Scholars of Gregory of Nyssa have long acknowledged the centrality of
faith in his theory of divine union. To date, however, there has been
no sustained examination of this key topic. The present study fills
this gap and elucidates important auxiliary themes that accrue to
Gregory's notion of faith as a faculty of apophatic union with God.
The result adjusts how we understand the Cappadocian's apophaticism in
general and his so-called mysticism of darkness in particular. After a
general discussion of the increasing value of faith in late
Neoplatonism and an overview of important work done on Gregorian
faith, this study moves on to sketch a portrait of the mind and its
dynamic, varying cognitive states and how these respond to the divine
pedagogy of scripture, baptism, and the presence of God. With this
portrait of the mind as a backdrop we see how Gregory values faith for
its ability to unite with God, who remains beyond the comprehending
grasp of mind. A close examination of the relationship between faith
and mind shows Gregory bestowing on faith qualities which Plotinus
would have granted only to the `crest of the wave of intellect'. While
Gregorian faith serves as the faculty of apophatic union with God,
faith yet gives something to mind. This dimension of Gregory's
apophaticism has gone largely unnoticed by scholars. At the apex of an
apophatic ascent faith unites with God the Word; by virtue of this
union the believer takes on the qualities of the Word, who speaks
(logophasis) in the deeds and discourse of the believer. Finally this
study redresses how Gregory has been identified with a `mysticism of
darkness' and argues that he proposes no less a `mysticism of light'.
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Union, Knowledge, and Divine Presence
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780191533228
Publisert
2020
Utgiver
Oxford University Press Academic UK
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter