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Apostolic & Patristic · Saint
St Gregory of Nyssa
Bishop of Nyssa
Church FatherConfessor
c. 335 – c. 394
unknown
Ordained
c. 372
Consecrated Bishop
Nyssa
Diocese
Turkey
Country
The Life
St Gregory of Nyssa, younger brother of St Basil the Great, was the third Cappadocian Father and the most speculative and mystical theologian of the three. Consecrated Bishop of Nyssa around 372 by his brother, he was deposed by Arian forces before being restored.
After Basil's death he became a leading defender of Nicene and Trinitarian orthodoxy at the First Council of Constantinople (381). His mystical and dogmatic writings deeply influenced later Eastern theology.
Notable Actions
- Took a leading role at the First Council of Constantinople (381)
- Wrote the twelve-book 'Against Eunomius' answering the Anomoean Arians
- Authored the 'Great Catechism', a systematic defense of Christian doctrine
- Composed mystical works including the 'Life of Moses'
- Combated Apollinarianism in his 'Antirrheticus'
Portrait: AnonymousUnknown author / Wikimedia Commons