Catechetical meaning of the Great Catechetical Oration of St. Gregory of Nyssa

Contents Introduction Chapter 1. The history of writing the “Big Catechetical Word”. Characteristics of the era 1.1. Catechesis in the era of St. Gregory Methods of catechesis 1.2. Life of St. Gregory of Nyssa Initial premises of Origenism Church situation in Cappadocia 1.3. The place of Saint Gregory of Nyssa among the church writers of his time 1.4. Theological disputes in the era of the saint's life 1.5. The place of the “Great Catechetical Word” among ancient catechetical monuments 1.6. General data about the monument Chapter 2. Basic provisions of the “Great Catechetical Word” of St. Gregory of Nyssa 2.1. The Doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity Chapter 1. The Genesis of the Son of God The Doctrine of Christ The Personality of Jesus Christ and His Feat as the Savior Chapter 2. The Genesis of the Holy Spirit Chapter 3. The Incomprehensibility of the Trinity Chapter 4. The Answer to the Objection of the Jews 2.2. The doctrine of the economy of salvation Chapter 5. Transition to the doctrine of the Incarnation. The creation of man and his freedom Chapter 6. How the fall of man occurred Chapter 7. Why God is not the author of evil Chapter 8. The meaning of disease and death Chapter 9. Is what is said about Christ worthy of God? Chapter 10. How could the Deity be limited to the body? Chapter 11. How did the Divine unite with humanity? Chapter 12. What evidence is there that God has appeared in the flesh? Chapter 13. How can God be born and die? Chapter 14. What is the reason for such humiliation of the Divine? Chapter 15. The answer to the above question and the beginning of the answer to the next: Why did He not save man by one command? Chapter 16. Did the Deity undergo suffering? Chapter 17. Renewal of the question: Why didn’t you save a person by one command, but took such a roundabout way? Chapter 18. Historical proof of the coming of God into the world: idolaters and Jews Chapter 19. It is still necessary to convince unbelievers Chapter 20. Goodness and justice must be revealed together in God’s actions Chapter 21. The beginning of an explanation of the justice of the economy of salvation Chapter 22. The justice of the economy of salvation in non-violence against the devil Chapter 23. The wisdom of the economy Salvation is in the concealment of the Divine Chapter 24. How was the power of the Divine manifested? Chapter 25. The answer to those who are surprised that the Divinity was in human nature Chapter 26. Justification of the wisdom of the economy Chapter 27. The birth of the God-man does not contradict the concept of God Chapter 28. That our birth and the corresponding members of the body are not evil, but, on the contrary, should be honored Chapter 29. Why did God delay coming? Chapter 30. Why did sin not disappear immediately after the coming of Christ? Why didn't everyone believe? Chapter 31 Why doesn't God lead everyone to faith if He wants to? Chapter 32. Why was death necessary, and such a shameful one at that - on the cross? 2.3. The Doctrine of the Sacraments The Sacrament of Baptism Chapter 33. Baptism - birth into incorruptible life Chapter 34. How do we know that the grace of God operates in baptism? Chapter 35. The meaning of triple immersion at Baptism Chapter 36. Faith and water lay the foundation for eternal salvation The Sacrament of Communion Chapter 37. The Sacrament of Communion A brief summary of baptismal faith Chapter 38. It is necessary to briefly outline the baptismal faith Chapter 39. A necessary condition for being born again is faith in the Trinity Chapter 40. Without which Baptism is useless Chapter 3. Peculiarities of the views of St. Gregory of Nyssa on certain theological issues 3.1. Anthropology 3.2. The eschatological views of St. Gregory of Nyssa, set out in the “Great Catechetical Discourse” 3.3. Catechetical orientation of the “Great Catechetical Word” Conclusion Appendix 1. Brief overview of the works of the saint 1. Exegetical writings 2. Dogmatic writings 3. Moral-ascetic writings 4. Sermons 5. Letters Appendix 2. Spiritual character and qualities of the catechist (based on the works of St. Gregory) Appendix 3. Holy Scripture and the Church about the idea of apokatastasis Bibliography Since 1988, the date of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', the Russian Orthodox Church has noticeably increased quantitatively, and the main task of its pastors has become the churching of the children brought by God. It is during this period that the need to use patristic experience in the catechesis of all those who come and return to the bosom of the Mother Church is especially acutely felt. In the conditions of modern necessity, the church “catechetical institute” began to be revived, so that people coming to the Church were not just its formal members. Thus, under the Holy Synod, a Department for Religious Education and Catechesis was created, which is designed to develop issues of the theory and practice of churching, publish and produce various manuals for beginners, taking into account all their individual characteristics. Missionary departments have also been created under the Moscow Patriarchate, in dioceses and Theological schools. Thanks to their catechetical work, extensive practical material has been accumulated, but the rich patristic experience regarding the methods of instruction in the Christian faith has not been fully utilized and studied. It is the patristic experience of catechesis that is precisely the “precious pearls” with which we can decorate our missionary and catechetical work at the present time. This is the reason for the choice of topic for this thesis. One of the creations in the field of catechesis is the “Great Catechetical Discourse” of St. Gregory of Nyssa, which we are considering in this work. It quite fully reveals the existence of various methods of announcement applied to all those who convert to Christianity from various beliefs and heresies, based on their existing concepts and prejudices. The “Word” of St. Gregory is a kind of manual for dialogue between people of different religious beliefs. The purpose of this thesis is a theological analysis of the “Great Catechetical Discourse” of St. Gregory and substantiation of the significance of the use of this work in missionary work. Using the example of the life of St. Gregory and a brief historical description of his era, the author makes an attempt to more clearly present the prerequisites that prompted the saint to write this work. A brief comparative analysis shows the place of the “Great Catechetical Word” among ancient catechetical monuments and notes the role it played in theological science. The main content of this work is the consideration of the “Big Catechetical Word” itself. The central place in it is occupied by the consideration of three main themes for patristic theology: the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the doctrine of the economy of human salvation and the Doctrine of the Sacraments. Some attention is paid to the controversy caused in the theological community by the views of St. Gregory on certain issues of Christology and eschatology. The catechetical orientation of the “Great Catechetical Discourse” is also highlighted. In the process of familiarizing himself with literary sources on this issue, the author drew attention to the latest edition of the “Big Catechetical Word” with notes by Vestel Yu.A. (publication of the Kyiv Theological Academy, 2003). The thematic division of the “Word” presented in this edition seems to us the most optimal, therefore, when writing the second chapter of our thesis, we relied on this work, introducing our own explanations. So, in this thesis, an attempt is made to identify the problems of modern catechesis, to show the methods of conducting apologetic work described by St. Gregory, and to substantiate the applicability of his methods to the conditions of the present time. Chapter 1. The history of writing the “Big Catechetical Word”. Characteristics of the era 1.1. Catechesis in the era of St. Gregory This theme, in fact, begins the “Great Catechetical Discourse” of St. Gregory of Nyssa. The work itself is not strictly divided by topic, but the saint’s train of thought allows us to isolate those questions to the resolution of which the “catechism” is dedicated. The Archpastor of Nyssa devotes a significant part of his work to some topics, and to others only one line. Saint Gregory devotes only a few words to the need for catechumen in the preface to the work. Obviously, this is due to the specifics of the work: catechists do not need a lengthy discussion about the meaning and necessity of catechism. The saint outlines only the core of the catechumen; its goal is to help a person become among those being saved. According to the saint, the catechumen should be the beginning of a pious life and conscious entry into the Church, which is a continuation of the life of the Church. This grace-filled growth of the Body of Christ will not cease until the Second Coming of Christ, for He “created the Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:17–18). The catechist is called upon to “awaken” a person, to bring him to the Mother of the Church. As St. Gregory of Nyssa says: “Teaching through instruction reaches the ears of unbelievers” 1 . A person gains “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). It is indisputable that as many people exist, there are as many ways to God. Each of us is called into the “bosom” of the Mother Church in our own way: at different ages and with different spiritual experiences. And we know well that all those who do not accept Christ are mistaken in different ways. Therefore, any catechist must firmly remember that all unbelievers and doubters need different reasons and arguments. The “Word” itself contains the answers to the questions and misconceptions that such people have. It forms the circle of questions that the catechists asked the Nyssa archpastor. Answering these perplexities, Saint Gregory quite simply, but at the same time deeply, sets out the Gospel message about salvation. He defines two main methods when conducting apologetic polemics: the first teaches “... Separately enter into a struggle with their opinions” 2, and the second – “... According to the type of illness ... to use the method of healing.” 3 1.2. Life of Saint Gregory of Nyssa Saint Gregory of Nyssa (335/40–394) is considered the first mystical theologian and is one of the most significant historical figures. He united a most fruitful theological scientist and a person with deep personal religious experience, and his works significantly enriched the theological and ecclesiastical heritage. Saint Gregory was the younger brother of Saint Basil the Great, and the fame of his elder brother may have somewhat eclipsed his personality, since even exact information about the date of his birth (presumably 331–335) or his childhood and youth has not been preserved. What is known is that he was “the third among four brothers and the last child in the family” 4. His teachers were his elder sister, the Monk Macrina, and his brother, Saint Basil. “He received a classical education at Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he studied rhetoric and where his extraordinary inclination towards philosophy was discovered.” 5 The replenishment of his knowledge, acquired by him in the pagan school, occurred thanks to his tireless curiosity and direct studies with his elder brother Vasily himself, whom the younger brother “respectfully equated with the apostles and prophets - only later in time than them.” 6 Following the example of his brother and teacher Saint Basil the Great, Gregory himself throughout his life was immersed in solving church and theological issues, remaining faithful to everything that was expressed by the Church before him. And it was his brother Vasily who was for him the primary standard in theology on whom he preferred to rely, although he still did not limit himself to this. Some well-known facts from his early youth (an incident related to the celebration of the memory of the forty Sebastian martyrs and their menacing appearance to Gregory in a dream vision) indicate that in his youth Gregory was not particularly religious, and even vice versa. Already an anagnost (a reader of the Holy Scriptures in liturgical meetings), he nevertheless became interested in pagan literature and became a teacher of eloquence. Initial premises of Origenism This period in his life was marked by intensive studies of philosophy and the study of the works of Origen and Philo, which later had a significant influence on his theological views. Most likely, “at the same time, Saint Gregory entered into marriage with Theosevia, about whose piety and religious mood Saint Gregory the Theologian warmly speaks in a letter to Saint Gregory of Nyssa on the occasion of her death (see Works of Saint Gregory the Theologian, 6:240–241 7).”8 Having thus experienced through his own experience the art of worldly wisdom, he later writes about it: “External science is truly childless, always tormented by the pains of birth and will never be resolved by a living baby” 9 . And only after the imminent death of his wife Theosevia, as well as under the influence of developing circumstances and the authority of his ascetic family, he leaves the world and retires to the monastery founded by St. Basil the Great on the banks of the Iris. From this time a new page began in the life of the saint. He begins to intensively study Christian literature and engage in ascetic exercises while living in the city of Pontus. Subsequently, the saint, having heeded the letter of his elder brother, warning him against deviating from the right teaching, continued the teaching of the Trinity and the Holy Spirit of St. Basil and Gregory of Nazianzus. Moreover, he expanded and deepened their teaching, developing the positions of his predecessors and opening a new perspective for theological thought directed in these directions. In 372, Saint Gregory was consecrated by his elder brother Saint Basil as bishop of the small Cappadocian city of Nissa. His episcopal consecration took place approximately 6–7 years after the death of his pious wife and after sufficient experience of the solitary monastic life. 10 Church situation in Cappadocia At that time, the situation in Cappadocia was quite difficult. The intensity was created due to the intense struggle with the Arians. Emperor Valens, who ruled at that time, tried to replace all episcopal sees with his followers. Saint the Great himself “was forced to fight with the neighboring Archbishop Anthimus of Tyana, who supported the Arians. In an effort to strengthen his position, he appointed his brothers and ... the future Saint Gregory the Theologian as bishops in different cities of Cappadocia ... although ... he considered his younger brother incapable and inexperienced in church affairs ... ". 11 Despite the fact that the practical influence of Saint Gregory on the life of the Church was not as extensive and great as his brother, he still wages an active and open struggle with the Arian party. The consequence of such a firm and irreconcilable position was his overthrow by the insidious Aryan party. These events are associated with the winter of 375, when the governor of Pontus, Demosthenes, arrived in Cappadocia. Soon after this, a council of bishops submissive to the government was formed in Ancyra. At this council, Saint Gregory was accused of “embezzlement” of church money. In addition, some grounds were put forward against the legality of his installation as a bishop. By order of Demosthenes, he was arrested and sent under escort to Ancyra. On the way, he fled from the bullying of the guards and disappeared to a safe place. This time the condemnation of Saint Gregory due to his absence did not take place. “In the spring of 376, a new council of the bishops of Pontus and Galatia was convened in Nissa itself. Saint Gregory again did not appear at the trial, but was deposed in absentia and exiled, and his see was given to a man who could be “bought for a few obols.” For three years he led a wandering life... and only after the death of the Arian Valens in 378 could he return to Nyssa and take his see. Here he was greeted with triumph by the people.” 12. Improvement also occurs in the state: the new emperor Gratian, being a disciple of St. Ambrose of Milan, returned to his sees all the bishops exiled by the Arians. However, soon, on January 1, 379, the elder brother, highly respected by Saint Gregory, died, at whose burial he pronounced a word of praise in honor of the deceased. “Saint Gregory felt himself the successor of his great brother, and, first of all, out of grateful respect for his mentor, he took on the important work of writing a refutation of the new apology for Eunomius, in which Eunomius distorted the truth and insulted the name of the great Saint Basil, without, however, having the courage to show his work to the light while Saint Basil was alive.” 