In his commentary on Gregory of Nyssa’s Adversus Macedonianos, Piet Hein Hupsch spells out its theological structure and corresponding rhetorical arrangement. His systematic-theological synthesis explicates the Spirit’s role in the Trinity’s work of salvation. Gregory’s theology culminates in praise of the Trinity.

This book provides a comprehensive literary and theological analysis of Gregory of Nyssa's theology of union with God, culminating in a fresh reading of his final written work, In Canticum Canticorum (c.391), a collection of fifteen allegorical homilies on the Song of Songs. Part I gives the essential background for the study of In Canticum Canticorum by analysing several of Gregory's earlier works (c.370--385), tracing the main contours of his account of the human transformation and union with God. Author Alexander Abecina explores topics such as Gregory's theology of virginity and spiritual marriage, his theology of baptism, his trinitarian theology, and his Spirit-based Christology. In Part II Abecina builds on his key findings in Part I to structure a detailed analysis of In Canticum Canticorum. Engaging with the latest contemporary scholarship on Gregory of Nyssa, the author shows how Gregory's allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs represents a corresponding account of human transformation and union with God from the perspective of subjective experience of this reality. Rather than marking a new development in Gregory's mature thought, Abecina demonstrates that the subjective experience gained from Gregory's reading of the Song of Songs recapitulates the key elements of his objective account and therefore renders coherent his earlier soteriological doctrine.

These proceedings present the results of the 11th International Colloquium on Gregory of Nyssa held in Tübingen in 2008. The Trinitarian thought of Gregory deserves special attention because of its importance for the ending of the Trinitarian controversy in the late fourth century, paving the way for the widely accepted Trinitarian theology in the fifth century. This volume (which does not include Contra Eunomium) offers a contribution to the research on Gregory's Trinitarian theology as it is present notably in his so-called minor treatises. It provides a German translation of Ad Eustathium, Ad Graecos, Ad Ablabium, Ad Simplicium, Adversus Macedonianos, and De deitate filii. Detailed analysis of each treatise is accompanied by supporting studies on related theological and philosophical themes, followed by contributions which take into consideration the link between Gregory's Trinitarian thought and the christological question (In illud tunc et ipse filius, the anti-Apollinarist works).

Does the Holy Spirit proceed only from the Father—or also from the Son? Protestants and Roman Catholics might immediately answer the latter and wonder why their Orthodox friends protest. Historically one of the major obstacles to Christian unity across the East-West divide, the Filioque—the part of the Latin translation of the Nicene Creed claiming the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son—still bedevils Trinitarian theologians today. How can the church possibly achieve unity in the face of this dogmatic difference, implacable for over a millennium? Giulio Maspero shows us how the answer can be found in history. In the fourth century, when Pneumatomachians denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit, the Cappadocian Fathers came to a relational understanding of the most elusive person of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit was conceived of as the glory and power eternally exchanged between the Father and the Son. In fact, this understanding is still fundamentally shared by Eastern and Western Christians. Examining Syriac traditions as an example, Maspero observes that both Syriac and Latin lack the linguistic precision to describe the nature of the Holy Spirit’s procession from the Trinity in the same way as Greek, hence the ambiguous Filioque. Yet what might be seen on the surface as a mere translation error reveals deep questions about the triune nature of God. With rigorous theological argument, Maspero ultimately proposes a way forward for East and West—one based not on centuries of polemics, but on a common tradition established by the Greek Fathers. Essential reading for the ecumenically minded theologian, Rethinking the Filioque with the Greek Fathers takes a crucial step toward Christian unity.

In The Filioque Reconsidered, Chungman Lee offers a concise yet thorough evaluation of the contemporary discussion on the filioque and examines the trinitarian theologies of Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine of Hippo.

Gregory of Nyssa’s Homilies on the Our Father, edited by Matthieu Cassin, Hélène Grelier-Deneux and Françoise Vinel, offers an English translation, the edition of a 15th century Latin translation and twenty-seven studies on this major text of the 4th century.

Taken together, Gregory of Nyssa’s XV Homilies In Canticum Canticorum are at the same time – as if in unison – a work of spiritual, exegetical, and theological doctrine. The wide spectrum of the themes present in them have prompted a great interest in this work, not only among scholars of patristics or theology, but also among those interested in biblical interpretation, ancient rhetoric or Christian mystical doctrine. These Proceedings present the results of the 13th International Colloquium on Gregory of Nyssa (Rome, 17-20 September 2014): a systematic commentary of Gregory’s In Canticum from a broad perspective in the form of sixteen papers and a selection of fourteen short essays devoted to various issues that represent a valuable set of supporting studies.

In this volume, Giulio Maspero explores both the ontology and the epistemology of the Cappadocians from historical and speculative points of view. He shows how the Cappadocians developed a real Trinitarian Ontology through their reshaping of the Aristotelian category of relation, which they rescued from the accidental dimension and inserted into the immanence of the one divine and eternal substance. This perspective made possible a new conception of individuation. No longer exclusively linked to substantial difference, as in classical Greek philosophy, the concept was instead founded on the mutual relation of the divine Persons. The Cappadocians' metaphysical reshaping was also closely linked to a new epistemological conception based on apophaticism, which shattered the logical closure of their opponents, and anticipated results that modern research has subsequently highlighted, Bridging the late antique philosophy with Patristics, Maspero' s study allows us to find the relational traces within the Trinity in the world and in history.

This book brings the Cappadocian Fathers to life and explores their contributions to subsequent Christian thought. Melding together a thematic and individualized approach, the book examines Cappadocian thought in relation to Greek philosophy and the musings of other Christian thinkers of the time. The volume is unique in that it details the Cappadocian legacy upon the three central divisions of Christianity, rather than focusing on one confession. Providing a multifaceted assessment of the spirituality and beliefs of the fourth-century Church, contributors interweave historical studies into their philosophical and theological discussions. The volume draws together an international team of scholars from a variety of academic backgrounds including philosophy, theology, and Classics. The contributors bring their unique perspectives to bear on their analysis of the Cappadocians’ theological contributions. Special attention is given to the Cappadocians’ influence on pneumatology, Christology, and ethics. The Ecumenical Legacy of the Cappadocians sets the Cappodocians’ theoretical views in relief against the political and historical background of their day, enlivening and vivifying the analysis with engaging biographical sketches.

The Contra Eunomium is probably Gregory of Nyssa’s most challenging work with regards to his theological and philosophical thought, and one that continues to draw the deeper attention of contemporary scholars. This volume devoted to Contra Eunomium I constitutes, in a certain way, a new version of the Proceedings of the 6th International Colloquium on Gregory of Nyssa (1988). It offers a revised English translation of Contra Eunomium I by S. G. Hall, accompanied by twenty-two supporting studies from a broad range of philological, philosophical, and theological perspectives. These studies include a selection of the most relevant papers of the 1988 Proceedings, supplemented with new contributions that explore relevant issues developed by contemporary research.