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Gregory of Nyssa (The Early Church Fathers)

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The Early Church Fathers is a series of works intended to present to the interested reader a quick overview of leading figures in the Christian Church during the first few centuries, when educated Christians tried both to make sense of their spiritual beliefs and heritage and defend their beliefs against attacks from non-believers.

Meredith presents a fairly good summary of Gregory of Nyssa and his historical importance. He also wrote another work on the three Cappadocian fathers (of which Gregory was a member) who were extremely important in the history of the Church for a wide range of reasons, from helping form the Nicene Creed to incorporating Greek Philosophical wisdom into Christian theology.

Gregory of Nyssa was the most original and deep of the Cappadocians. His remarkable theological and mystical genius can be seen in many areas, from his arguments for the infinity and incomprehensibility of God (which would have major consequences for all later Christian mysticism and mystical theology) to his commentaries on the Song of Songs, treating it as an allegory for the ascent of the Christian soul into the ineffable and infinite Godhead through the incarnation of Jesus.

Gregory also advocated two other remarkable ideas, universal salvation of all beings back to the vision of God (perhaps influenced by Origen) and the idea of infinite spiritual progress into the infinite 'luminious dark' of God's incomprehensible prescence, in this life and the next. For the former idea Gregory was not condemned but frowned upon by later theologians who took a more grim view of hell, especially from the time of Augustine onwards, while the latter idea flourished in Orthodox and Catholic mysticism.

Gregory of Nyssa is rightly considered one of the Christian faith's most brilliant and original minds and those of a contemplative bent will not be dissapointed but enriched by any close and careful perusal of Gregory's works.