Ancestry of the Three Cappadocian Fathers:
Naucratius
Martyred
Parent
Macrina
the Elder
Emilia
Basil,
Lawyer
Gregory,
Bishop
Theosevia
Macrina
Basil the
Great
Gregory of
Nazianzus
Nona
Gregory of
Nazianzus
Gregory
of Nyssa
Peter of
Sebaste
Council of Constantinople (381): 2nd Ecumenical Council:
The Cappadocian Fathers:
Basil the Great (329-379)
Gregory of Nazianzus (329-391)
Gregory of Nyssa (330-394)
Basil the Great:
- Baptized in 357, went to Egypt to examine monasticism
- Returned to Cappadocia, brought order to monasticism there,
became the ‘Father of Eastern Monasticism’
- Strong antagonist of Arianism
- Treatise On the Holy Spirit rejected the heresy of
subordinating the Holy Spirit
- Introduced the term ‘consubstantial’
Basil the Great:
Summary of St. Basil’s theology:
“Every created spirit, human or angelic, was made with a
natural spark of desire for God. The release and the realization
of this built-in urge is not spontaneously achieved, but depends
on the willingness of the created spirit to mould itself into
conformity with the wishes of God and so to become like Him.
Finally, this likeness once achieved, the spirit is free to see the
beauty which it had so long desired.”
- Anthony Meredith in The Cappadocians
Basil the Great, on the Holy Spirit:
“Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise,
our ascension into the kingdom of heaven, our return to the
adoption of sons, our liberty to call God our Father, our being
made partakers of the grace of Christ, our being called
children of light, our sharing in eternal glory, and in a word,
our being brought into a state of all fullness of blessing both
in this world and in the world to come, of all good gifts that
are in store for us.”
Basil the Great on Essence and Energies of God:
“Only the Son and the Holy Spirit are able to penetrate the
essence of the Father, which always remains hidden from
humanity. However, humans have intimate communication
with God through the experience of God’s operations or
energies. Thus, although the inner being of God remains a
mystery inaccessible to the human mind, God enters into the
lives of believers through His divine energies.”
Basil the Great, on the Scriptures and Tradition:
“Both written and oral traditions have the same force.
Rejection of legitimate oral traditions would injure the
Gospel in its very vitals. Thus, the Holy Scriptures are
only one manifestation of the Gospel, while the other,
equally valid manifestation of the Gospel is the
unwritten Tradition of the Church.”
Gregory of Naznianzus:
- Ordained in 364, but tried to flee from being a priest,
believing himself unworthy
- Made Bishop of Sasima in 372 by Basil; remained in
Nazianzus
- Five orations in Constantinople in 375 established him as
theologian, and led to his election as Bishop of Constantinople.
Protested on canonical grounds, he returned to Nazianzus
-Uncompromising advocate of Doctrine of the Holy Spirit and
the co-eternal Trinity
-Introduced the phrase ‘one nature, three hypostases’
-Introduced principle of progressive revelation of God
-Could be considered the ‘theologian of divine light’
- called Mary the “Theotokos”
Gregory of Naznianzus:
“The Father is the source of the Son, who is begotten of
the Father. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.
The begetting of God must be honored by silence… It
was in a manner known to the Father who began, and
to the Son who was begotten. Anything more than this is
hidden by a cloud, and escapes your dim sight.”
Gregory of Nyssa:
- Biographical writer and poet made Bishop of Nyssa in 372; exiled
by Arians in 375 and returned in 378
- Flourished after Basil’s death; delivered funeral oration for the
Emperor’s wife in 383
-Studied the Song of Solomon and advocated displacing physical
love with spiritual
- First to draw distinction between divine nature and energies
- The Eucharist transforms those who receive it
- Believed that ultimate restoration would include all beings
- Could be considered the ‘theologian of divine darkness’
- Virtuous life is like racing in the stadium, towards God
Gregory of Nyssa:
“One’s deification, or constant participation in the nature
of God, is a process of growth closer to God that never
ends.”
“It is impossible to understand the essence of God through
human reason. We cannot comprehend the greatness of
divine nature.”
“The refusal to trust human reason as a means to understand
God is one of the major differences between Eastern and
Western Christianity. Throughout history the West has placed
more and more emphasis on human reason. As a result
Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians have grown
further away from Eastern Orthodoxy which, faithful to its
patristic heritage is highly suspect of theology based on fallible
human logic.”
- historian Archpriest John Morris, The Historic
Church, p. 64