Golden Age of the Fathers (325–600)

Gregory Nazianzen

c. 329 – 390 · Nazianzus & Constantinople · Archbishop of Constantinople, 'the Theologian'

Overview

The son of a bishop in Cappadocia, Gregory longed for contemplative quiet yet was repeatedly conscripted into the church's crises. Summoned to Constantinople in 379, when the capital was almost wholly Arian, he preached the Five Theological Orations in a house chapel called Anastasia — 'Resurrection' — and rebuilt Nicene faith there with such precision that the East simply calls him 'the Theologian.' He briefly presided over the Council of Constantinople in 381, then resigned amid intrigue and went home to his books. His orations, letters, and autobiographical poems make him the most personal, and most polished, voice among the Greek fathers.

Did You Know?

Eastern tradition grants the title 'the Theologian' to only three saints: John the Evangelist, Symeon the New Theologian, and Gregory.

Read Their Works

Five Theological Orations (Orations 27–31)5 sections

Major Works

Five Theological Orationsclassic defense of the Trinity

Orationsforty-four survive, rhetorical masterpieces

Poemstheological and autobiographical verse

In the Bible Reader

Gregory Nazianzen has 13 commentary entries in HolyStudy’s verse-by-verse Church Fathers commentary. Open any Gospel chapter, tap a verse, and choose the Church Fathers tab.

Open the Bible reader

Image: Wikimedia Commons · Workshop of Daniel Chorny and Andrey Rublev · Public domain