The Use of the Term Perichoresis in the Trinitarian Dogma According to St. Gregory of Nyssa

Abstract

In order to understand the ontological foundation of human existence as person, it is necessary to move from the level of an anthropological approach toward theology. It is interesting to note that in the theological field, the concept of person has undergone a long process of definition and refinement. Without going too much into the details of this process, which are not directly relevant for our issue, we will just mention that the problematics of the significance of the concept of person appeared in the context of debating the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, as a way of differentiating the Son from the Father and the Holy Spirit (differentiation that became necessary as a direct result of the Christic revelation and of the Pentecost) and at the same time of affirming the unity in diversity in the context of the intratrinitarian relationship (necessary for preserving the revelation in the Old Testament, which affirms the existence of only one God.)