DOCSLIB.ORG

The Gospel for the Poor: Reimagining the Church’S Engagement with the Poor in Conversation with Clement of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, and Gregory Nazianzen

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Gospel for the Poor: Reimagining the Church’S Engagement with the Poor in Conversation with Clement of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, and Gregory Nazianzen The Gospel for the Poor: Reimagining the Church’s Engagement with the Poor in Conversation with Clement of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, and Gregory Nazianzen by J. Shane Comellas Date: April 21, 2020 Approved: 4/25/2020 st Dr. J. Warren Smith, 1 Reader nd Dr. Christopher A. Beeley, 2 Reader Dr. William Willimon,D.Min.Director An abstract of a thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in the Divinity School of Duke University 2020 ABSTRACT The Gospel for the Poor: Reimagining the Church’s Engagement with the Poor in Conversation with Clement of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, and Gregory Nazianzen by J. Shane Comellas Date: April 21, 2020 Approved: 4/25/2020 st Dr. J. Warren Smith, 1 Reader nd Dr. Christopher A. Beeley, 2 Reader Dr. William Willimon,D.Min.Director An abstract of a thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in the Divinity School of Duke University 2020 Copyright by J. Shane Comellas 2020 Abstract This thesis examines the ineffectiveness of the 21st century Church's work among the poor and reimagines this engagement through the lens of sermons given by Clement of Alexandria, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom. The Church is the most charitable entity on the planet, however, despite giving away hundreds of billions of dollars a year and investing considerable time and effort towards the work of social justice, circumstances for the poor remain largely unchanged. The patristic period in question represents a vital conversation partner because their ministry to the poor catalyzed a movement that yielded exponential growth within their churches and made them significant players in the socio-political landscape in the Greco- Roman world. This study engages three sermons delivered by these pastors as a means of garnering a more granular feel for the common life within the Church. This thesis considers explicitly their use of the gospel as the modus operandi for ecclesial and social change and how reimagining our witness though this lens can be a catalyst for renewal. Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... i Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iv List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................v Introduction: Rethinking the Church’s Witness in a Time Where Good Works Have Supplanted the Gospel ........................................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: The Necessity of the Gospel for Societal Reform ....................................................6 Forms of Poverty..................................................................................................................6 Modern Efforts to Address Poverty .....................................................................................7 The Promulgation of the Gospel in Tandem with Works ..................................................15 Patristic Pastors’ Sermons on Addressing Poverty: Clement, Nazianzus and Chrysostom ........................................................................................................................................................18 Clement of Alexandria: “Who is the Rich Man that is Being Saved” ..............................20 John Chrysostom: “Four Discourses on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus” .......21 Gregory Nazianzen: “Oration 14” ....................................................................................23 Chapter Two: The Gospel as the Modus Operandi For Serving the Poor .....................................25 Identifying the Greatest Need Between Wealth and Poverty: ..........................................27 Clement of Alexandria: Wealth as a Tool .............................................................27 John Chrysostom: Poverty Leads to Faith .............................................................30 Gregory Nazianzus: All of Humanity is Poor without Christ ................................35 The Theological and Social Aspects of the Gospel: .........................................................38 Gregory Nazianzen: Kenosis as Witness ..............................................................38 Clement of Alexandria: Soteriological Justice ......................................................40 John Chrysostom: Ecclesiology and New Creation ..............................................43 Chapter Three: Spiritual Formation and the Poor ......................................................................... 48 Pastoral Call to Action: .....................................................................................................49 Clement of Alexandria: The Poor as Trainers in Virtue .......................................49 John Chrysostom: The Poor as the Context for Spiritual Formation .....................55 Gregory Nazianzen: The Hypostatic Nature of Christ Embodied in the Church ..59 Chapter Four: Eschatology and a Vision for Societal Renewal ....................................................65 Teleological Frameworks Towards Transformative Justice: ............................................67 Gregory Nazianzen: Eschatology- Love and Kinship in Cruciform Towards Gods In-Breaking ............................................................................................................67 Clement of Alexandria: Eschatology- Retribution, Works and Their Reward in the Hereafter ...............................................................................................................70 John Chrysostom: Eschatology- Redemptive