Divinity of the Holy Spirit A Case of Development in Doctrine (quoted from a A Treasury of Early Christianity, p. 92, edited by Ann Freemantle)
". . . You see lights breaking upon us gradually; and the order of Theology, which is better for us to keep, neither proclaiming things too suddenly, nor yet keeping them hidden to the end. For the former course would be unscientific, the latter aethisitical; and the former would be calculated to startle outsiders, the latter to alienate our own people. . . . Our Savior had some things which He said could not be borne at that time by His disciples (though perhaps they were filled with many teachings), perhaps for the reasons I have mentioned; and therefore they were hidden. And again He said that all things should be taught us by the [Holy] Spirit when He shall come to dwell amongst us. Of these things one, I take it, was the deity of the Spirit himself, made clear later on when such knowledge should be seasonable and capable of being received after our Savior's restoration, when it would no longer be received with incredulity because of its marvelous character. For what greater thing than this did either He promise, or the Spirit teach? If indeed anything is to be considered great and worthy of the Majesty of God, which was either promised or taught."
St. Gregory of Nazianz (330-389 A.D.) Born at Arianz, near Nazianz, a market town in southwestern Cappadocia. His father served as Bishop of Nazianz and his friend, Gregory of Nyssa were among the few bishops who chose marriage over celibacy. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa and Basil of Caesarea, along with Gregory of Nazianz are known as the "Three Cappadocians," great defenders of the faith and most especially the doctrine of the Trinity. Gregory is best known for his profound theological insights that led to his being given the same title of St. John the Apostle, namely, 'the Divine.' His work is assembled under three titles, namely, Orations, Letters and Poems. Gregory of Nazianz was as mild and gentle as his good friend, Basil of Caesarea was volatile and arrogant. They went to school together in Caesarea, Alexandria and Athens and remained lifelong friends, struggling against the heresies of their day. Gregory was ordained a priest about 362 A.D., under pressure from his father, the Bishop. Although given a bishopric of his own in the backwater town of Sasima in a controversy that he wanted no part of, he never moved there and assisted his father in Nazianz until the latter's death in 374 A.D. He once explained his dilemma: "for I am almost torn asunder by my inward longing and by the Spirit. The longing urges me to flight, to solitude in the mountains, to quietude of soul and body, to withdrawal of spirit from all sensuous things, and to retirement into myself, that I may commune undisturbed with God, and be wholly penetrated by the rays of His Spirit .... But the other, the Spirit, would lead me into the midst of life, to serve the common weal, and by furthering others to further myself, to spread light and to present to God a people for His possession a holy people, a royal priesthood . . ." He was invited to become Bishop of Constantinople by the Nicenes, who were plagued by Arian oppression and he accepted in 379 A.D. His struggle against the Arian Bishop Demophilus was crowned with success in 380, when the emperor deposed the latter and told Gregory, "This temple God by our hand entrusts to thee as a reward for thy pains." He was recognized as the Bishop there by the Second Ecumenical Council, meeting at Constantinople in 381, but protests against his uncanonical transfer between sees, led to his resignation with the following words, "Whatever this assembly may hereafter determine concerning me, I would fain raise your mind before hand to something far higher: I pray you now, be one, and join yourselves in love! Must we always be only derided as infallible, and be animated only by one thing, the spirit of strife? Give each other the hand fraternally. But I will be a second Jonah. I will give myself for the salvation of our ship (the church), though I am innocent of the storm. Let the lot fall upon me, and cast me into the sea. A hospitable fish of the deep will receive me. This shall be the beginning of your harmony. I reluctantly ascended the episcopal chair, and gladly I now come down. Even my weak body advises me this. One debt only have I to pay: death; this I owe to God. But, O my Trinity! for Thy sake only am I sad. Shalt Thou have an able man, bold and zealous to vindicate Thee? Farewell, and remember my labors and my pains." He returned to Nazianz, where he remained as bishop until a new one was appointed in 383. He died in 389 or 390 A.D. on the family estate at Arianz.
In Praise of Hero the Philosopher [379 A.D.]
983
[25, 16] "Common to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit is their having no coming into being, and their divinity. Proper to the Father alone is His unbegotteness; to the Son alone, His begotteness; to the Holy Spirit alone, His being sent forth."
