This thesis is a study of the pneumatology of Gregory of Nazianzus which aims particularly to ...

405 Pages·2009·28.67 MB·English

THE DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
ACCORDING TO GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS
T. A. NOBLE
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
1989
I
ABSTRACT OF THESIS
This thesis is the Gregory
a study of pneumatology of of
Nazianzus to discover the in his
which aims particularly grounds
thinking for his forthright the deity
strong and assertion of of
the Holy Spirit.
Three his First, from
areas of pneumatology are considered.
the the Holy Spirit in the life the Christian, it is
work of of
Gregory's that if he is God the Holy Spirit
conviction only can
bring Christians to that true knowledge God transforms
of which
them. Secondly, from his in the intelligent In the
work creation,
Christ, in the disciples the Church, the
prophets, with and and
Holy Spirit is to be the Creator the
seen and one who re-creates
intelligent life. His distinction from the Father
and perfects
the Son is known from his by the Father,
and coming, sent at
Pentecost, that in the the divine the
so unfolding of economy
Trinity is Thirdly, Gregory's
gradually revealed. understanding
the Spirit is the his doctrine the
of seen within context of of
Trinity. For Gregory, Christian devotion is the
centred on
Trinity, threefold Light illuminates the The truth
whose mind. of
the Trinity be in the the Three-yet-
can only expressed paradox of
One. Since God the Holy Trinity is Being, the Holy Spirit is
one
divine Rather he is God
not merely one who shares nature.
Himself. But the hand he is distinct from the Father
and
on other
the Son his identity. As
with own personal a way of expressing
this distinction has been in the
and safeguarding which revealed
that the Father is the Unbegotten the
and
economy we say whereas
Son is the Begotten, the Spirit is the Proceeding One. Gregory
believed that the Spirit's deity be
should openly confessed.
The therefore that Gregory's belief in the deity
study shows
Is in these his
the Holy Spirit rooted each of major areas of
of
theology. It is integral to his Christian faith.
whole
This thesis has been composed by me and is entirely my own work.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
ABBREVIATIONS
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
(a) The Corpus: Modern Editions 5
(b) Gregory's Life Works in Historical
and
Context 10
(c) Predecessors Contemporaries 24
and
I. Or i 25
gen
2. Athanasius 30
3. Basil 38
4. Didymus Gregory Nyssa 47
and of
(d) The Character Gregory's Theology 50
of
CHAPTER II: THE CHRISTIAN AND THE SPIRIT 53
(a) Inspiration 54
(b) Baptism 61
(c) Living in the Spirit 74
CHAPTER III: THE ECONOMY AND THE SPIRIT 80
(a) The Spirit in Creation the Prophets 81
and on
(b) The Spirit Christ 84
and
(c) The Spirit Pentecost 94
and
(d) The Gradual Revelation the Trinity
105
of
ii
112
CHAPTER IV: THE TRINITY AND THE SPIRIT
(a) Faith is faith in the Holy Trinity 1-14
(b) The Beatific Vision: the Light the
of
117
Trinity
(c) The Paradox the Three-in-One 124
of
(d) One Ousla in Three Hypostasels 131
CHAPTER V: FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT 141
(a) The Distinct Identities 141
(b) Procession 153
(c) The Father Origin 158
as
(d) Paradox Procession 175
and
CHAPTER VI: THE DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 182
(a) Gregory's Pneumatology: A Review 182
(b) The Open Confession 187
(c) "You God" 197
are my
NOTES:
Chapter 1 202
Chapter 11 269
Chapter 111 286
Chapter IV 313
Chapter V 343
Chapter VI 367
BIBLIOGRAPHY 376
iii
PREFACE
It because the late fourth in
was century was a crucial period
the development the Christian doctrines the Holy Spirit
of and
of
the Trinity that interest f irst to it. Gregory
my was attracted
Nazianzus the leading f igures the
of was one of of period, one of
the Cappadocian Fathers, the three bishops from Cappadocia
great
the doctors the Church. His
who are still counted among of
influential the thinking
eloquent and sermons not only shaped of
his but through later by
contemporaries, were studied centuries
Christians both in the Greek East the Latin West. To-day, the
and
Trinitarian thought he helped to formulate to
pattern of which and
to Christian devotion fundamental to the
make central remains
God by Christians. Indeed it is
understanding of shared countless
deeply in the that it is
so embedded assumptions of many, scarcely
noticed or reflected upon.
