What do you think?
Rate this book
Ancient Christian Writers #18
On The Lord's Prayer and The Beatitudes
A monumental project which brings the English-speaking work key selections from the remarkable literature of early Christianity -- vertiable trasures of Christian faith and theology in superb translations.
210 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1954
8 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Gregory of Nyssa
163 books125 followersGregory of Nyssa was a Christian bishop and saint. He was a younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory Nazianzus. His significance has long been recognized in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity.
Gregory along with his brother Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. They attempted to establish Christian philosophy as superior to Greek philosophy.
Gregory along with his brother Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. They attempted to establish Christian philosophy as superior to Greek philosophy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 26, 2022
this is me just nerding out with my required course readings lol but On the Beatitudes changed the way I thought about the beatitudes & helped take a concept learned as a child & beautify it / shed some more light on what it means to live out the beatitudes & journey up the mountain of faith and action
hehe, like I said..just making the space for me to nerd out for a minute 🫶
hehe, like I said..just making the space for me to nerd out for a minute 🫶
April 11, 2021
Gregory of Nyssa was as much of a mystical theologian as an erudite of logical dogma. A faithful enemy of Arianism, he contributes to the school of Alexandrian Theology an exegesis that is mystical and moralistic at the same time. He spent much of his intellectual dogma and position as Bishop of Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey) in polemics against the Heresiarch Arius and his powerful advocate Eunomius. Here in his commentary on the Lord's Prayer and The Beatitudes, he displays a balance between mystical meditation and moral and rational thinking. Gregory is overshadowed by his brother Basil and other theologians of his day, but his works have been of tremendous importance in the East and the West is beginning to re-discover this exegesis which sees no distinction between the mystical and logical.
Gregory, in true platonic fashion, emphasizes the power dynamics of heaven. He takes it for granted that Reason and Logic are of divine origin, and was given to us so that we might know God. But at the same time he opposes Aristolean logic found in Eunomius and treats the Pagan Greek philosophers as ideological enemies of the church at points. He repeatably places theology over esoteric philosophy and argues the self-revelation of God is the aetiological origin of the ability to reason in the first place. Neoplatonism taught that purification leads to deification, which may look like the Theosis at first glance, but the comparison is only cursory. Nyssa emphasizes asceticism, the denial of the flesh, and the meditation on the divine; but this is all with the goal of drawing closer to Christ, in whom is salvation entirely. It is not Gnostic, it is not Platonic, it is ultimately Christocentric theology. Nyssa moves beyond the Sophist and the Sage to a Theanthropic theology which raptures all human thinking to the 'mysterium tremendum et fascinans' of the Eucharist.
In Sermon 5 he writes about the responsibility of mankind to turn from evil. Although he quotes Paul frequently, he does not talk about the Grace that proceeds and enables the free-willed choice of mankind. Pelagius has not yet rose to power, and so the Grace which St. Paul speaks of was simply a given to these Greek-speaking esthetic theologians:
“Nothing good enters into us from outside, but it lies with us to have what we will, and to bring forth the good from our nature as if from some inner chamber. For from the parts we are taught about the whole, that there is no other way of obtaining one’s desire except by procuring the good for oneself… So it depends on us and is in the power of our free will to receive what we desire, to find what we seek, and to enter where we wish to be. Evil exists as soon as it is chosen; it comes into being whenever we elect it.
He expresses a light version of Original Sin, emphasizes the finite nature of mankind, and while human nature is not inherently evil but rather inherently good as the image of God is inherently good, it is in a deeply broken status that is passed down through the flesh: “Now since man’s nature was deceitfully led astray from the discernment of the god, the inclination of his free will has been directed to the opposite and his life subjected to every base thing; his nature has been mixed up with death in a thousand ways.”
He answers the question "If humans have Free will, can they still sin in heaven?" By arguing that the full restoration of the Imago Dei leaves all desire or inclination to sin on earth:
“Yet the desire for the good and the beautiful is equally inherent in both natures, and the Lord of the world has both equally endowed with self-determined free will and complete freedom from necessity. Thus every being privileged to possess a rational mind is meant to be governed by an autonomous free will. Now if the heavenly life is perfectly free from evil, and none of the powers known to be opposed to it has communion with it. On the other hand, every impulse or emotion connected with the passions resides in the life below, where human nature is at home. Therefore, the Divinely inspired Word fixes the attention on the heavenly city, the dwelling place of the holy powers, which is perfectly free from even the slightest stain of sin and evil. But whatever has placed itself outside the good through its secession from it, has an admixture of evil in its substance; and it flows together in this life like new bad wine and dregs in a basin.”
