The Theological and Doxological Reference to the Resurrection and the Pentecost according to the Orations of Gregory Nazianzen XLI and XLV

Abstract

In the 41st oration, Gregory Nazianzen analyses again the divinity of the Holy Spirit, a subject that is developed in his Fifth Theological Oration. Gregory tries to establish the point by quite a different set of arguments from those adopted in the former discourse, none of whose points are here repeated. In the other oration, forty-five, Gregory refers to the importance of the resurrection for the human race. He presents Christ as the new Adam who saved the human from the death and reunites again the man with God. In this paper, we will examine the teaching of Gregory Nazianzen about the divine status of the Holy Spirit and his equality to the other two persons of the Triune God through theological and biblical images. Also, we will present how he connects his teaching for anthropology based on the Christology. In the end, we will show how Gregory produced these orations for public festivals within the literarily ripe tradition of pagan festival rhetoric but he gives to his orations theological content. Keywords: Nicholas Cabasilas, doxological reference, Gregory Nazianzen, liturgy, Pentecost