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Gregory of Nyssa : the Letters / Introduction, Translation, and Commentary by Anna M

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Gregory of Nyssa : the Letters / Introduction, Translation, and Commentary by Anna M Gregory of Nyssa: The Letters Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae Formerly Philosophia Patrum Editors J. den Boeft – J. van Oort – W. L. Petersen – D. T. Runia – J. C. M. van Winden – C. Scholten VOLUME 83 CHAPTERTWO Gregory of Nyssa: The Letters Introduction, Translation and Commentary by Anna M. Silvas LEIDEN • BOSTON 2007 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gregory, of Nyssa, Saint, ca. 335-ca.394. [Correspondence. English] Gregory of Nyssa : the letters / introduction, translation, and commentary by Anna M. Silvas. p. cm. — (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, ISSN 0920-623X ; v. 83) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN-13: 978-90-04-15290-8 ISBN-10: 90-04-15290-3 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Gregory, of Nyssa, Saint, ca. 335-ca. 394—Correspondence. 2. Christian saints—Turkey—Correspondence. I. Silvas, Anna. II. Title. III. Letters. BR65.G74E5 2007 270.2092—dc22 2006049279 ISSN 0920-623x ISBN-13: 978 90 04 15290 8 ISBN-10: 90 04 15290 3 © Copyright 2007 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands Dedicated with esteem and affection to Alan Treloar my ‘Libanius’ CONTENTS Preface and Acknowledgments .................................................. xi Abbreviations .............................................................................. xvii Biography .................................................................................... 1 The ascents of Gregory ........................................................ 1 Early family life ...................................................................... 3 Young adulthood, 356–363 .................................................. 7 Gregory chooses a secular career, 364 ................................ 12 Was Gregory married? .......................................................... 15 Further soundings in On Virginity .......................................... 18 Gregory’s marriage: a scenario ............................................ 24 Goads and transitions, 365–372 .......................................... 25 Early years as bishop, 371–378 ............................................ 29 A problem of dating .............................................................. 32 Gregory’s return from exile and rise in Church affairs, 378–381 .............................................................................. 39 The zenith of Gregory’s public career, 381–386 ................ 46 The final years: Gregory as mystical theologian, 387–394 .............................................................................. 54 The Letters: A General Introduction ...................................... 59 Gregory as a writer of letters .............................................. 59 Early sub-collections of letters .............................................. 60 Rhetoric and style in Gregory’s letters ................................ 62 The personality revealed in the letters ................................ 66 Manuscripts used for the Pasquali edition .......................... 68 Additional manuscripts collated by Maraval ...................... 70 Dateline of the Letters .......................................................... 70 Prelude 1: The Letters of Basil ................................................ 73 Letter 14 To his companion Gregory, excerpt .......................... 74 Letter 223 To Eustathius of Sebasteia, excerpt ........................ 75 Letter 60 To the divine Gregory ................................................ 76 Letter 58 To his brother Gregory .............................................. 77 Letter 92 To the Italians and Gauls, excerpt .......................... 79 viii contents Letter 98 To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata, excerpt ................ 79 Letter 100 To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata ............................ 80 Letter 215 To Dorotheus the presbyter ...................................... 81 Letter 225 To Demosthenes, as by common consent, excerpt .... 82 Letter 231 To Amphilochius bishop of Iconium excerpt .. 85 Letter 232 To Amphilochius on his enquiries, excerpt ...... 86 Letter 237 To Eusebius bishop of Samosata, excerpt ........ 86 Letter 239 To Eusebius bishop of Samosata, excerpt .............. 88 Prelude 2: St Gregory Nazianzen ............................................ 89 Letter 11 To Gregory .......................................................... 90 Letter 72 To Gregory of Nyssa .......................................... 93 Letter 73 To the same .......................................................... 93 Letter 74 To the same .......................................................... 94 Letter 76 To Gregory of Nyssa .......................................... 95 Letter 81 To Gregory of Nyssa .......................................... 96 Letter 182 To Gregory ........................................................ 97 Letter 197 To Gregory, consolatory .................................... 98 SAINT GREGORY OF NYSSA: THE LETTERS The Pasquali collection .............................................................. 105 Letter 1 To Bishop Flavian .................................................. 105 Letter 2 To Kensitor on pilgrimages .................................. 115 Letter 3 To Eustathia and Ambrosia and Basilissa ............ 123 Letter 4 To Eusebius ............................................................ 132 Letter 5 To those who discredit his orthodoxy .................. 135 Letter 6 To Bishop Ablabius ................................................ 140 Letter 7 To Hierius the governor ........................................ 142 Letter 8 To Antiochanus ...................................................... 144 Letter 9 To Stagirius ............................................................ 145 Letter 10 To Otreius Bishop of Melitene .......................... 146 Letter 11 To Eupatrius the scholasticus .............................. 148 Letter 12 To the same .......................................................... 150 Letter 13 To Libanius .......................................................... 152 Letter 14 To Libanius the sophist ...................................... 155 Letter 15 To John and Maximian ...................................... 158 Letter 16 To Strategius ........................................................ 159 Letter 17 To the presbyters of Nicomedia .......................... 161 contents ix Letter 18 To Otreius Bishop of Melitene .......................... 169 Letter 19 To a certain John especially on Macrina .......... 172 Letter 20 To Adelphius the scholasticus .............................. 181 Letter 21 To Ablabius the bishop ........................................ 187 Letter 22 To the bishops ...................................................... 189 Letter 23 Without title, on Phaedimus ................................ 189 Letter 24 To Heracleianus the heretic ................................ 190 Letter 25 To Amphilochius .................................................. 196 Letter 26 From the sophist Stagirius to Gregory .............. 202 Letter 27 Reply of holy Gregory to the sophist ................ 203 Letter 28 [on the rose and its thorns] ................................ 204 Letter 29 To his brother Peter on the Contra Eunomium .... 206 Letter 30 Reply of Peter to Gregory .................................. 208 Supplementary Collection .......................................................... 211 Letter 31 To Letoius bishop of Melitene ............................ 211 Letter 32 To the monk Philip .............................................. 225 Letter 33 To Eustathius the physician ................................ 232 Letter 34 To Xenodorus the grammaticus .......................... 245 Letter 35 To Peter his own brother on the divine ousia and hypostasis .............................................................................. 247 Letter 36 To Theodore ........................................................ 260 Letter 37 To the great Emperor .......................................... 263 Bibliography ................................................................................ 271 Sources .................................................................................... 271 Studies .................................................................................... 272 Index ............................................................................................ 277 PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As a letter writer St Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–394) runs a poor third to the other two Cappadocian Fathers—at least to judge from body of his extant letters. We have more than three hundred of St Basil the Great’s letters and more than two hundred of St Gregory Nazianzen’s. Present critical editions muster a mere thirty letters for Gregory of Nyssa. Nevertheless, as we hope to show, the younger Gregory
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