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St Gregory of Nyssa
© Holy Transfiguration Monastery

An Introduction to St Gregory of Nyssa
This course is one in a series of short courses aiming to introduce some of the major figures from Early Church history to a wider audience, especially to those with no previous background in the subject.
St Gregory of Nyssa (c.335 – 395) was the youngest of the three Cappadocians, and the brother of St Basil the Great. Despite receiving the least formal education of the three, his writings skilfully present the Christian faith in terms of the contemporary philosophical worldview of his day.
Worthy of special note are his “mystical” texts, such as The Life of Moses and the Commentary on the Song of Songs, which use vivid metaphors to convey a profound understanding of the spiritual life. It is on account of such texts, that some scholars have referred to him as the founder of Christian mysticism.

An important influence for Gregory was the works of Origen (the controversial third century Alexandrian Christian whose views on certain matters had by now begun to receive criticism). The writings of St Gregory owe much to Origen after (sometimes subtle, and sometimes radical) corrections in the light of 4th century orthodox.
Course Outline
The course will outline the life and work of St Gregory of Nyssa. Particular attention will be paid to his understanding of the spiritual life as set out in his “mystical” texts. In addition, we will also consider Gregory’s adoption and correction of various aspects of Origen’s thought.
The course will be divided into several sessions, with breaks for refreshments, each session consisting of a period of teaching with time for questions. There will also be a break at midday to allow for a lunch break and time for reflection in the Convent grounds.
Excerpts from St Gregory’s writings will be provided as handouts on the day, the intention being not merely to provide stock quotations, but rather inspirational texts - “catalysts” for your own spiritual journey.
Please note: Tea & coffee (and nice biscuits) will be provided during the breaks, but you will need to make your own arrangements for lunch.
Who is the course aimed at?
Anyone who’s read this far and is still interested!
Do I need to know any history/theology?
Absolutely not! The course assumes a complete lack of previous knowledge, experience or study. Although naturally this wouldn’t do any harm. However, clergy, lay readers or others with some knowledge will still find much of interest.
Speaker
Russell Jefford has been fascinated with the Early Church period for a number of years - an interest which led to him recently taking an MA in Patristics (Early Church history & theology) at King’s College London.
He sees much in the writings of the Early Church Fathers (especially the Eastern Fathers) which is inspirational and of relevance to contemporary Christianity. This course is one of a series attempting to spread that inspiration further afield.

This course is currently scheduled for the following dates/locations:
None! Sorry, this course is not in the calendar for the immediate future. If you'd like to lobby for it to be repeated, please use the Get in Touch form.

Icon of St Gregory of Nyssa
St Gregory of Nyssa is the subject of one of the icons I've commissioned. To take a look, click here.

Suggestions for further reading
See the Reading Room section of the website for:

Inspirational extracts from some of St Gregory of Nyssa's works
Books about St Gregory of Nyssa
Books containing his work in English translation