On the Words of the Gospel in Matthew 19:1 [ 380 A.D.]
1003
[37, 13] "It is a question not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God showing mercy [Rom 9:16] . . . . There are some people who are so proud of their successes that they attribute everything to themselves and nothing to Him who made them and gave them wisdom and supplied them with good things. Let them learn of this saying that even to wish someone well requires God's help; or rather, even to choose what is right is something divine and a gift of God's benovolence to man. That we may be saved requires something from us and from God. That is why it says, 'Not of him who wills'; that is, not only of him who wills; and not only of him who runs, but also of God's showing mercy. Since to will is also from God, it is reasonable that Paul attributed the whole to God. However well may you run, however well you may wrestle, you will need Him who gives the crown."
On The Theophany or Birthday of Christ [380 A.D.]
1007
[38,16] "You shall see. . . Jesus . . . crucified and crucifying my sin, as a Lamb offered and as a Priest offering, as a man buried and as God rising again, and afterwards ascending, whence He will come again in His own glory. How many festivals there are in each of the mysteries of Christ! And all of them have one main point: my perfection and reformation, and return to the [original condition of the] first Adam.
Oration on the Holy Baptism [381 A.D.]
1011 [40, 3-4] "Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift . . . We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightment, garment of immortality , bath of rebirth, seal and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bringing nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship."
1011 [40, 9] "Let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with Him; let us go down with Him to be raised with Him; and let us rise with Him to be glorified with Him."
1011a [40, 17] "Do you have an infant child? Allow sin no opportunity; rather, let the infant be sanctified; from childhood. From his most tender age let him be consecrated by the Spirit. Do you fear the seal [of Baptism] because of the weakness of nature? O, what a pusillanimous mother, and of little faith! . . . Give your child the Trinity, that great and noble Protector."
Letter of Gregory to Cledonius the Priest, Against Apollinaris [A.D. 382]
1017 [101] "If anyone does not agree that Holy Mary is the Mother of God, he is at odds with the Godhead. If anyone asserts that Christ passed through the Virgin as though a channel, and was not shaped in her both divinely and humanly, divinely because without man [thorough the action of the Holy Spirit] and humanly because in accord with the law of gestation, he is likewise godless. If anyone asserts that His manhood was formed to be clothed over afterwards with divinity, he too is condemned; for this were not a generation of God, but a flight from
generation . . . "
Oration [on the Priesthood]
[2, 71, 74, 73: PG 35, 480-481.]
" We must begin by purifying ourselves before purifying others; we must be instructed to be able to instruct, become light to illuminate, draw close to God to bring him close to others, be sanctified to sanctify, lead by the hand and counsel prudently. I know whose ministers we are, where we find ourselves and to where we strive. I know God's greatness and man's weakness, but also his potential. (Who then is the priest? He is) the defender of truth, who stands with angels, gives glory with archangels, causes sacrifices to rise to the altar on high, shares Christ's priesthood, refashions creation, restores it in God's image, recreates it for the world on high and, even greater, is divinized and divinizes."
The Divinity of the Holy Spirit A Case of Development in Doctrine (quoted from a A Treasury of Early Christianity, p. 92, edited by Ann Freemantle)
". . . You see lights breaking upon us gradually; and the order of Theology, which is better for us to keep, neither proclaiming things too suddenly, nor yet keeping them hidden to the end. For the former course would be unscientific, the latter aethisitical; and the former would be calculated to startle outsiders, the latter to alienate our own people. . . . Our Savior had some things which He said could not be borne at that time by His disciples (though perhaps they were filled with many teachings), perhaps for the reasons I have mentioned; and therefore they were hidden. And again He said that all things should be taught us by the [Holy] Spirit when He shall come to dwell amongst us. Of these things one, I take it, was the deity of the Spirit himself, made clear later on when such knowledge should be seasonable and capable of being received after our Savior's restoration, when it would no longer be received with incredulity because of its marvelous character. For what greater thing than this did either He promise, or the Spirit teach? If indeed anything is to be considered great and worthy of the Majesty of God, which was either promised or taught."