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One Word, One Body, One Voice. Studies in Apophatic Theology

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One Word, One Body, One Voice. Studies in Apophatic Theology ONE WORD, ONE BODY, ONE VOICE STUDIES IN APOPHATIC THEOLOGY AND CHRISTOCENTRIC ANTHROPOLOGY IN GREGORY OF NYSSA A SUMMARY WITH AN INTRODUCTION ARI OJELL To be presented for public discussion, by due permission of the Faculty of Theology, at the University of Helsinki, in Helsinki University Museum Arppeanum’s Auditorium, on Friday, May 25th, 2007, at noon. ISBN 978•952•92•2165•3 (print version) ISBN 978•952•10•3978•2 (PDF) Helsinki, A. Ojell 2007 Electronic version available at http://ethesis.fi ii ABSTRACT The thesis consists of five international congress papers and a summary with an introduction. The overarching aim of the studies and the summary is to examine the inner coherency of the theological and anthropological thinking of Gregory of Nyssa (331•395). To the issue is applied an ‘apophatic approach’ with a ‘Christological focus’. It is suggested that the coherency is to be found from the Christological concept of unity between ‘true God’ and ‘true man’ in the one person of Jesus Christ. Gregory is among the first to make a full recognition of two natures of Christ, and to use this recognition systematically in his writings. The aim of the studies is pursued by the method of ‘identification’, which is a combination the modern ‘problematic method’ and Gregory's own method of ‘following’ (akolouthia). The preoccupation with issues relating to the so•called Hellenization of Christianity in the patristic era was strong in the twentieth•century Gregory scholarship. The most discussed questions have been the Greek influence in his thought and his philosophical sources. In the five articles of the thesis it is examined how Gregory's thinking stands in its own right. The manifestly apophatic character of his theological thinking is made a part of the method of examining his thought according to the principles of his own method of following. The basic issue concerning the relation of theology and anthropology is discussed in the contexts of his central Trinitarian, anthropological, Christological and eschatological sources. In the summary the Christocentric integration of Gregory's thinking is discussed also in relation to the issue of the alleged Hellenization. The main conclusion of the thesis concerns the concept of theology in Gregory. It is not indebted to the classical concept of theology as metaphysics or human speculation of God. Instead, it is founded to the traditional Judeo•Christian idea of God who speaks with his people face to face. In Gregory,theologia connotes theoikonomia of God's self•revelation. It may be regarded as the state of constant expression of love between the Creator and his created image. In theology, the human person becomes an image of the Word by which the Father expresses his love to "man" whom he loves as his own Son. Eventually the whole humankind, as one, gives the divine Word a physical • audible and sensible • Body. Humankind then becomes what theology is. The whole humanity expresses divine love by manifesting Christ in words and deeds, singing in one voice to the glory of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. iii A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S It may seem unusual to find a Finnish name on the title page of a doctoral thesis on a Greek Patristic theme. And, it is only possible now, due to the fact that many people have contributed to making this dissertation work a reality. I owe thanks to many people. First of all, to Professor Emeritus Tuomo Mannermaa (Ecumenics, University of Helsinki) and Professor Gunnar af Hällström (Orthodox Systematic Theology and Patristics, University of Joensuu). Under their supervision, I completed my graduate studies in Ecumenics, and my master’s thesis on a Patristic theme. After finishing my master’s thesis on the theological anthropology of Gregory of Nyssa in 1997, they both encouraged me to continue my studies in this area. In the year 2000, I had the opportunity to begin this doctoral project, which has now finally come to its conclusion. Professor af Hällström and Professor Risto Saarinen have been the official supervisors of this project. Their patient support and instruction during my long labour, and Professor Saarinen’s exemplary care for his students at Helsinki University have made my work possible, and I owe them my sincerest thanks. The significance of the critical advice and support provided to me by Professor Pauli Annala at every turn along the way is well beyond my thanks – but thanks are all I can offer to him in return for his sharing and camaraderie. I also want to express my gratitude to Professor Jaana Hallamaa. As the head of the Department of Systematic Theology at Helsinki University, through good times and bad, she has kept my spirit high with her unreserved support. I am also grateful to Professor