Saint Gregory of Nyssa (335-394)
Saint
Gregory of Nyssa (335-394)
Gregory
of Nyssa was greatly influenced by his eldest sister, St Macrina, and St Basil,
his elder brother. Gregory was born about the year 335, and was educated
chiefly by St Basil. Hubertus Drobner wrote that Gregory was the most gifted
among the three Cappadocian Fathers.[1] He
first served as a lector, then later became a master of rhetorics, and got
married. However, under the influence of St Gregory of Nazianzus, he joined the
monastery in Pontus founded by St Basil, devoting himself to prayer and
contemplation.[2]
He was appointed Bishop of Nyssa. His initial years as Bishop were marked by
difficulties which culminated in his deposition in 376. He returned in 378
following the death of the Arian Emperor Valens. [3]
Gregory advocated for orthodoxy, and participated actively in the synods of
Antioch (379) and Constantinople (381, 382, 383, and 384). He died in 394. His
works include; Antirrheticus adversus Apollinarem and Oratio
Catechetica Magna.
[1] Cf. Hubertus Drobner, The Fathers of the Church, p. 277
[2] Cf. Johannes Quaster, Patrology, p. 277
[3] Cf. Hubertus Drobner, The Fathers of the Church, p. 278
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