In to Gregory's thought the Holy Spirit, I
order understand on
first Gregory's the Spirit,
concentrated on own statements on
them them to topic. This formed
collating and grouping according
the basis for the the thesis, throughout it I have
plan of and
tried to let Gregory's be heard by him
own voice quoting
The that by P. de
extensively. method was exactly advocated
Regnon in by Jean Plagnieux in his book,
a sentence quoted
Saint Gr6goire de Nazianze Th6ologlen:
i
"Ä le de l'exacte d'un
mon avis, seul moyen connaltre pensäe
docteur de le longuement, de
citer afin se
grec est
famillariser ll
avec elle.
The then to the
attempt was made understand significance of each
Gregory Is doc tr i the Sp irit th the the
area of ne of wi aid of
literature.
extensive secondary
In the thesis I have tried to keep
writing a clear and
line thought in the text Gregory's
uncluttered of main expounding
thought, to keep to the footnotes. The
own and other matters work
therefore be two levels. The
can read on general reader with some
knowledge theology f ind the text but
of should main readable, may
to leave the footnotes to the Greek in the
wish specialist. words
text transliterated. To be in
main are accordingly consistent
transliteration, the hypostasis in its
plural of appears not usual
Latin form, hypostases, but (except in in its
quotations) strict
Greek form, hypostaseis, I have the Sources
plural generally used
text Gregory's these
chr-6tlennes of works where are available, and
they the text from J. P. Migne's Patrologle Graeca.
where are not,
The English translations frequently (or based those
are are upon)
C. G. Browne J. E, Swallow in the Nicene Post-
of and published and
Nicene Fathers (Second Series), Vol. 7. Other lines
orations and
have been translated The
of poetry as necessary. system of
the footnotes taken from the thesis by F. Dinsen
numbering was
listed in the bibliography, to to the
and seems me give easiest
for the
reader.
mode of reference
V
fi t t I
It Prof T. F. Torrance who rs sugges ed when
was essor
interest in the the
expressed an working on pneumatology of-
Cappadocians that I Gregory
should concentrate attention on of
Nazianzus. I to him for initial but
am grateful not only guidance
for the interest he has from time to time his
expressed since
My thanks due to Professor Alasdair Heron for
retiral. are also
the first to Dr Noel O'Donoghue
guiding year of research, and who
has been throughout the Not least
a supervisor whole period.
his
the that
among many points of practical guidance was suggestion
I focus Gregory's the deity the
should particularly on view of of
Spirit. I to Professor James Mackey for his
am also grateful
during the final his helpful
supervision
stages, particularly
the text.
comments on
My be to
gratitude must also expressed a considerable number
have helped in innumerable Several have
of people who
ways. come
to translations. Mr & Mrs Nunzio Faranda translated
my rescue with
two from Italian Miss Ciska Verwoerd from Dutch.
articles and
one
Mr Antonino Tamburello helped to little Italian.
also me read a
When time too to the German
proved short read all relevant
Mrs Brenda Cant kindly translated A. M.
material,
sections of
Ritter's Das Konzil Konstantinopel Mrs Hazel Maciver
von and some
from Karl Holl's Amphilochlus Ikonium. My thanks
pages von must
to the Governors British Isles Nazarene College to
also go of and
the former Dr Hugh Rae, the
the
principal, and present principal,
Revd Herbert McGonigle, for the facilities
disposal.
all
put at my
vi
I
All have been helpful.
must particularly
my colleagues most
Dr Kent Brower,
mention who assumed my administrative
during his the
for
responsibilities a year own sabbatical, and also
former Miss Eleanor Brocklebank, the
administrative assistant, and
former Mr Peter Rae, help,
registrar, without whose efficient
have the My
administration would crowded out work of scholarship.