As the first theologian to dogmatically assert that slavery is inherently sinful, unfortunately, his influence in the West has been historically limited, as were all of the ancient Greek mystics. At the same point in history when the East was excommunicating slavers & unrepentant racists from the Orthodox church wholesale, the Protestant West was running the largest slave trade the human species has ever known. The modern West could learn a lesson by rediscovering Nyssa's rational mysticism and the moral thinking stemming from it; to fix the metaphysical foundation it deviated from via Augustine & Anselm. God is infinite, Nyssa argues; mankind is finite and limited and it is only through meditating on the self-revelation of God that mankind is able to step into what is beyond the psyche and realize otologic humanity experientially. Reason and dogmatic logic are not merely complementary to the mystical; they are apperceptively interdependent. To reason about God is not enough to 'know' Him, as our conceptions are bound by the finitude of the framework of our cognition. Logical rationalizing of the Divine should lead one to Apophicism, which necessitates a preternatural experience within the Divine to maintain Ontological Reality, i.e. it must become mystical to survive. To exist fully, the dogma needs the mystical and vice versa.
-------------
“Time is measured by a threefold division, past, present, and future. In all three we receive the munificence of the Lord… Therefore, even if you never cease to give thanks to God throughout your life, you will hardly thank Him for the present; and as for the future and the past, you will not be able to find a means of rendering Him His due.”
Gregory, in true platonic fashion, emphasizes the power dynamics of heaven. He takes it for granted that Reason and Logic are of divine origin, and was given to us so that we might know God. But at the same time he opposes Aristolean logic found in Eunomius and treats the Pagan Greek philosophers as ideological enemies of the church at points. He repeatably places theology over esoteric philosophy and argues the self-revelation of God is the aetiological origin of the ability to reason in the first place. Neoplatonism taught that purification leads to deification, which may look like the Theosis at first glance, but the comparison is only cursory. Nyssa emphasizes asceticism, the denial of the flesh, and the meditation on the divine; but this is all with the goal of drawing closer to Christ, in whom is salvation entirely. It is not Gnostic, it is not Platonic, it is ultimately Christocentric theology. Nyssa moves beyond the Sophist and the Sage to a Theanthropic theology which raptures all human thinking to the 'mysterium tremendum et fascinans' of the Eucharist.
In Sermon 5 he writes about the responsibility of mankind to turn from evil. Although he quotes Paul frequently, he does not talk about the Grace that proceeds and enables the free-willed choice of mankind. Pelagius has not yet rose to power, and so the Grace which St. Paul speaks of was simply a given to these Greek-speaking esthetic theologians:
“Nothing good enters into us from outside, but it lies with us to have what we will, and to bring forth the good from our nature as if from some inner chamber. For from the parts we are taught about the whole, that there is no other way of obtaining one’s desire except by procuring the good for oneself… So it depends on us and is in the power of our free will to receive what we desire, to find what we seek, and to enter where we wish to be. Evil exists as soon as it is chosen; it comes into being whenever we elect it.
He expresses a light version of Original Sin, emphasizes the finite nature of mankind, and while human nature is not inherently evil but rather inherently good as the image of God is inherently good, it is in a deeply broken status that is passed down through the flesh: “Now since man’s nature was deceitfully led astray from the discernment of the god, the inclination of his free will has been directed to the opposite and his life subjected to every base thing; his nature has been mixed up with death in a thousand ways.”
He answers the question "If humans have Free will, can they still sin in heaven?" By arguing that the full restoration of the Imago Dei leaves all desire or inclination to sin on earth:
“Yet the desire for the good and the beautiful is equally inherent in both natures, and the Lord of the world has both equally endowed with self-determined free will and complete freedom from necessity. Thus every being privileged to possess a rational mind is meant to be governed by an autonomous free will. Now if the heavenly life is perfectly free from evil, and none of the powers known to be opposed to it has communion with it. On the other hand, every impulse or emotion connected with the passions resides in the life below, where human nature is at home. Therefore, the Divinely inspired Word fixes the attention on the heavenly city, the dwelling place of the holy powers, which is perfectly free from even the slightest stain of sin and evil. But whatever has placed itself outside the good through its secession from it, has an admixture of evil in its substance; and it flows together in this life like new bad wine and dregs in a basin.”
