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Nicene Theology and Christian Virtue in Gregory of Nyssa

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Becoming Like God in Christ: Nicene Theology and Christian Virtue in Gregory of Nyssa Author: Jonathan Michael Bailes Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108786 This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2020 Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. Becoming Like God in Christ: Nicene Theology and Christian Virtue in Gregory of Nyssa Jonathan Michael Bailes A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the department of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Boston College Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Graduate School March 2020 © Copyright 2020 Jonathan Michael Bailes BECOMING LIKE GOD IN CHRIST: NICENE THEOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN VIRTUE IN GREGORY OF NYSSA Jonathan Bailes Advisor: Khaled Anatolios ABSTRACT Within the context of his controversy with Eunomius of Cyzicus, Gregory of Nyssa articulated a distinctly pro-Nicene conception of the perfection of God. Gregory identified divine perfection with the philanthropic goodness that is manifested in the economic activity of God and that is witnessed most vividly in the saving incarnation and death of Jesus Christ. Yet, while this particular understanding of divine perfection served Gregory’s defense of Nicene trinitarian theology, its influence was not limited to that element of his theology alone. To the contrary, Gregory’s pro-Nicene conception of the nature of divine perfection finds a perfect corollary in his discussion of the nature of human perfection. Thus, in his anthropological writings, Gregory interprets humanity as a living and active mirror of the characteristic goodness and love of divine power. Similarly, in his ascetical literature, he suggests that the goal of the Christian life is the attainment of godlikeness through participation in divine perfection, and that the form which this participation takes is an imitation of the virtues of Jesus Christ. And in his writings on the spiritual ascent of the soul, Gregory identifies the summit of the virtuous life as active participation in the philanthropic goodness of God. Christian virtue, therefore, is nothing other than imitation of and participation in the perfection of the one whom Gregory calls “the God of the gospel,” the God of Nicaea, the God made known in the person of Jesus Christ. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………...v Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………………... vii Introduction……………………………………………………………………………... 1 State of the Literature…………………………………………………………….. 3 Contribution of this Project……………………………………………………... 15 Scope and Method………………………………………………………………. 16 Summary of the Argument……………………………………………………… 18 Chapter 1: God of the Gospel………………………………………………………… 22 Divine Perfection and Trinitarian Theology in Eunomius of Cyzicus…………. 25 Trinitarian Theology and Divine Perfection in Gregory of Nyssa……………... 43 The Perfection of God and the Person of Christ………………………………... 62 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………… 75 Chapter 2: Mirrors of Divine Perfection…………………………………………….. 79 Like God: A Dynamic Image of Divine Perfection…………………………….. 82 Unlike God: The Mutability and Corruption of the Image……………………. 112 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….. 120 Chapter 3: The Imitation of Christ as the Imitation of the Divine Nature………. 125 Divine Perfection and Christlikeness in On the Christian's Profession………. 128 The Imitation of Christ in On Perfection……………………………………… 145 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….. 164 Chapter 4: Spiritual Ascent and Philanthropic Descent………………………….. 169 Nicene Theology and Christian Virtue in Homilies on the Beatitudes……….. 171 Nicene Theology and Christian Virtue in Life of Moses……………………… 198 Nicene Theology and Christian Virtue in Homilies on the Song of Songs……. 220 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….. 243 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….. 246 v vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS “I tremble with gratitude.” That is the opening line of a poem by Wendell Berry, but it is also a fitting expression of my own feelings as I reflect on the contributions of those who have made this work possible. First, I am deeply indebted to those who have taught and mentored me, passing on to me in the process their love of learning and granting me the knowledge and skill that has enabled my own study. Most fundamental of all, I am grateful to the two people who were responsible for the first twelve years of my education, my parents, Steve and Ellen Bailes. It was my mother who first taught me to read and to write and it was my father who first taught me to love the study of theology and the study of languages. And more than anyone else, it was my mother and father who first taught me to know and to love the One who is at the center of this study, the God made known in the person of Jesus Christ. At Bryan College, Jud Davis taught me to read