Gregory of Nazianzus 329 AD – 389 AD
Gregory of Nazianzus, called the Theologian, was a fourth-century Cappadocian Father, archbishop of Constantinople, and one of the principal architects of Trinitarian orthodoxy. With Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, he shaped the doctrine of three persons in one substance ratified at the Council of Constantinople in 381. His Five Theological Orations, delivered at Constantinople, are masterpieces of patristic theology, while his autobiographical poem De Vita Sua is a remarkable record of a Christian intellectual life. He is one of only three figures in the Eastern Christian tradition known by the title the Theologian.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Greek
- Era
- Ancient
- Movements
- Christian
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus:
“Better to think rightly of God in silence than wrongly in speech.”
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Attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus:
“Theology is impossible without prayer.”
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Attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus:
“Beware of giving names to God, for he is above all names.”
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Attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus:
“The mind that has been illumined by God speaks rightly of God.”
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Attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus:
“What is unassumed is unhealed; but what is united with God is also saved.”