Suffering, Purgation and a Bridge Called Justice ........................................................................................................73 Chapter Five: The Gospel for the Poor and its Prospect for Ecclesial Renewal ............................77 Patristic Vision for Societal Transformation .....................................................................77 Spiritual Formation as Mission ..........................................................................................79 A Paradigm for Discipleship ..............................................................................................84 Conclusion: Lovers of the Poor .....................................................................................................90 Postscript: Covid-19 and the New Poor .........................................................................................94 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................96 Acknowledgments This project has been a collective effort by so many who have made contributions of love, time, wisdom, and mercy towards the completion of this work. I want to thank God for tirelessly believing in me and calling me to my best. Next, I would like to thank my wife Jaimee and our four daughters Jaelyn, Avery, Olivia, and Adeline, without whose love and support I would have never been able to engage in this study. Jaimee, you read all of my work and have been a constant source of love and support, you are such a treasure and my hero! Thank you, Duke Divinity School, for sharing the gift of your amazing faculty through two different programs and especially the Rev. Dr. J. Warren Smith, the past Director of the DMIN program, and my current academic advisor. You are a gift to this university, a wonderful scholar, faithful witness of the gospel, and a trusted confidant. I also want to acknowledge Dr. Christopher Beeley for reading and helping to edit this work. I want to thank the 2016 DMIN cohort who helped me to reimagine the work of my ministry through each of the gifts that you brought to the program. Also, I would like to pass along sincere gratitude to the people of Covenant Life Church who have been the guinea pigs for every new idea I have wanted to try out on you and a constants source of prayer and support. Thank you, mom, for your prayers and the legacy of faith that you have passed along to your children. We miss you! A special thanks to my family and friends, especially my brothers Jerry and Chris, and my great friends and writing partners Russ Lackey and Craig Giera. Thank you all, your influence has colored my work with grace, and I am ever grateful for your investment in my life. iv List of Abbreviations NRSV New Revised Standard Version v Introduction: Rethinking the Church’s Witness in a Time Where Good Works Have Supplanted the Gospel Christ’s stated mission, as it pertains to the poor, was to care for them through the proclamation of the gospel and by addressing their physical needs. Luke records this in a scene where Jesus unrolls the scroll in the synagogue and reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19). The messianic in-breaking prophesied first by Isaiah and embodied in Christ would catalyze a movement
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Homilies of John Chrysostom
    366 Tsamakda Chapter 25 The Homilies of John Chrysostom Vasiliki Tsamakda The Author and His Work St John Chrysostom (c.347-407) was the most important Father of the Orthodox Church. Archbishop of Constantinople from 398 to 404, he was officially recog- nized as a Doctor of the Orthodox Church by the Council of Chalcedon in 4511 due to his vast and important theological writings.2 He was the most produc- tive among the Church Fathers, with over 1,500 works written by, or ascribed to him. His name was firmly associated with the Liturgy, but above all he was appreciated for his numerous sermons and as an extraordinary preacher. From the 6th century on he was called Chrysostomos, the “golden mouthed”. The fact that over 7,000 manuscripts including his writings exist, attests to the impor- tance and great distribution of his works, many of which were translated into other languages. The great majority of them date after the Iconoclasm. The homilies of John Chrysostom were read during the Service of the Matins (Orthros) mainly in Byzantine monasteries. They were transmitted in various collections or series from which only a few were selected for illustration. Illustrated homilies of John Chrysostom The exact number of illustrated manuscripts containing Chrysostomic ser- mons is unknown,3 but their number is extremely low in view of the very rich 1 The translation of his relics to Constantinople and their deposition in the Church of the Holy Apostles marks the beginning of his cult in Byzantium. The Orthodox Church commemorates him on 27 January, 13 November and also on 30 January together with the other two Cappadocian Fathers, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus.
    [Show full text]
  • Language and Theology in St Gregory of Nyssa
    Durham E-Theses Language and theology in St Gregory of Nyssa Neamµu, Mihail G. How to cite: Neamµu, Mihail G. (2002) Language and theology in St Gregory of Nyssa, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4187/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk University of Durham Faculty of Arts Department of Theology The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Language and Theology in St Gregory of Nyssa Mihail G. Neamtu St John's College September 2002 M.A. in Theological Research Supervisor: Prof Andrew Louth This dissertation is the product of my own work, and the work of others has been properly acknowledged throughout. Mihail Neamtu Language and Theology in St Gregory of Nyssa MA (Research) Thesis, September 2002 Abstract This MA thesis focuses on the work of one of the most influential and authoritative theologians of the early Church: St Gregory of Nyssa (f396).
