EXCURSUS FOUR
THE DATE OF THE DELIVERY OF GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS' OR. 41
Although J.T. Cummings! is critical of Gustave Bardy's and J.-R. Palanque's view of the location of the discussions between the Pneumatomachi and the orthodox in the sequence of events at the Council of Constantinople, 2 he reproduces their error concerning the date of or.4l. Bardy and Palanque date or.41 at Pentecost, 381 and leave the reader with the impression that Gregory delivered this oration at the time of the Council of Constantinople. 3 Cummings comments on this impression: 4 The reference to Gregory's forty-first Oration is irrelevant since it is not clear whether Pentecost preceded or followed the opening session; it is not even certain that this oration was written forthe Pentecost of 381, although it seems the most probable date. Gallay,5 however, has pointed out that or. 41 cannot be dated from 381, since this date would place it later than both or. 34 (delivered in the spring of 3806) and or. 31 (delivered in July-November, 3807). The latter orations manifest a more severe view of the Pneumatomachi than that contained in or. 41. In or. 41 Gregory is still prepared to regard the Pneumatomachi as erring brothers. In or. 41.8 he writes: 8 Confess that the Trinity is one in Godhead, gentlemen, or if you wish, one in nature; and we shall ask the Spirit to give you the term 'God'. For I am sure that he will give it to you, since he has given [it] to you [as the name for] the first and the second [persons],9 especially if our contention involves a certain
1 "A Critical Edition of the Carmen de vita sua of St. Gergory Nazianzen" (Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Princeton University, 1966), pp. 160-161. 2 On the time of these discussions, see p. 180. 3 De la paix constantinienne a la mort de Theodose, vol. 3 of Augustin Fliche and Victor Martin, eds., Histoire de Nglise ([Paris): Bloud & Gay, 1947), pp. 286-287. D6rries (De Spiritu Sancto, p. 27), Thomas Michels [Gregor von Nazianz. Macht des Mysteriums (Alte Quellen neuer Kraft. vol. I; Diisseldorf: Patmos. 1956). p. 125). and Simonetti (Crisi ariana, pp. 530-531, n. 11) also think that or. 41 was delivered before or. 31. 4 "Critical Edition", p. 160. 5 Vie, pp. 148-149; idem, "Gregoire de Nazianze: Sermon pour Ie jour de la Pentecote", VS, LXVIII(1943), 544, n. I. 6 See excursus V. 1 See p. 175. n. 35. 8 PG 36.440B-C. 9 &oo
spiritual timidity, and not a diabolical opposition .... For we are not seeking to conquer, but to gain brothers, from whom we are tom asunder. This we say to you, among whom we find some lively faith Cd. lCu1.l;ronlCov), since you are sound with regard to the Son; although we admire your lifestyle we do not entirely commend your doctrine. You who have the gifts of the Spirit, receive then also the Spirit, that you might not simply strive, but strive lawfully, since lawful striving is the condition for your crown. May this reward be granted to you for your way of life, to perfectly confess the Spirit, and to proclaim with us, and even before us, 10 so far as it is meet. I dare something even greater for your sake,[namely] to utter that saying of the Apostle. So much do I cleave to you ... that I would choose even to be separated from Christ [cf. Rom 9:3] and to suffer as one who is condemned, if only you might stand with us, and we might glorify the Trinity publicly. By contrast, in the following year, Gregory considered the Pneumatomachian heresy an unbearable blasphemy,l1 whose adherents were estranged from God. 12 In Gregory's eyes, they occupied the second highest rung on the ladder of impiety, after the Eunomians.13 It is highly unlikely that Gregory's attitude towards the Pneumatomachi became milder with the passage of time, 14 especially since Gregory enjoyed imperial support in the final months of his sojourn at Constantinople, 15 and the Pneumatomachi had proven so intransigent in their views. Ritter ascribes the shift in
[Select Orations and Letters of St. Gregory Nazianzen (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, vol. 7; New York: The Christian Literature Co., 1894) p. 381, n.t] interpret "to 1tpii'>-tov and "to OE"l)"tEPOV as "the Con substantiality and Unity of the Trinity" respectively. Yet, there is nothing in the text to warrant such an interpretation. Further on in or. 41.8 (PG 36.440B) Gregory will say that the Pneumatomachi among his hearers are "sound with regard to the Son" ("tOl~ "tov 1ltOV uYUXtV01lCHV .). In light of this, it is most probable that here Gregory means that these Pneumatomachi are quite prepared to confess the Father and the Son as divine, but refuse to ascribe divinity to the Spirit. See Hauschild, "Pneumatomachen", p.86. 10 At the time when Gregory spoke these words, the Neo-Nicene party had not openly declared the Spirit to be God. Gregory is thus encouraging the Pneumatomachi to take the lead in the open confession of the Spirit's deity. 11 Or. 34.11 (PG 36.252B). 12 Or. 34.9 (PG 36.249B). On the date of or. 34, see excursus IV. 13 Or. 31.13 (p.300.8; PG 36.148C). 14 See Ritter, Konzil, p. 77. 13 It is important to rememberthat it was almost certainly because of Gregory's influence that Theodosius ruled, in January, 381, that the denial of the divinity of the Spirit was heretical. The relevant portion of this proclamation is cited in Ritter, Konzil, p. 77, n. 4. See also Meinhold, "Pneumatomachoi", col. 1086. In February, 380 Theodosius had also issued the edict, Cod. Thds. 16.1.2 and addressed it to the people of Constantinople. This edict stated that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are to be worshipped in equal majesty as one Godhead (see King, Theodosius, pp. 28-29). Gregory would certainly have known of its existence, despite the fact that he hardly mentions it (see p. 178). Thus, in the years 380 and 381 Gregory would have been assured, to some extent, of imperial support for his position on the Holy Spirit; yet, see pp. 179-181. However, in 379, Gregory was not prepared to totally alienate those Pneumatomachi whose beliefs were sound with regard to the Son [or. 41.8 (PG 36.440B)], and who, although they did not confess the Spirit to be God [or. 41.7- 8 (PG 36.437D-440B)], nevertheless did not consider the Spirit to be a creature [or. 41.6- 7 (PG 36.437A-C)].