St. Gregory of Nazianzus (The Theologian)
 A close friend and contemporary of St. Basil
the Great (ca.330-379) the famed Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, namely,
St. Gregory of Nazianzus (ca.329-390), also known as St. Gregory the
Theologian. The second of the three Cappadocian Fathers, St. Gregory’s
life is also very closely tied with a vehement defense of the First Ecumenical Council,
held in Nicaea in 325, and its definition of the Son as being of the same substance as the
Father. Like St. Basil, Gregory was too young to have dealt with Arius. His
battle, like that of the other two great Cappadocians was especially against the later Neo-Arian
movement headed by Aetius of Antioch and later Eunomius of Cyzicus, as well as imperial
intrigues and unruly mobs, which for the quiet, reserved and melancholy Gregory were a
source of enormous torment.
Gregory was born near Arianzus in Cappadocia. His Father was the bishop of
Nazianzus. Like Basil, he received the best education, in Caesarea
of Cappadocia, Caesarea of Palestine (where Origen had taught in the previous century), at
Alexandria and Athens. It was in Athens that the acquaintance begun between him and
Basil at Caesarea would be forged into a strong friendship (which Gregory would come to
regret somewhat, without, however, losing his love and respect for Basil). The two
spent some time together exploring the monastic life in Pontus, another province of Asia
Minor (today’s Turkey).
Gregory spent a good deal of his life doing things that others wanted him to do, but
for which he himself held little desire. Around 361 he was ordained to the
priesthood by his father (who was also his bishop!) against Gregory’s will. In those
days candidates for ordination did not have to write letters to their bishops requesting
ordination. He was chosen at the insistence of the faithful. For a few months he
tried to flee this burdensome responsibility by returning to the tranquility of Pontus,
but returned to assist his Father in the pastoral work at Nazianzus. His friendship
with Basil would be severely tested when Basil, acting as Metropolitan of Caesarea
appointed Gregory as Bishop of Sasima, a dusty little town whose episcopal see Gregory may
never have actually assumed. He continued to help his father, and was in fact appointed
bishop of Nazianzus upon the death of his father (again by Basil). Basil needed
bishops who would be allies in the fight against the Neo-Arians who claimed to know that
God’s essence is to be unbegotten, and since the Son was begotten, He could not be, in
the eyes of the Arians, equal to the Father and truly God. At times it was a numbers
game — a power struggle over which view would prevail. In the end, the
teachings of the Council of Nicaea would win out, but not without great suffering on the
part of its supporters.
One year after his appointment as his own father’s successor as bishop of Nazianzus,
Gregory resigned his position. His parents and siblings were dead and Gregory was
himself very ill. He tried to take up again the quiet monastic life of which he had
always dreamed, this time in Seleucia in Isauria. Alas, this would again be
interrupted. When Basil died in 379, Gregory grieved for his friend, but also
realized that someone had to continue Basil’s fight against the Arians. This was also
the year that Theodosius began to rule in Constantinople, which had become an Arian
stronghold during the reign of Valens. The pro-Nicene party was a tiny minority in
the capital city. But Theodosius was pro-Nicene and there was hope that the orthodox
catholic teaching could be restored. It was however a daunting task for the quiet
and retiring Gregory, who was called to Constantinople to reestablish Nicene orthodoxy
there. This he did at great risk and amid enormous difficulties. He started
with a small house which he would turn into a church (aptly named the Anastasis, or Church
of the Resurrection). It was his eloquent and convincing preaching, backed by his
own living example that won over the population of Constantinople. The emperor
Theodosius gave him the cathedral, which had been heretofore held by the Arians, and the
populace wanted him as their bishop. This he did not accept until the Second
Ecumenical Council, the Council of Constantinople was held in 381 and the council fathers
acclaimed him as holder of the capital see. When shortly afterwards some new
arrivals to the council protested his accession to Constantinople on the grounds that
Nicaea forbade the translation or moving of bishops from one see to another, Gregory was
more than glad to resign. He returned to Nazianzus until a successor could be found
in the person of Eulalius in 383. Gregory then returned to the place of his birth,
Arianzus, writing and devoting himself to a quiet ascetical life until his death in 389 or
390.
Gregory’s 45 orations were masterpieces of oral and written communication. They
included eulogies for his Father and for Basil, an apologetic oration explaining why he
fled Nazianzus after his priestly ordination (which offers a deep reflection on the nature
of the priesthood), an attack on the pagan emperor Julian who ruled briefly, but posed a
great threat to Christianity by wanting to offer the empire’s support to reestablishing
pagan worship. He also wrote an oration in praise of St. Athansius the
Great. But of all the orations, his Three Theological Orations against the Eunomian
Arians and the Macedonians who denied the divinity of the holy Spirit are most
important. They are numbered as Orations 27, 28 and 29. Oration 30 has been
demonstrated to be a work by the well-meaning heretic Appolinaris, which was saved from
destruction by being ascribed to Gregory. His three great Theologial Orations are
usually considered to be the reason he is known as St. Gregory the Theologian, an
extremely rare distinction.
Gregory also wrote several hundred letters that are still existant, and some two
hundred poems, especially in his retirement. While many say that the Theological
Orations won Gregory the title Theologian, it is not inconceivable that it was
his poetry that won the hearts of many. Some were written as easy-to-memorize
counterattacks against Arianism. Others helped to displace the pagan literature
which had been dominant for so long. Others still are simple outpourings of this great
man’s burdened soul. There are only two other saints who bear the title Theologian:
St. John the Evangelist and St. Symeon the New
Theologian (late 10th century). Both of them were cherished especially for
their poetry. John’s Prologue to his Gospel and Symeon’s Hymns of Divine Love
are both powerful poetic works which also powerfully express the deepest truths of the
christian faith. In Gregory’s day, the Arians were followers of Eunomius, who was
known for his tedious logical syllogistic sermons. Perhaps in naming Gregory of
Nazianzus the Theologian, the Church was saying that poetry expresses the mystery
of who God is and how God is better than any linear reasoning.
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