    [Show full text]
  • Circumcision of the Spirit in the Soteriology of Cyril of Alexandria Jonathan Stephen Morgan Marquette University
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations (2009 -) Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Projects Circumcision of the Spirit in the Soteriology of Cyril of Alexandria Jonathan Stephen Morgan Marquette University Recommended Citation Morgan, Jonathan Stephen, "Circumcision of the Spirit in the Soteriology of Cyril of Alexandria" (2013). Dissertations (2009 -). Paper 277. http://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/277 CIRCUMCISION OF THE SPIRIT IN THE SOTERIOLOGY OF CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA by Jonathan S. Morgan, B.S., M.A. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 2013 ABSTRACT CIRCUMCISION OF THE SPIRIT IN THE SOTERIOLOGY OF CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA Jonathan S. Morgan, B.S., M.A. Marquette University, 2013 In this dissertation I argue that Cyril of Alexandria’s interpretation of “spiritual circumcision” provides invaluable insight into his complex doctrine of salvation. Spiritual Circumcision – or Circumcision by the Spirit -- is a recurring theme throughout his extensive body of exegetical literature, which was written before the Nestorian controversy (428). When Cyril considers the meaning and scope of circumcision, he recognizes it as a type that can describe a range of salvific effects. For him, circumcision functions as a unifying concept that ties together various aspects of salvation such as purification, sanctification, participation, and freedom. Soteriology, however, can only be understood in relation to other doctrines. Thus, Cyril’s discussions of circumcision often include correlative areas of theology such as hamartiology and Trinitarian thought. In this way, Cyril’s discussions on circumcision convey what we are saved from, as well as the Trinitarian agency of our salvation.
    [Show full text]
  • Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel - St
    Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel - St. Thomas More OLGC - 230 East 90th Street - STM - 65 East 89th Street New York City, New York 10128 OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL PARISH OFFICE (212) 289-1742 FAX (646) 669-7811 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.OLGCSTM.org ST. THOMAS MORE PARISH OFFICE (212) 876-7718 FAX (212) 831-5756 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.OLGCSTM.org January 1st, 2017 SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE - OLGC Saturday Evening: 5:30 p.m. CLERGY Sunday Morning: 9:00 a.m. Rev. Kevin V. Madigan, Pastor 10:15 a.m.- Spanish Mass Msgr. Patrick McCahill, Deaf Ministry 11:30 a.m. - Choral Mass Sunday Evening: 6:00 p.m. Rev. Fernando Caindec, Parochial Vicar Rev. Maximo Villanueva, Parochial Vicar SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE - STM Saturday Evening: 5:45 p.m. STAFF - OLGC Sunday Morning: 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. - Family Mass Email: [email protected] Sunday Afternoon: 12:00 p.m. - Choral Mass Joan Barton, Director of Music Sunday Evening: 5:45 p.m. Marcelle Devine, Coordinator of Religious Ed. Christopher Gillespie, Dir. Liturgical Music Ed. WEEKDAY MASSES - OLGC Monday thru Friday: 9:00 am and 6:00 pm STAFF - STM Saturday: 9:00 am and 12:00 pm James Siranovich, Interim Director of Music WEEKDAY MASSES - STM [email protected] Monday thru Friday: 8:00 am and 12:15 pm Edward Litcher, Business Manager Saturday: 8:00 am and 12:15 pm [email protected] CONFESSIONS - OLGC Sharon McKenna, Sacristan Monday thru Friday - 5:45 pm Alex Miller, Director of Parish Programs Saturday 4:30 – 5:15 pm [email protected] CONFESSIONS - STM Margaret Peet, Development Monday thru Friday 12:00 pm - 12:10 pm (before Mass) PARISH TRUSTEES Saturday 5:00 – 5:30 pm Christopher Baldwin BAPTISM Paul Saunders OLGC - 12:30 pm on Sunday STM - 1:00 pm on Sunday PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT (Arrangements must be made six weeks in advance) Alicia Damley MARRIAGE Arrangements should be made at least six months prior FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON to the wedding Michael Poulos VISITS TO HOMEBOUND PARISHIONERS Our clergy are happy to visit.
