The epektasis [ἐπέκτασις] and the exploits of the soul (ἡ ψυχή) in Gregory of Nyssa’s De anima et resurrectione
Elena Ene D-VASILESCU
Published in Mirabilia Journal
Keywords: Gregory of Nyssa, Macrina, On the Soul and the Resurrection, Progress (epektasis), Resurrection.
The paper refers to a notion central to Gregory of Nyssa’s theology – that of epektasis (ἐπέkτασις), i.e. progression of the soul (ἡ ψυχή) towards its Creator, as presented in the dialogue De anima et resurrectione/On the Soul and the Resurrection. he conversation between Nyssen and his sister Macrina, employing concepts peculiar to the most advanced science of their time, emphasizes that in the afterlife the soul does not leave the body (and neither does human memory). The interesting consequences of this state of affairs for both the resurrection of people and that of Jesus Christ are also discussed.
The theological and doxological reference to the Resurrection and the Pentecost according to the orations of Gregory of Nazianzus XLI and XLV
Eirini ARTEMI
Published in Mirabilia Journal 31 (2020/2)
Keywords: Doxology, Gregory of Nazianzus, Pentecost’s, Resurrection.
In the forty-one oration, Gregory of Nazianzus analyzes the divinity of the Holy Spirit, a subject that is developed again with more severe way in his Fifth Theological Oration. Gregory tries to establish the point by quite a different set of arguments from those adopted in the former discourse, none of whose points are here repeated. In the other oration, forty-five, Gregory refers to the importance of the resurrection for the human race. He presents Christ as the new Adam who saved the human from the death and reunites again the man with God. This is a subject that is referred to the oration forty-one, too. In this paper, we will examine the teaching of Gregory of Nazianzus about the divine status of the Holy Spirit and his equality to the other two persons of the Triune God through theological and biblical images. Also, we will present how he connects his teaching for anthropology based on the Christology. In the end we will show how Gregory produced these orations for public festivals within the literarily ripe tradition of pagan festival rhetoric, but he gives to his orations theological content.