13 Thus, “having erected an Orthodox emperor who defended the Orthodox Church from attacks, the Lord decried that Saint Basil the Great should be put to rest from his labors.” 14 Having become his faithful successor, Saint Gregory quite skillfully refutes the opponent’s arguments from a philosophical position and proves that the only true one - even in philosophical categories - is the Divine Truth, which he defended. In the dialogue with the Eunomians, he resorts to such philosophical argumentation with which any philosophically educated contemporary of Gregory could not but agree. It is not uninteresting to note that “Church historiography has given Saint Gregory the title of Bishop of Nyssa. But, strictly speaking, a reservation should be made regarding the title. The fact is that the Church Council elected Saint Nyssa Metropolitan of Sebaste. We have not reached any definite data about the duration of Saint Gregory’s administration of this region, however, it is known that the Council of Antioch in 379 instructed the saint to make an inspection tour of Arabia and Palestine. In these areas, apparently there was not a completely stable position in relation to the Nicene faith. Saint Gregory visits the Holy Land, but his impressions of the pilgrimage that had become traditional at that time, to put it mildly, are not the brightest, although he was received according to his status. ... The fruit of this journey was his essay “On those who undertake journeys to Jerusalem” (8:455–461). 15 Further, "in 381, Saint Gregory was present at the Second Ecumenical Council and, thanks to his learning, was one of the most influential figures of the Council. At this time, he delivered two sermons - one on the occasion of the election of Saint Gregory the Theologian as bishop of the capital, the other a funeral sermon for the burial of Meletius of Antioch. Emperor Theodosius, by his edict in 381, declared the saint Gregory, together with Metropolitan Helladius of Caesarea and Otrius of Mytilene, guardian of Orthodoxy for Pontus: all bishops who wanted to retain their sees, according to this edict, had to be in church communion with the named hierarchs. Probably, after the Second Ecumenical Council, Saint Gregory had to move from church to church to put in order the disorder and establish Orthodoxy. Subsequently, Saint Gregory visited Constantinople several more times and delivered here a speech “On the Divinity of the Son and Spirit” (4:378–398) and a funeral homily over the deceased six-year-old daughter of the emperor Pulcheria and his wife Plaquilla (8:391–424). At the same time, he met the famous deaconess Olympias, an admirer of St. John Chrysostom. In 394, Saint Gregory was present at a council in Constantinople, convened to consider the quarrels of the Arabian bishops. This news about Saint Gregory is the last.” 16 1.3. The place of Saint Gregory of Nyssa among the church writers of his time Both the precise chronology of his life and legacy and the exact date of his death remain unknown. Presumably, Saint Gregory departed to the Lord in 394, surrounded by the respect and love of his contemporaries. Among the ranks of church writers, he stands out as one of the prolific and thoughtful learned men, although he did not, like the rest of his brethren, attend the famous schools of the time. He is distinguished from the three great Cappadocians by his desire to present church teaching in the form of a strict and harmonious, logically processed system. However, “as a practical figure, he did not possess the talents with which his brother Vasily was highly endowed and, in his simplicity, he repeatedly committed actions that put him and those around him in a dubious position. He was inferior to Saint Gregory the Theologian in the art and talents of a church orator. As a scientist and thinker, he comes close to St. Athanasius and Origen. Like the latter, in some issues he deviates from church teaching. However, these statements took place only on issues not yet disclosed by the conciliar definitions, and his personal opinions were always accompanied by the caveat that he himself did not attach full dogmatic significance to them. He recognizes only church teaching as the basis of all knowledge, and calls knowledge without true faith empty and fruitless. His contemporaries saw him as a great defender of Orthodoxy. Against the Arians and Apolinarists, he was the “pillar of Orthodoxy” and the “father of fathers.” Later, in the era of Origenist disputes, they began to argue about St. Gregory” 17, since the influence of Origen could be traced in his theology. Origenism naturally affected the authority of the saint. He was read and referred to less often than other “chosen fathers.” There is no doubt that it was precisely as a result of the condemnation of Origen in 553 that the authority of Saint Gregory himself, in comparison with the authority of his friend Saint Gregory of Nazianzus and brother Basil, did not have the same glory and attention. His very searches and creative approach to doctrinal issues and the teaching of the Church are explained by Gregory’s amazing sensitivity to the important theological problems of the era, his rich education, deep religious experience and the conviction that a theologian, by gift from above, has the boldness to solve those difficult questions that still remain unresolved. 1.4. Theological disputes in the era of the saint's life The intellectual environment that had a direct influence on Saint Gregory were church circles, whose lives were disturbed by numerous false teachings and which could not help but be affected by the currents of the era. Theology after St. Athanasius, which found successors in the person of the Cappadocians - Gregory the Theologian and Basil the Great, takes its next step towards the theological distinction between essence and hypostases, the doctrine of the third Person of the Holy Trinity and, ultimately, the unity of natures in Christ. On the basis of this theology, the unity of the Western and Eastern Churches was achieved and what happened at the Antioch Council (379) and the Second Ecumenical Council (381). Along with the Orthodox policy of Emperor Theodosius (378–395), this was also the reason for such theological fruitfulness in the Orthodox environment. The Neo-Arians, led by Eunomius, followers of Apolinarius, continued their activities, and a group of Messalian and Eustathian monks did not stop preaching their errors. At the same time, Saint Basil the Great dies (January 1, 379), and Saint Gregory the Theologian lives out the last years of his life in exile (after 383). With Diodorus of Tarsus, Nestorianism was born in Antioch. However, there were also many Orthodox writers, such as St. Epiphanius of Cyprus (Salamin) (†403) and St. Cyril of Jerusalem (†386). And only after 383 it becomes quite obvious that the head of Orthodox theology is Gregory of Nyssa, who was initially only a collaborator in this field, and later a successor to his friend Gregory of Nazianzus. One of the significant theological crises of the time of St. Gregory was generated by the theology of Eunomius, who confused the essence and Hypostases in God and identified the personal properties of Divine Persons with Their essence. In his two letters to Eunomius, St. Basil the Great responds to this by distinguishing in God nature and hypostases, the distinction between the Divine nature, which is unknowable, and ungeneracy, which is a property and, therefore, accessible to human knowledge. Similar arguments on the part of Basil, as well as Gregory of Nazianzus, although they reduced, did not put an end to the influence of the false teaching of Eunomius on Christian society. That is why misunderstandings and temptations among believers did not stop. This fact forced Gregory of Nyssa to continue the theological work of refuting Eunomius, begun by his predecessors, in order to finally philosophically clarify the difference between nature and Hypostases in God. 1.5. The place of the “Great Catechetical Word” among ancient catechetical monuments In this chapter, our task is to study the features of the “Great Catechetical Word". To do this, we need to compare it with all approaches to catechumen known in the history of the Church. It should especially be emphasized that the “Great Catechetical Word" of St. Gregory is, in its own way, a completely unique monument of patristic writing and its originality simply does not lend itself to the usual classification. On the one hand, researchers of the legacy of St. Gregory unambiguously attribute the “Large Catechism” to the dogmatic group of his works, distinguishing that it “sets out the main dogmas in a positive form....” 18 On the other hand, this work is a monument to the catechetical activity of the ancient Church. Before the “Great Catechetical Word” of St. Gregory of Nyssa, the works of the fathers of the ancient Church had already been created, which had a similar focus: “Conversation with the Jew” by Justin the Philosopher, “5 Books” of Irenaeus of Lyons, “On the Beginnings” of Origen, two words of St. Athanasius of Alexandria “Against the Arians”, “Catechetical Words” of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, “Word against Apolinary" of St. Gregory the Theologian, the works of St. Basil the Great. "To what catechetical tradition can it be attributed? To the Alexandrian catechetical practice of Clement and Origen - there is no similarity with the Jerusalem Catechism (Catechetical and Secret Teachings of St. Cyril of Jerusalem) in it, both in structure and in themes. We are convinced that the “Great Catechetical Discourse” of St. Gregory does not fit into the Western tradition of catechesis: Roman (preparation for baptism in mid. II - early. III century), 19 Milan (mystagogical catechism of St. Ambrose of Milan) 20 or North African (“On the catechism of the untaught” by Blessed Augustine). Chronologically and territorially, the “Word” of the saint is closest to the Antiochian tradition of catechism (moral catechism of St. John Chrysostom, doctrinal catechism of Theodore Mopsuestian, 21 Arian and Armenian catechisms). 22 However, this proximity was not reflected in the structure of the “Great Catechetical Word”. Particular attention can be paid to the fact that the comparison of the “catechism” of St. Gregory of Nyssa with the rest of the catechetical writing concerns only its general structure, the intention of the composition, but not the content. It would also be incorrect to say that the content of one catechism follows one theological tradition, and the content of another follows another. This would repeat the misunderstanding with the opposition of theological schools, only at the level of catechetical traditions. “We are dealing in this case with a plastic and developing tradition, in which the most unexpected experiments and cross-influences were inevitable.”23 Such a contrast of the “Great Catechetical Discourse” with the catechetical writings of other Church Fathers is obvious, and such a difference in approach cannot be explained only by the originality of the thought of St. Gregory. One can only assume with a greater degree of certainty that the “Great Catechetical Discourse” is the only catechetical monument of the Ancient Church that is addressed not to those who come to learn the Christian faith, but to those who, on behalf of the Church and God Himself, instruct on the path of truth. 1.6. General information about the monument Ancient manuscripts of the works of St. Gregory of Nyssa, stored in libraries throughout the Christian world, with the development of printing became available to a fairly wide circle of readers. During the era of European enlightenment, there was great interest not only in philosophy, but also in patristic literature. Many people from educated and cultural strata of society are beginning to become acquainted with the writings of St. Gregory of Nyssa. “Under the influence of the heated controversy between Roman and Protestant theologians, the need to look back into the depths of past centuries was clearly realized.” 25 It is reliably known that “the found texts of the works of St. Gregory were published throughout the entire 16th century without the original Greek text in only a Latin translation.” 26 Most likely, a similar Latin edition of the “Great Catechetical Word” has not been preserved anywhere else or it remains inaccessible to most readers. “For the first time, the Greek original and Latin translation of the works of St. Gregory of Nyssa were published in Paris in 1615 thanks to the works of the French scholar and publisher Le Duc.” 27 “In 1618, Jacob Gretser supplemented LeDuc’s edition with the edition of the “Addition,” which constituted the third volume of the works of St. Gregory,” 28 and in 1638 a new edition was undertaken, supplemented by the newly discovered works. Most likely, the “Big Announcement” was published in both editions. It is also known that even during the life of St. Gregory, the work that interests us “had great success and was considered one of the best expositions of Christian soteriology.” 29 From this edition, the “Great Catechetical Word” was reprinted without any changes by the famous French abbot Min. After this Paris edition, the works of St. Gregory of Nyssa soon reached the Russian reader. Edited by Rev. P. Delitsin at the Moscow Theological Academy translated into Russian the complete corpus of the works of St. Gregory of Nyssa. 30 "The Great Catechetical Homily" was published in 1862 in the fourth part of the complete works of the saint. It should also be noted that the first attempt at translating the "Long Catechetical Homily", as the translator titled it, was undertaken three years earlier by the master of the Nizhny Novgorod Theological Seminary Ivan Zlatoobrezov. He translated this work into Russian from the Paris edition. At the beginning of the 20th century English and French editions of the “Great Catechetical Word” appear. One of the last critical editions of the “Great Catechetical Word” was carried out exactly thirty years ago by Barbel in Stuttgart. The recent publication of the “Great Catechetical Word” in the anthology of the Church Fathers of the 4th century is considered one of the most accessible and readable by our contemporaries, and its appearance was very timely.” 31 The last Russian-language edition of the “Big Catechetical Word” was published in 2003 by the Kyiv Theological Academy. The publication is supplied with parallel original text, comments and explanatory articles. Chapter 2. The main provisions of the “Great Catechetical Word” of St. Gregory of Nyssa In this chapter we will analyze the main issues raised by St. Gregory in his “Great Catechetical Discourse.” They can be classified into three main themes: the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the economy of human salvation and the doctrine of the Sacraments. This is exactly how we will structure our consideration, adhering to the order of the chapters of the “Word” itself. At the same time, the outline of the “Words” of St. Gregory, compiled by Yu.A. Westel (KDA publication, 2003. pp. 8–31) was used as supporting material. 2.1. Doctrine of the Holy Trinity Chapter 1. Genesis of the Son of God God is not just one. He is rational, or verbal, which means he has a Word, which, unlike the human, is hypostatic (i.e. has a real independent existence), eternal, alive and is life itself (this follows from the eternity of His existence and simplicity, i.e. the uncomplicatedness, non-composition of His nature), good, free, omnipotent, wise. The world created by the Word is good as a product of the good Word. Just as our word comes from the mind and is something other than the mind, but has the same nature (essence) as the mind, so God’s Word, coming from the Father, has an independent existence (hypostasis), but the same essence as God the Father (consubstantial with Him). Consequently, all the properties that we attribute to God - goodness, omnipotence, wisdom, eternity, non-participation in evil and, in general, perfection in everything - should also be thought about the Word - the Son of God. Most of the “Catechetical Word” is devoted to the Incarnation, sacrificial service and the deed of the cross of the Savior. An educated pagan could agree that his religion was morally poor, but he could not understand and accept the “barbaric philosophy” of Christians about the appearance of the One God and Almighty Creator on earth. For St. Gregory, “The Word is Life Itself, and not the perception of life.” 32 The Personality of Jesus Christ and His Feat as Savior "The Great Catechetical Discourse" - although a catechetical monument directed to church catechists, nevertheless, it also contains polemics directed against heretics. The uniqueness of this work lies precisely in the combination of a positive presentation of the truths of faith along with polemical theology. The Christology of the "Great Catechism" reveals all the arguments of the opponents of St. Gregory of Nyssa: Eunomius and Apolinarius. In addition, The saint already then touched upon such general church Christological issues, the decision on which took place only half a century later at the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon. The most central place in the Christology of St. Gregory is the “position of the complete deity and complete humanity of Christ the Savior." 