Gregory of Nyssa on the Trinity (with focus on his Letter ad Ablabius)

Marmodoro, Anna

Abstract

This chapter explores Gregory’s metaphysics of the Trinity, which used an innovative distinction between stuffs (e.g. gold), which cannot be counted, and individuals (e.g. rings), which can. Gregory identifies the nature of any kind with the totality of its instances: the nature of man is the totality of men; the nature of gold is the totality of gold. For Gregory, the totality is more ‘real’ than the individuals into which it is articulated, which are merely the way in which the kind is present in the world. God is then identified as the total quantity of divinity in the world, and is thus one, and real. The Persons of the Trinity into which God is articulated are the ways God is in the world, and can be comprehended by us. Thus, the problem of the Trinity is solved as a special case of the philosophical problem of the One and Many.

Citation

Marmodoro, A. (2018). Gregory of Nyssa on the Trinity (with focus on his Letter ad Ablabius). In A. Marmodoro, & N. McLynn (Eds.), Exploring Gregory of Nyssa : philosophical, theological and historical studies (220-234). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198826422.003.0012

• Online Publication Date: Oct 1, 2018
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Oct 24, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 30, 2020
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Pages: 220-234
• Book Title: Exploring Gregory of Nyssa : philosophical, theological and historical studies.
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198826422.003.0012
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1630224
• Contract Date: Jan 1, 2018