Gregory of Nyssa, Saint

Gregory of Nyssa, Saint (nĭs`ə), d. 394?, Cappadocian theologian; brother of St. Basil the Great and his successor as champion of orthodoxy. He became bishop of Nyssa in Cappadocia in 371, was removed in 376, and was restored in 378. He was prominent in the First Council of Constantinople (see Constantinople, First Council of). His fame rests on his theological works, most of which were controversial, against Eunomius, Apollinarians, and against the teachings of Jews and pagans (Oratio catechetica). Feast: Mar. 9.

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Gregory of Nyssa, Saint

(born c. 335, Caesarea, Cappadocia, Asia Minor—died c. 394; feast day March 9) Eastern Orthodox theologian and mystic. Initially a teacher of rhetoric, he turned to religion under the influence of his brother, Basil the Great, and was consecrated bishop of Nyssa in 372. Deposed by Arian opposition in 376, he was restored to office in 378 after the death of the Arian emperor Valens. An associate of Gregory of Nazianzus, he became a leading defender of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. His writings include The Great Catechesis, a classic outline of Orthodox theology that examines the place of the sacraments in the church. A Christian Platonist, he shared Origen's hope for ultimate universal salvation.