One Path for All

Rowan A. Greer

ISBN 10: 0227175344 / ISBN 13: 9780227175347

Published by Boydell and Brewer Ltd, GB, 2015

About this Item

Essays and translations of Gregory of Nyssa's original writings, identifying the ultimate unity of humanity in Christ as one of his key themes.In his writings and his career Gregory of Nyssa assumes many roles. He is a Christian Platonist, a spiritual guide for ascetics and those seeking the vision of God, as well as one of those who shaped the Trinitarian doctrine of God espoused at Constantinople in 381. But he is also a popular preacher and, paradoxically, someone unafraid of deeper speculations regarding the meaning of the Christian ideal. The translations in Part One illustrate these various concerns, but are not a sufficient basis for the thesis of Part Two, one that attempts to answer the question of how to describe the coherence of a thinker far from systematic. One solution is to appeal to Gregory's conviction that after this world all Christians, indeed all humans, will be united in diversity, and that this means that all are now on the one path to their destiny, however much their progress may differ. This answer does not pretend to solve all problems, nor does it rule out other approaches to Gregory's thought. But it locates Gregory's work in the liturgical and sacramental life of the church that includes ordinary as well as elite Christians.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780227175347

Bibliographic Details

• Title: One Path for All
• Publisher: Boydell and Brewer Ltd, GB
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0227175344
• ISBN 13: 9780227175347
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Dimensions: 15.24W x 1.91H x 22.23D centimeters 15.24 centimeters width by 1.91 centimeters height by 22.23 centimeters depth

About this title

Synopsis

Essays and translations of Gregory of Nyssa's original writings, identifying the ultimate unity of humanity in Christ as one of his key themes.

In his writings and his career Gregory of Nyssa assumes many roles. He is a Christian Platonist, a spiritual guide for ascetics and those seeking the vision of God, as well as one of those who shaped the Trinitarian doctrine of God espoused at Constantinople in 381. But he is also a popular preacher and, paradoxically, someone unafraid of deeper speculations regarding the meaning of the Christian ideal. The translations in Part One illustrate these various concerns, but are not a sufficient basis for the thesis of Part Two, one that attempts to answer the question of how to describe the coherence of a thinker far from systematic. One solution is to appeal to Gregory's conviction that after this world all Christians, indeed all humans, will be united in diversity, and that this means that all are now on the one path to their destiny, however much their progress may differ. This answer does not pretend to solve all problems, nor does it rule out other approaches to Gregory's thought. But it locates Gregory's work in the liturgical and sacramental life of the church that includes ordinary as well as elite Christians.

About the Author

Rowan A. Greer joined the faculty of the Yale Divinity School in 1966 as an assistant professor of New Testament. In 1975 he was appointed Professor of Anglican Studies and shifted his teaching responsibilities from the New Testament to patristic theology and to the history and theologies of Anglicanism. He retired in 1997. His books include Broken Lights and Mended Lives (1986) and Christian Hope and Christian Life (2001).