33 The Lord Jesus Christ for the saint is the Person who united in Himself the True and Perfect God with the true and perfect man. He insists that it is this union that saves man and is worthy of God: “Only he who gave life in the beginning was able and at the same time fitting to call on life perishing." 34 Another significant thesis of the saint can be considered the question of the incarnation. Did it expose the Impassive One to suffering? Has the Unchangeable changed? To consider this issue, he emphasizes the fundamental difference between the present state of human nature (i.e., sinful) from the primordial one: “If our teaching asserted that the Divinity was born viciously, then the objector would have reason to attack our faith, because we would say incongruous and dissimilar things about the divine nature.” 35 This is precisely the faith of the Church, that God Himself formed complete human nature in the womb of the Ever-Virgin Mary. In order to save man, God had to accept not any other nature, namely human nature. Otherwise, “what kind of correction would there be for our nature if, when an earthly living being is sick, some other, heavenly being received a Divine visit?.. If... Divine... power did not touch the sick person, meaning what is proper for himself, then the work of Divine power on something that has nothing in common with us would be useless for man... Before the Almighty and Unapproachable in the height of nature, all creation is equally worthy far from Him and everything is equally below Him.” 36 The “Great Public Word” constantly emphasizes the dignity of human nature and the fundamental possibility of its union with God. After all, this was precisely the work of Christ, so that the true God would sacrifice Himself and, through human nature, would assimilate human suffering to Himself. Only in this case does the sacrifice have great power and saving significance for people. Sin, according to the saint, does not exist in itself, because opposition to good... is different from good in the same sense in which we call the non-existent different from the existing and non-existence from being.” 37 Therefore, a tough dilemma arises: either God saves the whole person, or the incarnation of God is generally impossible or useless, in view of the irreversible sinful contamination of all human nature. Saint Gregory does not stop at just refuting the Christology of the heretics. The “Great Catechetical Word" anticipates the Christological debates of the 5th–7th centuries. The possibility of the incarnation, according to St. Gregory, also follows from the fact that “in every thing there is a Divinity, penetrating and embracing it and abiding in it... although the manner of the presence of God in us is not the same with that..." 38 hypostatic in Christ. Through his work, Saint Gregory makes an undoubted contribution to the resolution of the Council of Chalcedon, which is yet to take place. The saint has those famous four “not...” with which the Ecumenical Council of 451 will indicate the image of the hypostatic union of two perfect natures in Christ. Prof. Nesmelov convincingly showed that the accusations of St. Gregory by some Western scientists of Nestorianism, Monophysitism or Docetism are completely unfounded, because. “one can find quite a few expressions that quite definitely indicate Saint Gregory’s confession of the Orthodox non-fusion of the two natures of Jesus Christ,” 39 on the one hand, and the “exact unity” of God and man in “one person,” on the other. 40 So, the Christology of the “Great Catechetical Word” contains three main provisions: 1. The Incarnation is possible because it does not humiliate God, does not introduce any change into His nature and does not limit him. 2. Incarnation is an act of Divine love and only it can save a person from sin, curse and death. 3. In the Person of Jesus Christ, the true nature of God in unfused unity was hypostatically united with the perfect nature of man. Chapter 2. Genesis of the Holy Spirit Saint Gregory writes that “just as our word is accompanied by breathing, which is done by voice and reveals the power (meaning) of the word, so in God there is a Spirit. If God's Word did not have the Spirit, then It would be devoid of something in comparison with our word, which is impossible. However, God’s Spirit is not attracted from the outside and scattered into nothingness, but, in accordance with the concept of the Divine nature, is in God and is a hypostatic power (i.e., having an independent real existence), free, active, good, omnipotent” 41. The cornerstone of the work of St. Gregory of Nyssa that we are studying is the revealed teaching of the Holy Trinity. The “Great Catechetical Word” begins with the statement: in His essence, God is one, perfect, self-sufficient and “has overwhelming power” over everything. 42 Only One Being can have such qualities and no one can say anything about Him, for “... no one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and to whom the Son wants to reveal” (Matthew 11:27), “and no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11). Knowledge of this deepest and most important secret is given to man only by God. Saint Gregory especially emphasizes that both the Word and the Spirit of God “having power for everything, have no inclination towards anything bad, because any desire for evil is alien to the nature of God.” 43 The Trinity of God in the hypostases does not in the least violate the unity and simplicity of the Divine nature. Orthodox triadology, using philosophical terminology, is based on Holy Scripture and Church Tradition. The "Great Catechetical Word" separates the concepts of "essence" and "hypostasis" as the general generic and private individual of the One Nature of God, respectively. The formula: "One Being in Three Hypostases" is included in Christian theology. According to V. Lossky, “the Trinity dogma is a cross for human thought,” 44 but the Church of Christ firmly confesses its faith in “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity of Consubstantial and Indivisible.” 45 And Father George of Florovsky reminds us of the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa that: “The Lord calls not knowing anything about God, but having God in oneself, bliss” 46. Saint Gregory of Nyssa devotes much less space to revealing the teaching of the Church about the Divinity of the Holy Spirit than to the Son of God. This is completely justified, because... the task of the "Great Catechetical Word", as conceived by St. Gregory, is to harmoniously interweave anthropology and Christology. Only the first few chapters of the "Big Catechism" are devoted to triadology. Saint Gregory emphasizes that the Holy Spirit will be communicated by analogy with the Word of God. Just as the Word is hypostatic and does not resemble ours in action, so is the Spirit. “It is pious to think that in the nature of God there is God’s Spirit, since it is recognized that there is God’s Word... Thus, having been taught about the Spirit of God, which accompanies the Word and reveals His effectiveness, we do not understand the breath of breath. For, without a doubt, the greatness of God’s power would be destroyed if we assumed the Spirit in God to be something similar to our breath.” 47 In contrast to the views of Origen, Saint Gregory does not place the Spirit of God in a subordinate position in relation to the First and Second Hypostases, not seeing any contradiction between the fullness and simplicity of the Divinity. “... About the Spirit of God... we mean a self-existent power, which in itself appears in a special hypostasis, is inseparable from God in Whom it is, and from the Word of God, which accompanies, is not poured out into oblivion, but, like the Word of God, exists hypostatically, is free, self-moving, active, always chooses what is good, and for every undertaking has the power that accompanies will.” 48 Chapter 3. The Incomprehensibility of the Trinity Consideration of the question of the combination of unity and trinity in God inevitably leads us to the conclusion that this combination is paradoxical and incomprehensible to the human mind. Summing up the teaching of the “Great Catechetical Word” about God, it is appropriate to draw some conclusions that are directly related to catechesis: 1. The dogma of the Trinity of the One God is the greatest sacrament revealed to people after long preparation. It is very important for catechists to learn that this truth is communicated by God Himself, and He does not lie. 2. The Holy Scriptures are abundantly saturated with indications of the mystery of intradivine life. Thus, the Father sends the Son and the Holy Spirit, loves the Son and the world, reveals the truth to people, gives good things to those who ask, forgives sins, saves and glorifies. The Son knows the Father, comes into the world for the sake of people, sends the Comforter, loves the Father and the world, communicated revelation to people, bestows blessings, forgives sins. Shows activity and will. And the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son, revives people, instructs them in all truth, announces the future, provides shepherds, knows God, manifests will and activity. The prophecies of the God of Israel were also inspired by the Holy Spirit, who chose preachers. 3. The Church expressed the revelation about God in clear theological terms and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity cannot be reinterpreted in any way. “God is one and at the same time threefold, not in the same respect, but in different ones... He is one in essence, but threefold in persons.” 49 If the Church does not identify the terms, but, on the contrary, emphasizes their differences, then there is no need to look for internal contradiction where there is none. Hypostatic names “... are rather apophatic than affirmative - in any case, they do not give us an exhaustive understanding of the mystery of the Trinity life, especially since any analogy with the created meaning of these words is excluded.”50 4. Traces of the trinity that are found in ancient pagan religions cannot be completely attributed to the fruits of the lost human mind. Their character is so obscure, unaccountable and indefinite that it betrays glimpses of the pre-Abrahamic religion which was the common property of mankind. 5. The true teaching about the Holy Trinity is radically different from those legends that paganism vaguely preserved. The early history of the Church testifies to this: the pagans did not accept Christians who taught about the appearance of God in the flesh for their own. The Platonic triad is a family of three gods: the highest or the cause and father of the world, the lower - the mind created by the first and the third, which is the soul of the world or the world itself. If we take into account a certain higher unit, then it is obvious that Plato’s trinity or quaternity has nothing in common with the Christian teaching about the One God, Whose Persons are absolutely equal in honor. Chapter 4. Reply to the Objection of the Jews The saint believes that it is easier for Jews to answer than for pagans, since the answer is based on Scripture, in which Jews are raised. David says that “by the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth was all their power.” But God's Word and God's Spirit are not the same as ours, because the heavens were established by them. This means that His Word and Spirit are hypostatic (have independent real existence) and powerful. 2.2. Doctrine of the Economy of Salvation Chapter 5. Transition to the doctrine of the Incarnation. The Creation of Man and His Freedom Here the saint addresses the Greeks and Jews. If a Greek from general concepts and a Jew, on the basis of Scripture, can recognize the existence of the Word and the Spirit, then the doctrine of the incarnation of the Word seems incredible and absurd to them. To convince them, he uses evidence that the creation of the world is the work of the Word and wisdom (to think otherwise is stupid and wicked). And man is a part of the world, which means that he was created by the Word and wisdom, and was created “out of an abundance of love" in order to become a “participant of divine blessings." Consequently, he must have in his nature something akin to these blessings (as the nature of the eye has light so that it can see it, as the nature of birds is adapted to life in the air, fish - in water, etc.). Therefore, man is endowed with life, the word, wisdom and other divine blessings. Book Genesis teaches that man was also involved in the blessings of eternal life. But how can this be reconciled with the present pitiful state of man, mortal and passionate? The reason for this, of course, is not the goodness of God, but freedom - the best of the blessings given to man. Why did a person exchange a better condition for a worse one? Because he wanted to move away from goodness and virtue, and the absence of goodness is evil, the absence of virtue is vice. The teaching about man among the Holy Fathers is unthinkable outside the fullness of church teaching, in isolation from it. The anthropology of the Church Fathers is “primarily, if not exclusively, the doctrine of who is to be saved.” 51 “The anthropology of the “Great Catechetical Word” is inextricably linked with triadology (who saves), Christology (how he saves), soteriology (what is salvation), asceticism (how a person should participate in his salvation), moral teaching (coordination of his attitude towards others with the Commandments of God) and the doctrine of sin (what interferes with salvation)” 52. Saint Gregory of Nyssa adheres to the biblical vision of man. The reason for the appearance of man, St. Gregory believes, is not some lack and inferiority in God. “...The Word, Wisdom, Power... is the Creator of human nature, not brought by any necessity to the structure of man, but out of an abundance of love who brought such a living being into being.” 53 “Man,” writes the saint, “comes into existence in order to become a partaker of divine blessings” and “... is of necessity arranged in such a way that he is capable of participating in blessings." 54 Man combines two worlds in himself: mental and sensory. They themselves “differ from each other by a great abyss, so that neither the sensory has mental characteristics, nor the mental - sensory, but, on the contrary, each is distinguished by opposite features. For mental nature is something ethereal, intangible, and without form, while sensual nature, by its very name, is subject to observation by the senses.” 55 Nevertheless, these two principles, which, strictly speaking, have nothing in common, are miraculously united in man. Saint Gregory sees a clear explanation for this in the world around him. “... Just as in the very sensory world, with the great mutual opposition of the elements, a certain harmony is noticeable, established from the opposite by that Wisdom That rules the Universe, and, thus, in all creation there is agreement with itself and the union of unanimity is in no way dissolved by natural resistance - so, similarly, according to God’s wisdom, a certain mixture and dissolution of the sensory with the mental occurs...” 56 Moreover, these two principles, participating “in equal measure,” constitute the “best nature.” 57 The saint has no doubt that human nature had immortality in itself, since “among the blessings inherent in the nature of God is eternity.” 58 “The Great Catechetical Word” states that the expression “man was created in the image of God” (Gen. 1:27) is “...calculation of the distinctive features of the Deity. Possessing life, words, wisdom, immortality, human nature “could recognize the supreme Being and desire the eternity of God.” 59 Chapter 6. How the Fall of Man Occurred Man, according to the saint, is the best combination of mental and sensory. The Book of Genesis tells about this, where it says that man was created from dust and then God breathed life into him. But even before man, intelligent angelic forces were created, and God entrusted one of them with guarding the earth. Seeing the perfection and godlikeness of man, this angel fell into envy. How could this be? Vice is the absence of virtue, just as blindness is the absence of sight. The angel was a free being, and he chose to close his eyes to goodness. So he gave birth to the opposite of good - envy. From this first shock, like an avalanche from a falling stone, evil began to grow in him. And since he could not by violence defeat a man who was protected by Divine grace, he insidiously convinced him to become a suicide, using cunning, like pouring water into oil to extinguish a lamp. Thus, grace began to fade and weaken in man, and blessings were replaced by their opposites: instead of life, death, instead of strength, weakness, instead of blessing, curse, instead of boldness, shame. According to the saint, human nature cannot be deathly static. In man, the ability and need for development was laid down by the Creator Himself; he (man) should not have remained the same as he came out of the “hands” of the heavenly Father. This is normal for a person, because “creation is related to change... the very hypostasis of creation began with change, by the fact that by Divine power the non-existent is transformed into the existing...”