Gregory of Nyssa: Uniting Doctrine and Devotion Through Christian Thought

Christianity has become fragmented. Faith has become separated from reason, Scripture from the created order, salvation from spiritual growth, and Christian belief from ethical living. Some scholars believe this fragmentation is the result of a loss of intelligibility. Church doctrine and devotional practices have become disconnected from the Christian thinking that initially inspired them. These scholars suggest that a recovery of intelligibility would help to overcome the fragmentation of the faith. The fourth-century bishop Gregory of Nyssa offers one example of a theology that holds church doctrine and devotional living together through the intelligibility of Christian thought. Gregory's theology is intelligible because it is comprehensive, coherent, and evocative. It offers believers an internally consistent, rational explanation for their faith while emphasizing the need for lifelong human participation in salvation