On God and Christ: The Five Theological Orations and Two Letters to Cledonius #23

Publication Data: Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2002
Format: softcover
Number of Pages: 175
Dimensions (l × w × h): 18.4 cm × 12.7 cm × 1.2 cm
ISBN: 978‒0‒88141‒240‒6

   
St Gregory of Nazianzus
The Five Theological Orations (Orations 27–31) translated into English by Frederick Williams (Oration 27) and Lionel Wickham (Orations 28–31) with Introduction and Notes by Lionel Wickham
The Two Letters to Cledonius (Letters 101 and 102) translated into English by Lionel Wickham with Introduction and Notes by Lionel Wickham

Number 23 of Popular Patristics Series

“The title Five Theological Orations has no basis in the manuscript tradition, and appears[...]only in the printed editions. Nonetheless, the title is apt, for the doctrine of God is the theme of these addresses which form a series and may well have been delivered as such in Constantinople, perhaps even at the Anastasia, though they will, of course, have been modified for publication afterwards. ‘Theology’ in the strict sense of the doctrine of God (in distinction from ‘the economy,’ or providential ordering of the world by God) was the primary doctrinal issue for the Church of the fourth century. Christian theology has a problem that may be set out in various ways, but perhaps most simply as follows: when we speak of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do we think of each of them as ‘God’ in the same sense? The upshot of the long discussion of the fourth century, commonly and inexactly called the ‘Arian controversy,’ was to yield the answer ‘yes.’”
—“Gregory of Nazianzus: An Introduction for the Reader”

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements
Gregory of Nazianzus: An Introduction for the Reader
   Career and Personality: A Brief Sketch
   Background in Historical Theology to the Five Orations
   Reading the Five Orations: Some Points of Reference
The First Theological Oration (Oration 27)
   An Introductory Sermon against the Eunomians
The Second Theological Oration (Oration 28)
   On the Doctrine of God
The Third Theological Oration (Oration 29)
   On the Son
The Fourth Theological Oration (Oration 30)
   On the Son
The Fourth Theological Oration (Oration 31)
   On the Holy Spirit
The Two Letters to Cledonius (Letters 101 and 102): An Introduction
   The Background
   A Guide by Way of Summary to the Two Letters
Letter 101
Letter 102
Select Bibliography