Sammeli Juntunen, who did well in pushing me to bring the work into its final completion. The work now being presented for public discussion in the University of Helsinki is the result of a process which has been carried out through active encounters with members of the international society of Gregory scholars. They meet in colloquiums arranged on a regular basis to concentrate on the work and thought of this Cappadocian Father. I have been very fortunate in being able to participate in this modern scholarly tradition, which, it is safe to say, is one of the finest and most seminal of them all. The first meeting of Gregory scholars took place in 1969 in Chevetogne, and to date, ten meetings have been held throughout Europe. I iv have been honoured to participate in the last three, which were held in Paderborn (1998), Athens (2000), and Olomouc (2004). I am grateful to Prof. Hubertus R. Drobner who invited me to attend the Paderborn Colloquium, and made me feel welcome there. I am also grateful to Dr. Friedhelm Mann, through whom Prof. Drobner learned of my interests and sent me an invitation after my visit to the Forschungstelle Gregor von Nyssa in Münster. The warm and friendly personalities of these two exemplar scholars now represent to me the inviting character of the Gregory Scholarship, the other character of which is the Scholarship’s high academic quality. To my joy I have learned that mutual care belongs together with its academic values: I remember with warmth how Prof. Lenka Karfíková introduced me to Prof. Elias Moutsoulas in Paderborn, in order to ensure that the organizers of the next conference in Athens would know who I was when selecting its scheduled speakers – and there, in Athens, I performed my first international presentation on Gregory. The significance of the meetings with other Gregory scholars, in Gregory Colloquiums and during other occasions, has been essential in the preparation of this dissertation. During my studies, the substantial critical support and supervision provided by the members of the academic collective of Gregory scholars was of vital importance. With my work now accomplished, I feel like a son – however stubborn and poorly gifted – of that collective, to which I owe my great thanks. My memory of Professor Andreas Spira (1929•2004), is a loving memory of a person who was a father of endless inspiration to his many students. I am thankful, for a similar kind of inspiring fatherly guidance, to Revd. Dr. Anthony Meredith (SJ), Prof. Lucas F. Mateo• Seco, Prof. Stuart G. Hall, Prof. Claudio Moreschini, Prof. Elias Moutsoulas, Prof. Ekkehart Mühlenberg, Prof. Gerhard May, Prof. Alden A. Mosshammer, Prof. Adolf M. Ritter – and Dom Basil Studer, to whom I give especial thanks for his critical comments and our discussion in Olomouc. Not any less significant have been the discussions with representatives of the younger generations of Gregory scholars. I wish to thank Prof. Lenka Karfíková, Prof. Thomas Böhm, Prof. Johannes Zachhuber, Prof. Scot Douglass, Prof. Johan Leemans, Prof. Joseph S. O’Leary, Prof. Volker H. Drecoll, Prof. Morwenna Ludlow, and Prof. Torstein Tollefsen. I owe special thanks to Prof. Giulio Maspero forstimolanti discussioni, and I wish to express my gratitude for his camaraderie in my ‘Odyssey across the landscape of Gregory’s thought’. v Nordic cooperation has enriched my studies greatly. I am especially grateful to Professor Samuel Rubenson for his indispensable energy and willingness to work constantly for the benefit of Nordic Patristic scholarship and its junior members. Without him, I would never have had the opportunity to study themes of Christian antiquity in Alexandria for two weeks, in the pleasant and inspiring company of good friends and colleagues from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. We even made a trip to Sinai where we climbed the mountain! After the excellent post•graduate course in Alexandria, I was very pleased to be able to visit The Centre for Advanced Study in Oslo. This was thanks to Professors Tomas Hägg, Jostein Børtnes, and Samuel Rubenson, who arranged a Patristic workshop for Nordic research students there. Besides being able to continue working with my Nordic colleagues, during the workshop I had the opportunity to meet Prof. Andrew Louth. This was very fortunate: at the moment, I was preparing my Oxford paper onapophasis in Gregory. I thank Prof. Louth for his valuable critical comments and advices. I owe to Prof. Stuart G. Hall many thanks for taking the trouble of helping me correct the English in the introduction and summary of the thesis. He also spotted some (hopefully all) mistyping in the Greek of my manuscript. I am, of course, responsible of whatever mistakes one may find in the English or in the Greek texts of this final version. I am grateful to Prof. Brian Duvick for his excellent, but to my knowledge yet unpublished, English translation of Gregory’s Trinitarian treatiseAd Ablabium.
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