. 60 Man could move towards God or away from Him. “...There are two types of such movement: one is always accomplished for good, in it the forward movement does not stop, because the limit of the path is not reached; the other is opposite, and this is its consistency, that it cannot be consistent, because opposition to good, as was said before, is different from good in the same sense in which the non-existent is called different from the existing and non-existence from being.” 61 Evil is insidious because it is covered with the guise of good, “adorned with some kind of ghost of good.” 62 The commandment, the moral task of the first people was to determine and freely choose true good and evade evil, covered with promises “...you will be like gods...” (Gen. 3, 4). The mind had to give a moral assessment to the movements of the will. But the human mind was wrong. Chapter 7. Why God is not the author of evil In this chapter, St. Gregory asks a question that is always relevant for non-church people: “But perhaps it is better for a person not to exist at all than to remain in suffering? After all, God must have foreseen the fall of man.” Or, as the Manichaeans believe, is the Creator of this world an evil god? But the Apostle is right: only the spiritual can judge the spiritual. Defenders of such teachings consider only bodily pleasures to be good, but the essence of good and evil must be judged by detaching from feelings and considering the matter on its merits. In fact, evil is vice, and vice is a lack of good. This deficiency comes from free will. So evil has no real, original existence. But God is the Creator of what is, and not of what is not. Therefore, God is not the author of evil. The psychological mechanism of the emergence and spread of evil is very clearly shown by St. Gregory. First, “...he fell into the passion of envy, who was not at all created for evil by the Creator of the Universe in goodness... Since the intelligent creature was realized before and each of the angelic forces, by the Power that rules everything, was equipped with some activity to compose the Universe, then there was a certain force assigned to maintain the earthly and surrounding earth country 63 and to possess it, for this the most strengthened by that Power that builds the economy in the Universe.” 64 The saint links the fall of the angel with the appearance of man, thus we can conclude that only after the creation of the world and man did evil spirits appear. “...He who has been given the privilege of overseeing everything above-ground recognizes it as dangerous and intolerable for himself if from the nature at hand there turns out to be some essence that is likened to a higher dignity,” 65 and manages to force a person to independently retreat from the Giver of life and exchange the knowledge of God for curiosity. “Gregory of Nyssa very often combines all the bitter consequences of the ancestral sin in the concept of “death.” 66 Moreover, distinguishing between two types of death: spiritual and physical. By the first is meant the “separation” of the soul “from true life,” 67 i.e. from God. By the second, “the removal of sensual life,” i.e., the decomposition of human nature, “which has accepted evil.” 68 The saint considers death itself to be a blessing from God. The actual state of human nature now is radically different from the primordial one. It is difficult to recognize a rational being in fallen man; in general, it is not easy to agree that the image of God remains in him. There is no godlikeness of the soul, no eternity of life, no body immune to suffering: “Man is mortal, passionate, quick to perish, in soul and body he is disposed to every kind of passion,” St. Gregory admits, “but the present perverse state of human life does not serve as sufficient evidence, as if man had never been in a good state.”69 Evil does not exist in the world from the beginning, since God is not the creator of evil and is not the culprit of its appearance. The proof of this is the very concept of God. Otherwise, "the concept of the goodness of God will not stand." 72 Thus, the reason for the appearance of evil is not in God, but in the free will of rational beings. “...The concept of existence for Gregory is completely identical with the concept of good, good (so that God, as absolute good, is at the same time truly existing) and the concept of non-existence is identical with the concept of evil.” 73 Even indirectly, one cannot blame God for allowing evil, for without being free a person would cease to be a person. The Lord, “who subjugated human nature not by any involuntary compulsion, like some kind of animated vessel,” 74 gave man the opportunity to independently strive for his Prototype and endlessly improve. Chapter 8. The meaning of disease and death The problem of evil in the world discussed above has its consequences in human illness and death. For non-believers, their existence is also a matter of bewilderment. It is quite obvious that those who love to spend their lives in bodily pleasures are indignant at illness and death and would rather not exist than live in pain. However, even in this we see an excess of God’s beneficence. By free movement we have drawn ourselves into communication with evil, and therefore evil has become mixed into our nature. This is the reason that a person, like an earthen vessel, decomposes into the earth, so that the filth is separated from him and he is recreated through resurrection into his original state. Moses teaches about this when he says that after the crime of the first-created people, God clothed them in leather garments, which indicate the deadness that clothes a person from the outside, and not from the inside, because... deadness concerns the body, but not the image of God in man. It's like a vessel filled with molten and then solidified lead: to release it, you need to break it and make it again. So, the body is healed by death, and the soul (since the filth of vice has grown into it) - by virtue. But just as during therapeutic cauterizations and incisions it hurts, but thanks to them healing occurs, so the soul, which is close to evil, suffers when receiving healing from God. Those souls that are not healed here through virtue will undergo an inexpressibly painful healing at the future judgment. So, God foresaw the fall of man, but also foresaw correction. Isn't it preferable not to live at all than to exist and suffer? Why did God even allow us to suffer? These and similar questions are often asked by desperate people. “...That humanity would deviate from good,” answers Saint Gregory of Nyssa, “He knew this, who contains everything with the power of clairvoyance and sees the future on an equal basis with the past. But just as He saw the deviation, He also understood the man’s appeal again to goodness. Therefore, which was better? Should we not bring our kind into existence at all, since I foresaw that in the future we would sin against the beautiful, or, having brought into being, our sick kind again call upon the original grace? 75 Chapter 9. Is what is said about Christ worthy of God? Everything that we know about Christ - birth, growth, nutrition, fatigue, death, burial - is condemned as unworthy of God. However, evil in itself, if judged not according to the flesh, is only a vice. Therefore, that which has no vice is good. But in all of the above there is no defect, which means that it is good and therefore does not contradict the concept of God. Chapter 10. How could the Deity be limited to the body? We do not say that the human body contained the Divinity. And the nature of our mind is not limited to the body. In this regard, the saint gives the following example 76: the fire in a lamp somehow depends on the combustible substance, but is not contained in it. The same must be thought about the Divinity in conjunction with human nature: it was in it, but was not limited to it. Chapter 11. How did the Divine unite with humanity? To answer the question posed in the title, you must first answer: how is the flesh connected to the soul? If we do not understand this, then the way of uniting God with man is all the more incomprehensible. We believe that this really happened, according to the Gospel story about miracles, but we refuse to investigate how He was born. In the same way, believing that God created the world, we do not understand from what and how he created it. Chapter 12. What evidence is there that God has appeared in the flesh? Sufficient proof of the Incarnation, according to St. Gregory, is the very life of the Savior and His deeds. Chapter 13. How can God be born and die? Birth and death are characteristic of carnal nature, at the beginning and end of which we see passion (suffering). But in the case of Christ, His birth is free from passion, because... came from the Virgin, and death did not end in suffering, because. Resurrection followed. From this it is clear that the One who appeared is not just a man, but God in the flesh. Chapter 14. What is the reason for such humiliation of the Divine? The human mind is perplexed when thinking about this, because... meets the question: “How did the essentially inconceivable God unite with the blood of human nature?” And faith wavers at the thought of how this union of Perfection with insignificance became possible. Chapter 15. The answer to the above question and the beginning of the answer to the next: Why did He not save man by one command? We recognize the Divine by His love for mankind and good deeds to us. Here is the answer to the question why God became incarnate: to restore fallen man. But why didn’t He do this with one command, but it took such a roundabout way - birth, suffering, death, etc.? To answer this, let us remember what the saint said earlier: only vice is opposite to virtue, and not any nature. But God in the Incarnation did not touch vice, because all the properties of human nature are good in themselves. Chapter 16. Did the Deity undergo suffering? Reflections on the suffering of humanity lead to the question of the suffering of the Divine. Variability is suffering, and the Divine is impassive (i.e. cannot be in a passive state). But suffering (passion) in its proper sense is a conversion from virtue to vice; everything else (birth, growth, etc.) is more correctly called work than suffering. Our teaching does not affirm such an absurdity that the Divinity became involved in vice, but only in the natural movements of human nature. We do not say that the doctor suffers when he treats, although he comes into contact with the disease. If they call the separation of soul and body suffering, then their union must also be called suffering, i.e. birth. But both the first and second movements (i.e., birth and death) are natural movements, therefore, not suffering in the proper sense. As for the connection between the soul and the body in man, it is provided for forever, for it will be restored by the resurrection. Their temporary separation, i.e. death is needed to cleanse our nature from the vice mixed into it. Just as death from one (Adam) passed on to the entire human race, so the resurrection of the One “potentially” passes on to all humanity, and He Himself becomes the beginning of the unification of the divided - soul and body, spiritual and sensory natures. Chapter 17. Renewal of the question: Why didn’t you save a person by one command, but took such a roundabout way? Recognizing that it is sufficient in response to this to say that the patient does not teach the doctor how to treat, but gratefully accepts the result - healing, the saint, nevertheless, tries to give an explanation with the help of some conclusions. It can be firmly stated that, consciously or subconsciously, all humanity was waiting for God and in its own way seeking. “Not only the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament are filled with prophecies about the coming Deliverer from sin and its consequences - death and hell: the expectation of the coming God, the conqueror of hell, the suffering, dying and resurrected, like lightning, cut through the darkness of pagan consciousness... If humanity has been searching for the Unknown God for so many thousands of years, then why did He hesitate to help? Saint Gregory of Nyssa writes, “that delaying the benefit to us was a matter of wisdom and providence about what was beneficial to nature.” 77 The Lord has never violated human freedom in anything. Humanity has experienced through personal experience the entire abyss of evil and the illusory nature of the pleasures promised by sin. Only when “vice reached its highest degree, there was no longer a single type of wickedness that people would not dare to do,” the Lord heals, “therefore heals a disease that has not just begun, but has come in full force.” 78 The Lord came when He considered it necessary and most useful. Man's redeemer can certainly only be God Himself, because... only the “Lord of nature... Who gave life in the beginning,” 79 is able to return man to his previous state of grace-filled sonship with God. This is why “God appeared in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). The incarnation of God the Word reunited and adopted man to God. This is an act of pure love of God, who “gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The Savior experienced the highest degree of human suffering - abandonment by God: “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46). The Cross of Christ is the salvation of all “whoever believes and is baptized...” (Mark 16:16). In Christ, the goal of human existence has been achieved - communion, union with God or deification. “... the great mystery of God’s incarnation: He... joined humanity, taking upon Himself everything inherent in nature: birth, upbringing, growth, and, even reaching death, He accomplished” 80 the liberation of man. In the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Gregory preaches the complete restoration of human nature. Both spiritual and physical death (we spoke above about the teaching of St. Gregory of Nyssa about two types of death) are defeated by the Resurrection of the Savior. This new state of human nature is not limited only to the humanity of the God-man. It became inherent in all humanity: “... Just as the beginning of death, having occurred in one, spread to the entire human race, in the same way the beginning of resurrection through the One spreads to all humanity.” 81 The new life of human nature, which began in Christ, “passes on from Christ to the entire human race” only in potential form. This or that specific person begins to participate in this new life, “when a person himself, with the help of the Holy Spirit, assimilates to himself the work accomplished by the Lord of saving fallen humanity; Only under this condition are we truly cleansed from the sins from which Christ redeemed us.” 82 After the Coming of the Deliverer, people continue to sin, but the Cross of Christ dealt a mortal blow to sin. The grace of God leads a person to faith and strengthens it, but does not force or force our free will. “The gift of non-enslavement and freedom”, 83 i.e. absolute inviolability on the part of God and the independence of our will is the reason that “faith does not penetrate all people.” 