Book contents
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Notes on Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Texts and Translations
- Abbreviations
- Series Introduction
- Introduction
- Part I The Beginnings of Christology
- Part II Developing Christological Traditions
- Part III Traditions of Pro-Nicene Christology
- 21 Tome to the Antiochenes 7
- 22 Athanasius of Alexandria, Christological Letters to Epictetus, Adelphius, and Maximus
- 23 Apollinarius of Laodicea, Recapitulation
- 24 Apollinarius of Laodicea, Selected Letters
- 25 Apollinarius of Laodicea, On the Faith and the Incarnation
- 26 Apollinarius of Laodicea, On the Body’s Union with the Divinity in Christ
- 27 Apollinarius of Laodicea, Fragments of Other Writings
- 28 Apollinarius of Laodicea, Fragmentary Writings against Diodore and Flavian
- 29 Basil of Caesarea, Letters 261 and 262
- 30 Basil of Caesarea, Homily on the Holy Birth of Christ
- 31 Diodore of Tarsus, Selected Fragments
- 32 Gregory of Nazianzus, Letter 101 to Cledonius
- 33 Gregory of Nazianzus, Poems 1.1.10–11
- 34 Gregory of Nyssa, Oration on the Savior’s Nativity
- 35 Theodore of Mopsuestia, On the Incarnation of the Lord against the Apollinarians and Eunomians (Fragments)
- 36 Augustine of Hippo, On Eighty-Three Different Questions. Number 80: Against the Apollinarians
- 37 Augustine of Hippo, Letter 137
- 38 The Leporius Dossier
- 39 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith
- Part IV Controversy over Nestorius
- Suggestions for Further Reading
- Scriptural Index
34 - Gregory of Nyssa, Oration on the Savior’s Nativity
from Part III - Traditions of Pro-Nicene Christology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2022
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Notes on Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Texts and Translations
- Abbreviations
- Series Introduction
- Introduction
- Part I The Beginnings of Christology
- Part II Developing Christological Traditions
- Part III Traditions of Pro-Nicene Christology
- 21 Tome to the Antiochenes 7
- 22 Athanasius of Alexandria, Christological Letters to Epictetus, Adelphius, and Maximus
- 23 Apollinarius of Laodicea, Recapitulation
- 24 Apollinarius of Laodicea, Selected Letters
- 25 Apollinarius of Laodicea, On the Faith and the Incarnation
- 26 Apollinarius of Laodicea, On the Body’s Union with the Divinity in Christ
- 27 Apollinarius of Laodicea, Fragments of Other Writings
- 28 Apollinarius of Laodicea, Fragmentary Writings against Diodore and Flavian
- 29 Basil of Caesarea, Letters 261 and 262
- 30 Basil of Caesarea, Homily on the Holy Birth of Christ
- 31 Diodore of Tarsus, Selected Fragments
- 32 Gregory of Nazianzus, Letter 101 to Cledonius
- 33 Gregory of Nazianzus, Poems 1.1.10–11
- 34 Gregory of Nyssa, Oration on the Savior’s Nativity
- 35 Theodore of Mopsuestia, On the Incarnation of the Lord against the Apollinarians and Eunomians (Fragments)
- 36 Augustine of Hippo, On Eighty-Three Different Questions. Number 80: Against the Apollinarians
- 37 Augustine of Hippo, Letter 137
- 38 The Leporius Dossier
- 39 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith
- Part IV Controversy over Nestorius
- Suggestions for Further Reading
- Scriptural Index
Summary
In the years following the death of Basil of Caesarea in 378, his younger brother Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 335–ca. 394) emerged as a leading Christian intellectual. Following his brother, Gregory wrote against Eunomius, the Pneumatomachians, and Apollinarius. He attended various synods, including the Council of Constantinople in 381. He was cited in a law of the emperor Theodosius dated July 30, 381 as one of the paragons of orthodoxy in the Eastern Roman Empire and was sent by the emperor on missions to supervise episcopal affairs as far as the province of Arabia. Dozens of his writings on various themes of Christian doctrine and practice have survived. As bishop, one of his roles was to preach at the annual feasts. The current sermon is one of the earliest pieces of evidence for a feast of the Nativity on December 25 separate from the Epiphany on January 6 – at the time this was a relatively recent distinction. We are uncertain as to which year Gregory delivered this Christmas homily, but a reasonable guess has been made that it was 386.
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- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings , pp. 403 - 419Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022