,
Gregory of Nazianzus, (1408),
Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir.
Theological and other works Gregory's most significant theological contributions arose from his defense of the doctrine of the
Trinity. He is especially noted for his contributions to the field of
pneumatology — that is, theology concerning the nature of the
Holy Spirit. In this regard, Gregory is the first to use the idea of
procession to describe the relationship between the Spirit and the Godhead: "The Holy Spirit is truly Spirit, coming forth from the Father indeed but not after the manner of the Son, for it is not by generation but by
procession, since I must coin a word for the sake of clearness." Although Gregory does not fully develop the concept, the idea of procession would shape most later thought about the Holy Spirit. He emphasized that Jesus did not cease to be God when he became a man, nor did he lose any of his divine attributes when he took on human nature. Furthermore, Gregory asserted that Christ was fully human, including a full human soul. He also proclaimed the eternality of the Holy Spirit, saying that the Holy Spirit's actions were somewhat hidden in the
Old Testament but much clearer since the ascension of Jesus into Heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit at the feast of Pentecost. In contrast to the Neo-Arian belief that the Son is
anomoios, or "unlike" the Father, and with the
Semi-Arian assertion that the Son is , or "like" the Father, Gregory and his fellow Cappadocians maintained the Nicaean doctrine of , or
consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. The Cappadocian Fathers asserted that God's nature is unknowable to man; helped to develop the framework of , or three persons united in a single Godhead; illustrated how Jesus is the of the Father; and explained the concept of , the belief that all Christians can be assimilated with God in "imitation of the incarnate Son as the divine model". The book VIII of the
Greek Anthology contains exclusively 254
epigrams of his.
Influence Gregory's great nephew Nichobulos served as his literary executor, preserving and editing many of his writings. A cousin, Eulalios, published several of Gregory's more noteworthy works in 391.
Paul Tillich credits Gregory of Nazianzus for having "created the definitive formulae for the doctrine of the trinity". Additionally, the
Liturgy of Saint Gregory the Theologian in use by the
Coptic Church is named after him.
Relics Following his death, Gregory was buried at
Nazianzus. His relics, consisting of portions of his body and clothing, were transferred to
Constantinople in 950, into the
Church of the Holy Apostles. Part of the relics were taken from Constantinople by Crusaders during the
Fourth Crusade, in 1204, and ended up in
Rome. On 27 November 2004, those relics, along with those of
John Chrysostom, were returned to
Istanbul by
Pope John Paul II, with the
Vatican retaining a small portion of both. The relics are now enshrined in the
Patriarchal St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul in the
Fanar.
Death During the six years of life which remained to him after his final retirement to his birthplace, Gregory composed the greater part of his copious poetical works. These include a valuable autobiographical poem of nearly 2000 lines; about one hundred other shorter poems relating to his past career; and a large number of epitaphs, epigrams, and epistles to well-known people during that era. The poems that he wrote that dealt with his personal affairs refer to the continuous illness and severe sufferings (physical and spiritual) which assailed him during his last years. In the tiny plot of ground at
Arianzus, all that remained to him of his rich inheritance was by a fountain near which there was a shady walk. Gregory retired here to spend his days as a hermit. It was during this time that he decided to write theological discourses and poetry of both a religious and an autobiographical nature. He would receive occasional visits from intimate friends, as well as visits from strangers who were attracted to his retreat by his large reputation for sanctity and learning. He died about 25 January 390, although the exact date of his death is unknown. == Feast days ==