84 Chapter 18. Historical proof of the coming of God into the world: idolaters and Jews To prove that God came into the world, it is enough to look at history, writes St. Gregory, if before Christ the world was filled with idolatry, now it has disappeared and been replaced by a true bloodless sacrifice (Eucharist). The same is testified by the Jews who did not believe in Christ, predicted by their own prophets: before Christ they had a church, a glorious capital and their own land, after - no temple, no Jerusalem, no land. Chapter 19. It is still necessary to convince non-believers This chapter briefly sets out the pious concepts of God as more convincing arguments for the main representatives of Hellenism and Judaism. Chapter 20. Goodness and justice must be revealed together in God's actions God possesses all perfections, and in what He does, they must all be present, for virtues one without the other are not such (goodness without justice is not good, strength without wisdom is not good, etc.). The saint shows how the Divine qualities were manifested in the economy of our salvation. Chapter 21. Beginning to explain the justice of the economy of salvation The saint begins his consideration of this issue with the recollection of the fall of man and his evasion from the blessings given to him by God. Man was created in the image of God, which means he is free. The manifestation of freedom is possible in two directions: towards good (towards what is actually good in itself), and in the opposite direction (towards what deceptively seems good, following the example of the dog from the fable, chasing the shadow of what he was carrying in his teeth. This is what happened to man: the devil deceived him into the bait of vice, attaching the ghost of good as bait. God, out of mercy, wants to save a person, but he does this wisely and together just (for no one will call unreason truly just). Chapter 22. The justice of the economy of salvation in non-violence against the devil So what is justice? The fact is that God does not use violence against the devil. After all, a person voluntarily sold himself into slavery out of voluptuousness, which means that by law he remains under the power of the devil. Now the only way to legally save him is by ransom. So, the way of salvation is to enter into a deal with the owner so that he takes whatever price he wants for his slave. Chapter 23. The wisdom of the economy of salvation is in the concealment of the Divine Continuing the narrative of the previous chapter, the saint asks: “What price would he take?” “It's easy to guess. Because Initially, he envied the person and fell ill with the mother of other vices - lust for power, or the thirst for power, then, naturally, he will want the most. What person in history is greater in miracles and benefits than Christ? But since the devil could not approach the undisguised Deity, He covers Himself with flesh, so that the fear of Christ does not overcome the desire to possess Him in the devil. So, to wish to save a person is a matter of goodness, to become a redemption price for someone sold into slavery is a matter of justice, and to make what is inaccessible to the enemy accessible is a matter of wisdom” 85 . Chapter 24. How was the power of the Deity manifested? The saint answers: firstly, in the fact that the Almighty condescends to human weakness, and this reveals a certain excess of power and is more amazing than all miracles. Just as if we saw fire rushing down, we would be very surprised, so it is here. Secondly, in the fact that the Divinity hid under the veil of our nature, so that the enemy, like a greedy fish, would swallow the hook of the Divinity along with the bait of the flesh. At the same time, death and darkness are destroyed and life and light are established, because death cannot exist when life is active, and darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. So, briefly repeating the sacrament of church teaching, we will justify the method of building salvation, seeing that at the same time what is proper to think about God is preached: goodness as the will to save the lost, wisdom and justice as the method of salvation and His power in victory over death. Chapter 25. Answer to those who are surprised that the Divinity was in human nature This does not seem strange to the saint, for the Divinity penetrates the entire universe, because. everything that exists exists only through participation in Existence. True, now He is in us differently than at the Incarnation, but then He appeared for a special purpose: so that our nature would become divine, free from the power of the tormentor and from death. Chapter 26. Justification of the wisdom of economy Some may ask: “But wasn’t what God did to the devil a deception? And if it’s deception, it means injustice.” Yes, this is a deception, says the saint, but there is no place for injustice in it; on the contrary, true justice is revealed here, which consists in punishing the criminal for what he did. The enemy was the first to deceive a person, so the deceiver is punished by deception. Both the poisoner and the doctor prepare poison, but, looking at the purpose of the actions, we call one a villain, the other a benefactor. The devil deceived in order to destroy, and God deceived in order to save. But just as when purifying gold from impurities, it is melted, so the Divine power, like fire, destroys death, decay, darkness and all the products of vice, although this is a painful process, like, say, cauterizations and incisions of doctors. But just as a sick person, having suffered pain, then thanks the doctor, so after the time of cleansing has passed, all creation (and perhaps even the devil himself, having received healing) will give thanks to God. Chapter 27. The birth of the God-man does not contradict the concept of God According to the thought of Saint Gregory, the One who entered into communication with us in order to heal us had to enter into everything inherent in our nature in order to cleanse everything. This also applies to the method of our birth (i.e., birth from a woman), which some abhor as unclean. The one who comes to heal people could not come from heaven for this, because... It was not there that the sick were located, but in the way in which all people enter this life. If the Divine, abhorring our nature, came to heavenly beings, what benefit would it be to us? But in addition, we must take into account that the Divinity is equally unapproachable for both the earthly and the heavenly, so that if it was not fitting for Him to unite with the flesh, then no more so with the nature of the heavenly powers. So, believing that the Doctor came to the sick, we do not sin at all against the high concept of God. Chapter 28. That our birth and the corresponding members of the body are not evil, but, on the contrary, should be held in honor Here the saint objects to the Gnostics and Manichaeans, who say that it is indecent for God to be born as a man because of the shamefulness of the manner of our birth. But only evil by nature is vile, and all nature created by God is not involved in evil. All human organs are good, each serves to support life. But the generative organs should be especially revered, since they ensure the immortality of the human race. Therefore, there is nothing indecent in the fact that God entered our lives through the way our nature fights death. Chapter 29 Why did God delay coming? This can be compared to the delay of a doctor who waits for everything that has unnaturally entered the body to come out, and then only applies the medicine. When the vice has reached its highest degree, then the common Physician comes to heal the disease that has not yet begun, but has come to full force. Chapter 30. Why did sin not disappear immediately after the coming of Christ? Why didn't everyone believe? To the question why sin did not immediately disappear, the following comparison is given as an answer in the “Big Catechetical Word”: in a snake, a fatal blow to the head does not immediately kill the rest of the body, especially the tail 86. To the question why not everyone believed, the answer follows: salvation is offered to everyone, but people are free. Chapter 31 Why doesn't God lead everyone to faith if He wants to? The point is that God does not force anyone. If you reject free will, the difference between virtue and vice disappears, you can sin calmly, it is impossible to blame or praise anyone. Chapter 32. Why was death necessary, and such a shameful one at that - on the cross? Naturally, death is inevitable for anyone who is born. Christ participated in all human life, which means He also faced death. But it is even more accurate to say that He was born in order to die. And His death was needed to resurrect us. Since all nature is, as it were, one living being, the resurrection from Christ passed on to the entire human race. As for the cross, according to legend we know a mysterious teaching: the four ends of the cross signify the entire universe, i.e. what is above, what is below and what is on both sides. Paul teaches this when he speaks of depth, height, breadth and longitude, and in another place, speaking of things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. As for the Resurrection and everything that is narrated in the Gospel about it, there is no need for evidence and conclusions that this is a matter of divine power. But we need to briefly say about the sacrament of Baptism. The center of St. Gregory’s soteriology is in one thought - man’s salvation comes from God. To those who said that the Almighty should not come to such humiliation, the saint answered: “... The Ever-Bearing One takes upon Himself bodily birth, not having need of life, but returning us from death to life... He came so close to death that He touched death with His own body... forming a whole person.” 87 The mystery of our salvation is understood as healing from illness and death. It is possible because 1) man preserved the image of God and 2) the Church was founded by Christ. In the “Great Catechetical Sermon”, Saint Gregory of Nyssa speaks only about two saving means of human transformation - Baptism and Communion. Such “incompleteness,” if not necessary, is at least quite natural for writing of an apologetic nature. The saint draws an analogy between human nutrition and the Eucharist. He proceeds from the indisputable truth that “the nature of our body does not itself have life in its own being, but supports itself ... attracting to itself what is lacking and throwing out what is superfluous; (...) the composition of our body is maintained in existence by the incoming force. And this power is the so-called food.” 88 It was in this simple way that our Steward showed His greatness. “...For this purpose the Word was united with the mortal nature of man, so that through communion with the Divine humanity would also be deified...” 89 The Wisdom of God “through the flesh communicates itself to all those who believe, who have the composition of wine and bread... so that by union with the immortal, man also becomes a partaker of incorruptibility.” 90 These thoughts perfectly show the craving for Communion, which was especially clearly expressed in the practice of almost daily communion among Christians of the Ancient Church. The teaching of St. Gregory of Nyssa on the sacrament of Baptism concludes with the “Great Catechetical Word.” “The main idea of ​​the saint is brilliantly simple - whoever chooses what, becomes that.” 91 The main emphasis is on the result of baptism. Saint Gregory is not afraid to boldly assert that if “life (after) the sacrament is similar to life before the sacrament, then... the gift of the Holy Spirit is not at all found in those who are born...” 92 According to St. Gregory, the worst thing for a catechumen is formalism and hypocrisy. “...In such people, water remains only water...” 93 The saint urges catechists to look first of all at the internal rebirth of the catechumen’s soul. Chapter 33. Baptism - birth into incorruptible life This chapter answers the confusion of some about how water can regenerate. Baptism is new birth. The first birth (carnal) ends in death, the second gives birth to eternal life. But how can water, they ask, even with a prayerful invocation, give birth? To this we ask: how does a seed become a person? What does the moist nature of the seed have in common with the essence of man? This is incomprehensible, but one thing is clear: both there and here everything is accomplished by God’s power. First of all, the saint speaks of the fundamental difference between Baptism and ordinary birth: “Other things that are born come into the world from the lust of those who give birth; the one being born spiritually depends on the freedom of the one being born.” 94 “The Great Catechetical Word” recalls the New Testament passages testifying to birth in the Trinity: “That which is born of the Spirit is a spirit (John 3:6), and Paul gives birth in Christ (1 Cor. 4:6), and the Father is the father of all (Phil. 1:2), but he who considers the Son and the Holy Spirit to be created, without noticing it, does not place his hope of salvation in God... For what is accomplished in him is like concepts Nicodemus, who, having learned from the Lord that he must be born again, but not yet comprehending the doctrine of the sacrament in his mind, was carried away by his thoughts towards the mother’s womb (John 3:4). The Gospel speaks of the birth of those who are saved from above (John 3:3). “Without rebirth in the bath of Baptism, it is impossible to achieve resurrection,” says St. Gregory in another place, “for not everything that by resurrection returns into being again enters into the same life, but there is a great gulf between those who have been purified and those who need purification.” 95 The saint emphasizes that a proper approach to Baptism does not at all require the impossible from a person: “What work is it - to believe that God is omnipresent, that, as He is in all, the life-giving power is also present in those who call upon Him, and ... the special property of God’s activity is the salvation of those who need Him...” 96 Thus, in the “Great Catechetical Word” one can find an exhaustive teaching about the divine establishment of this Sacrament and its unconditional necessity for everyone. Chapter 34 How do we know that the grace of God works in baptism? Here is the proof that the Divinity is present in the sacrament of Baptism: Christ, as shown above, is God, and the distinguishing mark of the Divinity is truth; but He promised to always be with those who call on Him. And prayer at Baptism is additional evidence that God is at work here, because if in the usual method of birth the desire of the spouses is sufficient, and the power of God produces a person, then even more so here, where we desire rebirth and call upon God’s grace for this. Chapter 35. The meaning of triple immersion at Baptism The saint begins his explanation of this with the statement that in order to be saved we need to imitate the Beginning, the Leader of our salvation. Just as one walking through a labyrinth will get lost without a guide, says St. Gregory, so one wandering in the labyrinth of this life will not find a way out unless he clings to Christ 97 . But we see in Him a three-day burial and resurrection. So in Baptism we are immersed in water instead of earth and rise up three times. But if in Christ everything happened in a perfect way, then in us it is not so, but in this life, to the best of our ability, we make the beginning of purification, with the help of repentance and imitation of the death of Christ. At the great general resurrection, all those who have undergone purification here with this mysterious water with repentance will no longer have the need for purification, but those coarsened by passions and unrefined will for many centuries be cleansed from the filth of vice by fire, like gold from impurities in a crucible. Chapter 36. Faith and water lay the foundation for eternal salvation It is impossible for the unwashed to enter into the divine “community” (“face”, i.e. choir, assembly). But something small - water and faith - lays the foundation for the great good of eternal salvation. Small, because easy: is it difficult to believe that God is everywhere, and therefore acts in those who call on Him? Chapter 37. The Sacrament of Communion The saint emphasizes the two-part nature of man: soul and body. The soul is united with Christ by faith and thereby is saved. It is also necessary for the body, in order for the whole person to be saved, to have a way of communicating with Him. The first people, succumbing to the suggestion of the Serpent, took a kind of poison, therefore, we need an antidote, and it cannot enter inside us except through food and drink. This antidote is the Body of Christ. To understand how it is given to thousands of faithful and remains intact, you need to go a little into questions of physiology. The body exists thanks to the constant passage of food through it, and for humans this is mainly bread and water, sweetened with wine. Therefore, the body in its present volume is essentially food and food is essentially the body. God the Word in the flesh also ate bread and wine. Just as then the Body, which in essence is bread and wine, was sanctified by the infusion of God the Word, so now bread, sanctified by God’s word, is transformed into the Body of God the Word, but not through the process of eating, but directly. The same must be said regarding wine. Through the communion of Body and Blood, human nature is deified and acquires immortality. The Great Catechetical Discourse presents the doctrine of the Eucharist in close connection with anthropology. Saint Gregory stands on the position of the two-part nature of human nature. Christian teaching allows him to describe the process of the deification of man in the Body and Blood of Christ the Savior. Following the logic of St. Gregory, one must recognize the greater need for the body than for the soul in the Body of God. The saint directly writes: “The soul, having united... with the One who guides life by faith, in this has the basis of salvation, for in unity with life there is communion with life. And the body enters into communion and unity with the Savior in a different way.” 98 From this it follows that both the soul and the body of each individual person need deification through union with Christ. That is why a Christian hears from a priest: “He takes communion... for the healing of soul and body.” 99 The Eucharist is conceived by Saint Gregory in close connection with Christology, since “it is impossible for our body to achieve immortality otherwise than in communion with the immortal... body, which turned out to be stronger than death and served as the beginning of our life.” 100 Briefly, the saint’s thoughts can be summarized as follows: 1. God in the Person of Christ “transforms... to Divine dignity” the Bread, which “is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer” (1 Tim. 4:5) “... and is now being transformed into the Body of God the Word.” 2. The Eucharistic Bread imparts to the communicants “communion with the Divine” and deification. 