Questioning St. Gregory of Nyssa's Anthropology and Theory of Sexuality in On the Making of Man

Abstract

St. Gregory of Nyssa’s commentary on man’s creation is a well-known and much-debated topic in the field of Patristic theology. His anthropology, scattered in different ascetical, philosophical, and dogmatic works, is interpreted and reinterpreted by modern scholars in surprisingly different and contradictory ways. The reason behind this passionate and often harsh debate is, on one side, the rise of interest for the writings of the Cappadocian Father starting with the beginning of the last century, and on the other side, the permanence of the anthropological theme. Many prophetical (and likely prescient) voices advocate that the twenty-first century will be the century of anthropology in theological research and beyond. We ourselves witness this happening, with the contemporary social and bio-ethical challenges addressing the modern and pre-modern essentially Christian worldview and definition of the human being. Although St. Gregory’s epoch was primarily the century of Christology, the topic of the human being was also central – precisely because the Logos became man and therefore the Fathers of the Church had to shape a Christological anthropology. Then and now, in order to answer adequately to the three most important philosophical questions – “What can I know? What ought I to do? What may I hope?” – one must first answer the serious question: “What is the human being?” A fresh look at the Bishop of Nyssa’s thought on this topic is theologically challenging, intellectually demanding, and will deepen the significance of the questions for our own world now.