Gregory of Nyssa
Cappadocian bishop and theologian whose works explore the image of God, human freedom, resurrection, and the mystery of divine life.
Historical context
Gregory was Basil's brother, but his writings have their own emphases and should not be treated as interchangeable with Basil's.
Perspective note
Shared subject; this bundled record was originally written with an Orthodox-informed editorial lens.
Key points
- On the Making of Man examines the dignity and constitution of humanity.
- His treatment of bodily resurrection resists reducing salvation to the soul alone.
Scripture
- Genesis 1:26-27 — The image of God is a starting point for Gregory's anthropology.
Primary sources
Gregory writes in On the Making of Man:
Gregory presents virtue as a genuinely voluntary human response.
virtue is a voluntary thing, subject to no dominion
Passage context and translation
Gregory discusses the human capacity for freely chosen virtue in connection with the divine image; he then distinguishes created human nature from the uncreated God.
Before the excerpt
we are free from necessity, and not in bondage to any natural power
After the excerpt
that which is the result of compulsion and force cannot be virtue.