    [Show full text]
  • The Theological and Doxological Reference to the Resurrection And
    The theological and doxological reference to the Resurrection and the Pentecost according to the orations of Gregory of Nazianzus XLI and XLV La referencia teológica y doxológica a la Resurrección y al Pentecostés según las oraciones de Gregorio Nacianceno XLI y XLV La referència teològica i doxològica a la Resurrecció i la Pentecosta segons les oracions de Gregori de Nazianz XLI i XLV A referência teológica e doxológica à Ressurreição e ao Pentecostes segundo as orações de Gregório de Nazianzo XLI e XLV Eirini ARTEMI1 Abstract: In the forty-one oration, Gregory of Nazianzus analyzes the divinity of the Holy Spirit, a subject that is developed again with more severe way in his Fifth Theological Oration. Gregory tries to establish the point by quite a different set of arguments from those adopted in the former discourse, none of whose points are here repeated. In the other oration, forty-five, Gregory refers to the importance of the resurrection for the human race. He presents Christ as the new Adam who saved the human from the death and reunites again the man with God. This is a subject that is referred to the oration forty-one, too. In this paper, we will examine the teaching of Gregory of Nazianzus about the divine status of the Holy Spirit and his equality to the other two persons of the Triune God through theological and biblical images. Also, we will present how he connects his teaching for anthropology based on the Christology. In the end we will show how Gregory produced these orations for public festivals within the literarily ripe tradition of pagan festival rhetoric, but he gives to his orations theological content.
    [Show full text]
  • Saint Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church
    Saint Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church 146 Third Avenue, Rankin, PA 15104 Pastor: Very Reverend Nicholas Ferencz, PhD Cantor: Professor Jerry Jumba Parish President : Carole Bushak Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever! Slava Isusu Christu! Slava vo v’iki! Rectory Phone: 412 271-2725. E-mail: [email protected] Hall Phone: 412-294-7952 WEB: www.stmichaelsrankin.org JANUARY 24, 2021 SUNDAY AFTER THEOPHANY Sun., Jan. 24 Sunday after Theophany. Monk Thedosius 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy Panachida: George Dorogy 40 Day Memorial Sun, Jan. 31 34th Sunday after Pentecost. 13th Luke. Archbishops Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy. Panachida: January Perpetuals: (1/4) Sveton Simonoff. (1/10) Michael Lesko, Jr. (1/11) Joseph Zeok. (1/14) Mary Palovcsik. (1/17) Michael Beresh. (1/25) Steve Stegena. (1/31) Michael Hritz, Peter Belinsky. Sun., Feb. 7 35th Sunday after Pentecost. 14th Luke. Bishop Gregory of Nazianzus, called the Theologion 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy. Annual Parish Meeting Fri., Feb 12 Three Holy Bishops Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologion and John Chrysostom 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy Sun., Feb. 14 Sunday of Zacchaeus. Martyr Tryphon. Nun Brigid of Kildare 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy. Oath of Office of the Newly Elected Parish Council Holy Mystery of Confession: I will be available for Confessions after the Divine Liturgy, when the church is more private. Or, you can make an appointment and we will arrange an appropriate time. Please just contact me. PEOPLE STUFF Prayer List: Deceased: George Dorogy. Joseph Merlo. Kathy Bonnano Living: Father Joe Cervo. Father George Livanos.
