Getting to Know Gregory of Nazianzus

The history of Christianity is filled with important turning points. One of most far-reaching of these was the Arian controversy, which culminated in the councils of Nicaea (325 AD) and Constantinople (381 AD). In the introduction to his exceptional book on the development of trinitarian theology during and after this period, Khaled Anatolios encourages contemporary Christians to look not only at the specific creedal formulations produced by these councils, but also at “how such formulations were interpreted in the immediate aftermath” of them.¹Khaled Anatolios, Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 1.

Among the various church fathers involved in the development of Nicene Christianity, many people know about Athanasius, the Alexandrian bishop who went into exile five times and probably did more than anyone else to ensure that orthodox Christian thought successfully resisted the Arian heresy.²John Behr, The Nicene Faith: Formation of Christian Theology, Volume 2 (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004), 163,167. However, Athanasius was not alone. Fewer people are probably familiar with the group of theologians known collectively as the Cappadocian Fathers (Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus). Nevertheless, they also played an important role in interpreting and defending Nicene orthodoxy.³Bryan M. Litfin, Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction. 2nd Ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016), 155. Today, we’re going to spend some time getting to know one of them.