Gregory of Nyssa: The Life of Moses

by Gregory of Nyssa

St. Gregory of Nyssa (335-394 CE), who came from an illustrious Christian family of Capadocia, became bishop of the small town of Nyssa in 371 and is known as one of the founders of mystical theology in the Church. In The Life of Moses, one of the most important books in the study of Christian mysticism, Gregory retells the story of Moses's life from the biblical account in Exodus and Numbers and then refers back to these stories as the basis for profound spiritual lessons. The ultimate goal of Gregory's spirituality is to strive for infinite progress in the never-completed journey to God. His exhortations to lead a life of virtue will inspire all who hope to increase their knowledge and love of God.

277 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2023

About the author

Gregory 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.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an enchanting evaluation of the role of Moses from an abstract, metaphorical perspective. I only have four stars cause some of his ideas are far fetched, but he also had three concepts that intrigued me and added to my spiritual understanding of the Bible. My favorite of his analogies and his strongest is where he connects Christ on the cross with Moses and the serpents, where the serpents are attacking the Jews and Moses holds up his staff and all those who look up to the staff are cured of the poison. Gregory says that we are all in that situation in this life where all the worldly desires and sin are the serpents attacking us and the only salvation is to look up to the cross and see His passion to cure us. I loved this book!

[Grayson Minneman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't enjoy the allegorical reading of Scripture, so this book stretched me