    [Show full text]
  • Saint Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church
    Saint Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church 146 Third Avenue, Rankin, PA 15104 Pastor: Very Reverend Nicholas Ferencz, PhD Cantor: Professor Jerry Jumba Parish President : Carole Bushak Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever! Slava Isusu Christu! Slava vo v’iki! Rectory Phone: 412 271-2725. E-mail: [email protected] Hall Phone: 412-294-7952 WEB: www.stmichaelsrankin.org FEBRUARY 7, 2021 35TH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST Sun., Feb. 7 35th Sunday after Pentecost. Bishop Gregory of Nazianzus, called the Theologion 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy. Tone 2, pp 99–102. Readings from 31st Sunday of Pentecost: Epistle 1Tim 1: 15–17; Gospel 14th Sunday of Luke Annual Parish Meeting Fri., Feb 12 Three Holy Bishops Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologion and John Chrysostom 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy Sun., Feb. 14 Sunday of Zacchaeus. Martyr Tryphon. Nun Brigid of Kildare 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy. Panachida: George Ferencz, Jr. (32 yrs) and Paul Kovac (26 yrs) by Fr. Nik and Paòi Joanna Oath of Office of the Newly Elected Parish Council Holy Mystery of Confession: I will be available for Confessions after the Divine Liturgy, when the church is more private. Or, you can make an appointment and we will arrange an appropriate time. Please just contact me. PEOPLE STUFF Prayer List: Deceased: Joseph Merlo. Kathy Bonnano Living: Father Joe Cervo. Father George Livanos. Father Patrick. Mother Christophora and the nuns of Holy Transfiguration Monastery. Kristina Anatakis. Dana Andrade. Gloria Andrade. Gregory Michael Aurilio. Georgia B. Chastity and Jeff Bache. David Banosky. Brandon. Walter Bolbat. Donald Bodnar. John Bonnano, Rob & Carol Bonnano.
    [Show full text]
  • 09-30 Saint Jerome
    Saint Jerome was born in 340, in present day Croatia. His father sent him to Rome to learn classic literature and rhetoric, that is writing based on formal rules of composition. Although his father instructed him in the Christian faith as a youth, Jerome was not baptized until the age of 20. He did this in Rome in 360, being baptized by Pope Liberius.i Jerome was a lifelong learner. As an adult, he studied theology under two excellent teachers and two future saints, Chromatius and Heliodorus. “Jerome undertook to learn Hebrew from a Christian monk who had converted from Judaism. Somewhat unusually for a fourth- century Christian priest, he also studied with Jewish rabbis, striving to maintain the connection between Hebrew language and culture, and the emerging world of Greek and Latin-speaking Christianity.”ii Jerome enjoyed travel to both places of solitude and to intellectual centers bubbling with scholarship. His trips throughout the Holy Land helped him to understand the significance of places made famous by the bible. In Constantinople he met Gregory of Nazianzus. They had much in common and easily made friends with one another. Gregory is one of the four great Greek Doctors of the Churchiii. Jerome became one of the four great Latin Doctors of the Church. Beyond school and travel, he also felt much was to be learned from prayer and study. Having a deep appreciation for monasticism he felt called to a solitary life of a hermit in the desert. Jerome spent the better part of four decades in Bethlehem in the monastery he established so that he could devote his days to study, prayer, and an austere self-discipline.
    [Show full text]
  • Old and New John Chrysostom 15 November 2015 Peter Sarris
    Saints – Old and New John Chrysostom 15 November 2015 Peter Sarris Luke 16: 19–end extract from John Chrysostom’s sixth sermon on Lazarus and the rich man Professionally I am an historian, primarily of the Roman, Medieval and Byzantine worlds. Within that very broad area, my work has focused on the social and economic development of the Roman and Byzantine world from the age of Constantine the Great onwards, and the historical background to the violent expansion of Islam in the seventh century. Throughout my work, I have attempted to capture the voices and life experiences of the urban poor, the peasantry, and the artisans, whose taxes helped to support the Roman and Byzantine state, and whose labours fuelled the lifestyle of members of the Roman and Byzantine aristocracy, the haughty voices of whom dominate the pages of the literary sources on which historians typically rely. These historical interests chime with my more contemporary ones, as I have long been a socialist activist, and am currently a city councillor in Cambridge, with special responsibility for homelessness and refugees. And in my address this evening, I plan to draw upon each of these strands of history and politics. St John Chrysostom, whose vivid denunciations of the wealthy you have just heard in the second reading, was, alongside St Basil of Caesarea and St Gregory Nazianzus, one of the Three Holy Hierarchs – or three ‘doctors’ or ‘teachers’ of the Church, as they are often described in the Western tradition – whose theological interventions in the fourth and fifth centuries were fundamental to the formation of Christian Orthodoxy as we understand it today.
    [Show full text]
  • Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus
    Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus SAINT OF THE DAY 02-01-2021 Saints in heaven, friends on earth, both were proclaimed doctors of the Church in 1568 by Saint Pius V: because they shared their lives in Christ, the Church remembers on the same day Saint Basil the Great (c. 329-379) and Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329-390), who belong to the group of «Cappadocian Fathers», also including Basil's own brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa. In addition to sharing the same geographic origin, the Cappadocian Fathers distinguished themselves by the ability to communicate their faith to Greek-speaking intellectuals, to whom they demonstrated the perfect compatibility of Christianity with true philosophy. SAN BASIL THE GREAT. His was a family of saints, effectively a small domestic church. His grandfather [Basil the Elder] died a martyr under the persecutions of Diocletian, and became the first saint known to us in Basil's genealogical tree; the Church also venerates his parents, grandmother Macrina the Elder, his sister Macrina the Younger, his brothers the bishops Gregory of Nyssa and Peter of Sebaste. His grandmother Macrina the Elder proved fundamental in Basil's education to the Christian virtues: "In my life I will never forget the vigorous promptings that the speeches and examples of this most pious woman gave to my still tender heart", he wrote. After studying in his native Caesarea in Cappadocia, where his father (a wealthy rhetorician and lawyer) was his first teacher, Basil completed his education in Constantinople and then in Athens, where he was a pupil of the pagan philosopher Himerius, together with Gregory of Nazianzus, with whom he struck a lifelong friendship.
    [Show full text]
  • Saint Basil the Great
    Saint Basil the Great St. Basil of Caesarea, his brother St. Gregory of Nyssa and their friend St Gregory of Nazianzius are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. They were Bishops and had done much to defend the faith of the Church by vehemently refuting the arguments of the heretics. They were saintly fathers. They oppose to Actius, Eunomius and others who rejected the Godhead and eternity of the Holy Spirit. They explained the faith of the Church in such a way as to make it possible for the human mind with its limitation to grasp the principle of the Trinity and the mystery behind the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Basil of Caesarea also known as Saint Basil the Great was the Greek bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, of Asia Minor. He was a very influential theologian who opposed the heresies of the early church and fought against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. He was the strongest supporter of Nicene Creed. He had very good political connections and at the same time above all, deep theological knowledge. Saint Paul of Thebes, St. Antony, St. Pakomios and St. Makarios were the leaders of the Egyptian church tradition. St. Ephrem was the leader of the Syrian church and St. Ephiphanios was the leader of the Palastiniean church tradition. But St, Basil was the first ascetic leader of the Eastern Church tradition. Basil was born into the wealthy family of Basil the Elder and Emilia of Caesarea in Cappadocia around A. D 330. Basil the Elder was known as a scholar and eminent writer throughout Cappadocia.
    [Show full text]
  • Gregory of Nazianzus Five Theological Orations Translated
    Gregory of Nazianzus Five Theological Orations Translated with an introduction and notes by Stephen Reynolds ©Estate of Stephen Reynolds 2011 The Rev'd Dr. Stephen Reynolds 1951-2011 ii This translation was produced for students in the well-known course “Three Personed-God”, which Stephen Reynolds taught in the Faculty of Divinity at Trinity College six times between 2001 and 2009. David Neelands, Dean of Divinity, Trinity College iii Table of Contents Introduction v The First Theological Oration, Preliminary Discourse 1 The Second Theological Oration, On Theology 13 The Third Theological Oration, On the Son, 1 45 The Fourth Theological Oration, On the Son, 2 71 The Fifth Theological Oration, On the Holy Spirit 97 iv Introduction REGORY of Nazianzus (330 – 389) has been treated as one of the brightest stars in the G firmament of the Christian tradition. The Orthodox name him “The Theologian”1 – a title they accord only one other, St John the Apostle and Evangelist – and honour him with two feast- days, January 25th and January 30th. The western Catholic tradition has ranked him among “the Four Doctors of the Eastern Church”2 and honoured him on May 9th. (When the Roman Catholic church revised its Calendar in 1969, Gregory was joined with Basil the Great in a single memorial on January 2nd.3) In spite of these accolades, Gregory has not received anything like the attention that western scholars have devoted to other ancient writers. This is especially true in the English-speaking world. Until recently, the only major modern study of Gregory in English is Rosemary Radford Ruether’s Gregory of Nazianzus: Rhetor and Philosopher (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1969).
    [Show full text]