Greek and Michael Palmer taught me to greet the world with wonder and to take delight in the joys of thinking. Of my many excellent professors at Beeson Divinity School, Carl Beckwith and Mark Gignilliat deserve special mention. They not only taught me to love the study of theology and theological history, they also mentored and inspired me. At Boston College, I have benefited from the gift of teachers such as Stephen Brown, Andrew Prevot, and Brian Robinette who trained me and cared for me in ways that far exceeded my expectation. And when the time came for me to write my dissertation, Brian Dunkle and Warren Smith both showed undeserved generosity toward me in their willingness to join my committee and in their encouragement and counsel along the way. Of all my teachers, however, I owe a particular debt of gratitude to Khaled Anatolios and Boyd Taylor Coolman. For his part, Boyd introduced me to a world of medieval theologians whom I knew little about, and his infectious enthusiasm for that world has left its mark on me. But more importantly, Boyd proved time and again to be a wise counselor, a loyal advocate, and a generous friend. Finally, when I first came to Boston College, it was to study with Khaled Anatolios. And that is a decision that I have not for a moment regretted. Anyone who reads this dissertation will quickly realize its immense indebtedness to Khaled’s own scholarship. What they may not realize, however, is the significant role that he has played in helping me think through its shape and in bringing it to conclusion. On more occasions than I care to remember, Khaled listened to me express my uncertainties and frustrations with this project. And on each occasion, it was his encouragement and reassurance that propelled me forward. Of course, it is not only teachers to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. I am also immensely grateful for the communities and friends who have lent their support along the way. First and foremost among them is the wonderful community of people at Church of the Cross. For the six years that my family and I lived in Boston, they were more than a church. They were friends, and they were family. I am also deeply grateful to the community at Christ Church, as well as to their staff and their rector, Paul Donison, who gave me their consistent support and assistance as I neared the completion of this project. My colleagues in the doctoral program at Boston College proved to be a source of not vii only professional inspiration and support, but genuine friendship. I am particularly grateful for Drew Alexander, Clint Burnett, Jaisy Joseph, Ty Monroe, Nathaniel Peters, Clifton Stringer, and Katie Wrisley Shelby. Along with these colleagues, I have been blessed by the gift of friends who provided consistent support, needed counsel, and the pleasure of their companionship both throughout the process of this dissertation and at crucial moments along the way. In particular, I wish to thank Christopher Allison, Sam Abbott, Jonathan Barber, Mark and Mandy Booker, David Decosimo, Jonathan Hicks, Jason Hood, Piotr Malysz, Ryan O’Dowd, Benjamin Smith, Carolyn Stickney, and Chris Stroup. I am also immensely grateful for the unwavering support of both sides of my family (the Bailes and the Palmer side). Within that family, there are three people who have been particularly responsible for the joy that has accompanied my life as I have worked on this dissertation, and they are my three children: Elizabeth, Charlie, and Lucy. None of them have ever known a time when I was not in graduate school, and they have endured my absence during many days and nights of study, research, and writing, all the while blessing me with their affection, their humor, and their delight. Finally, to one person above all others I owe my deepest gratitude, and that is to my wife and my best friend, Rachael. She studied with me at Beeson and it was in class with her that I first discovered a love for early Christian history and thought. She came with me to Boston and it was together that we experienced every joy and every trial of the years of study that followed. She endured the tedious stops and starts of my writing; she encouraged me when I was discouraged; she celebrated with me over even the smallest successes. I cannot imagine a more loving or more supportive partner and I am more grateful for her than I know how to express. No one did more to support this dissertation than she did, and I dedicate it gladly to her. viii ix Nicene Theology and Christian Virtue An Introduction In his 1979 study of the history of Christian spirituality, The Wound of Knowledge, Rowan Williams observes that Gregory of Nyssa drew more frequently than most previous Christian writers on the classical notion of virtue to articulate the nature of the Christian life, which he conceived of as a progressive growth in participation of and likeness to God. Yet in Gregory’s hands, the ideal of virtue was purged from its Hellenistic associations with aristocratic dignity and infused with the language of humble service to God and to one’s neighbor.
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