3. “The nature of our body in itself, in its own hypostasis, does not have life, but with the help of externally flowing power it supports itself and remains in existence" 101 with what is called food. Moisture (water and wine) supports life in the human body, “... therefore the God-receiving Flesh of God the Word accepted this part into Its composition.” 102 So, Saint Gregory of Nyssa confesses that even in the smallest particle of the Holy Gifts, Christians accept the whole of Christ according to humanity and God inseparably united with the Man Jesus. The Orthodox Church expresses this great mystery daily at every Liturgy with the words of the clergyman during the fragmentation of the Lamb: “The Lamb of God is fragmented and divided, fragmented and indivisible, always consuming and never consumed, but he who sanctifies those who partake.”103 God gives man “to become a partaker of incorruptibility... by the power of blessing, transforming the visible nature into the Body and Blood." 104 Thus, Saint Gregory gives the Eucharist the honor and worship befitting the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, confessing that the consecrated Bread and Wine are one with the Body Ascended into Heaven. Summary of Baptismal Faith Chapter 38 In this chapter, the Saint only briefly mentions the faith of a person, which is necessary for his new birth. Chapter 39. A necessary condition for being born again is faith in the Trinity. Saint Gregory notes that the new birth differs from the ordinary one in that it depends on free choice. If everything that exists is divided into created and uncreated, then you can choose from which nature it is better to be born - created and changeable or uncreated and eternal. If the person baptized into the Trinity does not believe in Its uncreatedness (i.e., strictly speaking, denies the Divinity of the Son and Spirit), then he is born again into created life. Since all creation equally passed from non-existence into being, then, despite all the differences in creatures, in this respect all creatures are equal to each other. Therefore, he who considers the Only Begotten God and the Spirit to be creatures must give up hope of transition to a better state. This one is like Nicodemus, who, having heard from Jesus about being born again, continues to think about earthly birth. Chapter 40. Without which Baptism is useless The final chapter of the “Great Catechetical Word” says that baptism does not produce a mechanical change in a person. If the baptized person does not make an effort to change his life, then I would venture to say, but I will not retract my words, that for such a person, water remains just water. How should life change? You have become a child of God, which means you must become like Him, and what He is like is known from Scripture: merciful, righteous, good, hating evil, etc. The future bliss of the righteous, as well as the torment of sinners, cannot be described in earthly words. Chapter 3. Peculiarities of the views of St. Gregory of Nyssa on certain theological issues Saint Gregory considered the main dignity of man to be the possibility of life in God. Man is the most unique being in the entire created world, the crown of creation, the king and ruler of the entire cosmos. The concept of “Image and Likeness of God” is the most concise and succinct formula of the above statements about human dignity. In these words, the saint explains the wisdom and all the gifts that man possesses. Based on the eternity of God, he argues that human nature was also created immortal, “so that, by its innate power, it could cognize the Supreme Being and desire the eternity of God,” 105 and that man cannot be imagined at all without reference to his Divine Prototype. The saint considers the state in which people find themselves after the Fall to be a terrible tragedy, and he himself asks perplexed questions of ordinary pagans: "...Where is the godlikeness of the soul? Where is the body not subject to suffering? Where is the eternity of life? " 106 He sees the very essence of human existence in freedom, which exhaustively clearly explains the biblical narrative about the Fall. He also believes that all Christian teaching is about both the Creator and in man is closely connected with the teaching of the incarnation of God and is the essence of the entire “Great Catechetical Word.” The incarnation of the Word, according to the saint, healed and sanctified every stage of human life from conception to death. 107 Saint Gregory very well showed the incompatibility of biblical teaching in this matter with the categories of Greek philosophy “The concept of the co-naturalness of God and creation is alien to biblical thought... We reverence and tremble. before God and honor Him as absolutely Other, Holy, Yahweh, truly Existent 108. 3.2. The eschatological views of St. Gregory of Nyssa, set forth in the “Great Catechetical Discourse” St. Gregory's position on this issue undermined his authority. It was in the “Big Catechetical Speech” that the doctrine of the finality of hellish torment was set out under the influence of the Platonic concept of the ontological non-existence of evil. Based on the work of Metropolitan Macarius (Oksiyuk), dedicated to the eschatology of St. Gregory of Nyssa, and the review of this work by Prof. S.L. Epifanovich, you can show different points of view on this issue. Following the decision of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, we condemn the teaching about the temporary nature of hellish torment and show that St. Gregory of Nyssa cannot be strictly classified as a supporter of this teaching. In the Large Catechism, the condemnation of apokatastasis is closely linked with thoughts about the possibility of restoration beyond the grave. But nowhere is this opinion presented as the teaching of the Church. Therefore, we can assume that this place in the “Big Announcement Speech” remains shrouded in some secret. And the researcher, depending on the method of interpretation and reliance on different opinions, can draw completely opposite conclusions. An attempt at an unambiguous decision on this issue is possible only at the Council level. Ecumenical Orthodoxy venerates the Archpastor of Nyssa as a saint, and anathematizes the doctrine of universal salvation. The strongest argument against this teaching is the view of human freedom as a gift from God. And the idea of ​​apokatastasis fundamentally contradicts this divine gift. The last point of the theological and philosophical treatise of St. Gregory of Nyssa seems to us the most difficult. A person cannot adequately speak about “the life of the next century.” Even Divine Revelation is laconic in this regard. Nevertheless, the doctrine of the final destinies of man and all created things is “not just one of the chapters of Christian theology, but its foundation and foundation, its inspiring and guiding principle and, let’s say, the guideline of all Christian thought.” 109 This is precisely the guideline that is the “Big Announcement”, which, according to Prof. Epifanovich, is the first complete system of theology after Origen. 110 The existing works of outstanding representatives of the Russian theological school of the late 19th and early 20th centuries are devoted to the presentation of the eschatological views of St. Gregory. Such as: Metropolitan Macarius (Oksiyuk), professors Nesmelov, Martynov and Tikhomirov, who laid the foundation for a comprehensive study of the heritage of St. Gregory of Nyssa in Russia. The research of Metropolitan Macarius (Oksiyuk) shows that ancient Christian eschatological literature, under the influence of which the eschatological views of St. Gregory of Nyssa himself were formed. “Up to and including the time of St. Gregory, three currents clearly emerged in the revelation of eschatological truths: chiliastic, spiritualistic and ecclesiastical.” 111 The Church of Christ was supposed to radically change the thinking of the Hellenistic world, giving it a new look at the fate of humanity. “Despite the great variety of philosophical movements, in each of them the same backbone emerged - the idea of ​​​​an “eternal” Cosmos... It is impossible to imagine any enrichment of “being.” You can't bring anything new into it. Truly existing things are always “in the past” (“eternal”) and never “in the future". Accordingly, the existence of the Cosmos is periodic, and the sequence of its “returns” is endless. The highest symbol of existence is a rotating circle. ... Only a circle is perfection. Of course, there is no genuine “eschatology” in such a system. ... Hellenic philosophy has always been more interested in "primary principles" than in "ultimate things". ... There is no "progression" in time, there is only eternal returns, an eternal "circulation". ... The first to defend the idea of ​​exact repetitions were probably the Pythagoreans. Aristotle ... developed the corresponding physics for it. Later this idea was taken up by the Stoics. ... Such a restoration was called the "universal return" by the Stoics ... Through Origen, the term “apocatastasis” is included in Christian vocabulary, although he already persistently protested against such a theory of cosmic slavery. 112 “Church eschatology up to and including the time of St. Nyssa, of course, did not allow for either two resurrections and the thousand-year earthly kingdom of the chiliasts, or the corrective nature of hellish torment and the general apocatastasis of representatives of spiritualistic eschatology, but, on the contrary, affirmed the eternity of hellish torment for sinners.”113 Although the “Large Catechism” does not contain a complete and systematic eschatological teaching, it is precisely this work of the saint that is remembered in connection with the “general restoration.” “The term apokatastasis in the sense of the restoration of humanity to incorruption and immortality in the resurrection is actually used in the works of St. Gregory,” 114 but the “Large Catechetical Word” clearly distinguishes between “rebirth and change of our nature” and “restoration in a state of bliss, divine and far from all sorrows.” 115 This distinction is fundamentally important, since the saint shows the path of a rational being to God. The current state is “grace in the bath of baptism” – rebirth in resurrection – restoration in the bliss of communion with God. Our state is rebirth, to which “nature must go according to the economy of the Creator, prompted even by its own needs,” 116 but without communion of sanctification by baptism (apparently, one can think that the saint also includes those who were formally baptized among such) - purification by fire. Saint Gregory proceeds from the concept of God’s goodness and does not consider evil to be created: “...Evil is nothing other than vice. … Outside of free will there is no original evil...” 117 Does this mean that the fire of purification will purify everyone, regardless of their “free will”? Obviously not. We assume that “healing in the future life,” 118 about which St. Gregory speaks, cannot be identified with the teaching of universal salvation. Firstly, nowhere does the saint directly say that after the Second Coming there will be the possibility of purification by fire. But if we are talking about changing a person’s fate after death and before the Last Judgment, that’s something else. "Indeed, "apocatastasis" must necessarily presuppose repentance, without which no "restoration" of rational beings is possible." 119 Possibility and its implementation are completely different things. In essence, "apocatastasis" comes down to one question: will everyone be saved in the end or not? Of course, one cannot simplify this way, but all researchers of the legacy of St. Gregory of Nyssa ultimately, one way or another, answer this fundamental question. The interest in the idea of universal restoration is quite understandable. A person wants to remove the veil of the mystery of the afterlife. If this idea is true, and even supported by patristic authority, then it radically changes all of Christianity. For a beginner and one who is not strong in virtue, this is a deep undermining of the pious life of faith. words of idle people. These are the products of delusion... They are the home of demons and their prince, the devil. These (opinions) do not lead those who believe them to the light, but rather to the prosperity of the devil. They do not extract from the mud, but plunge into it. These are the essence of the tares that the enemy sowed in the field of the Lord (Matthew 13:24-30)... They are a complete lie, complete darkness, complete delusion, a decisive alienation from God. Run away from them, brother, so that their teaching does not take hold in your heart. They dry up tears, blind the heart and completely destroy people who listen to them. Don't dwell on them or think about them; they are full of bitterness and bear the fruit of death. Regarding knowledge of the future, do not be mistaken: whatever you sow here, you will also reap there (Gal.6:7)... Brother, if you want to be saved, do not go into this (teaching), for I testify to you before God that you have fallen into the den of the devil and into extreme destruction...” 120 It would be very convenient for our fallen nature to believe in the idea of ​​universal restoration. After all, then there is no need at all to fight with yourself, with your sinful habits and the devil himself, then it is not at all necessary to go through the difficult path of repentance, and long prayers and fasts are not necessary. A person standing in such a position can gradually come to the conclusion that if everyone is ever saved, then what does faith and spiritual life itself mean? What then is its meaning? With this formulation of the question, both faith itself and God Himself as the Savior are not needed. The author of an essay aimed at attracting people to the Truth looks at the afterlife in a completely different way: “For weak people, this (future judgment) is a threat and an uprising of sorrows, so that through the fear of painful retribution we may become wise to the point of avoiding vice, but according to the faith of more meaningful people, this is healing and healing from God, who elevates His creation to the original grace.” 121 The saint leaves everyone with hope for salvation and the restoration of communion with God, or teaches about “the complete destruction of evil and the restoration of all rationally free beings to their primitive state of moral purity and bliss.” 122 How to combine the words of the saint about “benevolence to the one who caused our destruction and healing the inventor of vice” 123 with the statement about “the painful life of sinners, which has no comparison with what upsets the feeling for this life...”? 124 In the last lines of the “Great Catechetical Word” we read: “So, since the hope of a future life is given, so that according to the righteous judgment of God, what is in accordance with it will be born from the will of everyone, then the work of the chaste will look not at the present, but at what will happen after, but during this short and temporary life to lay the foundations of ineffable bliss, and the good will to make the trial of evils alien to oneself. now, in this life, and after everything, in eternal reward.” 125 Is it possible, in this case, to talk about salvation as a possibility for all people? Undoubtedly. This main idea and meaning of the Incarnation was expressed by the righteous Simeon the God-Receiver: “... Master... my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations...” (Luke 2:29-30), - at the meeting of the Savior of the world. But will everyone be saved? The most sincere response would be silence, expressing not agreement, but ignorance. God and only He knows this secret. On the other hand, some statements of St. Gregory can be interpreted in the spirit of strict universal salvation. These are precisely the conclusions of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Macarius (Oksiyuk), according to whom, “Saint Nyssa, believing that “after a long time, evil will be exterminated from nature” 126, recognized that hellish torment was only temporary.” 127 And although the strength of the argumentation of the future metropolitan is convincing, “fundamentally important objections can be noted: 1. General restoration is possible only under the condition that the complete afterlife bitterness of sinners and fallen angels is impossible. The Metropolitan denies this bitterness, “based on the position that the Holy Father nowhere in his works speaks of such afterlife bitterness of sinners in their sins...”