As the first theologian to dogmatically assert that slavery is inherently sinful, unfortunately, his influence in the West has been historically limited, as were all of the ancient Greek mystics. At the same point in history when the East was excommunicating slavers & unrepentant racists from the Orthodox church wholesale, the Protestant West was running the largest slave trade the human species has ever known. The modern West could learn a lesson by rediscovering Nyssa's rational mysticism and the moral thinking stemming from it; to fix the metaphysical foundation it deviated from via Augustine & Anselm. God is infinite, Nyssa argues; mankind is finite and limited and it is only through meditating on the self-revelation of God that mankind is able to step into what is beyond the psyche and realize otologic humanity experientially. Reason and dogmatic logic are not merely complementary to the mystical; they are apperceptively interdependent. To reason about God is not enough to 'know' Him, as our conceptions are bound by the finitude of the framework of our cognition. Logical rationalizing of the Divine should lead one to Apophicism, which necessitates a preternatural experience within the Divine to maintain Ontological Reality, i.e. it must become mystical to survive. To exist fully, the dogma needs the mystical and vice versa.
-------------
“Time is measured by a threefold division, past, present, and future. In all three we receive the munificence of the Lord… Therefore, even if you never cease to give thanks to God throughout your life, you will hardly thank Him for the present; and as for the future and the past, you will not be able to find a means of rendering Him His due.”
Read
November 13, 2020Much of it is great treasure, some of it is average, and a small portion of it is dry. This was written by a church father of the Early Church, so it is high in wisdom. Make sure you read the church fathers of the Early Church (from the first century until the rise of Islam). The church fathers continue until the present day. One of the most recent church father was Saint Porphyrios of Mount Athos. He wrote a book of biography and teachings titled "Wounded by Love".
June 20, 2024
Brilliant exposition on the Lord’s Prayer and the Beatitudes; it has completely altered the way I think about them, and shed light upon things not altogether clear on a superficial reading of the scriptural text.
February 5, 2012
It is a common perception that those considered ancient Christian mystic writers were predominately Desert Fathers or monks who lived in isolation from the rigors of ministering in church and society, in order to seek mystical knowledge of God. However, in the early church we find an exception to this notion in the person, life, and leadership of Gregory of Nyssa. Gregory is well known for his influential, Trinitarian theology a the Council of Constantinople and his pastoral role at Nyssa. He is also known for his example and leadership in the area of mystical experience in the Eastern Church. It is clear that Gregory spent some formative time in a monastic setting; yet it was in his early years of church leadership that he articulated an ascetically and mystical spirituality outside the monastic institution, i.e., in his homilies. Specifically, "The Beatitudes" gives us insight into the call for an ascetical spiritual life as viewed through Gregory's skillful use of a governing image--a ladder that ascends one step at a time. "The Beatitudes" guides us concerning a vital question: how to pursue spirituality by developing the virtues of the soul, virtues that held the imagination and captured the heart of this fourth century Christian leader.
April 14, 2012
In two separate series of sermons, Gregory examines these two key teachings of Jesus. In each, the fourth century Father offers pointed comments on the avoidance of sin, specific direction to pursue the good, both under the veneer of a neo-platonic influence that offers a slight preference to the spiritual over the material. This emphasis is more pronounced elsewhere in Gregory, and thankfully here it is minimized, as Gregory offers a more balanced portrait of the spiritual life. His classic treatment of the Beatitudes pictures them in the form of an ordered ascent to God, the practice and mastery of one leading up the ladder toward a more complete vision of who God has called His people to be. Gregory often employs metaphors to open his sermons, pursues rabbit trails that take him a bit afield from the text at hand, and occasionally striking exegesis of passages, all of which has enhanced my understanding of and appreciation for the teachings of these two passages.
Read
September 12, 2015 When I was younger I wondered why certain parts of the Bible were highlighted by Christians historically. Why choose these particular portions of Scripture and not others to include in Bible textbooks or to write a book about. I now realize that there are certain passages which draw a great deal of basic truth into a brief space. The Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes are two such passages. Gregory of Nyssa betrays the strengths and weaknesses of patristic preaching. Here you will find profound insights that had not occurred to you before, but it will come mixed with some dross.
Read
February 9, 2015BR60 .A35 no. 18
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews