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Gregory of Nyssa: The Life of Moses (Classics of Western Spirituality)

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Gregory of Nyssa, one of the three great 'Cappadocians', is well represented in this mystical biography of the prophet Moses.

Gregory of Nyssa is a towering intellectual figure in the Christian tradition. He is revered as one of the main Church Fathers, especially in Eastern Christianity, however he is somewhat below Augustine in the West, although much recent Catholic scholarship is recovering the theological and philosophical brilliance of this great man.

Gregory of Nyssa wrote several key works, including a long treatise against the heretic Eunomius (who using Aristotle's logic claimed the essence of God is finite and knowable to the human mind), a commentary on the Song of Songs, and a mystical biography on Moses.

In this work Gregory meditates on the famous life of Moses as recounted in the Old Testament, from his birth in Egypt to his calling in the field by the burning bush to his meeting with God on Mt Sinai. In his meditations Gregory introduces several themes which will dominate later Christian theology and mysticism, including the theme of the darkness of God, the notion of 'epikstasis' or endless progress into the Godhead for the saint, the infinity of God's Being (a critical concept for Gregory) as well as encountering God in light and unknowing. Gregory readily adapts several ideas from Platonic and Aristotlian philosophy but articulates a genuinely Christian understanding of God, as an ineffable and infinite mystery, One in three and three in One.

Gregory also extensively uses allegorical interpretation in his approach to Exodus, from seeing the slaying of Egyptians as also the slaying of internal selfish sins which turn the saint from God, to interpreting the pieces of the Ark of the Covenant in terms of fundamental parts of the physical and spiritual universe which manifest God's infinity, goodness and power. For Gregory, the entire cosmos becomes a sign of the infinitely beautiful and good hidden God. However Gregory is also careful to make sure we don't idolise God by substituting a false idea in him in his place. Like most mystics Gregory stresses constantly the ineffability and incomprehensibility of the divine, while stressing God is revealed to us in Christ.

Gregory's influence resounds in Christian theology and mysticism, especially in the Orthodox tradition. His great importance as a mystical theologian is starting to be recognised by scholarship, and his work is worth reading and pondering upon.

Paul the apostle and Augustine of Hippo both penned rather famous statements toward the fact that spiritual people discern spiritual things and not merely that which is familiar in any 'fleshly' or 'literal' or empirical sense. Although stating this in their own inimitable ways, neither of them were the first to see this. Jesus Christ taught in parable (allegory), explaining to his disciples that he did so for this very reason. The philosophy of scriptural exegesis that looks to deeper, allegorical / figurative, and spiritual meanings was certainly known, practiced and esteemed in the Judaic world which Christ entered. It is singularly prominent in Philo and, we might argue, is instructed a thousand years earlier by Solomon. Strongly influenced by the life and work of Origen (who is often credited, rightly or wrongly, with systematizing this ancient approach to exegesis) Gregory of Nyssa is one of the church "Fathers" and early theologians to teach this approach to scripture. Much of his work is perhaps known only to scholars, and his "Life of Moses" is one of his few works to be now available in an English text. For this we thank the Paulist Press.
Moses is seen by Gregory (c. 332-395) as a spiritual model. While he was very literally the historical personage who led the Hebrews out of Egypt, the history centered around him is not merely or purely a history. It is seen as a series of lessons and spiritual insights on a more or less historical armature. These kinds of statements from Gregory demonstrate the influence of Philo and Origen in particular: "How would a concept worthy of God be preserved in the description of what happened if one looked only to the history? . . . Where is the holiness? . . .How can the history so contradict reason? Therefore, as we look for the true spiritual meaning, seeking to determine whether the events took place typologically, we should be prepared to believe that the lawgiver has taught through the things said." (II.91-92)
Many modern / post-modern men and women live their lives on or near the surface, so to speak, in a world of familiar and unquestioned illusions. Many modern Christians do the same. While these individuals might not esteem (or even trust) Gregory's approach to scripture, a merely 'surface' or wholly 'literal' reading will have to embrace dire internal contradictions. Gregory says, ". . . faith in Christ does not ally itself with those of such [irrational] disposition." (II.98)
I once heard a fundamentalist preacher, bristling defiantly, proudly pronounce (while actually thumping his Bible), "I don't interpret the Bible, I just read it!" Could we tell him that in demanding there is nothing deeper to be seen he has made an interpretation? He doesn't seem to notice, I guess God's already told him all there is to know?! Wow.
But "arrogance is slain by humility." (II.15) Passages from this work of Gregory that might profit our Bible-thumper, should he permit it: The Wealth of Egypt. II:112-116, and The Darkness: II:162-169.

St. Gregory of Nyssa birth date is unknown but most scholars believe he died around 385 to 386 AD. He came from a religious family where his brother St Basil the Great was the streamliner of the eastern liturgy still in used today in the Eastern Orthodox Church during the Great Fast before Pascha (Easter). Many believe that Gregory was married with Theosebeia before becoming a Bishop. He wrote many books, "The Life of Moses" being his most famous & influential where he tries to find allegorical interpretations & the mystical meanings beyond the normal reading of the texts.

This book may make great reading for most people to reveal the many layers of the Bible by its many different uses of symbolism. Or better written: How to read the life of Moses & reinterpret it to exam your life & become closer to God.

There are many levels of spiritually within the Eastern Orthodox Christian Mystical tradition; interpreting & applying the Bible to help with your spiritual life is but one method. If you're into silent prayer & trying to remove allegory from your thought processes, this book may get in the way. In other words: there is a time to apply the many levels of the Bible to your life & there is a time to clean your mind from its process to experience God directly. Find out which level you're at or which works for you, & see if this fine written ancient book of wisdom can help.

This is a fine book on so many levels, as other reviewers have pointed out. So I will focus on one relatively narrow aspect of the book, and that's the nature of hermeneutics used by St. Gregory.

In our time, almost all biblical interpreters use a sometimes painfully literal approach to the texts. This was often not the approach used by the New Testament writers in their Old Testament citations, and that alone leads to a lot of confusion in our readings of the New Testament.

So it shouldn't be surprising that early church Fathers such as St. Gregory will sometimes use a less than literal approach to the text, as here in his treatment of Moses' life. And that's one of the treasures of this book, reading and hearing the story of Moses' life in a way that I had never heard before, in a manner that illuminated stories that had sometimes not made sense, and shed light on some obscurities of Moses' life.

You don't have to agree with everything the dear saint says to treasure this book, and appreciate his humble insights. This book also (like a number in the "Classics of Western Spirituality" series) provides a helpful segue into the early Fathers for those like myself who grew up Protestant, and had little by way of introduction to the Fathers. This is a good way of learning about them, fun and easy to read, and even a bit of a page-turner. How could you go wrong with something like that?

St. Gregory of Nyssa, one of the early Church fathers, has really nailed down the Life of Moses. Not only does he give you a summary of his life, he takes the time to discuss both the symbolic and spiritual imagery present throughout Moses' Life. Through reading this book you can come to a great understanding of How God really worked wonders in the Life of moses in the vindication of His people Israel. In reading the bible texts, without even knowing it, you may miss many important symbols, but Here Gregory lays them all out for you in an easily accessable way. Even if you are not experenced in reading Patristic Litature, This book will appeal to both your literarly and Spiritual Side. A book i would recommend to anyone seeking to learn more about the life of the man that Led the Exodus.

St. Gregory of Nyssa is regarded as one of the most prominent of the Greek Cappodocian fathers, the brother of St. Basil the Great, and friend of Gregory of Nazianzen.

St. Gregory lets us know all about Moses. He mentions some things that really happened which were previously obscure now become brilliantly recognizable, and also tells us what every step along the Way meant for both Moses, Israel, and for us as Orthodox Christians.

No matter who you are this book is going to open the eyes of your understanding. Moses was an amazing man and prophet, miracle worker, and "He who was drawn out of the water and called upon the name of the Lord."

Moses' life is a perfect representation of what it means to live in the presence of God.

The Life of Moses is two books in one. The first one deals with the history of Moses. The second takes accounts from this history and explains their meaning. Gregory not only demystifies Moses' lifeby explaining the symbolic meaning of it's events("The master of deciet endeavors to turn the drink of the Hebrews into blood by polluting it with falsehood",page 69), he also encourages the reader to apply the beliefs to his/her own life("The firmer and more immovable one remains in the good, the more he progresses in the course of virtue",page 117). He even explains why God resides in the heavens("The divine is by it's very nature infinite, enclosed by no boundry", page 236). This is a very good book for anyone in the Judeo-Christian community, but need not be limited to that group alone. It is thought provoking enough to appeal to theologians, and the heavy use of metaphor reminded me of some of the writings from eastern religions.

The spiritual journey is the oldest and longest journey known to humankind. It has fascinated and intrigued cultures down through the centuries. Inner spiritual experiences are found in all religious traditions around the world. In Judaism, we find reflections on the life of Moses and others, offering examples of personal spiritual growth (I discuss this in my review of Martini's, Through Moses to Jesus: The Way of the Paschal Mystery). With the coming of the incarnate Christ, the Christian spiritual journey as we know it was born.

As a result, this spiritual journey underwent an evolution during the early Christian era. Gradually, the spiritual masters defined and developed various stages of spiritual growth. It was Saint Gregory of Nyssa, a Father of the Eastern Church, who introduced the idea of progression along this journey. Accordingly, in the fourth century, he was hailed as a major spiritual thinker, one who developed his ideas by reading scripture from the context of his life experience. He introduced the idea of stages and viewed the spiritual life as a continual growth process. He based this concept on Paul's theme of moving forward. "Forgetting the past, I strain ahead for what is still to come" (Phil 3:13).

In this work, The Life of Moses, by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, we read in the "Introduction" that "the theme that holds the whole work together [is] the idea of eternal progress." This progress is at the heart of Saint Gregory's spiritual doctrine. Many, including Saint Augustine, a Father of the Western Church, have examined his treatise and have found that his theological framework resembles "that progress" that people strive for, in what has come to be known as "The Spiritual Life." This includes the general points that must be recognized and accepted if one is to make progress spiritually in this world. First of all, we (humankind & individually) were made in the image [the mirror] of God. Secondly, by our fall into sin, this image was tarnished. Thirdly, Christ took upon himself our nature in order to restore us to our original nature. Lastly, through Christ, conversion restores our capacity to reflect the divine nature. The "Introduction" tells us that Saint Gregory sees that, in The Spiritual Life, "There is an incessant transformation into the likeness of God as man stretches out with the divine infinity; there is an ever-greater participation in God." Saint Gregory saw this as evident in the life of Moses. He had already been exposed to similar thoughts about this from the writings of Philo and Origen, who had "described the spiritual life as a succession of steps." In his work, Saint Gregory expresses the idea of infinite progress in the never-completed journey to God towards perfection.

Following in Saint Gregory's footsteps, Saint Augustine developed this idea further by giving these steps/stages names and descriptions. The first stage was the "purgative way." During this stage a person's chief concern is his or her awareness of sin, sorrow for sin, and desire to make amends because God has been offended. The second stage was the "illuminative way." Its main feature is the enlightenment of a person's mind regarding the ways of God, and a clearer understanding of God's will in a person's life style, The third, and final stage, was the "unitive way." Here, there is a continual awareness of being in God's presence. The individual also, in a loving way; strives to conform his or her will to the will of God.

Saint Augustine's analysis of the Spiritual Life and his classification of it into three stages were widely accepted and are still very popular today as a way of identifying and measuring individual progress along the journey. It has further been treated by many, especially people like Garrigou-LaGrange (in the Thomistic/Dominican tradition), and Saint John of the Cross, and Saint Teresa of Avila (in the Mystical/Carmelite tradition).

Besides a better understanding of the Life of Moses, this book provides some early and unique insights into the Spiritual Life that we, like others, can benefit from.

I read this book a year or so back and was challenged, though I found it very difficult in places -- in such cases I simply move on and take what I can. I re-read it over the past 5 weeks as the text in the "Reading the Classics" short course I did at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, and was challenged, encouraged and moved beyond all expectation. It was still a challenging read, in that it expresses concepts I was not, and many Christians in the 21st century may not, be familiar with in terms of God being found in darkness and a call to complete perfection and contemplation often lacking into today's spirituality -- but it is well worth the effort: and thanks be to God we had a wonderful guide in the presenter Daniel Ang.

A most wonderful book. St. Gregory of Nyssa is one the best known Saints of the Holy Orthodox Church, and his "Life of Moses" is a must for all Orthodox Christians. The cover of the book is handicapped by a hideous picture, but the contents far overshadow the horrible cover, which is unfortunately standard for all publishings in this series. A great and Spiritually beneficial work at a good and affordable price.