Catholic News Agency
March 9 2009
ST. GREGORY OF NYSSA
MONDAY, MARCH 09, 2009
The son of two saints, Basil and Emmilia, young Gregory was raised by
his older brother, St. Basil the Great, and his sister, Macrina, in
modern-day Turkey. Gregory’s success in his studies suggested great
things were ahead for him. After becoming a professor of rhetoric, he
was persuaded to devote his learning and efforts to the Church. By
then married, Gregory went on to study for the priesthood and become
ordained (this at a time when celibacy was not a matter of law for
priests).
He was elected Bishop of Nyssa (in Lower Armenia) in 372, a period of
great tension over the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of
Christ. Briefly arrested after being falsely accused of embezzling
Church funds, Gregory was restored to his see in 378, an act met with
great joy by his people.
It was after the death of his beloved brother, Basil, that Gregory
really came into his own. He wrote with great effectiveness against
Arianism and other questionable doctrines, gaining a reputation as a
defender of orthodoxy. He was sent on missions to counter other
heresies and held a position of prominence at the Council of
Constantinople. His fine reputation stayed with him for the remainder
of his life, but over the centuries it gradually declined as the
authorship of his writings became less and less certain. But, thanks
to the work of scholars in the 20th century, his stature is once again
appreciated. Indeed, St. Gregory of Nyssa is seen not simply as a
pillar of orthodoxy but as one of the great contributors to the
mystical tradition in Christian spirituality and to monasticism
itself.
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