Overview

This book provides a comprehensive literary and theological analysis of Gregory of Nyssa's theology of union with God, culminating in a fresh reading of his final written work, In Canticum Canticorum (c.391), a collection of fifteen allegorical homilies on the Song of Songs. Part I gives the essential background for the study of In Canticum Canticorum by analysing several of Gregory's earlier works (c.370--385), tracing the main contours of his account of the human transformation and union with God. Author Alexander Abecina explores topics such as Gregory's theology of virginity and spiritual marriage, his theology of baptism, his trinitarian theology, and his Spirit-based Christology. In Part II Abecina builds on his key findings in Part I to structure a detailed analysis of In Canticum Canticorum. Engaging with the latest contemporary scholarship on Gregory of Nyssa, the author shows how Gregory's allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs represents a corresponding account of human transformation and union with God from the perspective of subjective experience of this reality. Rather than marking a new development in Gregory's mature thought, Abecina demonstrates that the subjective experience gained from Gregory's reading of the Song of Songs recapitulates the key elements of his objective account and therefore renders coherent his earlier soteriological doctrine.

Full Product Details

Author:   Alexander L. Abecina
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 22.60cm , Height: 4.30cm , Length: 16.30cm
Weight:   0.590kg
ISBN:  

9780197745946

ISBN 10:   0197745946
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   07 November 2023
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Part I: Trinity, Christology and Pneumatology: Gregory Of Nyssa's Doctrinal Account Of Human Transformation and Union With God (c. 370--385) 1. Spiritual Marriage and Baptismal Exegesis in De virginitate 2. Baptism and Trinitarian Theology 3. Human Transformation and Christology in Contra Eunomium III 4. Spirit-based Christology in Antirrheticus adversus Apolinarium 5. Tracing the Spirit: Christology in Contra Eunomium III Reconsidered Part II: Analysis of In Canticum Canticorum (c. 391) 6. Baptismal Exegesis of the Song of Songs 7. Advancement and Ascent: The Unified Activity of Christ and the Spirit 8. Christ's Pneumatic Body in the Glory of the Trinity Conclusion Bibliography of Primary Sources Bibliography of Secondary Sources Index

Reviews

Alex Abecina's study of baptismal transformation in Gregory of Nyssa is thorough, meticulous, and convincing. Through a detailed analysis of Nyssen's homilies on the Song of Songs, Abecina shows that Gregory's contemplation of Scripture aims at the reader being baptized with the Spirit into union with the Father and the Son. Abecina's book is a major achievement-the benchmark for any future study of pneumatology in Gregory of Nyssa. * Hans Boersma, Saint Benedict Servants of Christ Professor in Ascetical Theology, Nashotah House Theological Seminary * Abecina has produced a very helpful close reading of Gregory's pneumatology in his homilies on the Song of Songs, showing how deeply Gregory's vision of the Spirit draws together his understanding of the Christian's transformation in the body of Christ and his Trinitarian theology. This book models for us how we must attend to the theological dynamics of Gregory's texts. * Lewis Ayres, Professor of Catholic and Historical Theology, Durham University and Professorial Fellow, Australian Catholic University *

Author Information

Alexander L. Abecina holds a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge where he completed a doctoral dissertation on Gregory of Nyssa. His publications include Time and Sacramentality in Gregory of Nyssa's Contra Eunomium and articles in Modern Theology, Journal of Theological Studies, and International Journal of Systematic Theology.

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