thanks due to the library New College, Edinburgh,
are also staff at
the John Rylands University Library in Manchester Mrs Heather
and
Bell, the librarian the Nazarene College. I
at am grateful also
to Mr Hamish Ralston, Mr Mrs Andrew Downie Mr R. M.
and and
Pinkerton kindly hospitality to
who so gave me on my visits
Edinburgh, to Mrs Jean Prestwich for typing the thesis
and entire
the Dr Robert Lock
and coping with mysteries of word processing.
kind to the Greek.
was enough proof-read
But thanks to family have
my chief must go, of course, my who
too for longer
cheerfully endured my absence on many occasions and
than Above deserves the thanks,
expected. all my wife greatest
for the but
not only coping with my absence and my share of chores,
for the this
all support and encouragement without which work would
have been begun have been
never and could certainly never
completed.
vii
ABBREVIATIONS
AbS
Abba Salama
A'Fh R Anglican Theological Review
ANCL, Ante-Nicene Christian Library
A Augustinianum
ug
BYZ Byzantinische Zeitschrift
Byz Byzantion
CH Church History
ChQ Church Quarterly
DS Dictionnaire de Spiritualit6
DThC Dictionnaire de Th6ologie Catholique
DOP Dumbarton Oaks Papers
Diak Diakonia
EkPh Ekklesiastikos Pharos
ETL Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses
HERE Hastings Encyclopaedia Religion Ethics
of and
ITQ Irish Theological Quarterly
Mus Le Mus6on
JThS Journal Theological Studies
of
NTT Nederlands Theologisch Tijdschrift
NPNF Nicene Post-Nicene Fathers
and
OrChP Orientalla Christiana Periodica
PByzR Patristic Byzantine Review
and
PG Patrologia Graeca
PGL A Patristic Greek Lexicon
RHE Revue d'Histoire
eccl6slastique
R 11 Is tPhR Revue d'Histolre de Philosophie
et religieuses
RS Religious Studies
RSR Revue des Sciences
religieuses
RThL Revue th6ologique de Louvain
SJT Scottish Journal Theology
of
Sob Sobornost
SP Studia Patristica
StVIadThQ St Vladimir's Theological Querterly
ThZ Theologische Zeitschrift
TB Tyndale Bulletin
TRE Theologische Realenzyklopgdle
TDNT Theological Dictionary the New Testament
of
TVT Tijdschrift Theologie
voor
vc Verbum Caro
VigChr Vigiliae Christianae
ZKG Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte
ZKTh Zeitschrift für Katholische Theologie
ZMP Zurnal Moskovskoj Patriarchi
ZNW Zeitschrift für die Wissenschaft
neutestamentliche
ZThK Zeitschrift für Theologie Kirche
und
viii
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Gregory Nazianzus is indisputably figure in
of a significant
the development the Christian doctrine the Holy Spirit.
of of
At least, brief the facts to indicate
a recitation of seems so.
A the brothers, Basil Caesarea Gregory
close ally of of and of
Nyssa, together him known the Cappadocian
who with are as
Fathers, he Constantinople during the Council
was archbishop of
Constantinople 381. This the later
of of was council,
the finally Judged
recognized as second ecumenical council, which
Arianism (the that Christ God but
view was not a subordinate
divine being) to be heresy its fate the Roman
a and sealed within
Empire. It to have the Church's definitive
also seems produced
the deity the Holy Spirit,
statement on of which was also a
for dispute. I It Gregory the for
matter was who prepared way
the triumph Arianism the Eastern imperial
over within capital
itself. He the this in
was one who at critical moment church
history the Cappadocian doctrine the Trinity
enunciated of within
the doctrine the Spirit integral
which of was articulated as an
It Gregory Nazianzen the definitive
part. was who gave
later by East West the
exposition accepted and as measure of
for his Five Theological Orations
orthodoxy, and who particularly
John, "the Theologian"
"the Divine".
with
was surnamed or
this
The is to the
objective of study produce an account of