. 128 Is it possible to support your assumptions with such unconvincing arguments? This is a fundamental question, on the solution of which too much depends. 2. “Eternal reward” 129 is interpreted as hellish torment of significant duration, depending on the degree of sinfulness of the human soul, but not endless. “Eternal” in the absolute sense is contrasted with the relatively “eternal.” But, from our point of view, any philological argument pales before the spirit of the context of speech and the doctrine of “eternal reward after all” 130. 3. Metropolitan Macarius' reviewer, Professor Epifanovich, pointed out the author's hesitation and duality in assessing the eschatology of St. Gregory. Indeed, it is impossible, having called the saint “a moderate exponent of the idea of ​​universal apokatastasis,” 131 to combine such a statement with conclusions about apokatastasis “not moderate, but the most severe, in no way inferior to Origen’s.” 132 If, despite rejecting the idea of ​​transmigration of souls, Metropolitan Macarius considers St. Gregory to be a consistent Origenist in eschatology, then the decision of the Fifth Ecumenical Council remains inexplicable. If the doctrine of universal restoration is a heresy, and St. Gregory taught exactly that, then he should have been among those condemned. Rejection of one heresy (transmigration of souls) does not save from condemnation in another (apokatastasis)” 133. Researchers have left a whole range of assessments on this issue. So Rev. Skvortsov believed that Saint Gregory taught about the eternity of hellish torment. 134 Prof. Martynov very carefully evaluates the eschatology of St. Gregory, considering opposing points of view on the nature of hellish torment equally possible. 135 Metropolitan Macarius (Oksiyuk) considered the saint a consistent adherent of “apokatastasis”. We can tell one thing that apokatastasis “in the legacy of St. Gregory is one of the most mysterious places in his theological quests. The history of the Church has clearly shown this by the presence of three approaches to this aspect of the saint’s teaching. It has already become traditional to associate the earliest assessment of the saint’s eschatology with the name St. Barsanuphius the Great (died about 540). However, the ascetic’s answer expresses a general approach to those ideas of the Fathers who do not agree with the teachings of the Church: “Do not think that people, although saints, can completely comprehend all the depths of God; after all, the Apostle says: “...We understand in part and prophesy in part” (1 Cor. 13:9), and also: “To one is given by the Spirit...” (1 Cor. 12:8) this and that, but not all (gifts) to one person... The saints, having become teachers, either by themselves, or forced to do so by other people, were very successful, surpassed their teachers and, having received approval from above, set forth a new teaching, but at the same time they also preserved what they received from their former teachers, i.e. the teaching is wrong. ... Having become spiritual teachers, they did not pray to God that He would reveal to them regarding their first teachers. ... So, when you hear that one of them says about himself, that he will tell what he heard from the Holy Spirit, then this is certain, and we must believe it. If... You will not find him confirming his words, as if he had approval from above; they stemmed from the teachings of his former teachers, and he, trusting their knowledge and wisdom, did not question God...” 136 Emphasizing that these words are a revelation from God, the monk states: “For this reason teachers and interpreters have been appointed, as the Apostle says (1 Cor. 12:28-30). Do not be mistaken... Just as the Lord showed us the way of life through the Prophets and Apostles, although each of them spoke privately and God did not speak exclusively through one of them, but what was left by one by the will of God was said to others... what some speak doubtfully is interpreted by those who follow them, so that God may always be glorified through His Saints...” 137 The monk speaks of the conciliar principle of the life of the Church, which ensures the identity of the Body of Christ. The conciliar assessment of the idea of ​​“general restoration” follows below. An opposite assessment was given by St. Maximus the Confessor, who completely excludes the idea of ​​all-salvation from St. Gregory. Metropolitan Macarius, in a polemic with Professor Vincenzi, who adhered to the point of view of St. Maximus, shows that one cannot completely reject the presence of an Origen “restoration” in St. Gregory of Nyssa. 138 However, Metropolitan Macarius himself considers this idea not a foreign element or a remnant from the teacher, as the Monk Barsanuphius spoke about, but the conviction of St. Gregory. Let us note that despite the fairly clear definitions of the Holy Scriptures 139, to this day there are different points of view on this issue. After presenting the eschatology of the “Great Catechetical Word,” we will briefly present a church-wide assessment of the idea of ​​universal restoration. Let us immediately make a reservation that in this case, by “restoration” we mean an opinion contrary to the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Church, according to which the eternal presence of demons and sinners in hell is called into question (Luke 16:23; Acts 2:51). The New Testament also calls this bitter fate “utter darkness” (Matthew 22:13; 25:30), “gehenna” (Matthew 5:22; 10:28): “a furnace of fire” (Matthew 13:50; Luke 12:2), “the abyss” (Luke 8:31), “a prison of spirits” ( 1 Pet. 3, 18), “sheol” (Phil. 2:11). Staying in this state-place is explicitly called eternal (Matthew 25:41–46; Jude 7; 2 Sol. 1:9; Apoc. 14:11; 20:10), endless torment (Isaiah 66:24; Matt. 3:12; Mark 9:43–48). The idea of ​​“restoration” was condemned at the V Ecumenical Council of 553. 140 Even if the doctrine of general restoration was condemned by the Local Council, the decisions of the latter were still approved by the Ecumenical Council according to the practice of the Ancient Church. 141 This has not been questioned throughout the history of the Church. There really is no such condemnation in the documents of the Fifth Ecumenical Council that have reached us, but, firstly, this decision could have been lost, and then there is late Byzantine anonymous evidence of such a condemnation. 142 It is very dangerous to reinterpret the clear teaching of Holy Scripture and the resolution of the Fifth Ecumenical Council. Yes, the Lord “wants all people to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4) and “to come to repentance” (1 Peter 3:9), but He also revealed to the Apostle John the Theologian that “the second death” (Rev. 20:14), i.e. eternal condemnation at the General Judgment awaits the unrepentant. We find an explanation of this issue from St. Anthony the Great: “God is good and impassive and unchangeable. If someone, recognizing that it is blessed and true that God does not change, is however perplexed as to how He (being such) rejoices over the good, turns away the evil, becomes angry at sinners, and when they repent, is merciful to them: then it must be said that God does not rejoice and is not angry, for joy and anger are passions. It is absurd to think that the Divine would be good or bad because of human affairs. God is good and only creates good things, but harming no one harms anyone, being always the same, and when we are good, we enter into communication with God, because of our similarity with Him, and when we become evil, we separate from Him because of our dissimilarity with Him... If then through prayers and good deeds we gain permission from our sins, this does not mean that we have pleased God and changed Him, but... having healed the evil that exists in us, we again become capable of tasting God’s goodness; so to say: God turns away from the wicked is the same as saying: the sun is hidden from those deprived of sight” 143. 3.3. Catechetical orientation of the “Great Catechetical Word” The entire work of the saint is concentrated around the transformative effect of faith, connecting man with God. The “Great Catechetical Discourse” in a few words offers a dialogue between faith and unbelief, living experience and doubt, for which catechesis is actually needed. The sensitivity that the words of the “Large Catechism” breathe does not fit into the rule: the best defense is an attack. On an ordinary level, this apologetic technique can bring success, but persuasiveness does not always manage to touch the heart. Most Christian apologists, starting with Tatian and Tertullian, boldly denounced the pagan cult as idolatry and service to demons. Saint Gregory of Nyssa calls, first of all, not to go into confrontation, if only because there is no question more important than the question of God. The existence of God, according to St. Gregory of Nyssa, is an obvious truth that does not require any evidence for its confirmation and does not need any explanation. 144 “Every person in the depths of his own spirit has a special, naturally given, inner feeling of the power of God, and this natural feeling makes everyone believe and have no doubt that God exists.” 145 “The Great Catechetical Word” speaks of what in later theological science is usually called proof of the truth of the existence of God. “In the proper sense, they are not evidence, but only reasonable points of support for direct faith in God...” 146. In this case, we are talking about a psychological argument in favor of the truth of the existence of God, from which we can conclude that the source of faith in God is in Himself. 147 Saint Gregory of Nyssa in his “Great Catechetical Oration” expresses ideas that in theology relate to cosmological and theological proof of the existence of God. “If anyone claims that there is no God, then let those who skillfully and wisely manage the world be brought to the recognition that there is a certain power, showing by this about itself that it is above all” 148. These arguments were expressed by ancient Greek philosophers, Plato (347 BC), Aristotle (322 BC) and other ancient thinkers. They are based on the postulate: “causality is the universal law of existence.” The primary cause of everything that exists can only be super-existence, i.e. God . However, “there is no scientific solution to the question of the “original” (the first cause of the world)” 149. The cosmological argument does not provide the knowledge about God that Revelation conveys, but for an unprejudiced person it is obvious that belief in the existence of God is not “a figment of the imagination of human consciousness, but the only logically justified postulate in resolving the question of the meaning of human and world life” 150. The theological argument, known since ancient times and most widespread due to its simplicity and persuasiveness, knows the thought of all times and peoples. The perfection of the world amazed all naturalists, thinkers and poets, leading them to the idea of ​​a Divine Creator. The thoughts of St. Gregory of Nyssa and the recognized luminaries of science are fully consistent with the words of the Apostle Paul: “From the creation of the world, the invisible, eternal power and divinity of God has been clearly manifested” (Rom. 1:20). The value of these and other arguments lies in the fact that they put a person before a choice: to consider the world and himself to be the result of blind chance or to recognize the Mind of God as the cause of the surprisingly expedient laws of the structure of the world. If a person has a choice, there is freedom and responsibility. The arguments of any theology cannot force a person to become a believer. Without freedom, he will simply cease to be human. The so-called “proofs” of the existence of God, without taking away a person’s freedom of choice, clearly show the weakness of the “scientific” evidence of the atheistic worldview. And the life experience of any person is not absolute. Moreover, we find a lot of evidence of the existence of God among people from completely different eras, different social and educational levels, different cultures and nationalities. They all talk about the indispensable condition under which God will reveal himself to man. It turns out that the onset of this moment of meeting the soul with God depends on the state of the person himself. And this is stated very clearly in the Gospel: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). A valuable feature of the “Great Catechetical Word" is its universality, which lies in its appeal both to ordinary people who do not have sufficient knowledge to comprehend complex theological truths, and to educated people who require a deep philosophical and logical explanation of church dogmas before accepting them on faith. The saint succeeds in this through the use of simple language in combination with high style, vivid imagery used to allegorically depict certain events or states. This "Word" "combines several genres: "philosophical essay", "dogmatic system", "soteriological treatise" - these are epithets that, in our opinion, equally apply to this wonderful monument of patristic writing. In it, the sphere of revealed truths of the dogmatic teaching of the Church comes into contact with various fields of knowledge: anthropology, cosmology, philosophy, natural science and even medicine” 151. From the preface to the “Big Announcement” the specific addressee is not at all clear. Saint Gregory could have addressed his work both to a group of catechists and the head of a specific catechetical school, and it was simply written with the aim of defending Christianity from pagans and heretics who reject the very essence of Christianity. Nevertheless, the entire work has an undoubted missionary and catechetical-educational character. By the 4th century, the philosophical thought, ethics and cosmogony of the ancient Greeks had become the property of the educated strata of the population, passed on to them from the great thinkers of antiquity. However, the study of the heritage of the ancients was more often encyclopedic than creative. Saint Gregory himself, who studied pagan philosophical thought mainly on his own, was not completely captivated by it. His thought felt completely free surrounded by the ideas of Plato, Aristotle, Neoplatonism and Neo-Stoicism. Some researchers, trying to discover the influence of one or another worldview system on the views of St. Gregory, simplify Christian teaching to the level of one of the philosophical schools. The saint was quite clearly aware of the “absolute otherness” of the content of pagan philosophy in comparison with Christian teaching. Based on the views of his older brother, Saint Basil the Great, he justifies the use of philosophy for apologetic purposes. We find the most noticeable trace of the philosophical conceptual apparatus in his creations in the construction of argumentation, in the method and structure of thought, in the images and themes of his writings. The philosophical propositions that the saint uses were in his era the usual propositions and conclusions of reasoning of a sane person. In the “Great Catechetical Homily" the saint seeks to build an integral apologetic system in an anthropological-soteriological key. Saint Gregory examines man in the light of the new life in Christ in a way that is understandable to the intellectual circles of his era. At the same time, this enriched Church Tradition. The goal pursued by Saint Gregory is not new; The forms of expression with which he takes on the task at hand turn out to be new. Despite the lack of classical systematic education, Saint Gregory was distinguished by his deepest religious experience and breadth of knowledge, which makes a strong impression. Subsequently, in connection with the condemnation of Origenism, Saint Gregory was accused of too much adherence to philosophy and its unsuccessful application in defending Christian teaching, as a result of which he was not as widely revered as the other Cappadocian Fathers. Modern researchers of the “Great Catechetical Word” also face a dilemma. A number of researchers consider the saint only as a philosopher and evaluate his legacy according to philosophical criteria. Church scholars are trying to separate the theological element from the philosophical in his works and prove the primacy of the theological. We are of the same opinion. Saint Gregory of Nyssa is not a philosopher engaged in developing a method of philosophical knowledge, but first of all a theologian, explaining his experimental knowledge with the philosophical categories of his time, while remaining faithful to the Divine Truth. This “Word” of the Saint well reveals the existence of various methods of catechumen applied to all those converting to Christianity from various beliefs and heresies. It introduces the questions and problems that worried people of that time, gives a description of the theological and historical picture that existed during the era of the formation of an entire body of Eastern theology. It should be especially noted that the “Great Catechetical Discourse” is the only catechetical monument of the Ancient Church, addressed not so much to those who come to learn the Christian faith, but precisely to those who, on behalf of the Church itself, instruct all those who come to the path of truth. Both previously and now, any missionary-catechist has to face the great mystery of human freedom. If a person is not immediately receptive to the word of the sermon, it is very important not to try to break him, but simply to believe in him. Because by destroying his freedom, one can only formally lead a person to church, but never to the knowledge of God. So we must never forget that the personality, fate and life of each person are unique and unrepeatable. In the same way, each case from catechetical practice is unique in its own way. Just as only one who knows what medications are appropriate for the patient right now can be a real doctor, so only one who knows how to find an approach to each individual, specific person can truly become a catechist. It is also necessary to remember that the most clearly verified arguments of the catechist can only guide a person on the path of search, and that the use of the most proven catechesis methodology cannot become a one hundred percent guarantee of his churching. The human personality is not a programmable machine and its appeal to God cannot be carried out according to a template or a given scheme. A prerequisite for overcoming the gap with God is a person’s own efforts. The sole initiative of the catechist in his work can lead to sad consequences, and the announcement as such will only scare away many from the Church. The catechist must always remember this. The experience of catechesis accumulated by the Fathers of the Church and set forth in their works is for us precisely the precious pearl with which we must adorn our educational work at the present time. And the “Great Catechetical Word” of St. Gregory of Nyssa should take its rightful place in this series. Any missionary and catechetical work based on such a foundation of patristic wisdom will, with God’s help, bear abundant fruit. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who took part in the creation of this work. Appendix 1. Brief overview of the saint's creations Saint Gregory of Nyssa, although he did not possess the qualities of a practical leader, still belongs to the most versatile and profound church writers. His works can be divided into five sections: 1. Exegetical writings They are dedicated to the interpretation of Holy Scripture. 1) “About the six days” (1:1–75). 2) “On the constitution of man” (1:76–222). 3) “On the life of Moses the lawgiver” (1:223–379). 4) “On the inscription of psalms” (2:1–193). 5) “On the sixth psalm” (2:194–202). 6) “An Accurate Interpretation of Solomon’s Ecclesiastes” (2:203–358). 7) “An accurate explanation of the Song of Solomon” (3:1–408). 8) “About the Ventriloquist” (4:192–200). 9) “On prayer” (1:380–496). 10) “On the Beatitudes” (2:359–478). Saint Gregory in his exegetical techniques, mostly influenced by the ideas of Origen, follows the allegorical method of interpretation. He strives to find mysterious and moral-practical meaning in everything. The allegorism characteristic of him is especially expressive in his “Accurate Exposition of the Song of Songs.” In his first two works: “On the Sixth Day” and “On the Structure of Man,” St. Gregory uses methods of literal interpretation that take place in the famous work of St. Basil “The Sixth Day,” where he reveals the wisdom of God manifested in the creation of the human body. In his work “On the Life of Moses the Lawgiver,” written to guide the pious young man Caesarea, he colorfully describes events from the life of Moses, allegorically bringing them together with various circumstances of the life of a Christian, deriving moral instructions from them. Even greater allegorism is revealed in the essay “On the Inscription of Psalms,” where he divides the entire content of the Psalter into five sections increasing in degrees of moral perfection. In his discussion “On the Ventriloquist,” Saint Gregory proves that at the call of the sorceress of Endor, it was not Samuel who appeared, but a demon who deceived the sorceress and Saul. In five conversations “On Prayer” the Lord’s Prayer is explained, and in eight conversations “On the Beatitudes” the Beatitudes are explained. 2. Dogmatic writings It is these writings that are of greatest importance among the works of the Saint. The “Great Catechetical Word” itself belongs to them (4:1-110). It contains a theological and philosophical defense of the Christian teaching about the Holy Trinity, atonement, the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. In his “word” the saint speaks out both against pagans and against Jews and heretics who take up arms against the dogmas of the Christian faith. The work “Refutation of Eunomius” is one of his most extensive anti-Arian works. It consists of 12 books (see Creative Parts 5, 6), where the saint analyzes Eunomius’s answer to the work of St. Basil the Great “Against Eunomius” and defends himself from attacks against himself. The works “To Simplicius on the Faith” (the doctrine of the Divinity of the Word and the Spirit (4:133–140), “To Aulalia on the fact that there are not three Gods” (4:111–132), “To the Hellenes on the basis of general concepts” (4:178–191), “The Sermon on the Holy Spirit against the Macedonians” are devoted to the search for formulations about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. (7:23–58), “The Word of the Divinity of the Son and the Spirit and the praise of righteous Abraham” (4:373–398). Saint Gregory composed two works against Apollinaris. The first of these is “Refutation of the Opinions of Apollinaris” (7:59–201) in which he refutes Apollinaris’s teaching about the heavenly flesh of Christ and his denial of the presence of a human mind in Christ. A complement to this work is his second work, “Against Apollinaris to Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria” (7:202–210). He devoted two works to issues of eschatology: “On the Soul and Resurrection” (4:201–326) and “On Babies Prematurely Abducted by Death” (4:326–210). In the essay “Against the Doctrine of Fate” (4:141–177), the saint defends free will against pagan ideas about the fatal reign of fate, and the “Tale against Arius and Sabellius” (7:1–22) attributed to the Bishop of Nyssa may probably not belong to him at all, but to St. Basil the Great. 3. Moral-ascetic writings 1. “To Armonius about what the name and title of Christians means.” 2. "About perfection and what Christianity should be. To Olympius the monk." 3. “About the purpose of life according to God; about true asceticism; an answer to ascetics who asked about the purpose of piety, and an outline of how to live and strive in society.” 4. “On virginity. A letter containing an exhortation to a virtuous life.” (All works are placed in Part VII, pp. 211–394). The ascetic ideal is very clearly expressed by him in a letter “To a certain John about various subjects, also about the way and order of life of his sister Macrina” (8: 514–521). The sermons of St. Gregory of Nyssa are somewhat lower in dignity than the sermons of St. Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, due to their desire to please listeners through artificiality and exaggeration. According to their content they are divided into: 1. dogmatic: “At your ordination,” (4:361–379); 2. moral: “Against usurers”, “Against those burdened by church punishments”, “About love of poverty and charity”, “Against those postponing baptism”, “A word to those who mourn about those who have passed from this present life to the eternal” (7:395-534); 3. commendable: in honor of the First Martyr Stephen, the Great Martyr Theodore Tiron, Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia, the Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Saint Basil the Great, the Venerable Macrina (8:105); 4. sermons for major holidays. Most of them (there are 26 in total) have personal and biographical interest. Of particular interest and relevance are his II letter “about those undertaking a journey to Jerusalem” (8:455–461), and the “canonical epistle to Saint Litoius, Bishop of Meletina” (8:425–443), written for Easter, containing eight rules and included in the Helmsman and the Book of Rules. Appendix 2. The spiritual character and qualities of a catechist (according to the works of St. Gregory) Saint Gregory suggests starting catechesis with the catechist. Just as an operation begins with the clean hands of a doctor, so does the catechist who comes to the Church with ardent faith, a clear conscience and a loving heart. According to St. Nyssa, every catechist should be a sensitive apologist and an open, friendly, or at least not alienating person. Like a skilled doctor, he must, first of all, correctly diagnose and begin the treatment that will help the spiritual recovery and rebirth of this particular person. Abstract reasoning, more typical of philosophers and melancholics, is not what the living word of a catechist should be. According to St. Gregory, the catechist is called to be the leader of the most complex process of human spiritual rebirth. On this path there can be no questions that are not worth attention. The bewilderment of the ward should not cause ridicule, much less irritation, from the catechist. Although Saint Gregory does not expand much on this topic, nevertheless, these words are enough for the image of a sacrificial, condescending catechist addressing man with the fear of God and ardent faith to be drawn before the eyes of the recipients of this message. Appendix 3. Holy Scripture and the Church on the idea of apokatastasis “Whoever says or thinks that the punishment of demons and wicked people is temporary and that after some time it will have an end, or that there will be a restoration of demons and wicked people afterwards, (...) whoever holds these thoughts, or defends them, or in any way ever dares to repeat them, let him be anathema” 152. The grace-filled life of a Christian in the Church is a foretaste of the “life of the future century” 153. Only in the eschatological perspective, the victory over death accomplished by Christ the Savior is actually fulfilled and actualized. Until the future destinies of the world and man, "By the Resurrection of Christ, death has been defeated, but not stopped... Defeated, for all will be resurrected. Not stopped, for everyone is dying, and will die..." 154. And when everyone "hears the voice of the Son of God" (John 5:28) - death will be both finally defeated and stopped, because everyone will be resurrected and will no longer die. Now we cannot even imagine "... that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). Bible. Books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. M., 1992. 1. Bankov.S., reader. Dogmatic teaching of the “Great Catechetical Word” of St. Gregory of Nyssa.: Dissertation for the degree of candidate of theological sciences. Sergiev Posad, 2001. 2. Barsanuphius the Great and John, Rev. A guide to spiritual life, in answers to questions from students. M., 1993. 3. Eastern Fathers and Teachers of the Church of the 4th century. Compilation, biographical and bibliographical articles by Hierom. Hilarion (Alfeev). M., 1999. T. II. 4. Gavrilyuk P. History of catechesis in the Ancient Church. M., 2001 5. Gregory of Nyssa, St. A big announcement. K., 2003. 6. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Creations. M., 1861–1872. TT.1–8. 7. Acts of the Ecumenical Councils. Kazan, 1889. T. V. 8. Philokalia. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1991. T. 1. 9. Epifanovich S.L. Regarding the book by M. F. Oksiyuk “Eschatology of St. Gregory of Nyssa”, Kiev, 1915. 10. Epifanovich S.L. St. Maximus the Confessor and Byzantine theology. Kiev, 1915. 11. Cyprian (Kern), archimandrite. The Golden Age of Patristic Writing. M, 1995. 12. Lossky V. Mystical theology. M., 1991. 13. Lurie V.M. Afterword // in the book: Gregory of Nyssa, St. About the structure of man. St. Petersburg, 1995. 14. Macarius (Bulgakov), archbishop. Orthodox dogmatic theology. St. Petersburg, 1868. T.1. 15. Macarius (Oksiyuk), Metropolitan. Eschatology of St. Gregory of Nyssa. M., 1999. 16. Martynov A. Teachings of St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, on human nature. M., 1886. 17. Meyendorff I., protopr. Introduction to Patristic Theology. Klin, 2001. 18. Nesmelov V., professor Dogmatic system of St. Gregory of Nyssa. Kazan, 1887. 19. Osipov A.I., prof. The path of reason in search of truth. (Core Theology). M., 1999. 20. Skvortsov I., prot. Christian use of philosophy or the philosophy of St. Gregory of Nyssa // Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy. Kyiv, 1863. T. III. Nos. 9–12. 21. Skurat K.E. , prof. Textbook on patrolology for 3rd year MDA. MDA, 2003. 22. Tikhomirov D. St. Gregory of Nyssa as a moralist. Mogilev on the Dnieper, 1886. 23. Florovsky G., prot. Eastern Fathers of the 4th century. M., 1992. 24. The rite of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. // Service book. M., 1991. Gregory of Nyssa, St. “The Big Announcement”, Preface. Here and below, quotations are given according to the publication: Gregory of Nyssa, St. A big announcement. K., 2003. Hereinafter: “Word”, (chapter number). Cyprian (Kern), archimandrite. The Golden Age of Patristic Writing. M, 1995. P.109. Meyendorff I., protopr. Introduction to Patristic Theology. Klin, 2001. P.214. Skurat K.E., prof. Textbook on patrolology for 3rd year MDA. MDA, 2003. P.64. Here and below are links to the publication: Gregory of Nyssa, St. Creations. M., 1861–1872. TT.1–8. (The volume number is indicated first, followed by page numbers.) Skurat K.E., prof. Textbook on patrolology for 3rd year MDA. MDA, 2003. P.65. Bankov.S., reader. Dogmatic teaching of the “Great Catechetical Word” of St. Gregory of Nyssa.: Dissertation for the degree of candidate of theological sciences. Sergiev Posad, 2001. Meyendorff I, prot. Decree. op. P.214: “it is worth mentioning that in those days married bishops were still allowed. This state of affairs lasted until the Council of Trullo... 692." Meyendorff I, prot. Decree. op. P.214. Skurat.K.E., prof. Textbook on patrolology for 3rd year MDA. MDA, 2003. P.66. Skurat.K.E., prof. Textbook on patrolology for 3rd year MDA. MDA, 2003. P. 66. Bankov.S., reader. Dogmatic teaching of the “Great Catechetical Word” of St. Gregory of Nyssa. Dissertation for the degree of candidate of theological sciences. Sergiev Posad, 2001. P. 146. Right there. P.147. The main argument of St. Gregory is precisely the moral danger. The saint claims that “pilgrimage is not commanded by the Gospel.” He writes that "a change of place does not bring God closer to us. Wherever you are, the Lord will come to you... and if your inner man is full of evil thoughts, then even if you were on Calvary or the Mount of Olives... - you are as far from accepting Christ into yourself as someone who has not confessed the beginning of faith... Truly, in the heart of the one who has God is Bethlehem, Golgotha and the Mount of Olives, the Resurrection." Skurat K.E., prof. Textbook on patrolology for 3rd year MDA. MDA, 2003. P. 68. Skurat K.E., prof. Textbook on patrolology for 3rd year MDA. MDA, 2003. P. 69. Florovsky G., prot. Eastern Fathers of the 4th century. – M., 1992. – P. 128. Gavrilyuk P. History of catechesis in the Ancient Church. M., 2001. P. 60–87. Gavrilyuk P. History of catechesis in the Ancient Church. M., 2001. P. 253. Prof. prot. G. Florovsky says directly: “The Large Catechism is intended as a guide for catechumens.” (Cit. cit. p. 128.) And P. Gavrilyuk is less categorical: “Judging by the introduction, this work was intended more for catechists than for catechumens.” (Cit. cit. p. 199.) Nesmelov V., prof. The dogmatic system of Saint Gregory of Nyssa. Kazan, 1887. P. 77. Nesmelov V., professor Dogmatic system of St. Gregory of Nyssa. Kazan, 1887. P. 77. Quote from: Eastern Fathers and Teachers of the Church of the 4th century. Compilation, biographical and bibliographical articles by Hierom. Hilarion (Alfeev). M., 1999. T. II. P. 63. Creations like the saints of our father Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa. M., 1861–1872. T.1–8. Eastern Fathers and Teachers of the Church of the 4th century (composition, biographical and bibliographical articles by Hieromonk Hilarion (Alfeev)). M., 1999. T. II. pp. 149–200. Nesmelov V. Quoted. op. P. 483. Quote by: Nesmelov V., prof. Decree. op. P. 504. Gregory of Nyssa, St. A big announcement. K.: “Prologue”, 2003. P.9. “The Word”, Preface, 12. Lossky V. Mystical theology. M., 1991. P. 38. The rite of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. // Service book. M., 1991. Florovsky G., prot. Quote op. P. 137. Quote by: Macarius (Bulgakov), Archbishop. Orthodox dogmatic theology. St. Petersburg, 1868. T.1. P. 204. Florovsky G., prot. Decree. op. P. 149. Lurie V.M. Afterword in the book. 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